Friday, May 7, 2010

I'm leavin' on a jet plane...

As I type this, I'm drinking tea and eating a fudge brownie- reheated, so it tastes like it just came out of the oven. Sounds delightfully peaceful and relaxing, right?

If only you knew the chaos this day has seen.

Kidding- kind of. I thought I lost my passport earlier (it was just hiding somewhere I never would have guessed- phew!). Yesterday, we accidently got lost in South Carolina while looking for Target... oops. We have been lost so many times the past few days, although somewhere between my good sense of direction and my fabulous mother's good sense of humor, we always managed to get where we were going... or somewhere else acceptable instead. On top of all that, packing into one relatively small suitcase (and by relatively small, I mean that I cannot pack myself inside) everything necessary for a three month trip abroad is more than just a little stressful. It is no small feat. Quite frankly, for several hours, it looked like a natural disaster struck our room. Fortunately, the madness has been confined to that little, innocent navy blue suitcase hiding under the desk. Now my carry-on bag is eyeing me. But I'm putting that off for the time being, because at this moment in my life, I need tea and chocolate and relaxation.

Of course, there are still a few more things I need to take care of before I roll out. Things like purchasing socks, to pose an example. Somehow I have just three and a half pairs of socks in my possession. Not sure how that happened, because I am certain that I left school a week ago with six pairs. Maybe my socks just don't like me? Who knows. But there's still plenty to do before I head to the airport at three tomorrow.

For my "last supper" before I head off, my mom and I went to IHOP. That's right, I finally satisfied my pancake craving with a glorious stack of strawberry banana pancakes. We were los- ahem, driving around, looking for a place to eat dinner, when there it was: that beautiful blue building with white trim! I got my chinese food fix at my last real dinner at school last week (so glad I have fantastic friends who indulge me (: I love my happy famiree!), but I still wanted those pancakes. And besides, the "I" in IHOP stands for International, shouldn't that count as some form of cultural assimilation? Regardless, I am throughly happy.

I'm sure some of you are (more than?) a little concerned about me gallavanting around the world with, well.. you know, the medical part of my life being what it is. I can't blame you. Even I'm a little concerned, and I'm the one doing this! But know this: I'm going into this prepared. My neurologist cleared me (or maybe that was because I didn't give her much of a choice... hmm... but regardless, she signed the paperwork!). Over the past few years, I've learned how to handle these issues, and more importantly, I've learned to ask for help when I need it. I've also come to the conclusion that in the end, you just have to live your life. Sometimes it's going to hurt, but it the end, it's all worth it. So this summer, that's what I'm doing: living. And I just couldn't do it without the fabulous support structure that you guys are! So keep me in your prayers, for good health, safe travel, new friends, and glorious adventures.

If you need to contact me, I'll be using my regular number for the first two weeks, and after that, I'll probably be checking it regularly, even though I'm planning on switching to a Czech number. Texting is fine, but please don't call! The best ways to reach me? Email, Skype, or Facebook. No word on a mailing address for Prague yet, but mail is expensive anyway. If you really want it though, give a shout and I'll pass it along when I have it. However you want to, stay in touch! I love hearing from people- even when I'm not thousands of miles away.

Thanks for being the fabulous people you are- love you guys!

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