aw thanks everyone! i feel all special now. i'll be coming back to visit around the winter holidays. everything has moved way to quickly the past two weeks and i'm still way behind. it'll be an all-nighter packing.
for future reference:
when moving halfway around the world with minimal belongings, get rid of your other belongings and start packing a month in advance. best case scenario would have you living out of your suitcase for the last week with everything sorted.
it's certainly been a great pleasure riding with all of you. i've made some pretty good friends off this site. i'll still be in touch here from ak, and i'll definitely be looking forward to coming home to ride the rocks and hang out when i do visit.
thanks again!!