Leap Year - 7 days and 18 hours

There is a reason that I have decided to study abroad in the UK.  Long ago a seed was planted deep within me.  It could have been Disney implanting the idea princes, castles and knights.  But as I have grown, so has my Love for the Kingdom.  The landscape, the history, the great minds that have been produced.  Ask my closest friends and they will tell you that I am stuck in the past.  Some say I belong in the 80s and others believe I belong way back in the 19th century.

One of my best friends pinpointed who I am once while describing my perfect (in theory) amusement park ride: "The concept of your favorite ride seems simple... Start going up Harry Potter mountain, take a quick pirates of the Caribbean loop into a spice girl museum while simultaneously reaching the end at a a boring 19th century book sale...." - Ike

Let's go through each of these things.  First, Harry Potter: British and magical.  Second, Pirates of the Caribbean: British and adventure.  Third, the Spice Girls: British and Girl Power.  Fourth, a 19th century book sale, the best writers were British.  Case and point Jane Austen.  All these things have something and common, and what they don't describes different aspects of my interests.

Tonight, I went to see the new movie Leap Year with bestie Jenny.  If you don't know, Leap Year is about a girl who decides to follow an old Irish tradition that a woman can propose to a man she is dating on February 29th of a leap year.  Her boyfriend is in Dublin and but her unfortunate travels to him bring her closer to her "guide".  Anyway, in the movie there is romance, spontaneity, hilarity, and heart break.  Not to mention a great scenic tour of the Irish country side.

While watching the movie I could feel my heart swell.  Not necessarily for the love story involved (but I am sure it was a factor) but for the love I feel for this magical place.  I told Jenny that I think my heart is going to burst when I get over there.  There are so many amazing, incredible experiences and people awaiting me.  I hope I can contain myself.

Basically, one of my lifelong dreams and goals is about to be accomplished.  I have all these emotions coming to me, nerves and excitement being the main ones.  I hope to make the most of it.  From here on out, I guarantee that my heart will continue to swell when I think of the Journey I am about to embark on.

Pip Pip Cheerio!

My 2 New Loves - 22 Days

Yesterday I got a new phone: the HTC Droid Eris.  It's a smart phone which means that I will owe more money a month, but it's about time that I upgraded.  Plus I seriously needed a new phone because my old one was crapping out.  I spent all of last night adding contacts and syncing to Facebook and twitter.  Because I am a nerd it was fun.  The phone isn't international though, so when a few days before I go to London I will transfer my number back to an older phone so I don't have to pay data charges while I am abroad.  I will have to get a phone over there for emergency purposes as well.

But my biggest and favorite gift came today, about 45 minutes ago.  My VISA arrived via FedEx.  My friend and travel buddy, Bailey, called me up to tell me that she got hers and I was happy for her but sad for me.  So what do I do?  I immediately go check the status of my Visa at itseasy.com.  No surprises, it says its "processing".  They provide the option for you to check your status, but they don't really update it very well.  About five minutes after that the doorbell rang and it was FedEx with my phone's car charger and my Visa.  I squealed a little bit.  There may have been jumping with a slight victory dance as well.

Now nothing is standing in my way of London and working in London.  Work is the reason I needed the visa in the first place.  I got a sweet internship at TDG (The Design Group).  They do branding and labeling for big companies like Olay and Nestle.  Anyway, that's my update for now.  See you soon!

Pip Pip Cheerio!