After putting the final dabs of paint on the walls of our apartment, Karol and I passed the check-out inspection and headed over to Murphy’s to meet up with Jan. On our way, we made a stop at Greg and Lorie’s. We had paint supplies that we borrowed and a few moving boxes and wanted to say goodbye to Greg, Lorelei, and Dexter. Greg offered a hug and a handshake, Lorelei hooked us up with some delicious cookies (which we may or may not have promised to share with fellow travelers), while Dexter spun around happily the entire time. We were then on our way to Murphy’s for our last pint(s) in Hawai’i.
Michał painting. Karol banging his head against the wall.
As it is usually the case, Jan came to his brothers’ rescue. He took an Uber with Jolene to save us an extra trip to drop off Karol’s car (which he is going to ship to California for us). In the meantime, Naomi was finishing her last-minute packing as she spent the last few days helping us move. Without her help, we’d still be in Hawai’i today!
Naomi is helping.
At Murphy’s, Marcus, Scott, and Marie, were already waiting - but not idly – at the bar. Before too long, Nate and Martina (known to some as Dr. Bingham these days) arrived too see Naomi and us off. Chad, as always, has been the rockstar behind the bar, turning a casual Tuesday night into a 5-star adventure. The MVP of the night award, however, goes out to Katy Plencner as she single-handedly put Charlie to bed so that Joe could share one last beer and say goodbye in person. It was great to see so many friends and members of our families at the place that seemingly became an extension of our living room.
Joe!
We were also fortunate to run into Mr. Murphy himself. I was very glad that we got to say our goodbyes in person – Don and Marion Murphy have been very welcoming to the Karolers throughout the years and their restaurant was very special to us. As a parting gift, Mr. Murphy has presented Karol and I with pink “Murphy’s” caps – they will definitely be a hit in Europe and we can’t wait to show them off.
Stylish hats – a parting gift from Murphy himself!
Before long, it was time to go and Karol, Naomi, and I, accompanied by our siblings, made our way to the airport. After more hugs, we reunited with Keane and Lena at the gate - we will be all traveling together for the next few weeks. But before we reach our first European destination – London – we have to face a 10-hour layover in Vancouver!
Keane, Naomi, Lena, Karol, and Michał ready to fly to Vancouver!