I guess this is pretty much it

My bags are packed and in less than 12 hours, God willing, I will be sitting in the London, Heathrow airport. We are expecting thunderstorms this evening and some hurricane or other is in the forecast for the next few days, so I'm just praying that my plane gets off the ground on time!

You guys should be so proud of me! I packed everything in ONE bag!!! One 51 pound bag for the next three months. I am absolutely sure that I am spoiled because there's people out there that could probably live off a ten pound bag of personal items for a year, and yet I just can't part with anything that I put in that bag. My carry-ons consist of a back pack STUFFED with books. I'm confident that it may be heavier than my actual duffel bag. Oh and there's my purse. Which I also stuffed with things. I have just 100 pages of Les Mis left to read, which is fortunate because the book literally broke in half the other day. Hopefully I can get that done on the plane. I'm afraid that I'm forgetting something but I don't think a trip is truly successful unless you forget something at home. Let's just hope it's not something too important.

Passport, check!

Foreign currency, check!

Boarding pass, check!

Next time I post, it will be from London!

I've Got Pounds in My Pocket and I'm Ready to Go (almost)

Well. Here it is! The night before the big departure! I'm sitting in my room, which is reasonably tiny, surrounded by packing. It's a mess! My suitcases are open on the floor and only half packed and not organized, at all. Okay, I admit it! I'm stressed! This morning I woke up with butterflies in my stomach! I would like to think that they were excitement butterflies... but to be honest I think half of them were stressed butterflies. Oh and they're still there. I just checked into my flight online! I got a window seat. I was contemplating the aisle seat, to you know, switch things up. I thought about it for a while, and I just decided the window seat is the better way to go. I know I'll probably regret it because I always think as I'm sitting in the window seat, about how much I hate being squished in by two people and a window, and about how I hate that I can't go to the bathroom because I don't want to crawl over the two people next to me... but oh well! At least if I sleep I have the window to rest against. I'm going to try and push it out with out sleeping though! When I arrive in London it will be just 3:30 here but 8:30 in London. So I figure if I stay awake as long as possible, I have a better chance at quickly becoming acclimated to the time difference. I know, another decision I will most likely regret.

I think I'm packing too much stuff. It's just that I've reviewed my items, and I can't picture parting with anything I've packed. I know that we had this whole "one suitcase" rule, but I'm bringing two duffel bags and then stuffing everything into one when I get to the airport. It's not all clothes either, alright? Because I know that's what you're thinking. I bought shampoo and face wash and stuff. And let me tell you! That stuff weighs a lot! I have a few pairs of shoes. You know what? I'm sure it will be fine. I need to stop stressing about it!

I had my last dinner with the family tonight. We went to this great French restaurant here in Lowell called "La Boniche." It's our special occasion place to go and eat. It was great to be there with them, but for some reason I felt kind of down the whole time. I'm used to going away to school every semester, but it feels different this time. Maybe it's because this something completely new to me. Maybe I wish they could be enjoying Europe with me. Maybe I'm just feeling a little emotional. Who knows. I definitely don't!

Okay... so as I've been typing this, I thought of a bunch of things I need to do! So, till later!

Yeah, I Hate the Dentist

So. This week involves a lot of preparation. That means doctors appointments. One of these being a visit to the dentist. This would be fine, except for the small factor of me hating the dentist. I hate the noises that the tools make and the smell and the fact that this person who I don't really know is really bursting my personal space bubble. Okay and they ALWAYS want to talk to you! They'll ask questions like "How's college?" or "What did you do this summer?" But they never take their hands out of your mouth long enough for you to answer. So you end up mumbling something while trying not to bite their fingers off. It's just awkward. I've only ever had one cavity (knock on wood) but every time I have a dentist appointment I get this awful feeling in my gut that I'm going to have a cavity or some other worse dental problem where the only cure will be an incredibly painful and expensive procedure. I think I would rather loose my baby toe on one foot than have dental surgery (is that a fair trade?). Oh well. I'll just tell them that "Sorry. I can't make time for that appointment... I'll be in Europe for the next three months!" But I can only hope that nothing will go wrong. Have I mentioned that I REALLY dislike the dentist?

