If Only

It's 6:00 in the morning and my head thinks is should be 1 in the afternoon.

My stomach thinks it should be searching for a cheap and authentic place to have lunch, not breakfast. 

My heart is wondering why the beau and my friends aren't here with me. 

And my feet are wondering why they are tucked in bed next to a sleeping dog and not traveling over cobblestones in Prague. 

Le sigh.

Off to Europe with the Beau

How lovely is that title? I suppose it's only part of the truth but it just sounded so good, like I'm a seasoned world traveler and I'm off for a weekend trip of martinis and bellinis in the French Riviera with my current love...

Anyway, back to earth. 

So it's about 2 in the morning and I should really be in bed but I promised myself I would blog since I don't know the next time I'll be able to... Tomorrow I leave with a bunch of other MC students and one of my fave profs to go to Germany, Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic. 

I wish I could explain how badly I have always wanted to go to Europe. I mean, I wanted to go to Europe when all the other little girls wanted to be ballerinas (maybe that's because I got to be one and I didn't think it was so hot). I wanted Europe when the other girls wanted NSYNC. I wanted Europe when other girls were partying, when they were looking at colleges, all of it. I could look at every single list of goals for my life that I have ever made and I promise you that every single one will mention Europe, and not in a frivolous way like I just felt they would have great beaches, but in an intensely serious way. 

But even my optimistic little self didn't really feel it would happen. It was just something far off, something to dream about. And even though I catch my plane tomorrow at 3:15 it still doesn't feel like its going to happen. I mean that's like 12 hours away... 

But I have packed and weighed my bags. I printed out all the conversion tables and Mod Podged them to card-stock, organized by colors assigned to each country of course. I obsessed over which shoes to bring, how many pairs of jeans, how many T-Shirts. I sacrificed my MC hoodie because it took up too much room. I cut down on the books (only one and it's killing me...). I packed up my adapter and signed my passport and it should be kicking in by now but it's not. 

I had a very hard time cutting down on the clothes. I think a big portion of that is due to the fact that the BF will be joining me on this trip : ) How fantastic is that? How many people get to go to Europe with their college sweetheart?? Not a whole heck of a lot I'd imagine. However, even though we've been together for bordering on two and a half years, his being there makes me really want to pack lots of clothes... 

Well this post was fairly erratic but as it's about 2:20 now what can you expect really? Time to wrap it up. I'm off to Germany tomorrow and you better believe I will be coming back with thousands of pictures and many stories. I'm bringing my lovely little Mac with because I just couldn't bear to be parted from him so I plan on making an honest effort to blog. Plus if I don't write my adventures down immediately I will probably forget them... 

So auf wiedersehen my lovely friends! I'm done with America and off to conquer a new continent!

My New Year's Goals

This morning, as I made my daily perusal of my favorite blogs, I noticed that each and every one of them contained a list of goals for the new year. I've never really been into celebrating New Year's or making New Year's Resolutions, but perhaps this year I'll give it a try. Just don't seriously hold me to them...

1.   Work out more

2.   Judge even less, I try really hard on that one all the time, but alas I fail sometimes...

3.   This summer try to be the absolute best camp counselor I can, those kids sure do try to be the best kids they can so I owe them that much at least! Except maybe the poopers...

4.   Get everything I can out of my trip to Europe. Try new things, keep an open mind, loose inhibitions, completely immerse myself in absolutely everything European, and refuse to give up any opportunity because I might loose sleep.

5.   Be a better friend, be there for people

6.   Force my hair to return to a normal color, ONE color... Post on that later...

7.   Buy at least ONE successful gift for the BF...

8.   Make a really great CD/playlist of songs that make me feel fantastic

  Note to self: Foy Vance, Homebird will be track numero uno

9.   Be a better Christian

10. Read the Screwtape Letters

11. Take Wicket for lots of walks

12. Go to new places with the BF

  -Chicago at top of list, it's certainly not new to us, but it is well loved!

13. Read for fun throughout the school year as well as for school

14. Spend more time with my grandparents

15. Do a hardcore cleaning of the upstairs, we are talking intense makeover.

I Capture the Castle

I have just finished a book that I've wanted to finish for months. For almost a year now every time I walked into a Barnes and Noble a book covered with a soft green pattern of flowers and umbrellas has caught my eye. I read the back of the book each time and forgot what it said each time, remembering only that it had captured me in an odd way. Last week I had a mind to buy it but as I had never paid attention to the author and didn't even know the title I quickly gave up the search, settling instead for the Screwtape Letters, (C.S. Lewis is something of a hero of mine). As I was walking to pay that soft green caught the corner of my eye and it's just as captivating as I had hoped it would be. 

I wound myself into Cassandra and Rose, Simon and Neil, and beautiful Stephen as well until I felt like our fates were aligned, like I knew them and was living life with them. I felt their successes, their failures, and their confusions, especially their confusions. Last night I got to the point where I had 50 pages left so I knew today was the day to end it all. But for every book I finish, it must be done in solitude and on a full stomach, especially if it is filled with some sort of chocolate or ice cream treat. So this evening I searched for a place to finish. Settling on my bed I made myself some peppermint ice cream, grabbed my book, and curled into my favorite blanket. But it didn't last. My family chose that moment to congregate in the kitchen which is located at the bottom of the stairs, my room is located at the top and the stairwell seems to act as a funnel and a magnifier all at once. My book, I'm sorry to say, was not finished in peace. Although my stomach was pleasingly full the book ended in a flurry of reread paragraphs and skimming. And to top it off the ending was inconclusive. My dear Cassandra's problems were not solved and she was set to face an English winter without the man she loved and without a clear plan. But then I thought about it. Cassandra was hardly 18 and even though 18 was much older in the 30s than it is now, I still think it would be an awful shame if all ones problems were solved by 18. I have to say the best portions of my life so far happened after 18 and although it it troublesome to not know how life will turn out I also think it would be quite boring if one did know. Either way, now I feel the book ended in the only way that wouldn't have severely disappointed me. It is a lovely book and I highly recommend it. Oh and to top it off, the author, Dodie Smith, also wrote 101 Dalmatians!