the hiatus is over.

So my brother made a good point to me a while back when he asked me why I sent an email out to everyone to check out my blog dedicated to my upcoming trip, yet had not posted anything since December. My response is this, I forgot to. So, now I am "blogging" and will continue to do so, and much more regularly, once the trip commences. Anywho...I am now in Monterey, CA visiting my parents before I leave. I drove across the country from Atlanta a couple of days ago and it wasn't nearly as strenuous or miserable as I thought it would be. It actually turned out to be a pretty interesting drive. For those of you who have never driving across N. America, you should definitely put it on your "to do before you die" list. The scenery is stunning. I got to stop in Santa Monica, CA on my way up and remembered how much I love that town, and that I wanted to live there one day. The desire has crept up again, but even stronger now that I have finished college and can basically choose to go wherever I want. So, we'll see. Anyways, I'm getting more and more excited about this upcoming journey, yet sometimes feelings of questioning creep up. I wonder what it's going to be like being in such foreign countries for such a period of time. All three of us have traveled pretty extensively, but have never been out of the country for such a long time at once. I'm not really one to get homesick, I adapt really quickly to new surroundings (much like a chameleon) but still am a bit worried. I'm really hoping that I will keep up well with maintaining contact with friends and family back home. A friend said something that has stuck with me and I'm keeping it in the back of my mind for a rainy day, which was think about your friends often, but do not wish you were back with them, but that they are there with you. So, here's to you all, I wish you were going with us, to experience the sights, the people, the adventures, and the lessons. I wish you all a wonderful next year, and God-willing, the next time I write to you, it will be from New Zealand!