Cheers!

I leave bright and early tomorrow morning. . . as in by 5am. The sun won't even be awake by then, which is a miracle. You should right this down in your diary of many secrets and wonders so that one day you may tell your kids and grandkids that Josie K. was up and awake with coffee in hand before the sun ever showed his face. ;) So, I'm driving out with my friend Anna and we're taking four days to drive out to the beautiful Colorado. I am so excited about this road trip! The second night we're staying in this cool place in New Mexico, which I can't say here because I'm keeping it as a surprise for Anna. muhaha. But it looks fabulous and makes me happy.

Our itinerary, if you care to know, is as follows:

Thursday -- leave Starkville, MS around 5am and drive West. Most likely reach Little Rock, AR by lunch and Apache, OK by 6pm. Apache, OK is our destination for the first day, we're staying at a ywam base's hospitality suit for the night.

Friday -- leave Apache by 8am and continue driving West. By this point we will have traveled through MS, AR, OK, and be heading into TX. We're planning to stop at every State sign and take a picture. It's going to be awesome. Ok, continue driving and eventually reach NM where we will spend the night in unsaid location.

Saturday -- leave by 8 or 9am and head North where we will travel through Starkville, CO....completely awesome. Pictures will be taken. Take slight detour to the Great Sand Dunes, which are reported to be really cool. Drive to Colorado Springs and bunk for the night.

Sunday -- Tour around Colorado Springs and just chill and hang out for the day. Hopefully go see the Garden of the Gods which are also reported to be really pretty. Sunday is up for change and fun.

Monday -- drive to Denver and send Anna back home on le airplane to MS. Most likely cry some more. Drive by myself to Arvada, CO where I will know no one and be spending the next 5 months of my life. Eeegads.

I'm freaking out just a little bit, but i'm mostly just getting ridiculously emotional. I was watching what not to wear and started tearing up. I mean...c'mon! These next two weeks are going to be long, weird, exciting, good, scary, and thrilling I do believe. I know I'm going to miss my family and friends immensely. But I also know God is loving and I know that He is good and I know that He has called me to this place at this time and that He will never leave me. And for all of those truths, I am extremely grateful.

So, here's to life more abundant and love without end. . . .to God and God alone be the glory! Psalm 115:1

~Josie

The Three P's

I'm unconsciously freaking myself out, I do believe. I have sixteen days until I depart on my glorious road trip to Denver with Smitty, which leaves me what feels like no time to do all the things on my list. Granted, my list is most likely bigger and more horrifying in my head than in writing, but it still causes slight anxiety in a girl.

1) Get eyes examined and new glasses (i think i'm nearsighted :-o )

2) Send in medical paperwork to get shots

3) Get three shots (yuck)

4) Move back home

5) Figure out packing woes

6) Change over electric and gas bills

7) Send off change of address form

8) Write many much thank you notes

9) Go on a bike ride with Gracie

10) Relax....yes, please? lol

Nothing to panic over...honest. It's nice to know that even though I have all of these things to "do," I don't have to worry. I'd like to worry because it somehow seems to make things more serious and important, but that's really just an illusion. God said not to worry, for a reason, which is often easier said than done... am I right? *sigh

But seriously, all of this is becoming more and more real, especially now that my countdown is in the teens, which is both exciting and nerve-racking. I guess taking leaps of faith will always feel something like this? I'm not sure, but do keep me in mind as I spend the next few weeks panicking, packing, and praying.

~me

Spinach Knowledge Absorption

OK guys and girls, i just wanted to let you in on this new mystery that I've just came across which is that cooked spinach has more iron than raw spinach. Weird, i know? I always thought that when you cooked a vegetable that it sucked every last nutrient from its soul. Apparently this is not so with spinach. However, spinach, while being a super good source of iron, is only so if it's eaten with an "iron absorption enhancer" aka red meat, white wine, beans, etc. Meanwhile milk, along with coffee or tea, is not and "iron absorption enhancer." In fact coffee is basically a thief and hoarder when it come to iron intake. Coffee is that child who takes all the legos and builds his castle and lives alone with no friends. Sad isn't it...especially since I just so happen to be a coffee addict. Oh joy.

I researched more foods that had iron and which ones were more enriched than others, which is how I came across this news of the "iron absorption enhancer." I made a fabulous list and sent it to my dear mother so that maybe we can cook up some iron-happy goodness when I return home. Also, there is this fabulous website I found that gives you the nutrition facts of absolutely everything. It's quite handy and I approve.

The packing continues, slowly but surely as I prepare to move back to my parent's house. Who knew I had so many books? Many much boxes of books and one box of just wine bottles. Oh yes. Find me odd all you wish, but I really love to declutter and pack. It's just kind of fun. (Also, "declutter" is not a word according to my computer... weird.) So moving back home will definitely be a change of pace and atmosphere, but I think I'm going to be okay with that. It's more or less temporary anyhow. Yay for free and healthy meals for the next 4 weeks! ;)

~me a.k.a the anemic child

Return To The Home Sweet Home

I am in the process of packing up my room and the likes and I thought this chart was accurate to my current situation:

Well, it's been said that talking leads to thinking and thinking leads to decision making and so on. In this case it is perhaps a decision that should have been made a month ago, but my head wasn't properly situated upon my shoulders and therefore was not functioning to its best ability. Since I am moving off to the lovely Colorado next month until mid February the current living situation, in the long run financially, was decided not to be the wisest. Hoorah lame sauce. The one ridiculous thing about having to move out is that I had finally gotten the place decorated to the point where it felt homey and inviting. You can thank my SP for that. There are many other downsides, but we shall not mention them all here just yet. Just know that this makes three years in a row of moving. Yucko zucko.

Although, on the positive side of moving back home is that I have thoroughly cleaned almost every nook and cranny of my place and thrown away many much things and feel very victorious. Organization is my friend. It was just one of those days where I couldn't sleep because the urge to clean and organize was greater than my desire to sleep later, which generally means business. So business is what I got down to. I felt like that wild loony tunes character Taz, the Tasmanian devil, except that I was productive in my whirling about ways. Yes. Also on the positive side of moving back home is free meals and reclaiming my beloved closet. My closet is the bees knees, i kid you not. I'm sure my parents are also thrilled about my return back to the home sweet home and the fact that they will actually get to see their wonderful daughter before she leaves for seven hundred years! (emphasis added for dramatic effect)

Wish me luck in my packing and moving endeavors! I only have 35 days before I head off on this grand adventure and more to do than I think my poor brain can currently handle. But I think it's going to be fun just the same.

~Josie