Discoveries.

Mental Preparation.

O Lord, you have examined my heart
and know everything about me.

You know when I sit down or stand up.
You know my every thought when far away.
You chart the path ahead of me
and tell me where to stop and rest.
Every moment you know where I am.
You know what I am going to say
even before I say it, Lord.
You both precede and follow me.
You place you hand of blessing on my head.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too great for me to know!

I can never escape from your spirit!
I can never get away from your presence!
If I go up to heaven, you are there;
if I go down to the place of the dead,
you are there.
If I ride the wings of the morning,
if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
even there your hand will guide me,
and your strength will support me.
I could ask the darkness to hide me
and the light around me to become the night –
but even in darkness I cannot hide from you.
To you the night shines as bright as day.
Darkness and light are both alike to you.

Psalm 139:1-12

Where in the World am I going?

Here it is! THE VOYAGE!

This adventure will begin less than a MONTH!

A new discovery this summer: My talent is finding ways to prepare for this trip that are not actually productive.

For example:

• Downloading ANY and EVERY travel podcast that has to do with a country we are going to visit.
• Searching for any music that I think will be good to use in my documentary film class.
• Making a pretty packing list in InDesign.
• Recording every Travel Channel show that has to do with a country we are visiting.
• Planning the best way to go about packing (In other words: I'm preparing by planning how to pack. Ridiculous. I just need to pack.)
• Purchasing fiction books on Amazon.com that take place in the countries.
• Always looking for magnets to use in my cabin.
• Collecting friends mailing addresses so I can send postcards.
• Cutting out any magazine images that have to do with other cultures so I can use the cut-outs in my journal on the trip.
• Putting together this blog.

Well, that is somewhat embarrassing!

Things I still need to do include:

• Researching what I actually want to do in each country.
• Ordering prescriptions and contacts for 4 months.
• Taking an inventory of what I have to wear on the voyage and determining what I need to buy.

That is all I can think of at the moment. It's enough to be overwhelming! My struggle is finding time to get things done! I'm working at Coastal Living all day and then I'm tired by the time I get home! I better figure it out soon, because the MV Explorer will set sail on August 28th whether I am ready or not!

Daydreaming

Thought that I would post some photos of the MV Explorer. These are just shots from Google Images, but I do seem to find myself looking at them often. I cannot believe that I will be on this ship THIS MONTH. In 25 days. 

There is so much to be done. I continue to make lists and lists of things I need to purchase, pack, collect, etc. I really want to be prepared for this journey as far as packing, but I also think that it is really important that I spend time mentally preparing. I want to go into this semester seeking an understanding of the world and the people in it. I need to sit down and write some goals like Uncle Dalton has me do before every year at college. When I come up with them, I suppose I'll have to post. 

That is all for now! I need to get back to work! Yikes!

Just the beginning.

Well, hello there! I think that I have officially wasted about 15 hours of my life attempting to figure out all of this blog stuff and how I could personalize it a little bit. I try so hard to be the designer, but sometimes it does not come as easy!

So, only 42 days left and I'll be in Halifax with Momma Gilbert saying goodbye! I can't wait. Well, I can't get a grip on reality. Seriously. I talk about the "list" of countries we will be visiting, but I still don't know if I really GET IT. I'm going AROUND THE WORLD!! Ah! I think the vaccinations on Wednesday helped the trip seem a bit more tangible (via pain in my left arm).

I also purchased a rolling duffle bag today! I was excited when I happened across these key chains that have a bag stuffed into them, so when I am in these countries and I make a purchase that will not fit properly in my satchel, I'll just whip out the "handy-dandy keychain with a thin bag stuffed into it" gadget. Wow. (I bought 2 in case anyone in a group with me needs one!)

Well, it is very late. I did, though, work on creating the image of an addressed ENVELOPE so you can write to me! I thought a visual would help encourage you! We will see! My eyes are starting to cross from looking at a computer all day. This summer internship is going to make me go blind!

So, final thing here. The image shows you how to address a letter to me during the fall! I'll prob put it up again in a few days. This is really just a trial to see if I understand this "post your thoughts publicly on a website you can't navigate!"