look right!

I cannot believe I am really here. I am sitting this evening (evening for me, afternoon for you...) in a small kitchen in the Metrogate House in Chelsea, London, soaking in the fact that I am actually in London.

My journey began at 9 yesterday morning. Mom and Dad loaded me and my luggage into our vehicle and off we set for the Chicago O'Hare airport. We had time for lunch before "goodbyes" and "I love yous" had to be exchanged at the curb. Security check, a 7 1/2 hour flight into the future (London's timezone is 6 hours ahead of home), a venture through customs, and recollection of my bags led me to a thirty minute cab ride that dropped me at the doorstep of the Metrogate House. I arrived in London at 8:00 local time ( 2am by my body!) and ran on adrenaline and excitement all day.

Shortly after arriving at my destination, I met my flatmates and we decided to explore our surrounding area. It didn't take long for us to learn we needed to look right before crossing the street. A couple of close calls and I think I've got a new habit formed! We wandered through Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens, saw the Kensington Palace and Princess Diana Memorial, walked by the Natural History Museum and the Albert and Victoria Museum, concluding our evening with a stroll, window shopping, down High St. What a great first day!

I am thoroughly worn out though. A 4500 mile trek on 2 hours of interrupted plane-sleep will really take it out of a girl! I had to blog tonight, though, before my head hits the pillow, to tell you all I'm finally here!

The adventure begins...

goodbyes and thankyous

A "going away pizza dinner" and a "going away cocktail party" have been my big events for the week leading up to my big skip "across the pond" as so many people have called it. I currently have all of my belongings spread throughout my living room in my disorganized attempt to sort through what will be important to take and what will be unneccesary. It's a process, but one thing I've learned about myself is that the more planning I do, the less butterflies I will have to combat during my journey.

You probably won't hear from me until I set foot in London, but I wanted to take time to let everyone know how much I appreciate the support you've shown me. The last couple weeks I have had the opportunity to visit the Waterloo and Cedar Falls Rotary clubs, and my consistent experience has been endless encouragement from the Rotarians I have gotten to speak with. Thank you for supporting me in this adventure! And thank you to my family who all got together at a pizza dinner to let me know that they will miss me. I am so blessed to have the family I do, and so blessed to have this opportunity.

Thank you:)