The final countdown

Well, it's 2 weeks left before I leave. So many things to get done before I go. I feel like my to-do list is never ending. My calendar is booked with every little errand that needs to be run. Stuff for the cats, last minute supplies, dropping stuff off here, dropping stuff off there, finishing packing - it's stressing me out. But I know there's a light at the end of the tunnel. In 2 weeks and 16 hours, I'll be getting in my car and heading north out of Austin to begin my journey. I can't wait for that feeling - that feeling of relief, of anticipation, of excitement, and of a little dread. It's scary. I don't know what awaits me on the journey. As much as I plan, I don't really know what to expect. But I know that it'll be good.

So my move-out schedule is this:
Saturday 5/4 I'm loading up the cats, taking them to the vet, and then taking them to my friend's house. She's going to watch them for me this summer. Getting that figured out was a huge relief.
Tuesday 5/7 is my last day at work (I do plan to come back to my job at the end of the trip). Then I'll go home, finish up the last minute packing stuff, and load up my car.
Wednesday morning, the movers show up around 8:30 and take all my stuff. They're putting it all in their storage, so I don't even need to deal with it on the other end. They'll just pack it into the truck and take it all. Then I'll spend about 4 hours cleaning the apartment and putting the last items into my car. I'll turn in my keys and drive north, where I'll get a car wash and get my hair colored. Then over to do some grocery shopping for sodas and snacks. Wednesday night I'm staying with a friend up in Round Rock. I'm sure we'll drink a glass of wine and just relax.
Then Thursday at 9AM, I load up the car and I'm off.

The first day of my trip is a pretty massive driving day. I'm driving from Austin to Oklahoma City, with a few stops along the way. First stop is the Czech Stop in West, TX, which is the town that was recently devastated with the fertilizer plant explosion. For me, I figure the best way to support them is to actually go and support the businesses in the town. From there, I'll drive another hour north where there are 2 wineries I'd like to check out in Burleson, TX. And from there, I'm doing a bit of a detour to drive out to Medicine Park, OK for my first Volksmarch of the trip and then continue up to Oklahoma City. I expect to arrive in Oklahoma City around 9:30 on Thursday night.

So that's my first day. Many more days after that. Can't wait for the journey to begin!