Tomorrow is the Big Day!!!!

I am finally leaving on the journey of a lifetime!!

When I signed up to do this trip with Soles4Souls in January it seemed like it was so far away and now it's here. There are 25 people on the trip and I've been emailing with several of them in the last week or so. We are all very excited to be embarking on this journey where we will wash the feet of children and fit them for shoes that will protect them in their everyday life. Of course we have some playtime scheduled too. I am bringing a bunch of little gifts for the children and I can't wait to see their faces when they get their new shoes.

I head to New York tomorrow where I am planning to meet up with some of my travel companions for dinner. We leave for Dubai early Wednesday morning. We already have several fun things scheduled for Dubai including a ticket to go up to the observation deck of the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building. That night we have booked a desert safari where we will get to go dune bashing in 4x4's, take camel rides, get henna tattoos, and have dinner while the sun sets over the desert. It's going to be a once in a lifetime experience and I can't wait to share it with everyone!

Then it will be on to Tanzania where we will spend one day/night in Dar Es Salaam before heading to Kigoma which will be our base for the remainder of the trip. Everyone keeps asking me if we are sleeping in tents and the answer is no! We will be at a hotel with running water and a bathroom....thank goodness!

Packing has been a little bit of an experience. I thought I was a good packer until I had to get my bag down to 33 lbs. But I finally managed to do it and I have extra pounds to spare which means I can bring back some goodies!

I think I'm totally ready so tonight is just all about relaxing and waiting. I'm sure I won't get much sleep because I'm going to be so excited to get to New York and meet everyone.

Don't forget to check back throughout the week. I'm hoping we have an internet connection and if so I will blog! If not I'll do a detailed post when I get back!

Thanks again to everyone for their donations, encouragement, prayers, and excitement. It means a lot to me and I can't thank you enough!