Two Suitcases and a Backpack

The packing has begun....YIKES!!!! It's soooo crazy we're leaving in just a day and a half...holy cow!!! It is still trying to hit me that we're leaving...it's so surreal. Europe...WHOA!!!

Ok, I'll calm down with the exclamation points.

So today was quite eventful. I woke up early to get my oil changed and then went to the store to pick up some things. Then I had to say goodbye...to my car. I sold Roonie and I'm very happy but also very sad. She was a good car to me for five years and giving her up was a little hard. It's weird to think she's gone. But, it's just all apart of my ever changing life.

I started packing a bit ago and it's quite a challenge to fit your life into two suitcases and a backpack. It's exciting though, to think of all the memories that will be made and all the things I'll see.

Tomorrow Kami comes and we leave on Wednesday at 3:05 pm. So soon. So soon!!

One of These Days

I just spent the last four hours of my life watching club basketball...one 12 and under team and one 13 and under team...both coached by my dear friend Kendall. After leaving there, I decided I need to write myself a note for one day if I ever have kids, because what I witnessed tonight was just pure craziness.

I can understand cheering....constructive cheering that is. It's the out-of-control screaming that I can't comprehend. It's the thinking their daughter should play every minute of the game and that she is twenty times better than the girl that is playing in her spot. It's the thinking they're the coach of the game when they couldn't even succeed in the sport in middle school. It's the passing the attitudes on to their children that make them believe they are being wronged too by sitting on the bench. These are just a few little things I hope I can be more aware of if I ever become a parent.

Just a thought...be supportive...but don't go too far. That is all for now.

Nature vs. Nurture

i have always been a firm believer that we are shaped by the people around us...the ones that raise us and that impact our lives in other ways....but i am beginning to really wonder if we're really just born with our traits...genetics, you know. i guess it's not really an either/or thing, but instead a combination of both.

i am living with my mom this summer before i leave for prague...something i haven't done since i was eight. while the first eight years of your life are considered by some the time that you are molded into the person you will be in life, i believe it's the later years that really affect the person you'll be. but now i'm wondering if there are things you are just born with...some things your parents just pass on to you through genetics.

here are a few examples. everyone knows that i am all about saving money and getting the best deal for my dollar. i don't really think this is something i picked up living with my dad but ask my mom where milk is on sale, and she'll know every place and what it costs. another thing is that my mom does the dishes every night before she goes to bed...i know nothing major...but i did the same thing in georgia when i was living in my apartment.

ok, i know these are just little things and there are more i just can't think of right now, but i have just started reconsidering my ideas of nature vs. nurture and opening my mind to other ideas than i used to have. all this is not to say that i no longer believe in the nurture part...because believe me i do. i feel strongly that people around you and situations you go through make you the person that you are. this is just to say that maybe there are other factors that go into it.

ok...that is enough thinking for now.

Three Weeks to Go!!!

It is officially three weeks until take off and it seems so great! Man, I am ready to go and I know Kami is too. I've been thinking a lot about what I want to do while I'm in Europe and thought I'd start making a list so I don't forget anything. So here goes:

• Experience streets made of water
• Go to a soccer game where the stands are full and the crowds are crazy
• See the Eiffel Tower
• Visit a real Ikea store
• Take a million bagillion pictures :)
• Experience types of food I would have never imagined
• See the real Mona Lisa

That's all I've got so far...or at least that I can think of right now. I'm up for any suggestions though...so bring on the advice!

Counting Down the Days!

I decided it was time to start a blog...considering in three and a half weeks I will be hopping on a plane, heading to Prague and starting an awesome adventure with one of my closest chums by my side...I can't wait!! I am hoping this will be a good way to keep my family and friends informed as well as serve as sort of a journal so I can remember my experiences in Europe.

I am amazed with how fast the summer is going and can't believe it's less than a month til we leave...sooooo crazy. This past week have been a whirl wind...my mom and I have been so busy working around her house while she is on vacation and we have had lots of fun doing it. I am pooped though, but it is very rewarding work! We worked on her guest room (my room while I'm here) and started by scraping the popcorn off the ceiling...then we primed, painted, and put up a trim around the top. The neighbor did the final touch...a new fan! We topped off our busy week by holding a yard sale Saturday which was quite interesting. It was a good week...but glad it's all over so I can relax now!!

Before...green and gross!

Scraping the popcorn off the ceiling.

Happy to be done with the ceiling!!

After...so pretty!!