The Joys of Packing

Maggie's pile

My pile


I think I had a seizure just looking at Maggie's pile...this is going to be interesting.

Calls to the bank, minor panic attacks, and travel bedsheets

Madeline speaking:

We are practically gone already! There are now three days until we leave. Writing that sentence made me pause for a moment and want to go get more coffee because this day is going to need more caffeine to balance out the anxiety. Unless of course the caffeine just speeds up the anxiety...I can't really win. Except I can win because we are off to Europe and I consider that the biggest gain of my life. It's taken a lot of prayer to get us here, but I'm so incredibly confident in what the Lord is doing with this trip, I can't help but smile.

I should probably note that I don't have instagram, or a smartphone, nor am I tech-savvy, so here's a rushed picture of my day: cloudy with a chance of stress. Anywho, I just thought I'd post a quick update on where we are at with packing and planning before I forget we even have a blog. Everything is falling into place just beautifully. Things that usually take months of planning, we are doing in days. I would not suggest this method for any other world travelers, but that's what is going to make this trip more out of my hands than I originally thought, the Lord is providing a ridiculous amount. We are currently working on typing up an official itinerary for ourselves (and for my sanity) that will include transportation from place to place, if the hostel we stay at serves breakfast or not, and the general idea of activities in store.

We are going to go at whatever pace we choose, a uniqueness of this trip that I don't think I'll experience in the same way again. I can't wait! Slowly things are being crossed off to-do-lists and the swimmer's ear I've acquired in the past week is healing. I can only hope it's completely healed by the time I reach the airport. I should also add that in my packing procrastination I have created my own personal "Europe Playlist" because I do nonsense like that. It is as followed:

All of My Days - Alexi Murdoch
Free Life - Dan Wilson
You are a Tourist - Death Cab For Cutie
Do You Believe in Magic - The Lovin' Spoonful
Blue Skies - Noah and the Whale
Something Beautiful - Needtobreathe
Sunny Road - Emiliana Torrini
Old Pine - Ben Howard
Sort of - Ingrid Michaelson
Maps - The Fray (originally the Yeah Yeah Yeahs)
Towards the Sun - Alexi Murdoch
Ragged Wood - Fleet Foxes
The Snow Before Us - Charles Atlas
More Time - Needtobreathe
Gone - Switchfoot
Sun's Gonna Rise - Shannon Curfman
Six Weeks - Of Monsters and Men
Minnesota, WI - Bon Iver
Roll Away Your Stone - Mumford & Sons
She's Long Gone - The Black Keys

Wish us luck! Hopefully more posts to come!!

Welcome!

You have reached the blog of two very different people with the same DNA. We are the attempted adventurers, the wannabe hipsters, the British accent enthusiasts, Th Lord of the Rings lovers,and the avid coffee drinkers (okay that's just me, Madeline). Yet here we are, only 11 days until our first (of what I assume will be many) endeavors into the untouched soil that is our world, or at least untouched by us, therefore it is untouched. (This is the part where we seem self-righteous).

Let me introduce our first traveler, Margaret Elisabeth. She's my sister as well as one of my best friends. She's the whole reason this trip is possible, well that, and a little assistance from fate. She called me last September having found two one-way tickets to London for $375 a piece, including tax. But that's who Maggie is, and she won't try to fool you into pretending she's someone else. I attempt to imitate her boldness, the passion exploding from her lips for travel, and her joy in exploring, but it's never anything more than a faint echo of her characteristics. All I know is, I'm thankful she's my travel partner. I keep hearing the same question, more like statement if they're really cynical, of, "Aren't you two going to kill each other?" Maybe. I happen to have more faith in us though. We'll probably bicker, maybe even disagree on things that matter to us, but I love her, so I know it will remain the trip we have always dreamed of.

Hi, I'm Madeline, and I like to climb trees. I enjoy obscene amounts of coffee, stacks of books, blue pens, and I think I want to spend my life traveling. I'm a student of English and French, so a whole lot of liberal arts. Score!
Anyway! Our first trip is to Europe, The British Isles to be exact. We're not professionals, and don't pretend to be, but we are professional do-ers. Lots of movement, little showering, and too many pictures. Just kidding on that last one, there's no such thing. We'll also be taking a visit to France, beginning in Paris and making our way down to Grenoble and Lyon then up to Belgium for a Concert! After our stint in Belgium, we'll head back to Paris and tourist it up, then fly home!
June 1st-July 5th. Here we come!