The Year of Eighteen

It is time for me to sit down and finally type this all out. I have tried multiple times to complete full sentences of my year, but each time I stop. Whether it was no motivation or fear I now proudly announce The Year of Eighteen: Living in a Suitcase.

"For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, do not fear; I will help you." Isaiah 41:13

I have traveled far, read in abundance (141 books and counting), and learned so much. I began this year out of town and I am thankful to be in town to finish it. From the end of Spring and onward I have lived pretty much completely from a bag.

In no particular order, I journeyed to France, London, Scotland, Portugal, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, Utah, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Arkansas, Minnesota, and Illinois. While some of these places I simply passed through, I feel incredibly blessed for the opportunity to set foot in these places (or driven through them).

When I began this year I had a set plan; I was going to finish my semester, au pair in France for a year, and then run off to college to do who knows what.

I was a mixture of confusion, nervousness, excitement, fear, stress, and more.

May was filled with flowers, visiting loved ones, performing with my sisters, seeing my cousins graduate, and book and tea filled times. June rolled in with a car trip and a cabin in Colorado. It also brought some thrilling life experiences including my cousins and I capsizing in a canoe and being trapped in freezing water for much too long.

I also visited Florida and went to the beach and Universal. Visiting Harry Potter World was a magical experience that I highly recommend.
After we drove home in our rented mini-van I had multiple things to finish before July and au pairing.

July came with an odd fourth of July and an immersion trip to France for three weeks. I visited Paris and the Eiffel Tower as well as other small towns close by. I thought the trip went splendidly, my host family thought otherwise.

Speeding through that awkward tenseness, I went to Chicago to visit a good friend, have a mom trip, and get my visa. Days and weeks seemed to fly by as the saying goes. August was warm yet delightful, I visited Texas people once again on a roadtrip with my brothers, and came home just in time for the eclipse. After my jam packed summer I was whisked away to France once again to begin my au pair journey.

I could write a whole book on my terrible au pair experience.
I quickly found that it was not my forte.
It was hard, I was lonely and exhausted. I missed my people and my places, I was done.

The two months I was there were dreadful, the only happy moments came when I was alone completely. I felt trapped, how could I leave after spending so much time and money to get me here.

Then suddenly it was simplified, thanks to my wonderful supporting cousin,

"Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you." 1 Peter 5:7

With her reminders to take small steps and only one day at a time, I admitted my mistake to my mom and told her how miserable I was, she made plans to bring me home.

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:34

But first, my brother and I visited the U.K. a bit. We saw England and Scotland, shared meals, and wandered around laughing. The rest of my fall and the beginning of my winter went by fairly normal, I visited family again in Texas, came home, began working with my little sisters in school and French, had my nineteenth birthday, and snuggled my animals. Oh, and finally decided for sure what I want to major in.

(Maybe I will save that for another post.)

I hope you have enjoyed this piece of writing. (: