Preparations

List of things I have not missed about the US:
Speed limits (you mean I can't just drive whatever speed I want?)
Stop lights (no patience for them anymore)
Traffic
Using a GPS (I don't like not knowing the roads or where I am going)
Cold weather
Gloomy weather
Having to wear shoes (anything other than barefoot is overdressed)
Carrying a purse  (I would always just carry a wallet and my cell phone)
Having to check the weather to see what to wear
Mom's to-do lists  ;)
Malls (they are overwhelming)
Grocery store selections
Portion sizes  (disgustingly large)
Free flowing soft drinks
Fast food chains and obesity
Pumping your own gas (yeah I know that's lazy of me)
Music on the radio (how many times can you play the top hits in the same day, I mean really?)
Violence and media (I turn on the TV and the first thing I see is the Baltimore riots....insanity)
Reality TV ("reality")

These are all probably things I have taken for granted in the past, but being away for three years puts a lot of things in perspective.  There is a kind of magic about going far away and then coming back changed.  I believe F. Scott Fitzgerald said it perfectly: "It's a funny thing coming home. Nothing changes. Everything looks the same, feels the same, even smells the same.  You realize what's changed is you."  I had someone ask me if I was going to change the name of my blog, now that I am moving back to the States.  I told him paradise has never been about a place, it's a state of consciousness.  While the US may not be perfect, it's far from the "hell" this individual had in mind.

I have been doing lots of preparations to move to Louisiana these past two weeks, which has included lots of shopping but that was been oddly overwhelming.  I've also had the pleasure of visiting friends, celebrating two friend's weddings, and a little bit of planning for my sister's wedding.

Orr Wedding:

 Carroll Vow Renewal:

While the island Ross students are starting to fly back and get ready to start classes on Monday, I am eager for my new adventure in Bation Rouge.  I am living a gorgeous feeling of teetering on the unknown.  Normally that would scare me, however since I have been living at the end of my comfort zone, I know I can and am willing to take on anything.  Once you become fearless, life becomes limitless, and that is an incredible feeling.