Last Week in Town

This past week has been super hectic as my family and I prepare for me to leave. It's been a week filled with many 'lasts' for me. Here's an update:

Tuesday- Tuesday was my last day of high school. ever. It's crazy to think that I'm finally done with high school! Tuesday night was also my last chance to see friends so a bunch of us went to Oklahoma Joe's for dinner and then hung out for awhile. It was hard to say goodbye, especially knowing that I won't see them until april/may.

Wednesday- Wednesday was (hopefully) my last transfusion in Kansas City! For several months now, I've been getting blood transfusions every two weeks so a typical wednesday for me is a day spent at the hospital getting blood. I've known many of the nurses for nearly five years and spent way too much time with most of them. :) They surprised me with a gift card, balloon and ice cream as a going away present. Here's a picture of me with a few of the nurses. Theresa, the nurse to my left, was the first nurse to draw my blood nearly five years ago. I'm hoping the fact that I saw her on my last day will be a good luck charm.

Thursday- Thursday was Thanksgiving. Seeing as how I'm a senior and plan to move to NYC next year, it was probably my last Thanksgiving that I will spend with my family. My mom and I went to lunch at The Bristol and then I went to see my Dad, Stepmom, half brother (ethan) and brother (Jameson). My dad and stepmom gave me some early christmas presents to keep me busy during my first few weeks in the hospital. I got a NYC calendar to help me count down the days, a few 'adult coloring books' to keep me busy and a scrapbook for me to record my journey. Here's pictures of me with my two brothers, Ethan and Jameson.

Later that night, my mom and I decided to surprise Jameson by doing one of our family traditions. Every year, on the night that we set up our christmas tree, we get a bunch of junk food and a movie and we pull our mattresses out into the living room so we can sleep under the tree. My brother was bummed that we wouldn't be able to do that this year so we decided to do it early. Again, this will probably be my last year to participate in our christmas mattress tradition.

Friday- Friday was packing day. I cleaned my room, did laundry and finished packing my life. I managed to fit everything into a black suitcase, a blue tub and two clear tubs. Here's my life for the next four months:

Saturday- Today is my last day in town. I spent the day relaxing and trying not to stress about tomorrow. I watched TV, went to dinner with my family and went over my packing list. It's starting to hit me that I'll be leaving my home in roughly 12 hours. I don't really know how to wrap my head around it but I know that I'm as ready as I'll ever be. It's hard to leave home but I know that I'll be coming back home soon. This is just a hibernation for me. Tomorrow brings a new challenge and a new journey for me, but I'm not afraid.

**Reason of the Day: While packing, I noticed that my mom had bought a kleenex box with gerbera daisies on them. She said she picked that box because she remembered that gerbera daisies are my favorite flowers. Personalized kleenex boxes are always a reason to smile (RTS). **