It has been almost exactly five months since I posted on this blog. Spring semester kicked my butt and I had zero free time -- which explains my disappearance. I really hope to get back into blogging though.

In fifteen hours I will be boarding a plane by myself on my way to Scotland. I've been preparing to study abroad this summer for months and months and yet it wasn't until tonight, while I was packing up my toothbrush and travel size shampoo, that it finally hit me. I am doing this. All alone. I almost couldn't breathe for a minute because I was panicking so much.

I am so beyond excited that I am finally fulfilling one of my life dreams: to visit Scotland. I will be there for a month and I know it's going to go by so fast. I really do hope to make the most of every day while I'm abroad -- by meeting interesting people, seeing beautiful sights, and immersing myself in a new culture. I've traveled out of the country twice before but it was with a large group of people (my church youth group) and everything was already planned out for us so I simply followed the bread crumb trail. It is so different now being completely on my own for this! I've saved up my money for three years, have done a lot of research and planning, and haven't had a single person hold my hand during this process. I am absolutely terrified of navigating the huge airports and making my way to the correct flight on time. I get anxious thinking about sitting on a plane with no one I know around me. I just wish I could fall asleep tonight and wake up already in Scotland. This experience is going to help me grow a lot though and hopefully become even more confident and independent. I am overwhelmed with a mixture of emotions. I CANNOT WAIT.

If you are interested in following along with my European adventures, I plan to blog about them here (with many pictures of course!) every week or so. We'll see once I'm actually in Europe how much down time I will really have to blog. Peace out America.

Also, this past month of being home for summer break has been absolutely amazing. I've had so many gloriously fun-filled days with my best friends. They truly understand me on a level I don't think anyone else in this world will ever compare to. Here are just a few photos that wrap up the past month of summer and what I unfortunately have to leave behind in North Carolina: