Hi Friends!
Many recent events and changes have taken place and I want to catch everyone up….
Over the last several weeks, Johnny and I have been wrapping up our lives in Raleigh, NC before we leave for The World Race. We’ve lived in Raleigh since we graduated back in May 2006 and since then we’ve shared some of the best times with family and so many new friends.
I’ve lived in NC my whole life and this will be the first time away from the fam (except for college). We are moving in with Johnny’s family in Big Canoe, Georgia temporarily until we leave for our trip (departure date announced below).
Before we left Raleigh, my parents threw us a luau send-off party, where family and our Fellowship Raleigh friends came over for some BBQ and swimming. We had a blast, but sad to know it was the last time we’d see most of them before we left.
Saying goodbye to my parent’s has never been so tough. But, we are excited to take them along with us on our journey. Thanks to Skype, we can do that (If you haven’t already, be sure to download Skype – a free International way to communicate. As long as you have an internet connection, we can message, chat and video.) Download Skype now! Then email us your skype names.
Our usernames: marissa.pratt & johnny.pratt
Last Friday, we packed up our apartment and headed out. Johnny went to GA, hauling the last of what we own and I headed to Westfield, NC for a reunion. A couple months ago, I had been asked to plan a reunion for the staff from The Vineyard, a Christian sports camp where I was a camper and staff since age 11 and also where I came to know the Lord. Over 50 alumni came for the weekend for the 1st Old School Vineyard Alumni reunion, a great turnout! Rock climbing, high ropes, battleball, camp fires, dancing and a lot of laughs. A great experience and I hope to be able to do it again next year (as long as they don’t plan for the second before we get back in June 2009…hint hint).
Since Sunday, we are in Georgia living at the Pratt’s – comfortable living I must say. Just so we don’t get too used to the luxuries, we plan to hike the Appalachian Trail for a few days next week for a snapshot of World Race living. Coming up, we are having another send-off party on June 14th in GA with Johnny’s family and friends. If you are in the N. GA area, please let us know if you can attend, we’d love to see you!
Finally, we will leave for The World Race on June 28th!! Just to keep things adventurous… we will be racing against the clock to make it to our first destination on time. Johnny happens to be in a 7pm wedding the same day we are supposed to leave. From the wedding, we will rush to the ATL airport to fly to Ft. Lauderdale (cheaper flight than Miami) in time to drive to the Miami airport by 5:30am the following morning to meet our fellow racers. From Miami, we will head to Mexico to begin THE WORLD RACE!
Get ready folks, not long before the adventure begins!
Stay tuned for updates – pics, videos, stories, etc.
Love you and miss seeing you all!
