Ciao Y'all!

I've repacked three times and my stuff just won't fit! Seriously, how do you pack for an indefinite amount of time? I'm down to nine pairs of shoes and three purses...and that's a lot of sacrificing for me! I've also put back most of my summer stuff and am planning on picking it up when I'm home for Christmas. Ohhhhh....did I mention we leave TOMORROW?!?!?! There's no way I'll sleep tonight. Eeekkkkk!!!

Arkansas has been great and I'm very glad that I came here for three weeks. I was hesitant at first, but it has been very relaxing. My accent took about two days to come back and man is it strong. I'm turning one syllable words into two like crazy! It was nice not being rushed like I usually am during the holidays. I realized that there are several things I miss about the south (besides friends and family). 1) The weather is awesome. It is still pretty warm here. My first few weeks the temp was still in the mid-80s, which was perfect for our camping trip. I'm really tired of winters. 2) People are so freakin' friendly here. I never thought people in DC were rude by any means but southerners really go out of their way for you. 3) The food. Man, my mom and sister can cook. Who knows how much weight I've gained while I was here. 4) There's lots of green stuff down here. I didn't realize how few trees and grass there are in DC. I mean, I love Dupont Circle, but that's about the extent of the greenery I'm used to. There are grass and trees everywhere here. I never realized it before...who knew? 5) Sonic...Oh, how I have missed Sonic! Vanilla Rootbeer! Yes, I realize that two out of the five things have to do with food ;)

Oh, did I mention we leave tomorrow?!?!?! I'm obviously very excited. I can't wait to see my family again (it's been 10 years). I can't wait to hear the beautiful language. I can't wait to see the Mediterranean. I can't wait to eat some pasta!

I leave tomorrow evening at 7pm from Memphis. If all things go well, and they will, Annie and I will meet up in Amsterdam 8 hours and 45 minutes later. From there we're on the same two hour flight to Roma! Holla! Now, from here forward it will be a bit tricky. You see, I have 115 pounds of luggage, plus my purse and laptop, which is at least another 15 pounds. Annie will have two bags (although not as large as mine), a guitar, laptop, and a purse. How in the world the two of us are going to manage all of these things should be quite entertaining...well, for you anyway. For us, it's going to be a back-breaking circus. Hopefully, there will be some sort of cart action allowed between the airport and the train station. We'll let you know what happens. Then we have to get all of this stuff up onto the train. Another tricky situation. Worst of all, we're going to have to fit all of this into a European car. I imagine the whole clown car scenario (but with luggage) and Annie and I pushing the car.

Despite my extreme excitement, I must admit I'm a little sad. I'm missing my DC friends like crazy and one person in particular. He would kill me if I said much more than that, so I won't.

Well, the next time you hear from me, it will be from across the pond! Ciao y'all!

P.S. I'm noticing a pattern here. It looks like I'll be your long-winded blogger. I can't help it. As my dad said I started talking the day after I was born and haven't stopped since!