It's the Final Count Down (cue music..*do do doo dooooo...do do do do doooo...*)

 5 days. 5 more days until I'm on a plane that will take me to the other side of the world.
Kind of crazy to think about! Everyone keeps asking me the same two questions. Are you nervous? Are you excited?
 The answer to both...is yes!
      I'm excited for all the reasons you'd expect. This is going to be such an amazing adventure that I just can't wait to get started! I'm excited about the two weeks we'll be spending studying Thai massage because I can't wait to have that modality in my repertoire! I'm excited about experiencing a culture so completely different from my own! I'm excited for the food, the hiking and scenery, the markets I've heard so much about, the crazy fresh exotic fruit everywhere, the elephants (!), and of course...the million and a half massages I can and will get everyday from every street corner! That's the short list, but I'll write about everything in more detail as it happens I hope!
     Nerves....yeah....I'm a little nervous! But not really about the stuff you'd think! I'm not worried about being so far from home. I'm not worried about the long plane ride (I actually kind of love long trips cause I can read and color!...yes color! I may or may not have gotten a fancy coloring book and new markers specifically for this trip...and by "may have" I mean that I definitely did!). I'm not worried about adjusting to the crazy 11 hour time change, or being in a strange new place. I'm not really worried about being home sick (I think I'm too excited for that to be an issue). Nor do I have crazy visions of my plane going down or anything! I feel like all of those fears would be typical.
     Me? I'm nervous about how I'll feel coming home. I know that sounds crazy. I'm not even there yet and I'm already dreading the adjustment when I'm back home. Everything I've read about Thailand, and all the prep we've done as a group has convinced me that I will absolutely love this trip. I just know that I'm going feel amazing while I'm there. In the months preparing for it I haven't been able to take any vacation from work since I'm using it all for this. Needless to say, I'm a little burned out. I've also just been feeling like I'm ready for some kind of change. I think this trip is going to be just what I need and I'm a little afraid of the return to normalcy that will inevitably take place.
     I have already picked out Thai restaurants that I will frequent when I come home. I got a fancy camera for the trip so that I could take quality photos to look back on when I'm feeling nostalgic. Part of the reason I decided to do a trip blog was so that I could have it to look back on as well. I realize that I'm being a little silly about all of this, but if I'm being honest, this is what I'm most nervous about. It's a hard thing to put into words. I've been looking forward to this for so long. Now that it's here, I don't want it to be over. It's like an exaggerated Christmas! At least for me....as soon as Thanksgiving is over, I'm in the holiday spirit! I love that feeling. Then Christmas night starts wrapping up and there is this small sad feeling that kind of sets in. At least at Christmas time you know that the same feeling will come back again the following winter. For me, I'm worried about the end of this trip coming and that sad feeling setting in without any assurance that I'll get the same kind of anticipatory joy from anything else.
     All that being said, my goal in Thailand will be to be as mindful as possible about all of the new experiences I'm having. I will try and savor every moment, and try every new thing that I can. My goal for when I return will be to find a new adventure to anticipate and prepare for. I keep calling this trip my "once in a lifetime opportunity", but it really doesn't have to be. I may never return to Thailand again, but I will make a solid effort in my life to create these kinds of experiences for myself.
     Now.....I have a lot of packing to do!

Welcome....to you and to me!

       I've been meaning to start a blog for years! While starting to set this one up I saw that I've been a member of "blogger" since 2007....which tells me that I started to set one up back then and never followed through! I've had a few reasons to want to start one since 07' but have clearly never been quite motivated enough. Until now! 

       In three weeks I will be traveling to Thailand with a small group from the FLCC Massage Therapy program to study Thai Massage. We will be there for about 4 weeks and I wanted to have a way for my family and friends to check in with me and see what I was doing. I also thought it would be a good way to document all of the cool stuff I'll be doing and add some photos...for them and for me! 

       I would like to think that this blog will continue after I return as well and become a good resource for me. That's my goal at least! So....this is my welcome post. There will be more posts to come, obviously! But for now, thanks for checking it out and I'll see you around!