Counting Down and Checking Off

Here I sit. Less than a week away from Europe. Every time I think about it, I'm slightly overwhelmed by the list of things I need to get done before I leave. I wish I was one of those people who could just throw a few things in a suitcase and be set for life, but I'm a chronic over-packer. I find "just-in-case" items necessary. Half of those items will never be used, and probably end up in the trash, but what if I DO need them? I'll be sitting there thinking "well I really should have bought that extra pack of travel laundry detergent." But then again, I also love doing laundry, or more specifically, clean clothes. So that extra pack will probably be used, maybe. The 50 lb. bag limit seems daunting. 

My family and I just got back from a two week vacation in Wolfeboro, NH. Which is a cute little tourist town which we've visited every year for pretty much my entire life. I took my first steps in Wolfeboro, NH. Anyways, we stayed in house on Lake Wentworth, the weather was great, the water was warm and it was great to catch up with my family. Well the point of that story is that I'm sitting in my room with my two suitcase packed, but not really, because when I don't have to fly (worry about the weight of my suitcase) I just throw everything into one bag.I don't exactly "pack" it. Confession: I didn't even fold some of it. Sue me. So now I'm procrastinating about unpacking it, because I know in a few days, I'm just going to have to pack again. And it's like 90 degrees here, not just 90 degrees but humid too. It's an east coast thing. We don't have "central air" here either. We go old school with box fans. I wish it wasn't so loud when put on the "high" setting. Whatever.

I guess that's the update for now. Just counting down and checking off the list. This time next week... I'll have already been in London for almost 12 hours! Haha, I think I'm getting a little ahead of myself. But seriously! I'll let you know how the packing goes!

summer. check!

So, first blog post... ever. I feel like this is a weird combination of a diary and a letter to a friend, kind of awkward, but I'll do it anyway. 

Europe is three and a half weeks away and it just feels so surreal. I've never really been out of the country before. Would you count a day trip to Canada as "out of the county"? There was no cultural experience there. If I remember correctly, we went to a mall and had lunch in the food court, and then went to tacky Canadian gift shop, you know, the kind that sells keychains, shot glasses, and magnets. I'd like to imagine that I'm fully mentally prepared for this adventure, but I'm still a little nervous. I bought this sketchy Rosetta Stone French off of Craigslist (potentially illegal), in hopes that I would obtain some French language knowledge. So far all I've learned is numbers and other various vocab words. Unless a situation calls for me to yell out "Un garcon sur un table!" I'm not equipped to carry on much conversation. Forgive me now, Parisian people.  

Friday is my last day of work and it's been an interesting summer, to say the least. While the actual job was a little strange, it was definitely better than working as an inventory associate for WIS International. There were no ex-cons at this job (as far as I know), and the only inventory I had to take was at the candy cart. I've learned numerous things, like;

- what type of candy campers will most likely buy (sour punch straws are strangely popular)

- that even if a fire door says "ALARM WILL SOUND" a camper will not always hesitate to run through it

- Some camps stretch the games pretty far. Thank you Windsor Hills for never asking me to bob for and eat a live gold fish. Yes, that actually happens at some summer camps. 

- Some dirty linens are actually very dirty... gloves are necessary

- I would rather clean a toilet than a shower

- It is possible to stuff four loads of laundry into two machines

- a light pink shirt should never be considered a "white" when doing laundry (okay it's obviously not a white, but I thought it was a "light" you know?) 

- I never appreciated bed bug mattress covers until I had to help put them on every bed on campus.

- May gray and June gloom do actually exist. 

- A ghost lives on Fifth floor of Nease, true story. 

- Alert driver of vehicle if you are not completely in, injury will occur otherwise

- Pirates are not as friendly as they seem

- I always thought that grown adults "tidied" up rooms after staying in them. This is DEFINITELY not true

- I have a semi-bostonian accent... apparently squirrel is a one syllable word? 

The list goes on, seriously. I have so many great stories from this summer. My friends have made this summer the most enjoyable. I've gotten close to so many people that I probably would not have met if not for my job. I've loved taking advantage of the San Diego weather! 

Next stop. Lowell, MA. then it's off to London! Updates soon!