Last night as I lay awake desperately needing to fall asleep, I realized that my body was in full flight-or-flight mode, all charged up with adrenal hormones ready to go into action.

I’d spent most of the day fearful and on edge (that’s another story) and was quite literally ready for flight. I’d been packing and planning for weeks and now my flight was mere 7 hours from takeoff.

I’m beginning a crazy adventure. A trip to New Zealand should be adventure enough but this one evolved into a hopscotch across time zones and warm sunny places.

My first stop is Tuscon, where I will be spend a few days with my Aunt Carol and Uncle Ray. On Wednesday, we’ll drive to Phoenix to visit two cousins who I haven’t seen in 30+ years. John will join me for a few days with the Ferris’, “gold” friends from Chicago.

A week from today I catch another early flight to LA to spend a day at Disneyland with my friend, Marilyn, and her son Duncan. After an overnight at a hotel near the airport, Marilyn and I board a flight to Hawaii!!

We spend two days in in Hawaii and then board a Hawaii Airlines flight to New Zealand. The trip from LAX to Auckland, including two free nights in Honolulu was part of a special promotional deal that I found last spring.

We will spend two weeks with Anne and James in NZ, taking day trips around the North Island the first week and traveling (with Anne) to the South Island for 5 days in the middle of our stay. James is currently in the middle of an ABS session so he will be pretty busy.

I’m hoping to see both James and Anne in their work worlds, tagging along on an ABS adventure or activity and attending Anne’s youth group a couple times. I’ve already agreed to take two of her girls out for coffee. Maybe I can also help Anne at her barista bar at the church on Sunday morning.

Marilyn has never traveled overseas so it will be fun to show her around New Zealand. We are both quilters so we will just have to stop at all the quilt stores along the way.

This is my third trip to New Zealand. I’ve always traveled Chicago to LA / LA to Auckland in one long travel day. This time I will be leapfrogging through time zones, hopefully adapting to the changes as I go. Three hours lost today and another 3 hours lost on the trip to Hawaii. That puts me 23 hours “behind” New Zealand time so it should feel like only an hour difference with a day lost as we as we cross the international dateline. We get the day back when we come home.

Besides the time factor, I am leaving dropping temperatures behind, hopefully heading back in time to summer and spring.

Crazy.

P.S. Two of the eight flights are completed and I’m already disenchanted with airports and airplanes. Think “cattle”, “sardines” and “mules.” But now that I’m enjoying 80+ temperatures and sunny skies it all seems worth it.