You’re going to get multiple entries from me today because it is going to take over 30 hours total to get from Indy to Melbourne. And after I wrote yesterday’s entry, I discovered the fun of journaling. Writing with pen and paper takes so long for me to do. It’s because I’m so OCD about my handwriting being perfect (no joke, I will rewrite my notes from class if I think they look bad), that by the time I finish the first sentence of my thoughts, I’ve already forgotten where I was going with it.

The reason this first entry is being written is that I’m stuck in the window seat and my book is in my bag that I stashed in the overhead compartment. And the only things I have in my backpack are my laptop and two pairs of shoes. Since I’m not walking anywhere soon and because in flight Wi-Fi is $4.50 for 30 minutes, I’m only left with looking through old pictures and Microsoft Word.

Story time. Yesterday, 3:30pm. My dad is trying to check us in online for all of our flights. Something went wrong online, so he called the 800 number to check us in that way. I have gotten pretty good at determining the level of concern I actually need to have by my dad’s decibel volume as well as how many curse words he can pepper into one sentence. On a scale of 1-10, this was a 9.5 – serious shit. Somehow the airline we scheduled our flights through “accidentally” cancelled our seats – so we had tickets, but nowhere to sit on the flights. Long story short though, everything got worked out this morning after we arrived super early – I’m talking about “I woke up at 5:45am early” – in Indy to talk to a ticket agent.

As I look out the window, I see the puffy white clouds float on by below us, casting a shadow on the patchwork-like fields of the Midwest. It reminds me of how when I was a wee little sprout, I thought the trees touched the sky and brushed up against the clouds because they looked so tall. Too bad I was wrong, because trees that tall would be crazy cool, but what it always makes me remember how important it is to change your perspective every once in a while. Even if you find out the way you thought about or saw something wasn’t quite right, finding a new perspective can totally change your life. Once I realized trees weren’t as tall as the clouds, I had this new appreciation for the sky and everything that was in between. We can get so set in our ways of thinking and moving, but we have to change it up every once in a while. My most recent change up? Leaving my home for five months to discover a whole new continent. 

I did it. I fit everything into one bag. I would say it's a combination of the fact I wrote about six drafts of what I wanted to bring - down to the specific article of clothing - coupled with the invention of the vacuum bag. So since I was actually packed and ready to go on Tuesday, about five days ahead of schedule, this week has been rough with trying to find clothes to wear. I'm scared to take anything out or put anything else back into my bag as it is hovering right at 49.5 pounds - the mark right before your bag becomes obese. So that has left me exploring the depths of my closet and under my bed, but you know what? It's been working for me and now I only have less than 24 hours before I board the plane in Indy so I would say I made it through the challenge alright. 

This week has been extremely hard though, with having to say "this isn't goodbye, just see you later" over and over again to people. And surprisingly I haven't cried...yet. I'm planning on breaking down either tonight or I might make it all the way until tomorrow morning when I have to say goodbye to my pup. For the record, Genevieve is 7 years old, but she will always remain a puppy to me. She has this thing that if she sees a suitcase, she instantly goes nuts and freaks out because she knows we're leaving. Even though we've been hiding our suitcases all week from her, tomorrow morning I know she'll somehow see one as we're trying to load the car behind her back. The whole process of leaving for a vacation has become quite a challenge whenever we try and leave without her. I wish there was a way I could just sit her down and be like "hey, I'll be gone for a while, but don't forget about me.", and then she would jump into my lap and snuggle for a few minutes. But instead it's going to be me chasing her around the house in the morning attempting to calm her down with a hug, but her whining and running away from me. Thankfully saying goodbye to my friends hasn't been as difficult - they haven't been running away from me.  

I also have to say that I've never written a blog before, but Katie Stasa totally inspired me with the one that she kept while she was in Spain. With that said, this blog is a judgement free zone where you come to read about my marvelous time away from you all. 

Top 5 Things I'm worried about for this trip tomorrow:
1. My dad possibly spontaneously combusting while on the phone with this airline agent right now.
2. The 20+ hour total flying time.
3. What I am going to do in an airport for 6 hours in between our flights in Dallas.
4. The size that my kankles will inevitably swell up to while flying.
5. Whether or not the Dramamine I just bought will actually work (my fingers are crossed Martha Byer).