Goodbye, See Ya, Have Fun, Take Care

And so it was. We arrived at the airport at 5am and met Louise, the departure lady. She took Drew to check in; then we all went through security (where Drew was checked for explosives) and upstairs to wait. Louise took Drew and Margie away for 15 minutes to go through some paperwork, insurance and what to do/who to contact if you miss your plane etc.

Bree and Sophie were there to meet him with a huge red cardboard heart. He was really surprised. They're his two best friends.

We headed to Gate 20 and sat for an hour. It went slowly. We just stood around talking nervously. Notice how Megan is always aware of where the camera is pointing.

Doug and June bought him a Kangaroos jersey as a going away present. He insisted on wearing it.
Time to say goodbye and head to the gate. This is the moment we all started to cry; still smiling but crying too.

Granny found it especially hard. He is the light of her life.

This was a tough moment for me, when he went to line up...........
so I ran over and gave him another tight hug and three kisses.

And then he was gone down the corridor toward the plane. He turned around at the last second and I could just see his head and hand waving over the top of the other passengers.

Oh, he was soooo excited to be finally heading off on his grand adventure.

We turned and walked away, back through the terminal to the car. I couldn't believe what I'd just done....said goodbye to my son for a year. Drew. Canada. Really??