stay calm... but get excited

So I leave to go to the airport in approximately 24 hours... I go back and forth between being pretty calm and reserved for decent lengths of time to having minor lapses of "OH MY GOD, I AM FREAKING OUT." I also have had a head cold for about a week now, which is so typical, knowing me, and hopefully that will be more cleared up by tomorrow. Between pictures, prescriptions, and other random necessities, I have been to Walgreens at LEAST once a day for the past week or so now.

I am almost completely packed, but as my SNC roommate, Nora, has mentioned of her experience going to London, the last minute stuff is some of the toughest. Next to all of the things that I can't pack until the last second like retainers and glasses, shoes have been the absolute worst. Aside from those I think have been doing pretty well in my attempt not to bring way too many things. (My suitcase hasn't reached it's maximum weight limit yet, and believe it or not: my backpack still has some space in it!)

A couple of photos from the packing experience:

On a more important note, I DO have my apartment address and roommates now, which is pretty exciting, and I am looking forward to meeting them all as well as seeing the apartment which will be my home for the next four months or so.

Tomorrow I will be driving down to the windy city to fly out of O'Hare, which will connect me through Heathrow to Paris, and then I have a second, separate flight from Orly Airport in Paris, to Florence. I imagine that it will be a tiring 24 hours but I am looking forward to the challenge of complicated international travel. I have been to Europe once on a school trip right before college, but that was with a bigger group and it seemed like a slightly less complicated travel itinerary, so we will see how this goes. For now all I can do is keep my wits about me, try to stay calm, and get as ready and as excited as possible for the adventure of a lifetime.

Love, abbie