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!