PACKING (and all that goes with it)

I've gotten to spend some quality time in Dawson (my hometown) these past few weeks.

Some of my friends from Concordia came and stayed the night in Dawson. I had a blast with them! It was great to see them before I leave and before they continue with their lives as well (they all graduated this past May).

My mom took me shopping--the necessities. I needed a few more pairs of jeans and of course socks, bras, and underwear. I also got a book for the plane and a new purse!!

My parents had a bon voyage party for me on Saturday night. We had some of our family friends over for bbq, chips, veggies, and lots of bars! It was a lot of fun and was a nice way to see everyone before I leave for 4 months. I am so blessed to have such amazing people to surround myself with and that support me through everything!

I've also been able to spend some time with my "little sister" Hannah and my "little brothers" Noah and Zach--I'm gonna miss them, but I'm glad that I got to take this time to spoil them a little bit!!

Well, today I began the dreaded packing! I'm not a huge fan of packing in the first place, but when you have to pack for 4 months it becomes more crazy than one would expect. However, I'm pretty proud of myself and all I got done today. First, I had to go through all my boxes that I had brought home from moving out...what an ordeal! It took a couple hours and quite a mess to get that all straightened out. When my mom came home from lunch I think she was pretty concerned about the amount of clothing I had sitting in the living room--what I wanted to bring! Of course, I'm a heavy packer to begin with. I thought I did a pretty good job and was pretty much packed my 5:00. My dad brought the UPS scale home from work and he weighed my bags. One was a little over the limit so I'm procrastinating the inevitable right now--unpacking and repacking my big suitcase. I'm not too worried about it though! (I'm more worried about coming home--with all the souvenirs)

I've made sure that I have my passport and all other goodies I need to get into another country. I'm getting a little nervous about switching planes in Chicago (I've heard horror stories about that airport). I know that with the help of Shannon and Suzanna, we'll get to where we need to go. I feel better that there will be 3 of us!

Well...Here I go.. 2 days left and I CAN'T WAIT!!

IRELAND--HERE I COME!!!