Leaving on a Jet Plane

I'm all packed up and ready to fly out today. I have successfully gotten over the cold that has been pestering me for the last week. My only concern now is which baggage requirement I will be held to at the airport this afternoon. I have one big suitcase and a messenger bag. The messenger bag is no problem; it's a carry-on. The suitcase on the other hand weighs quite a bit. It's too big to actually fit on my scale at home so I can only guesstimate how much it weighs. Right now it looks like it's around 44lbs. Here's the issue: US to Europe flights have a max of 50.5lbs for the bag and Europe to Europe flights have a 44lb max. I connect in Amsterdam, so I don't know which standard I'll be held to.

I'm not really nervous to go. It just hit me this morning that I'm actually (finally) leaving and that I'll be gone for five months. It's not substantially longer than I'm away in Austin or anything like that. I won't see the extended family any less often than I already do. Somehow distance makes a difference though, in their minds more than mine, I think. I noticed that with all the goodbyes. I have grown accustomed to being away. More than anything, it will be difficult adjusting to being away from Austin. I've gotten used to a certain routine there and living among my friends who are more like family. It has been strange enough being away from them for the past two months in Houston, but it was comforting to find that things went back to just the way they were when I was up there on Saturday. Hopefully the same will be true when I come back in late June. I'm sure I'll miss quite a few jokes and come back slightly confused about who is dating who, but it's all good.

I think Sugarbear has figured out that I'm leaving. The bag has been on my floor for a week as I slowly packed. She is once again curled up on my bed staring at it. Well, pups, I'm sorry but I've gotta go. I have one or two more things to throw in the bag, a few hours to sit around and wait and then I'm leaving on a jetplane.