To begin.. a word of thanks.

One word: Europe.  I cannot wait! ..Well I sort of can.  One, because I don't want it to be over.   Two, because I am scared to death to venture across the world without an ounce of familiarity but so much more excited than anything! And lastly, because it is going to be a total culture shock to be surrounded by the spanish language! Quite the experience to come. Today I booked my flight for study abroad with my friend Liv.  We will be headed for Madrid, Spain May 15.  After the program ends (6 weeks of pure bliss) we will head to France, Switzerland, and Italy, truly a dream come true.  How all the details will come together we aren't quite sure.  Petty details ha.  We will be flying home July 2 from Rome.  Arriving in Spain a couple days early jet lagged and psyched we will get to venture around Madrid until we hop on a 5 hour bus ride to the city of our university,  Oviedo, Spain.  And then the semester begins.  A professor who's english is limited to the word "homework."  6 weeks and 8 credits later I hope to have improved immensely with the Spanish language and broadened my horizon of life outside of America.  I have never left the country.  A little over a year ago I begged my parents to help me get a passport with the hopes that some day I would get to use it.  I had no plans but without a passport how will you ever leave the country? I had the thought "What if one day out of the blue I get invited on an epic foreign adventure or win a cruise or get the chance to do humanitarian work outside of the US?  I sure as heck better be prepared with a passport!  When I decided to study spanish and heard about this study abroad opportunity at the University of Oviedo it immediately became my dream.  I looked up pictures of Spain and created a whole "dream board" of the next few years of my life full of school goals, family goals and Spain Spain Spain.  I cannot believe that my dream is really coming true.  I feel like the luckiest girl in the world to have this amazing opportunity.  After this experience I am forever a believer in the power of dreaming and setting goals.   It still doesn't seem real to me, I can't imagine boarding a plane leaving the US in less than 2 months but between school and finals it will be here before I know it.  I just want to take a moment to thank the people who made my dreams come true and who always have, my parents! My parents have always stood behind me 100% in every crazy idea that pops into my head no matter how ridiculous.  I am so grateful for them beyond words! Growing up in a house full of boys my mom has always been my best friend through thick and thin!  I don't know where I would be with out her and her support.  She has fought more than anyone for me to get to Spain.  I know that her seeing my dreams come true are her dreams coming true and that kind of selfe-less love is amazing and makes me feel so special!  Means the world.  I hope I can grow up to live by her example and be an incredible mother like she is.  So grateful for my dad as well! He is always the voice of reason (no matter how blunt it may come) but I know that he will always support me and is proud of everything I do.  My brothers too of course! Teasing me just the right amount to show that they care.  I plan to keep this blog updated as I go to Europe and I thought it only appropriate that I start my first blog post thanking the people who are making my dream possible!  I am counting down the days until I finally get to put that passport to use. Thank you all of my friends and family you mean the world to me and so does your support!  I'll do my best to keep my blog updated since I will be without any other means of communication for 8 weeks!  Soo excited wish me luck!! :)