I made it! After two wonderfully smooth, painfully long flights, I walked out of customs to the sight of my lovely husband. Before that in what was a first for me and hopefully a last for anyone, my row of three on my flight to LA ended up just having me in the aisle and a big, but not giant man in the center seat. I assumed that the man would move into the window seat, giving us both more room. I even gently suggested that he move over, but he just chuckled and stayed put. Perhaps it was all worth it if the good karma I built up by not freaking out over such a weirdo move resulted in my wonderfully small middle seat companion on the much longer flight to Melbourne.

Jon has had me walking all over Melbourne and St. Kilda since I got here. I am not sure I could find my way around much by myself yet, but I’ll get there eventually. More observations to come once I feel less upside down! I’ll leave you with…

 An ode to two giant suitcases

two suitcases, both red, both giant
carrying all my stuff
making me totally reliant
so they better be up to snuff

weighing in at 50 and 50.5 pounds, right at the limit
I sighed with relief
and did not wait another minute
for the scale to change its mind and give me grief

up up and away I flew on to LA
giving little thought to my worldly possessions
I flew on to Melbourne Australia to stay
my stuff safe and snug in two giant suitcases

one last moment to worry at baggage claim
as bag after bag went by
I started to think of who I should blame
if my two giant suitcases never arrived

I glanced down at my phone
trying to figure out wifi access
and when I glanced up again, my bags now shone
like the biggest reddest beacons of gladness