TODAY IS THE DAY!!!!!

AHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I leave at eleven to head to the airport...I cant sleep, I'm getting nervous, and a lil stressed....but over all I'm extremely excited and cannot wait to start this amazing journey~its not a goodbye, just a long ill see you later :)

2 Days and Counting!!!!

TWO DAYS UNTIL I LEAVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! wow time has gone by fast, bags are packed and under the weight limit FINALLY haha...I get to hangout with my family and amazing boyfriend for the next two days and then off to the Indianapolis airport where the journey of a thousand miles will begin :) **A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step-by Lao Tzu**

5 Days and Counting!!!!

It is now only five days until I board the plane and head off to Australia. Flight information is finalized...heading out of Indianapolis airport to Chicago then to LA and from there to Auckland New Zealand and finally to Brisbane...and don't forget the two hour bus ride to Lennox Head! A little over 22 hours of total air time...ohhhh boy!!! Bags are packed and all the details are arranged...the next five days will be spent with my family and friends.

I see my path, but I don't know where it leads. Not knowing where I'm going is what inspires me to travel.

10 Days and Counting!!

It is now only 10 DAYS until I leave for Australia! I cannot begin to comprehend how life changing this journey is going to be. I am so excited that i cant even express how I feel in words!

I celebrated my 21st birthday on the 12th...thank you to everyone who came out with me! I had a great time with both friends and family. Here are a few pictures from the nights events:



CAKE!



The Bar Group!...kinda a bad pic but its better than nothing :)

like a sister!




amazing bf <3



Best big brother a girl could ask for!!!

On another note...I got the pleasure of meeting Alex's family this past Christmas/New Years. While visiting I received a necklass from his parents that I will keep close throughout my trip! It has a pendant of a dragon that represents being fearless. This is perfect for me because fearless is the motto for my trip! I am going to go out of my comfort zone, take risks, and do everything to the best of my ability. I am going to be FEARLESS! I cannot wait to start this amazing adventure with the mentality to be 100% FEARLESS...but I'm going to wait until my journey begins to make my wish and put the necklass on.



I also wanted to share with everyone, Since there has been a lot of questions regarding the flooding in Australia here are some parts of updated emails I received from the directors to help clear up any more questions:

Dear all,
You have probably heard on the news of the floods in Queensland over recent weeks. They have been quite devastating across a huge area of the Queensland coast and down through the inland. In many areas they have been the worst in living memory.

For about one month now the rain has been incredible. Towns along the coast and inland have been hit with the worst flooding ever. In some cases with one flood after another and only a few days apart. Estimates are that the area flooded is the size of France and Germany combined. Over 220,000 people have been affected. Only last night an horrendous storm hit the town of Towoomba, west of Brisbane on the Darling Downs, sending a huge flash flood through the town killing 8 people and then rushing east, down the Lockyer Valley in a wall of water metres high. 72 people are still unaccounted for and they say this number may rise as houses were washed away last night in some of the small villages through the valley. This water will eventually end up in the Brisbane River in a few days so flood alerts have been sent out to people in low lying areas of Brisbane. These are the worst floods in Queensland’s history we are told.

Lennox Head is ok except for a lake, which is up a little.

I hope this answers any remaining questions you might have about the floods and we are being updated regularly on the conditions, one of our professors is heading to Lennox Head this week to get everything going and ready for our arrival!

The next ten days are going to be spent in Muncie saying goodbye to all my friends, hopefully taking my car to Illinois, trying to pack 3 months worth of stuff in one suitcase under 50 pounds!, taking care of bank stuff, last min paperwork and preparations, and spending time with my family!!!

30...29, 28, 27, 26, 25, 24, 23, 22, 21...20 Days and Counting!!!

It is now only 20 Days until my plane leaves!!! The Holidays and New Years went extremely well, spent them with my wonderful family and friends. I made a trip to Evansville and Tennessee over New Years week/weekend to visit friends. I couldn't have asked for a better way to start out 2011!

I have been scheduling all of my dentist, eye doctor, and doctor appointments in order to get them all done before I leave. I will be getting new glasses as well :) Most of the logistics of the trip are finalized and I'm purchasing the last of the necessities of the trip, including an underwater camera (for scuba diving) keen water and hiking shoes, and a few other important items. My car will also be getting sold while I'm away and hopefully ill be getting a new car! I'm banking on a small SUV or a jeep...but we will have to wait and see.

My New Digital Underwater Camera!!

My hiking/water shoes!

My Scuba/Snorkeling Gear :)

I am getting more and more excited about the trip and look forward to making one more trip up to Ball State to say good bye to all my friends! I also hope to meet up with my roomate before we leave and start getting to know each other! This is going to be a trip of a lifetime and am excited to begin the journey and start sharing my experiences with friends and family.