Are you kidding me?

I don't know which is the most surreal....

• My apartment is the cleanest it has been in weeks. Possibly months.
• I am totally packed and almost completely ready (physically) for my mega-trip.
• The mere fact that this trip is going to happen.

I feel very small and young. Definitely not the sort of person to be heading off on her own for one leg of a trip before meeting up with another person only slightly older than myself for the second leg, and ANOTHER person only slightly older than both of the first two of us for the majority of the trip.

I am 28. We have put a lot of planning into this. We will have fun.

I'm feeling bad about leaving my bird for 12 days, but he will be fine.

I already miss my parents and my brother (Jeremiah will be in Mexico next week; we're world travelers), but it isn't like they live in the same town as I do. It is sort of like we talk every day, though, so that will be different. No cell phone and no internet for 12 days. It's like a fast.

My next post will have pictures from Europe. How crazy is that?

Mainly on the plains?

In Spain, maybe. I was checking the weather report for while we're in Europe and almost EVERY DAY shows a good chance of some form of precipitation.

This made me laugh. I am glad I bought a travel umbrella and a poncho.

A Song for Me and My Dad

I heard part of a much-loved Paul Simon song called "Father and Daughter" on my way home tonight. It's a song about a father who is always there for his daughter, and who looks out for her, and who believes in her. So even though it was me and not my dad who first heard this song, I still kind of think of it as our song, because it reminds me of him. He always tells me I can handle things on my own, but is always ready to offer advice and assistance when I ask him for it, and I have never doubted that the chorus of this song is true of my dad, and that the vice versa of that line is true, too.

I'm gonna watch you shine
Gonna watch you grow

Gonna paint a sign

So you'll always know

As long as one and one is two

There could never be a father

Who loved his daughter more than I love you

Happy Father's Day, Dad! Thanks for loving me and showing it in a bazillion different ways. I love you, too.

Next week in Vienna

Bizarre, yet true: if all goes as we've planned, next week Kerri and Angie and I will be in Vienna, probably taking pictures of feet. ;) Several months of frantic planning (okay, frantic mostly on my part), of research, of collecting possessions and possible luggage choices into little piles, and it's practically here.

This will be the first major trip I've taken without an adult. Visiting Rachel in Manhattan didn't count. Going to Austin for Sabrina's wedding didn't count. Visiting Kerri in Denver didn't count. Those were Friendly Visits. This is a Major Vacation, with hotels and trains and foreign currency and languages other than English. Not that I'm anxious.

Ha ha! No, seriously, I am indeed worried about this trip. I'm worried about the planes. I'm worried about the trains. I'm worried about the automobiles. I'm worried about John Candy...oh, wait...sorry, got on the wrong track. I'm worried about missing important deadlines. I'm worried I've set too many deadlines and that I won't enjoy the trip. I'm worried I'll show up at church in jeans and get dirty looks.

This morning the Sunday School teacher was talking about the relation of fear and faith. He talked about holy reverence, and then he said something like, "But it's also okay to hold on to God because you're so scared about doing anything else." Which is what, in the practical realm, I am doing for this trip. And I know that He has surprises there for me, and even if they're scary at the time, they will end up being really great things.

So, enough with what I'm scared about. I'm not just scared, I'm excited, too. (Maybe all great endeavors come with both.) I'm excited about spending a week with Kerri, a kindred spirit who enjoys most of the same things I do and can also calm me down when I'm getting too worked up about something. I'm excited about seeing places in England I've never seen before. I'm excited about being able to say that I drove successfully on the wrong...I mean, left side of the road. I'm excited about taking trains, especially the sleeper car between Salzburg and Vienna. I'm excited that my packing is pretty much done. I'm excited about my beautiful little trip journal that Lisa bought for me. I'm excited that I'm up on the church prayer list for this Friday, the day before I leave, and that church snacks for adults are ending this June so I won't have to arrange someone to bring cookies in for me when I'm gone. I'm excited about all the other "small" providences that I will witness over the course of the next several weeks.

Next Sunday, I'll be in Vienna. Wow.

My Life's Soundtrack, V.3

Jeremiah posted this on his page, and so now I'm posting it. A different version on almost every page blog I have. Because it was That Fun the first time.

RULES:
1. Open your music library
2. Put it on shuffle
3. Press play
4. For every category, type the song that's playing
5. When you go the next category, press the next button (duh)

opening theme:
It’s Nice To Be With You – The Monkees

waking up:
Who Will Buy – from Oliver!

first day at school:
There’s a New Sound - Scooter (the Muppet)

shopping:
Spooky – The Classics IV

hanging with friends:
Sundays in September – Ruth’s Hat

first kiss:
Seven Wonders – Nickel Creek (not as good a song for this category as the title may imply)

birthday:
I Will Always Love You – Whitney Houston (how could you ever hate birthdays?)

party scene:
Sue Me – from Guys and Dolls

falling in love:
Trashin’ the Camp – Phil Collins & N’Sync

fight song:
The Circle of Life – from The Lion King, London cast version

breaking up:
By His Wounds – Wes King

prom:
Lady of Spain – The Amazing Marvin Suggs and His Muppaphone Players

college:
Getting Into You – Reliant K

life:
Holding Out for a Hero – Frou Frou

mental breakdown:
How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) – James Taylor

driving:
I’ve Got the World on a String – James Darren

flashback:
Achy Breaky Heart – The Chipmunks (quite a flashback band, truly)

getting back together:
He Lives In You - from The Lion King, London cast version

wedding:
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun – The Chippettes

honeymoon:
Never Say Die – Dixie Chicks

birth of child:
Delhi.com – from Monsoon Wedding

final battle:
The Longest Time – Billy Joel

death scene:
Suzy Q – Creedence Clearwater Revival

funeral song:
Into This Town – Rachel Zylstra

end credits:
Be Prepared - from The Lion King, London cast version