Au Revoir!

It's been a busy month, preparing to leave the country, and visiting family and friends all around the country. I've been racking up the frequent flyer miles lately, and there's still much more to come!
I'm just finishing up my final packing these last couple of days, and I'm hoping I haven't gone over my 80 pound limit. It's pretty close.... so much for traveling light! ;-)

This past weekend I had two 'bon voyage' parties. It was time to say au revoir to my friends in the Bay Area. On Saturday, we gathered in Santa Cruz at the Seabright Brewery. Afterwards we all headed to the bowling alley by the boardwalk for bowling and then we sang karaoke late into the night, almost "all night long... all night"! Then Sunday, I met up with more friends in San Francisco at the Connecticut Yankee. It was a great send-off. I'm so grateful for my friends, and I will be thinking of you often. Thanks for showing me some love before I go!

Here are my peeps in Santa Cruz at the Seabright Brewery:
(thanks Molly for the photo!)

"she's got the whole world in her hands!"

And here's the San Francisco crew at the Connecticut Yankee:


Check out the rest of our photos!

Thanks also to the Happy Brigade for acknowledging me on their website this month with a photo and a news story. Assolutely spanktacular! ;-)

Today is Valentine's Day and Sound Tribe Sector 9 is playing in Santa Cruz! Sound Tribe has always been a favorite, so the timing couldn't be more perfect. I'm ready to get down... ragin' it on a Wednesday night! Yeah!

I leave for Washington DC on Saturday, the 17th, for Peace Corps orientation. Then on February 20th, I set off to Madagascar with a brief stop in Johannesburg, South Africa. I'm really looking forward to meeting the group of folks I'm traveling over there with. We will all be in training together for our first three months in the country near Antananarivo (otherwise known as "Tana").

And in case you hadn't noticed, there are a few new additions to my website. I added the current time in Madagascar on the right side bar, which might be of interest. Now you can also sign up for e-mail updates; when I update, you'll receive an e-mail. And I started a flickr account where I'll be posting my latest photos. I hope you enjoy. Thanks so much for checking in on me. Be sure to leave me comments so I know you're out there. And even better, send me mail in Madagascar! I promise to write back. :-)