Today is all about preparing to leave. How depressing.

The morning begins like a normal day, with breakfast in the dining room. But then Kumiko has to leave for the train station. Stefan’s parents take her. It’s like the beginning of the end of this trip. We’ve had such a nice time with her this week, and I’m sad to see her go. I hope we can visit her in Tokyo or see her in LA soon.

Now we have to pack. And pack. And pack. We have to find a place for all the toys and books and stuff that we’ve been driving around with and some of which we left here in Arild. It add up.

I’m so sad. Like all I want to do is sit really still and try not to cry. It’s awful. My insides feel heavy. I know we will love New York. My mom is there waiting for us, and I love seeing her. She makes everything easier. I know this is a good step for our family, but I don’t feel that way right now. It hurts.

The kids play like it’s any other day, and I’m jealous. When I start crying for the third time, Lillian gives me a long hug and says “we had a lot of fun and now we have to go.” I love her.

After a significant amount of packing, Stefan insists we all take a walk. As soon as we are out in the sunshine and crisp air, I’m thankful for his suggestion. We pull the kids in the wagon, then park it to walk down the hill toward the water. We spot two guys walking up the hill with large backpacks. We stand by and watch as they unfurl parachutes from their bags and take off into the sky! It’s amazing!

We make our way to the water, where Oly finds large stones, and Stefan throws them all the way to the water. Lillian is freezing because she refuses to wear tights with her dresses. She’s in denial that summer is over, I guess. This walk should help cure that.

I feel light for the first time today.

Back home Stefan and I get a lot more done. It’s almost all packed. There are so many more bags than we expected. I think that’s always the case, though.

Christer makes the same meal we had our first night here, stewed beef and carrots with potatoes. It’s so very good.

Lars bought a cake today to celebrate Nils’s names day. Ola’s name is Nils Olaf, and Christer’s name is Nils Christer. Nils is one of Stefan’s middle names. So it is an all-around celebration. Stefan and I make ourselves break from the meal to finish packing so we could reward ourselves with the cake. It works and everything is done until the morning.

The night is still and cold.