Having events to look forward to is always bittersweet. It’s so great to look toward the future with excitement and hope. Yet it’s sad that we wish our days away to get there. I realized a few weeks ago that I really needed to have something in my life to look forward to. Something to plan for and something that will keep me awake at night with excitement.
So in my own life, I have two events coming up that I’m really excited for. One small and one large.
First up is the Photo Walk I’m participating in on Saturday in Estes Park. My friend David told me about it a few weeks ago and convinced me to sign up. It’s part of Scott Kelby’s Second-Annual WorldWide Photo Walk. Around 50 of us are going to be walking around downtown Estes Park and beyond taking photographs. I’m so excited to learn some new techniques from photographers that are much more skilled than I am. After a few hours we’re going to have dinner and drinks. How great, huh?
And of course, there is my trip to London. I’ve been busy planning away. I’ve decided that we’re going to stay based in London and do day trips to Bath, Oxford, and Stratford-upon-Avon. The latest development with my trip is that my mom is coming with us. At first it was a bit of a shock when she invited herself along, but now I’m really excited for this! For as long as I can remember she has talked about how she would love to go there. I’m so happy that she can get to go. So now my sister, mom, and I will be sharing a room with three single beds just off Kensington Gardens.
My mind races with all the possibilities. All the things we can do, all the ways I can get prepared. I love it! Yesterday I got my passport taken care of. I had to get my name changed, which is just a huge bummer all around. I really wish I would have done it right after I got married, and not while I’m in this current state of marriage with Brian. I really wish I would have never changed my name in the first place. But oh well. It’s been great to have such an easy last name!
I’m already making lists like crazy. I think it’s exciting because I never really buy accessories for myself. I rarely buy new clothes, I hardly ever buy shoes, and I certainly don’t buy bags of any kind. But I have needs now, so I can justify it all. I’m definitely going to need new shoes to start off with. When I was in Ireland I was obsessed with footwear. Brian and I packed wore New Balance tennis shoes. We stuck out like a sore thumb. Everyone around us wore much more stylistic footwear, that was still perfect for walking, but not their gym shoes. I refuse to do that again. So now I’m planning on going to the Walking Company and getting a couple of pairs of shoes. Also, I’m going to need some new clothes by then. Not a ton, but a few pairs of pants and maybe a jacket. Hopefully, I will be an even smaller size by then. I’m already wearing older clothes that didn’t fit me when I began losing weight. That’s been great, but I can even sense that they are going to become too big. Finally, I’ve been thinking a lot about a backpack of some sort. Since I’ll have more camera gear, I need something a little more substantial than my purse. But I don’t want a big bulky backpack either. I want something stylish, but practical too. Well this morning I went to the campus bookstore and ended up finding an awesome little backpack. It’s got a million compartments and lots of nice features. Not only can I use it on my trip, but I can try it out on my photo walk too!
So things are coming together quite nicely. Life is wonderful right now and I’m so happy. How often do we get to acknowledge that?
