Look out world...

In less than 48 hours I'll be boarding a plane to begin a completely new adventure. I'm excited, of that I have no doubt. But I'm also feeling a host of other emotions- anxious, nervous, scared and so on. I know there will be ups and downs, but I'm confident I will have the trip of a lifetime.

The experience of meeting new people and forging new relationships is one that I need almost as much as I need air to breathe. People-their goals and dreams, beliefs and ideas-keep me going. I have yet to leave the country and at least five contacts have been made with people living in the cities I will be visiting. Old friends of my parents or the grandparent's of my sister's classmate. These connections remind me how small our world is. We are all interconnected and depend on each other whether we know it or not.

My need to constantly be around others is a trait I usually like about myself. However, I also believe that it is important for one to be comfortable alone. And this is a characteristic I do not have. So it is with some hesitation that I embark on my European traveling adventure alone. I will be spending the first four days with a friend, but after that I'm on my own. It will be hard. But you can't get better at something without practicing it so what better way than to throw myself into a foreign country alone. And honestly, I don't want it to be easy. That would take away the adventure and mystery. It wouldn't challenge me and that is what I want. It will force me to step outside of my comfort zone. But it will allow me to create the relationships I desire so much with total strangers in a strange land and this, I know, will keep me going.

Who knows what will happen between now and the next time I post, but I promise a host of new photos and a story or two.

Happy New Year!

Some photos from Christmas...

Mom, Kate, Julie, Dad 

A few of the Mulvaney cousins.