TRAVEL EVE

I had planned to spend a good part of May getting used to this blog so I would be ready for my trip. I probably should call myself the procrastinator. Here I am the night before my trip and I'm still not packed. Honestly, I wasn't ready in 1976 either. But hey, I do have some money. I do have a passport. I have a big memory card (16GB) for my camera and I have a little netbook to hopefully communicate on this blog while I'm on the trip.

I found out that I'm as nervous as I was then. But at least I've flown before. In 1976, I was on the plane with my roommate from college and she asks where I've flown. When I told her it was my first trip, she insisted I have the window seat. Well, this trip, I'll only have a window seat on the short trip to Cincinnati. From there to London, I'll have a center aisle seat. Hopefully this time I'll sleep so that when we arrive at 9:00 a.m. I won't feel like dying right on the spot. And hopefully this time I'll remember something about the arrival other than feeling totally lost.

Well it's time to get back to packing or I'll still be here this time tomorrow.

GRADUATION

My nephew just graduated from Ball State this weekend. Part of the reason we are going on this trip is to celebrate his graduation as well as his sister's. She graduated from the University of Indianapolis in 2007. This photo shows him receiving his diploma on Saturday.

JUST THE BEGINNING

My former composition teacher recommended that I start a blog. Never having done anything like this, I'm a little wary. But as one who always liked to please her teachers, I felt I must at least try. I'm not one to keep a diary. In 1976 my roommate at Ball State and I participated in the London Centre Program and spent the late winter-early spring in London and then for 3 weeks in May, we toured Europe.

My roomie kept diaries and told me I would regret not doing so. It took me many years to determine she was right. I do regret it. However, I have vivid memories of those weeks we spent in the UK and on the continent. Or, at least, I think they are vivid. I guess we'll find out soon enough.

This June, actually June 1, I'm departing for London to spend 3 weeks with my sister and two of her adult children. We are going to tour some of the same areas I visited in 1976 and also see much of Ireland, which I have never seen before.

At this point, I have no idea if I can really keep this blog going. However, if I don't start ... well, you know what they say ... not to decide is to decide, so for now, let's blog.