My last night at Home. (Home home, that is.)

Over the last few weeks, I have had several people (worried and concerned people, I should add) ask me if I was continuing my blog. Some miss the break from work it allows them, others miss the sheer entertainment of my writing - hah! Well, it is time to dispel your fears: my Journey has not ended, and neither has the blog. I will not guarantee that I will be as faithful of a writer as I was while in Europe, but, let's be honest, my days will not be nearly as interesting from now on - especially since a third of my day will be at work and another third will be sleeping.

I have really enjoyed spending time with family since I have been home. Although it has been only three and a half weeks since I left Europe, it feels like a lifetime ago. Six weeks passes by very quickly, and the memory of that time seems even shorter. When not visiting with family, I spent loads of time packing, unpacking and repacking. Amid all of that packing, I organized and sorted through almost every single item I own. Wow. I have WAY too much stuff. Hopefully my future apartment has good cabinets and closets.

While home, my parents, sister and brother-in-law were able to fit in a family vacation to Destin with me. We have been taking family beach trips for a few years now and were able to get one in before any oil was found around Holiday Isle. We stayed in a three bedroom townhouse near the beach - it was perfect. From Wednesday until Sunday we were able to get our fill of sun, seafood, shopping, and sand. Amazingly, the oil had not even affected the wildlife and fishing! We went on a four-hour chartered boat tour and caught plenty of snapper and king mackerel. It was a perfect Father's Day weekend, even though Dad isn't too big on the beach. :)

But now the time has come. Tomorrow I am leaving. My car is tightly packed; my furniture, etc. is ready and waiting for the movers; I am anxiously wishing to find a spacious, clean, affordable apartment in a safe area. Oh! And there is an update on that, as well. I have so many things to tell you! My best friend from high school Alex is going to move up to DC and room with me! I am VERY excited that she's coming, even though I'm not exactly sure when that will be... Regardless, it is going to be great! Yay!

My plan changes by the hour, but CURRENTLY I plan to drive to Starkville tomorrow, Birmingham on Thursday or Friday, Huntsville on Friday, Chattanooga on Sunday or Monday, and DC on Wednesday. About twenty hours worth of driving spread over ten days. Once I am in the City, I will really hunker down on my apartment search.

It is really weird sitting in my almost-empty bedroom. While packing, I also sorted through most of my childhood trinkets and such. Now all of the remaining stuff is piled neatly in my closet, just waiting to be downsized and boxed again if my parents move. Speaking of parents, I think Mom is going to take my leaving a bit hard; if you live around here, it's time for you to step up to the plate! (Don't worry, Mom, you can come visit ANY time!) Even though DC is a thousand miles away, it is easily accessed within a day by plane or automobile, unlike Europe. And I am blessed to have an AMAZING job with an AMAZING company. Aah! I'm pretty excited.

I guess it's time to be a big kid now.. Well, at least it will be time in 21 days..