I left Indianapolis 7 days after my last day of employment with Indianapolis Public Schools.  And what a week it was.  I started saying my last goodbyes to people about three weeks ago.  I’ve had many Bon Voyage lunches and dinners, some with people I’ll see again, many with people I most likely will never see again.  That is a strange feeling and interaction.  But I lived through every single goodbye with sadness each time.  It was difficult saying goodbye to my best friends, especially to people who have helped me so much in the last year’s nomadic process.  Without them, today would not have been possible.

I stayed at Jessica’s house several times in the last 6 months.  Sometimes I stayed with her and her husband because I had no other place to stay and other times I dog-sat for her two middle-aged and elderly puppies when they left town.   I have loved staying at their home as I just always felt like a regular household member while there.  My presence didn’t seem to interrupt any of the daily flow.  AND I loved spending time with the two adults and the two puppies.

Yesterday, Friday, was my last day in Indy.  And the canine boys and I were the only ones there when I drove off.  Manny is an old man and slept through the process.  Bodie, however, sensed that I was leaving him.  He and I have become very close through our time together.  If I was stationary, he was on my lap.  He slept in my bed—usually under the covers—when his parents were gone.  We were truly buddies.

So he whiningly followed me around while I packed my things and packed up the car.  It was evident that he knew what was happening.  When the car was packed and I was ready to take off, I picked him up and we said our goodbyes.  We both cried.  Then he hopped up on ‘my’ bed and sat on his throne to watch me walk out the door for the last time.  He seemed sad.  Bodie, my buddy.  My last goodbye.

Today is our family reunion at Brother Tom’s farm in Angola, Indiana.  Tomorrow, Sunday, my Sister Julie and I take off for the Jyoti & Julie Great Adventure.   Our final destination is Oakland California.  Our first stop is Memphis Tennessee!  Stay tuned!