Today was the end of the year party for my work in HH School District.  I don't think it has sunk in yet that teaching here in the states is coming to an end.  Very strange.  My students have not taken this as well as I thought they would.  They have been signing my board all week and a lot of them have been leaving messages like, "It's ok you are leaving us.  We will miss you.  It's ok if you want to leave us."  Very sad. 

Today I received my official paperwork from Aramco.  As I sat here signing the contracts, I was thinking how long will it be until they hand these back to me - Five years?  Ten Years?  Twenty years?  I realize that many of you think we are out of our minds for giving up all we have to do this.  Understandable.  But please realize that we have a much broader perspective than most when it comes to this and we can't wait to go.  People are concerned for our safety.  That is great.  And we totally appreciate your concern.  I can guarantee you that this is totally safe and that when they hand us back that contract in five, ten or twenty years we will be there to actually take it back.  I promise. 

One of my favorite movies is The Shawshank Redemption.  There are so many good quotes that have come out of that movie.  I love the end when Red is finally out of jail and is going to the tropical beach to see Andy Dufresne and says "I find I'm so excited, I can barely sit still or hold a thought in my head. I think it's the excitement only a free man can feel, a free man at the start of a long journey whose conclusion is uncertain. I hope I can make it across the border. I hope to see my friend, and shake his hand. I hope the Pacific is as blue as it has been in my dreams. I hope."  Yeah that about sums it up.  "Get busy living or get busy dying."  Red was always one of my favorite movie charaters.  This is going to be so cool.