And she's off!

This little lady left me for the other side of the world today. That's my baby sister and she's headed to study abroad in Italy until DECEMBER. Cue my sobs.

My emotions this morning are as follows: sadness, excitement, nervousness, happiness, jealousy.

Sad because I'm going to miss her just a wee bit.
Excited because as study abroad veteran myself {two-timer here}, I know just how much fun she is going to have.
Nervous because she's my baby sister, who shouldn't even be old enough to be going to the other side of the world by herself.
Happy because I know she is about to embark on the time of her life.
Jealousy because I wish it were me! Unfortunately, my current lifestyle does not allow for rendezvous on the other side of the world for months at a time. Boo.

In order to ensure that her experience does not turn out like the train wreck we have witnessed on the Jersey Shore, I have inundated her with tips and advice from my past experiences traveling abroad, as her big sister that's my job. I shared a few of those on my personal blog, but thought I'd share a few here as well. You can read the complete post over here.

• limoncello is not your friend.
• get used to climbing stairs.
• knowing your way around a train station will come in handy. always double check to make sure you’re on the right train before it leaves the station. learned this one the hard way.
• take every cheesy tourist picture against your better judgement. throwing coins in the trevi fountain in rome. holding up the leaning tower of pisa. running down the spanish steps. do it, despite how foolish you think you look.
• the best way to get to know a city—walk. just start and keep going. you’ll end up exactly where you want to be.
• take a table outside.
• write everything down. everything. one day you’ll want to read it. trust.
• keep an open mind. take everything in stride. if you don’t keep high expectations, you will constantly be pleasantly surprised.

Did you ever study abroad? Studying in Paris and Florence during college are two trips I will never forget. I so wish I could have gotten on the plane with my sister this morning. I'll just have to settle for living vicariously through her for the next couple of months.

make 'em count

(via)

decisions, decisions

Why is it so hard for our generation to make a decision?

I have a hard time deciding what to eat for lunch on a daily basis. When it comes to making major life decisions, don't even think about it. I could go back and forth for months on end, given the time. And unfortunately, I think this is a problem that ails our generation.

I'm in the middle of a time in my life where I really want to find out what I want to do. Ha. Funny time to be deciding that, right? Having already graduated college and everything. Some people have the fortune to just know. I am decidedly not one of those people. I think I could be happy doing any number of things. And so far, I am. But I want a calling. A purpose. A passion. Something to drive me. Right now, I really do enjoy my job. But do I think I'm meant to do this for the rest of my life? No.

So that's where I'm at. Deciding what to do for the rest of my life. No easy task. But just like every other decision that I suck at making in my life, there is a path to the right decision. I'm not saying I'll make the right decision in a couple of days. But I will have decided to try something, anything. And if that doesn't work out... Well, back to the drawing board.

Here's my path to any great decision. From lunch to major life events, it never fails...

1. Set a deadline. Like I said earlier, I could sit and think about this for the rest of my life. That just won't do. Give yourself a reasonable amount of time {not too long, not too short} to have a decision.
2. Do your research. This may be the journalism nerd coming out in me. But find out everything you can about your choices so that you can make a well informed decision.
3. Write it down. Weigh the pro's and con's by literally writing them all down.
4. Internalize it. Think about it. Pray about it. Meditate on it.
   
5. Talk it out. Share your concerns, feelings, etc. with someone you trust. Sometimes just verbalizing your concerns is enough to realize you're being silly. Sometimes a new perspective can shed a new light. But in the end, remember it's your decision.
   
6. Just go for it. At some point you're going to have to make up your mind, so just do it. Jump!
7. No looking back. Once you've made your decision, don't second guess it. Trust that you've made the right decision for you. Don't waste time with the what if's. And stick it out. Let it run its course.

"The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do. You can act to change and control your life; and the procedure, the process is its own regard."

-Amelia Earhart

The world became a better place on this day.

Since Annye is busy planning birthday festivities, I have to take the time out today to write a little post in honor of her mother, a woman who I whole-heartedly admire. Today is Annye's mom's birthday. Most certainly a day to be celebrated.

As mom and daughter relationships go, we all know they can be rocky. They can be unhealthy. They can be flat out non-existent by our age. But Annye and her mom have a relationship that is exactly the one I want to have with my daughter some day. While Annye and Valli are the only ones who know the ins and outs of their relationship, as a spectator I can tell you I see quite a bit of love, support and honesty between the two of them. 

Not only is their relationship one to admire, but Valli's ability to raise four amazing children. Annye, whom I obviously know the best, is a woman I am proud to call my friend. A kind, smart, funny, confident, beautiful person. Someone with her feet on the ground but her head in the clouds. Always realistic about what's here and now, but always dreaming of what she is capable of. And we all know that is certainly anything. Annye couldn't be that way without some rock-solid confidence and that rock-solid confidence would be hard to come by without that wonderful woman who raised her to believe in herself.

I heard some quote a while back about how the true testament of if you are a good parent or not is how your children speak of you when you aren't around. Well, Valli, with those four kids of yours smiling because of you today, I'd say you passed the test with flying colors.

Enjoy your birthday and all of those that love you!