-14 days

14 days till Dublin

9 left in AZ

-3 in LA

I vary between two emotions but they seem very similar. First, I'm excited. Nervous excited. Second, I'm anxious and a little sad. Both emotional states are linked by the overwhelming happiness of a new place and new people, but have an undercurrent of dread.

I'm so very glad to have wonderful people in my life to talk to about this. This emotional tide, circulating the fear and excitement, the panic and peace, is what I love about life.. This is living.

I think I've been searching for something to be stable, a piece to hold me up. But I think I'll get more out of this if I don't have a net. I can't control things; accepting this and riding the fear will be a thrill and a new adventure. So. No more crazy vows to do yoga every day or try to purchase the perfect wardrobe. Maybe I'll do my nails every day. Probably not. Regardless, I will choose to have fun and to be happy. Red nails, chipped nails, 5 lbs or curly hair.

I'm so very terrified but so very very alive.

-19 Days

Before I leave for Ireland I'll be visiting some pretty important people!

From June 1st- 3rd I will be in LA visiting my best friend, Molly. I've known Molly since we were about 8 months old and were inseparable as children. Molly went to Pasadena City College and then to San Francisco State University for a degree in Music and a concentration in vocal performance. Basically, my pint sized bestie is an opera singer! She is moving back to Pasadena from LA on the 1st of June. I am driving her car from Phoenix to LA and staying for two days to help unpack and beach it up.

Then on June 8th I leave AZ for two months! I'll be visiting my mom in the great peachy state of Georgia from June 8-13th. She has some neat stuff planned, like hiking in the Adirondacks, water skiing and kayaking. I have never been more East in the US than Ohio and definitely never been to the South. I'm so excited to go see where she lives, meet her new doggie, Maggie, and spend time on a sunny lake before heading to the Emerald Isle.

All these pre-abroad plans have majorly shortened my time in AZ, so I'm packing in as much stuff as humanly possible. With the exception of today. I did nothing. All day. This is really my first, and probably last, super lazy summer day. They give me headaches and I feel worthless. I'm going to run for a while to get rid of this yucky feeling.

-24 days

In the ASU study abroad orientation class they suggested we keep journals of our time spent on our adventures, so here I am, making my blog!

Here's some background information to set this thing off right:

I'm Libby. I'm 24. I'm a senior at ASU, graduating in December (well, walking at least) with a BA in English Literature, a minor in American History and a certificate in Environmental Humanities.

Though I will be walking in December, I won't get my diploma until I finish a few more classes (like 3?).. so technically I'm not done in December. I'm still trying to figure out if I'm going to walk or not. Thing are confusing.

I'm officially leaving for Ireland on June 13th, though I'm leaving Arizona on June 8th to spend time with my mother at her lake house in Georgia. Between now and June 8th I'm going to LA to move my best friend from San Fran to LA, but thats not until June. Right now I'm pretty bored, in all honesty.

Anyway, I'm going to Ireland for school. I can receive credit toward my degree in English if I complete an internship. During last semester, I got an email about unpaid internships in Dublin, and having been there last summer with my brother and father, I jumped at the opportunity to return to a city and country that really captured my heart.

I will be in Dublin from June 14th to August 14th with an unpaid internship. I still don't know what it will be. The company I'm going through (which is sponsored by ASU) takes your preferences and curriculum vitae and shops you around.. finding an internship that best suits you. I can receive notification of my internship at any time between now and my first week in Dublin. This is a practice in patience for me. Not knowing and being able to mentally plan and prepare is driving me a bit crazy.. but meditation and yoga are helping relieve my nerves.

In order to go to Dublin (and take on some new at ASU) I left my job as a Youth Leader at Shadow Rock UCC. This will be my last Sunday, May 23rd, and I'm sad my family won't be here with me. My father's mother is getting up there in years, almost 92, and her health has been getting worse in recent weeks. Since my brother is taking a paid Industrial Engineering internship in LA for the summer starting on June 1, this was the last available weekend for Johnny. They both flew back to Indiana to see her, leaving me to take care of the dogs and house for the weekend. It's nice to have the house to myself and I'm glad they get to see her, I will miss Johnny and Dad a lot this weekend.

So there you have it. I'm going to Ireland. You can read my blog. I'm nervous. I'm excited. I'm really really excited. Hope you enjoy reading.. I'm sure I will enjoy my trip :)