"...of shoes and ships and sealing wax, of cabbages and kings."

Exactly one month 'till i pack up my bright yellow duffel and jet off to Houston, TX, where i'll begin orientation for the next two years of life as a Youth Development Peace Corps Volunteer!! over the past few days, i've been an emotional wreck, vacillating between extreme excitement over what's to come and heartache over all that i'm leaving behind. when this dream of joining the peace corps was first born, it was so far off, and the day when I would have to say goodbye to family and friends seemed so very distant. with 30 days left, i'm struggling to see all the people i love, to visit every place that has been near and dear to my heart. it feels sometimes as though i'm attempting to have enough conversations/coffee dates/movie marathons/beach days to tide me over for the next two years. and yeah yeah, i know that those years will be filled with new friendships and new beautiful places and people, but it's difficult to imagine life without the old familiar faces, the girls that i've grown up with, who knew me when i was awkward with bangs and braces and loved me regardless.
but...
despite all of that, i feel an overwhelming sense of excitement and anticipation for all that's to come. it's hard to imagine what life in honduras is going to look like, but it is without a doubt going to be the adventure of a lifetime.

i have yet to pack/purchase anything. i should probably get on that. it's just a little bit of a daunting task to think about packing for the next two YEARS. but like everything else so far on this journey, it'll work out, it'll get done, and it'll be fine.
feeling so so very thankful for the life that i live. :)