Into the 'lasts'

We are moved firmly into 'the lasts' stage of transition. As in "This is the last time I/we will....".

I can never decide whether this helps, hinders or is just an inevitable part of leaving your life behind.

A few lasts:

i) driving my car (now sold) to the hangar
ii) taking Rhum out for her evening 'constitutional' (we took her to her now home yesterday - a bit of an emotional day all round)
iii) Sunday school (next Sunday is the Christmas 'production', and then it stops for Christmas)
iv) play date with Kiefer (Caleb's friend, who has gone to the US for Christmas and Lucas (Joshua's best friend, who has returned to New Zealand for Christmas)
v) Management meeting - not something I will particularly miss...

We also had the 'last night sleeping under our duvet' - as we were planning to ship it. However, after a couple of rubbish nights - one under a duvet cover filled with one blanket (too cold) and one under a duvet cover filled with two blankets (too hot) - we decided that we were just going to have to squeeze the duvet into our luggage somehow. Interesting what things turn out to be important!

We now have a our flights sorted, and will be flying out of Nairobi at 16.40 on the 18th. 5 hours to Dubai, and then overnighting there, before carrying on from Dubai (at around 11.00am) to Melbourne - around 13.5 hours (count 'em). We arrive in Melbourne at around 7.00am Aussie time (01.00 Dubai time, 12.00 Kenya time), have a short turnaround in Melbourne, and then 3.5 hours to Cairns - arriving midday-ish on the 20th.

We would really value your prayers - especially for our final days in Kenya; coping with the 'long leg', and the jet lag on arrival. Other than Libby, this will be our first brush with 'real' jet lag. From my research on the subject, "Travelling east by 6 to 9 time zones causes the biggest problems" - nice :(