Here We Go!

Let me start this by saying, if you're reading this, you may want to pick up a hobby. I hear jigsaw puzzles are fun!

In all seriousness, if you're reading this, thank you! It means a lot to me. As some of you may have heard by now, this blog is going to mean a lot to me. I wanted to journal on this adventure. However, I know mysef well enough to know that would last about a week. If I knew people (hopefully) were reading my "journal entries," I would write more. I mean, I'm on the ramp at DIA, and I'm already writing! This must work, right?? That being said, I hope it is a nice addiction to your days -wherever you are! I hope you hear some fun stories, get some laughs, smile at the picture of other cultures I will attempt to paint for you, or even just use this as a way to keep track of where I am (ahem, Mom and Dad.) 

Since I'm still sitting on a plane in Denver, I don't have any fun stories for you yet. I'm working on it, I promise. They will come. Some of you may know why I'm about to venture to Europe for five months. Some of you may not, and for you, let me explain why I am not in college and am about to carry a backpack for a multitude of miles. 

About a year ago, in my senior year of high school, I was freaking out about college. All my friends knew what their dorm looked like while I didn't know what state I wanted to be in. College just didn't sound appealing to me! I thought it ought to, right? Maybe not, but that's what I believed. At the time, my Spanish 3 teacher was totally hooking me on Spanish. I loved speaking it, loved hearing it, and especially loved the doors it could open for me. And if I'm being honest, that's what started this whole trip. How do I combine learning Spanish and not going to college?! Defer college for a year and live in Spain!! So I sat in my kitchen, waiting to proudly announce this idea to my dad when he got home. I had no idea what this little idea would become in the end. 

Which I guess this is a good moment to pause. I'd like to make a major shout out to my parents and Johann. My parents for all the help, and being awesome about letting their baby girl go to Europe by herself. Johann for... being... Johann, my best friend and simultaneously my biggest annoy-er. I love you all. 

As this idea grew and grew, I began to realize I may have bit off more than I expected. This wasn't going to be just leaving and laying on the beach. Still, by the end of the May, I had a plan. I had friends to stay with in España for 3 months (the longest you can stay in one country without getting a visa.) Then I would travel to Switzerland and who knows where else till May and it was gonna be amazing! Well life may be a beautiful ride, but it isn't always beautiful. 

August 23rd I was hanging in a moulin in Alaska, wondering if my shoulder could stay in place long enough for me to climb out. Sidebar, it did and it was one of the best days of my summer, despite the torn ligament in my shoulder. And continuing the sidebar rant, it still hooked me on climbing and I can't wait to continue that ASAP! 

Back to the story... I DID climb out but I knew my shoulder was just not right. Three weeks later, I was on a plane to Denver with my arm in a sling hoping surgery would fix my shoulder. Luckily, that also DID fix it. However, in case you need to know, you can't carry a backpack across Europe with an arm in a sling. ... Maybe you could, but it'd be hard. So, I was blessed to spend some extra months in Colorado. I was able to spend time with my friends and see the sites in Colorado you don't see when you're busy. But most of all, I recovered. Twelve weeks in a slings, nine weeks of PT, and some cool scars later, I was set to go! So here I am on the plane, ready for a Great Perhaps. 

So thank you for following my adventures. I am hoping to do about this much once a day or every other day, but life is funny. We'll see what happens! As for now, I'm off! Here we go!