La Día Ultima - The Last Day

Judging by the butterflies in my stomach, my brother being all sentimental (He bought me a passport Pandora charm. Seriously, out of the blue. Who is this kid? Why is he being so nice?), and the way my mom is looking at me (as though she's taking me to my own funeral), one can tell that it is my last day at home in my small farm town. As with any big change, I'm feeling a little anxious but I'm so unbelievably excited to be uncomfortable in this new culture. I suppose that's not a common thing: to be excited to be uncomfortable? However, I'm a firm believer that one can learn a substantial amount about themselves by being vulnerable (If you're looking for a good read, Daring Greatly by Brené Brown is great and all about how vulnerability affects the quality of life we lead).

Things I've had to do to prepare for the trip: 

1. Pack my bags -- I'm taking a giant suitcase (that may or may not be heavier than the 5 gallon paint drums I spent my summer "lifting"...), my Vera Bradley duffle, a cloth backpack, and my guitar. I'm actually proud of the consolidation results of this nightmare. I absolutely loathe packing. Totally stresses me out. 

2.  Turn off my phone -- This is surprisingly easy. I just call and they'll turn it off right then and there. My premium goes way down too, so yay for that. 

3. Buy morning devotional books -- So, for those of you who are unaware, I'm Catholic. Also, I've spent the entire summer working with YouthWorks, a mission trip company which stationed me in the Duluth/Superior area. I've had the incredible opportunity to live and work with some of the most faithful and inspiring people. To be in such a Christ-centered environment like that was such an amazing experience and I want to be able to continue that. So today, I went to the bookstore and found these awesome 30-day devotional books that center around a theme. Each 30-day book is based on a specific saint and their readings/purpose. I got four of them; one for each month I'm away. I can't wait to delve into them.

4. Get my Chicago pizza fix -- Made a trip to Q's for my green pepper, onion, spinach, and bacon pizza. Sounds crazy? Try it. You're welcome.

5. Exchange money -- still working on this. I'll probably find a spot in the airport.

So tomorrow, I plan on sleeping in. At some point, I'm going for a long run because I read that the more you exercise the day of your flight, the less jetlag you'll experience. So we're going for a big one tomorrow. Then, airport at 2:30! I'm getting butterflies just thinking about it. WHEW. 

Well, I'm going to finish out the night knitting and watching the Bears game. Until next time!

What to Expect From Me

Hi mom! (Because I know you're going to be one of the only one who will read this, despite the few Rollins folks who were bored enough to venture through The Sandspur to find travel blogs...)

In the Spring of 2013, I somehow was volunteered to blog about my experiences for The Sandspur as I travel abroad to Spain. Here's the first confession: I'm not a blogger. First-timer, noob, whatever you internet junkies call it nowadays. That's me. So, as a warning, this is probably going to be different from what you expected. I wondered, "What's the best way to track my experiences abroad without boring you half to death".  I thought of three things that most everyone likes: food, wine, and laughter. I love all of these things equally. I would consider myself an honest person, so I wanted to title my blog with the three things you'll probably see most on this page. Sure, there will be your occasional historic landmark, many embarrassing stories I'm sure, stories about language barriers and understanding Catholic Mass in todo Español (I'll throw some Spanish in here and there...you've gotta learn something from this blog, right?), and breathtaking landscapes...but food, wine, and laughter will be the staples of this blog. My intent is to make you laugh, entertain you, and allow you to feel as though you're apart of it too! Because, chances are, if you've taken the time to seek out and read this blog, I'm missing you!

I leave you with the popular quote by Henry Miller: "One's destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things". And that's exactly what I am praying for.