Today's the day!!!

Well in 7 hours, I'll be getting on a plane to Chicago. Then to London Heathrow!

What a whirlwind it's been, I've spent the past week running around like a chicken with my head cut off. No shame in that though, I'll embrace it. (:

Altogether I've been feeling a large amount of emotions, but fear is the biggest one. I have so much fear for the unknown and the unexpected. I'm not going to even give justice to those fears by putting them in here. Someone wise once told me that the only thing to give credit to fear is that it is False Evidence Appearing Real. Everything I'm scared of hasn't even happened yet. So why am I so focused on it?

Well. I don't know.

I don't know why I'm scared just like I'm scared because I don't know what's to come. So I'm going to try to hop off the fear train that's going in a circle and just breathe. Pray. & Relax.

Easier said than done. Just for the record.

Anyways, I'm all packed. I'm 1.3 lbs over according to my scale at home. So here's hoping that my smile can work a little magic with the TSA Agents and they won't charge me! I've got books, music, and Benadryl for the plane rides. It's a 2ish hour flight to Chicago and an 8ish hour flight to London. I'll land at 11:30 am and catch a coach to the Nottingham bus station then a taxi to my dorm! Hopefully I'll be at my dorm around 7:30 in the evening.

I'm attaching some pictures of the currency we ordered! It's pretty cool (:

So all that's left at this point is to get ready and just stay calm. I'm praying for peace, patience, and safety. I'm also praying for my family and friends here at home, watch over them, bring them assurance, and let them know that everything is okay.

Oh yeah, and I got the best breakfast ever. My inner kid was elated to find Minnie Mouse pancakes waiting for me when I woke up this morning. (:

Wish me luck!!

Stay Beautiful &love always,

-E

14 Things To Do in 2014

Because I'm becoming a listmaker, because it's a new year, because I have goals, because life has a lot to offer, and because I want to absorb as much of it as possible. Here is my list of 14 things I want to do in 2014: 

1. Get lost in a city that speaks a different language.
That should be easy. I'm so directionally challenged, I've gotten lost in my hometown. 

2. Learn a new language. 
Latin has been the bane of my existence for the past 2ish years. I'm ready for something exciting. Like ASL.

3. Listen to my heart more and what people think less. 
My best friend, Kate, once used a quote that fits perfectly here, "Be who you are and say what you feel. Those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." -Bernard M. Baruch

4. Try a new job. 

5. Take a lot of pictures. 
Less of myself and more of the world around me. There will never be a January 2nd, 2014 ever again. I want to remember the moments in my life and cherish them. 

6. Let go of regrets and grudges. 
Part of growing up is realizing the people you need and don't need in your life. I'm wasting my energy holding on to the negative when I could be putting my energy into something positive.

7. Worry about what I can change, pray about what I can't. 

8. Hug the people I love every chance I get. 
There's no time like the present to embrace the ones who have been placed in my life to support me. 

9. Swear less. 
I aspire to be a classy, sophisticated, and respected woman. I can find better word choices than the ones I used to look cool in middle school. 

10. Read more. 
Reading has always been a passion of mine. As I've gotten older, I've let life get in the way of that precious hobby. 

11. Find a charity to become regularly involved with. 
The Humane Society in Charleston is a good place to start!

12. Drink more water and less soda. Get back into volleyball. Run another 5k. 
Or just get healthy again.

13. Find a church family in Chucktown. 
Words cannot describe how much I need this in my life.

14. Laugh more, cry less. Pray more, stress less. Love more, hate less. 
As cliche as it sounds y'all, it really is a new year, so a better me will come out on the other side. I'm determined to make it happen. At the end of the day, I just want to know more about my heart and who I am. I want to learn about something new. I want to try something scary. I want to be the best version of me that I was created to be. Most of all, I want to have the time of my life embarking on the journey so I can be happy with who I am and satisfied with what I have done.  

On a side note. 22 days till I'm in the UK. (: AHH!! 

Stay Beautiful& 

♥always,

-E