Alive and Well in Florance

I am alive. Me and Andrew drove all the way across the United States. Nampa to Atlanta. Then we flew to London. Saw the guys in the goofy hats. Then we flew to Palermo, Sicily. We hitchhiked across Sicily and saw some sweet little towns and beaches including Cefalu! Almost forgot my underwear in the trunk of an Italian lady's car. When we got to the boot of Italy, we trained up through Tropea, Lamezia, Salerno, and eventually, Rome! Rome was awesome. Lots of old buildings. Andrew just set off the alarm in the building we are in. We are in Florance. I think we have to leave. No, we're good. False alarm. I am looking for a hostel in Interlaken, Switzerland. Good stuff.

Saying Goodbye...

I've never really had to say goodbye for real. I didn't have any really close friends in high school, so it really didn't bother me when I left. And moving from Portland to Nampa is only like a 7 hour drive, so I didn't really say goodbye to any close friends or family when I left for college because I know that I would see them again. But now, for the first time in my life, I have to come to terms with the fact that I may not see some close friends or family for a long time.

Here in college, I have developed closer relationships than ever before, I have learned to love deeper, and I have found friendships in people whom I would have never previously thought to befriend. Let me tell you: if you have never truly had to say goodbye to somebody, it isn't easy. Some were tougher than others.

All this sacrifice is done with the idea that there is something better off on the horizon. Maybe I will find a house that is homier than 3403 NE 76th or 316 E Sheridan. Maybe I will develop closer friendships and deeper relationships. Maybe I will learn more somewhere in the east than I ever could have hoped to learn out here in the west. Maybe I will find something or someone that makes me happy. I will continue to work hard, have fun, and seek God, and maybe, just maybe, I'll find that thing, place, or person that I will not have to say goodbye to. That's it for now.

Packing

The time has come, the walrus said, to pack up many things. My books and socks in boxes brown and instruments with strings. All right, now I have that out my system. I spent about an hour today sorting through old papers and keepsakes. It took time, but I think I am done with the paper portion. Now I just have to drop things in boxes. I realized that I really don't need most of what I have. I need my Army stuff and I need my phone, but most everything else is just junk that will probably end up in some trunk. Word. I will probably take off from Nampa on Wednesday or Thursday. Me and Andrew are driving over to West Virginia to see Josh Ritter and then down to Georgia. I'll drop my car there and fly to Europe and see the sights there for a few weeks. I hope my car makes it that far. It'll be a good trip. But first I have to pack.