I'm at the point where Spain is not longer this beautiful unrealistic dream, its coming. Coming fast, riding on the hot tamale train! I am beginning to get nervous and feeling more and more stressed everyday. I just always like to be prepared for anything. I carry a sewing kit around with me in case something rips. I pack 5 changes of clothes and a weeks worth of underwear for a weekend trip. Travel sized lotion in my purse, gum-in-case-of-bad breath kind of girl. Every time I pack I think of some crazy incident like an NFL style Gatorade shower or a spontaneous four wheeler ride through the mud. Have these things ever happened in real life? No. But after multiple unprepared church camps and Disciple Nows, being under-packed and without a paddle (I was trying to be the cool outdoorsy "pack only a backpack"..."don't do your hair" type) I learned that there is a difference between over-packing and being prepared.
So here I am stocking up on EVERYTHING. Lotion. Contacts. Body Wash. Toothpaste. Shampoo/Conditioner. Allergy medication. Headache medicine. Every time I shop at CVS and get little coupons at the bottom of my receipt, no matter what they are for, I think...."hmmm....am I going to need that?" and then some crazy Godzilla type scenario pops into my head and suddenly I need everything!
I was BLESSED with some AWESOME gifts this Christmas, nearly ALL related to Spain! This set in particular is from my very wonderful, very loved, sweet sweet, closest to my heart friend Jillian Zamora. She went to Spain I FINK it was last summer? Gosh, Jelly please don't kill me if that's wrong. Well she's gone a couple of times so thats that! But she printed off A ZILLION pictures of friends and family, gave me a photo album to put Spain pictures in, a book all about Spain, and some Spanish cookies! Oh! And some Vanilla Bean Noel Antibacterial Lotion (not Spain related, just plain AWESOME). Moisturizing AND sanitizing?? ANNNND I get to smell like a cupcake?!? YES PLEASE!
Here is my current TO DO list:
-get new pair of glasses (mine are an old prescription)
-order 6 month supply of contacts
-get a new battery for my computer/ see if its under warranty
-somehow pack up everything I will need to take to make sure it all fits but still be able to access it for the next 3 weeks
-find vacuum bags. I KNOW mommoms has GOT to have some around here
-consider buying a carry on bag. Here's the one I'm considering. It will be a Christmas present so please don't think I'm in the business of buying expensive full-priced Fossil bags.
-stock up on any medication/toiletries I may need.
-figure out what kind of school supplies I'm going to need
-wrap things up with Financial Aid on the UNT and API side. Dude, talk about a WHOOOOPIN!!
-Talk to my bank about traveling abroad situations and possibilties
-Talk to AT&T about an international plan
Here are some things I'm still waiting for:
-My visa to come in the mail
-My housing assignment
I praying that all these things will run smoothly. A few years ago I began having these..."spells" I guess you would call them where for about 2 or 3 weeks my stomach would ache anytime I ate anything. I seriously would go days only eating a little snack here or a smoothie there. I would get just plain nauseous anytime I ate anything. That will turn you off to food REAL quick. I began to get concerned when this started happening about 3 or 4 times a year. And being a girl who loves food, I wasn't about to let this continue! The doctor sat there and listened to my symptoms, checked some things out and then told me, "Brittney, ya know...you're just stressed out. This stomach pain is the way your body handles stress". It all began to make sense when I realized these spells would happen during finals week or during tough family struggles. The great thing is that now I have this biological alarm that tells me when I need to CHILL OUT. The bad thing is, I'm beginning to feel that pain come back. I wake up with 1,000 things to do and stress about them until the very moment I can cross them off my list. And then STILL stress about them....wondering if I could have saved money going somewhere else, if I got the right product...blah blah BLAH.
So, I am trying to get lost in Jeremiah, my favorite book of the Bible. I read it for the first time when I lived for a summer in Chicago. I would like to read it over and over again before a mission trip or long journey. God's love for his people and the beautiful task he gives Jeremiah sweeps me away every time.
I am also beginning to miss my family and friends already. But I am trying to ignore the feeling. Haha, healthy? I'm taking it as a silly notion for I will see them and talk to them all the time while I am in Spain. After all, we have cell phones and Skype (dude, what did I even do before Skype???).
My sister went back to school today. UNT starts the 18th. I'll be interested to see how I handle the change of all my friends starting classes while I'm packing up and making final arrangements.
Jesus, You are the well that never runs out of strength. You are the well that never runs out of joy. Hold my heart in this process. I adore You.
Brittney : )
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