This will be a short post, but I thought it was necessary to officially acknowledge the first part of my summer journey ending and the second part beginning. 

I must say that Rome has been absolutely wonderful as far as weekend trips go. The company I had for the duration didn't hurt the experience either. We have had a total blasty moseying about and of course seeing all the mandatory tourist things. I sat a few out this time since I covered them last time I was in Rome, but everyone else seemed to thoroughly enjoy themselves. I thought having a group of eight people would be a little daunting, but we maneuvered magnificintly. 

We have done a lot of eating the past few days. Well, eating and walking and lounging on the terrace. I have visited the Pantheon every single day because in case you haven't been following my entires, it is my favorite structure of all time. No matter how many times I see it, it still stirs up something inside of me. I have no idea why or how, but it does. We starfished in the middle of it. Because we can and that's how life goes:

Because I love it so much, here's another picture of us with it. 

Finally, after being harassed every day for the past three weeks, I brought out the selfie stick the girls bought me for our last day together and how fitting that the first picture taken with it was in front of the Pantheon. Selfie stick game strong. 

I will now begin the selfie stick photo album documenting our last day.

That's us in front of the restaurant we had dinner at last night. Another reccomendation by Eric- props to you yo. Like, for real. That place was excellente. 

That is one of my favorites from the entire trip. We starfished for a while in front of the Italian equivalent of a courthouse. When I say this place has the most gorgeous grass I have ever seen, I mean that it is absolutely impeccable. Their gardener should win a Nobel Peace Prize. Immediately. It's just so inviting and relaxing. Relaxing grass is my favorite grass. 

That concludes the selfie stick album. It's just so awkward to use, but I guess I better get used to it for the last portion of my trip. But we will cross that bridge when we get to it. 

I rode into the airport with everyone this morning so we could say our final goodbyes and I was perfectly fine with the situation until Ash hugged me and then I actually cried a pinch. Why you gotta be like that though? 

We have all grown so much individually and together in the past three weeks and watching them all leave and knowing that this season of our life is concluding was a tough pill to swallow. But I have two more months of adventure ahead of me and I know that every single one of them will be there when I return. Thank you for sharing these weeks with me and allowing me to learn from you all and starfish in the strangest places. Thank you for trusting in me to get us to where we need to be and for finding all the best door knockers in any city we find ourselves in. 

Thank you all for loving and accepting me exactly the way that I am and for exactly who I am. #feels

After they all shuttled off to their terminal, I sat around for a while feeling the feels and then found this gem about an hour later!

Seeing him was like seeing a little piece of home appear out of thin air. I am so happy that he is here and that we are finally starting this adventure. After so many months of talking about it and planning, it is so nice to finally be living it. 

I was so excited to see him, here's another picture of us on the bus back to the hotel. 

Here's to our 15th anniversary of friendship and to a month of adventure. Bring it on, Europe. 

As I'm sitting here being all sentimental and ish, he's upstairs taking a nap. Riddle me that one. He's acting like he flew halfway around the world this morning or something. Yeesh. Can't take him anywhere. He did bring me a bag of things that I had forgotten at home, so I'll allow the nap. 

Speaking of bags of things, inside that bag my mother dropped this little nugget:

She's too much that one. I love her times a million. Thank you for being amazing and not forgetting my birthday even though I am halfway across the world. 

Alright, I need to go finish some sink laundry- I swear this trip is making me get in touch with my domestic side and I am not certain how I feel about it. It's a little emotionally compromising for me, to be honest.

I wish a wonderful Sunday to you all and make sure that you give a huge welcome home to all my UAB persons that will be arriving back hom in the city ham this evening. 

Keep chasing those dreams, folks- no matter what they are.