Words to live by

(Dear handwriting analysts, I don't want to know. Thx, MK)

To Denver next month with two of my favorite ladies! To London in January!

For someone who's not a great long-term life planner, this is quite character building. I keep waking up in the middle of the night from over-enthusiasm or stress. Things keep popping into my mind -- oh my goodness, I'm going to need adapters... how am I going to exist without my iPhone (and Instagram?!? and my Magic 8 ball app to make decisions for me?? and JBieb's newest selfie app? and the talking cat app? [disclaimer: not at all serious except for the maps app... the lack of is going to build so much character I may have sainthood thrust upon me])... gotta cancel my incredibly ridiculously expensive gym... long-distance relationship with my kayak (will it still love me?)... should I wear three jackets on the plane?... how does one prioritize shoes?

I really want to go camping while I'm there. Like all the time! Pinterest has promised some wonderfully beautiful sights in the UK -- Isle of this, Isle of that -- yes, yes, yes! And thank goodness for Meetups.com. That site has been the best travel companion since Couchsurfing. There's outdoor adventure groups, running groups, art groups, museum groups, beer groups, new british friend groups, and american-schmericans in the uk groups (I'm generally a big advocate of living like the locals, but I suspect there might be a point where I'll need someone to test my knowledge of all the US state capitols-- gotta stay sharp... Dover, DE; Hartford, CT; Olympia, WA; Carson City, NV; Topeka, KS; Springfield, Illinois! and all the rest).  Groups for every thing I like (and will soon love... I hope they have a tea enthusiast group!)

I was thinking, due to lack of said iPhone, I could put my memory palace enthusiasm to use on London and memorize all the roads, train schedules and restaurant reviews (minus the last two). I'll be a walking map app!

Also, British television! British film! British art! British music, music music!! MUSIC! I'm going to stuff my ears full of British folk, rock, classical, alternative, etc... so much so that I may go deaf. But it will be worth it.

With that said, I'm going to try and catch a few zzz's before I wake up at 3 a.m. and realize that I'm going to have to make sure not to forget that I'm 'merican and that they won't let me stay forever because I was accidentally born to American parents (whom I love despite the mixup).

(Sidenote: isn't it weird we're called Americans when Canadians, Mexicans, Brazillians, etc. live in (N or S) American countries too? ... I guess we're the most uncreative when it comes to naming things...)

Words to live by,
MK