Hello, internet audience! 2 orders of business here:
1. I hope y'all are doing well. I am sitting here in the middle of piles of clothes and other stuff as I finish packing up. I'll be going to Philadelphia on the 6th to meet up with my training group, then on the 7th/8th we will fly to Johannesburg and then to Maseru, the capital of Lesotho. I meant to make a post outlining what I packed, but I probably should have done that as I was packing so I could remember exactly what I put in my bags. Maybe I'll do that once I unpack.
This past month in Dallas, I have been living it up while I can. Activities of excitement included: stuffed my body full of tacos and other tex-mex every chance I got, had an old school birthday party at the gym complete with playing camp games and an obstacle course, swung and flipped from a trapeze, spent way more money than I ever normally spend on clothes and gear, downloaded a zillion audiobooks, songs, and e-books to keep my mind occupied, wrote a list of as many bodyweight exercises I could think of to keep my body occupied, went to an empty Hurricane Harbor and went on all the rides worth screaming for, biked around downtown, went to a Ranger's game, celebrated Mom's birthday, and went to the State Fair and got my fill of fried junk food that I hope will satiate that need for the next 2+ years.
It's been great having so many friends and family wish me well as I head out. I will definitely miss everyone, but please remember to send me emails and normal mail so that I can keep myself connected to everyone back in the good old US of A. According to the post office, a normal letter costs $1.15, a small price to pay for what will surely be a good anecdote and a doodled picture that I will send you in return. Also welcome are items airlifted and dropped from blimps.
2. I want your stories! Especially you, family members that have agreed but haven't produced anything. I have gotten a slim few, but I am looking to amass a larger collection. Sometimes when I'm bored, I will ask people, "Tell me about your childhood." This is your prompt. Generally what I have found is that talking broadly about your growing-up environment/situation will lead you to remember a good story or two. This is what I need from you: record a story on your phone/computer/professional audio recording equipment, save it, and email it to me (julie7sushi@gmail.com). Whether it's two minutes long or two hours long, I will be forever grateful and entertained while I'm alone in the booneys.
Catch y'all on the flip side! (Literally. Make no mistake, I will continue my ymnastics activities with many a flip in the grass.)
Mom, stop crying.
