Soon and Very Soon

I HAD to take this picture of the view from my front porch. It reminded me of the bright, wide open skies of the West I saw last summer on a road trip to L.A. I love nature, and even though I've lived here in Delaware all my life, I still get excited every time I cross the Chesapeake on my way home... when I hear the crash of waves at the beach or see gulls caw-ing for scraps of dropped french fries... when I'm running down the road next to fields of inch-high sweet corn swaying in the wind, when I smell the honeysuckle blooming in the ditch, when I sit on the deck and enjoy Mom's mini Eden in the backyard... the irises and roses are particularly colorful just now.

It's been great to catch up with old friends over the last couple weeks. I sure do love coming back to my roots. Everything's changed a lot, but there's still no place like it. I have an awesome family and a loving church family that always welcomes me back with open arms no matter how long I've been gone, for which I'm extremely thankful. I've also been doing some substitute teaching at my old high school. THAT sure reminds me how much things have changed. Although when I notice that many of the students are taller than me, it makes me think that maybe I haven't grown up as much as I thought :)

I am still on my search for AmeriCorps jobs for after Albania, and as of last week there's a possibility that could open up. So please keep me in your prayers for that!

In exactly one week now I will have begun my trip! I leave from Philly and stop in Washington briefly before heading to Munich, Germany. Then I travel from there to the airport in Tirana, Albania, arriving before noon on June 1. I started packing today, which is my least favorite part of travel. I debate with myself the entire time, trying not to overpack but wanting to make sure I don't leave behind anything I'll definitely need. I've done a good bit of traveling and am definitely better at packing than I was five years ago, but I'm still pretty slow at it. At least I still have a whole week to finish.