whoa.

so i just took a long bath (with an endless supply of warm water!) and now i have less than 8 hours until i'll be on the road to the airport. every emotion is running through me, but overall i am generally excited and ready to go. i have my two bags packed and have no idea how it all just runs together.

these last two days have been awesome, filled with love and great memories created with family and friends. i cannot thank everyone enough for coming over, having parties, sending warm wishes and texts....it really makes me feel more prepared to go and excited for this adventure! i'll write more later, but i need to get a good nights sleep in my bed for the last time :-/

11.

i still cannot fathom the fact that i am leaving in 11 days. i'm having a great time spending time with family and friends, while in the middle of 'attempting' to pack for two years. i read emails and blogs that say ''don't stress about packing''...which is true....but still, how does one even begin to pack clothes, hygiene supplies, books, pans, whatever else i might need in the next two years that won't be easily assessable. for those of you that know me, i rarely stress about anything and i'll probably be packing at the beginning of next week and making finishing touches (i.e. throwing the last minute things like q-tips and taking out that OTHER pair of pants or extra pair of shoes out of my bag) on monday night before i leave tuesday morning. the fact that's holding me together on this whole packing ordeal is that the people in ghana get by with what they have available to them, so if i'm about to be living in their country for the next two years -- i can deal without all the things i am fortunate enough to have here in the states. to me it's part of the whole experience.

so as my days in michigan wind down, i just want to let my wonderful family and all my amazing friends know that i am about to start what i'm can only imagine will be the toughest point of my young life yet. just know that i am honored and so blessed to be given such an incredible opportunity to help people in Ghana and represent this amazing country! although most of you think i am going to 'change the world' and make the lives of those in Ghana better, i am looking forward to what opportunities the people of Ghana are going to offer me as a young woman. i am going to grow, change, mature, be challenged, struggle, and prosper in more ways than i can imagine right now. i hope that all of you continue to follow my blog while i am away, but i also want you to keep me updated on your lives. so follow my blog and leave comments about the stories i share but also leave stories that i will enjoy reading and that i can share with my community in Ghana!

well, just remember that i love you all and although i'm still stateside, i miss you already =)

bittersweet

bittersweet has become the most OVERUSED word in my vocabulary the last few weeks.

i just finished working last night at the perch and had a fantastic time celebrating with my amazing coworkers and friends! (thanks for coming peggy beavers!) but now it's gets real...down to only 15 more days in Michigan and then i'm ghannnn to ghana -- as smash and sara would say :)

so for the next two weeks i'll be packing, finishing up tons of paperwork, and visiting friends and family as much as i possibly can while also taking time to myself to prepare myself for the amazing opportunity i have been blessed with.