Farewell, Unalaska

Our last few days were pretty crazy!  My friend Charlene stopped over to say goodbye--she is my workout idol.  I wish I had the determination and stamina that she does!  My former student Yumiko came back to Unalaska the day before we left and also came to visit, but I failed to get a photo.  It was great to see her again after many months in Japan.  AND my former student Magda spent a couple of hours helping us clean our house.  Whew! Moving is hard work!

Then off to the Post Office to mail several boxes of stuff that we didn't manage to get into the totes going on the boat.  I thought we were going to be so organized and that did not prove to be true at all!  Here's Jennifer, our favorite postal worker, taking care of business with Rich.  I'm gonna miss chatting with her!

 I swung by the office one last time to complete my final paperwork and say some tearful goodbyes to my awesome coworkers.  Above, our bookkeeper Billie Jo and the best boss ever, Lauren.  I couldn't have asked for a better person to work for.

Our visiting reporters John and Greta were lots of fun and I enjoyed working with them for a short time.

Pipa, TV producer, volunteer coordinator, and so much more. We had many good times and deep conversations.  She and Lauren and I had been there together the longest and worked really well together.

That's Chrissy up front, our brand new arts and culture producer.  I only got to work with her for a couple of weeks but I loved her already. So much fun and willing to pitch in and help with anything needed.  She's gonna be a good one for the station and I am glad she's there!

 Tammy and Jack took us out for one last dinner

 It was pretty surreal spending one last night in our house and getting up the next morning to head to the airport knowing it was our last time to fly out of Unalaska.  I definitely got choked up driving over to the radio station and then again driving to the airport. So many memories of 11 plus years on our little island in the Bering Sea.  I am so glad I took such a big leap of faith and moved to the end of the world to begin a new life.  Although I didn't love every single minute of it and sometimes (especially the last few years) I was totally dying to leave, it was still a fabulous experience.

 Elaine and Tammy came to see us off

 along with my sweet friend Kathy, with whom I worked at the Wellness Center years ago.

 Getting ready to board our last flight out

We've stood in front of this window many times over the years, watching for planes to come in or take off.

One last hug for my dear friend Tammy--I can't even put into words how much I will miss this one!  But we will not be too sad because we have plans to get together "down south" in the future.

 There's our plane

 Look! A rainbow for our departure

 Taking off on Pen Air one last time

 Goodbye to our beautiful island home

Poor Ajax and Kali had to endure two flights before getting out of their kennels for an overnight in Seattle.  We reserved a pet friendly hotel room and let them out to roam a bit but they were pretty traumatized, bless their little hearts.

Next morning, another flight and finally we're in Dallas!  Another new start and another new phase of life ahead of us.  Looking forward to new adventures!