Preparing for Take-off

WELCOME TO MY BLOG! Tomorrow is the start of my trip to Europe for a Study Abroad course. As per the syllabus, the purpose of the class "is to explore the administrative, political and cultural factors having a bearing on EU governance and European politics in general." None of that says anything about shopping, eating Nutella crêpes in Paris, or having mussels and a chilled brew in Brussels...but don't worry! I created my own program of study that I'll be using in addition to the "real" one. FYI, above is my passport with the cute cover from Baffin Bags in Houston, Texas. I found them on Etsy.com and love their products. Check them out if you get a chance! Also in the picture, some spending money of course! : )

Instead of blogging, I should be packing right now...Ella, my 4-legged friend, is sitting by my luggage waiting on me to organize my stuff. I've got to figure out how I'm going to get 2 bags full of clothes squeezed into one. This should get interesting!

To help me prepare, some of my friends and family let me borrow books for flights and train rides. I need to narrow my book selection down to at least 3 choices because I can't carry them all with me! I realize I need to join 2011 and buy an e-reader, but for now the paperbacks will do the trick. Anyone read any of these and have suggestions on which ones to take? My options are:

• "The 19th Wife" by David Ebershoff
• "Sail" by James Patterson
• "No Country for Old Men" by Cormac McCarthy
• "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins
• "Barefoot" by Elin Hilderbrand
• "The Wedding" by Nicholas Sparks
• "The Guardian" by Nicholas Sparks

My next post should be on Sunday upon my arrival in London, so please please please stay tuned, comment on posts, and keep my classmates and me in your thoughts and prayers. Cheerio!