It's good to be home. It really, truly is. 

If I ever doubted how loved I am in this life (which I haven't), that has been completely washed away. The welcomes I have received from the moment I set foot on American soil Wednesday have been above and beyond what I ever imagined. Even the people at my nail place were overly excited to see me again when I went for a pedi the other day. All the feels. 

I am truly so lucky to have such amazing people in my life- it's unfair to the rest of the world. 

Settling back in has been easier than expected and I am hesitant to say it, but I think I have alluded jet lag. I feel surprisingly good even though it was with great annoyance that I made myself stay awake into the evening the past few days. I've had tacos. I've had chicken 'n dumplings. I've had pizza. I've had my Trim Tab Berliner Weisse. I've had baseball field hot dogs. I've had "normal size" cups of coffee. I've had tater tots. I've driven my own car on the right side of the road. I've seen familiar faces, sights and heard familiar sounds. I've slept in my own bed and used my own shower. I've checked the mailbox at the end of my driveway and I have finally, FINALLY had more than 10 shirts to choose from when getting dressed. It's good to be back. 

Yes, things have changed since May- the grass is greener, there's a few new restaurants, people got haircuts and my nephew grew about twenty feet and learned a million new words- but isn't that what life is all about? It doesn't stop for anything. Luckily, nothing was too dramatic for me to adjust to. Except this heat. I can't deal with this heat. I have not missed it one bit. Alabama, come on. You couldn't even pull yourself together for two days? I've been away for two months and you couldn't even act like you have some tiny bit of home training for two days? Typical. 

So lets do this. Lets close out this trip- I have some great pictures left still to share. 

Remember that whole traveling by myself thing and not having anyone to selfie with? Well, I gave the alternative some thought and went with it. Therefore, the following is a presentation of my travel companions through the week of my solo travels. 

My sideways seat companion on the bus from Waterford to Cork. He was playing some kind of video game-type thing. I'm not big into video games so I wouldn't be able to tell you what it was, but it was very intriguing apparently because he didn't look up once the entire journey despite the wailing baby. 

This fella was there for the journey from Cork to Kinsale. I don't know that you can see it, but his bag was brown with creme polka dots and it was absolutely the most adorable thing ever. He was probably the most stoic person I have ever encountered. I had to check a few times to make sure he was blinking and/or breathing. 

So on the way from Cork to Killarney I discovered the coolest thing I have seen in train travel all summer. The Irish Rail system actually displays your name above your seat. You don't have to be impressed, but I was. So I shared half a table with Juuti Mika 

and then halfway through our journey, this blond young lady joined the adventure. She appeared to be sleepy, which worked out well for me. Juuti was too busy taking pictures of everything around him to be aware of the fact that I was creeping his picture; worked out very well. 

On the way from Killarney back to Dublin I hung out with this adorable couple. They ate a lot. I mean, a lot. At least 4 times during this 3 hour train ride. I eat a lot, but damn people. They were cute though. I liked them. 

Last but not least, my flight companion from Dublin to Charlotte. Lizzy. 

Lizzy lives in Dublin but was traveling to Orlando for her first work trip. She works for Microsoft as part of a graduate program. We bonded over Bridesmaids, New Girl, ice cream and being baffled by the American obsession with Ranch dressing. Of course we had the strongest bond over tacos. That's a given. 

So it was a good week for travel. I have sufficiently surpassed the level of creepy that I ever thought I would by taking all of these pictures of unknowing individuals but hey, live all of the dreams. 

That was the entire purpose of this summer- to live all of the dreams; and I certainly did. 

I skied in the Swiss Alps. I ate convenience store food at 2a in Paris. I alluded death by bicycle in Amsterdam. I sprinted through an airport in London. I watched the sun come up behind the Duomo in Milan. I got sun burnt in the French Riviera. I walked an entire country in Monaco. I cried on a street corner in Dublin because my world came full circle in one sweeping moment. I ate concrete outside of a Metro in Paris. I chased tacos across 7 countries. I ate every waffle in Belgium and every last pastry in Italy and France. I walked a formula one track in Monte Carlo. I learned about an entirely new process for brewing beer in Brussels. I sat alone on the Spanish Steps in Rome. I kissed a stone in Ireland that has seen things in it's lifetime that I will never know or understand. I walked on streets that have been graced daily for thousands of years by people far more prestigious and powerful than myself. I climbed towers that have seen battles and wars that I will never remember. I saw neolithic rocks that have withstood the test of time. I saw and touched amazing architectural structures that can make even the most complex of minds weep at their beauty and size. I took selfies with the Matterhorn. 

I saw tiny harbor towns. I saw quaint villages tucked away between mountain ranges. I saw cities completely built around and on water. I saw large cities, small cities, dirty cities, clean cities, coastal cities and concrete jungle cities. I have seen every color flower you can imagine and been bitten by every single bug from Italy to Amsterdam and across the way to London. I met people from more countries than I can even begin to list and heard more languages spoken than I can even accurately remember. I slept in seats, in beds, on floors. I shed sweat, tears, blood, pounds (which I gained right back) and skin cells. I have traveled by plane, train, car, bicycle, bus, tram, trolley and foot. 

I experienced post offices, movie theaters and banks all over Europe, the UK and Ireland. I have watched children play in parks, dogs wander streets and every day life take place in languages I have no concept of. I have embarrassed myself more times than not and have not cared one bit. I learned so much about the world and the people in it. I have felt the world feel so small and then turn right around and feel so overwhelmingly large all in one conversation. I have made sense of so many things that I have always questioned in my own life and in others I have encountered through my 25 years. I touched oceans, mountains, monuments, castles, towers, cathedrals, lighthouses and streets. I have laughed until I cried and then just plain cried- all in front of complete strangers. 

I could go on and on and on about all the things I have experienced, seen, heard or felt during my travels this summer, but at the end of the day it can all be summed up in two words:

I lived. 

That is exactly what I did this summer. I lived. Across nearly 15,000 miles, 38 cities, 9 countries and exactly 2 months- I lived life. My life. I did it without hesitation, without regret and with a sense of adventure that I always knew I had, but never thought could propel me into a complete free fall of an experience like this.

Before I left people told me- "This is a once in a lifetime experience" or "You're so lucky to get to do this" or "Do it now while you're young and don't have strings attached". The thing about all of those statements, while I know they are well-intended and absolutely heart felt- they aren't applicable to me. This IS my life. This is what I want for myself. For forever. That doesn't make my life any better or worse than anyone else's, it just makes it different; that's all. There is an entire world out there and I intend to see every corner of it. Because, why not? 

Can you imagine how much of a difference I could make in the life of the students I encounter every day if I can take all of the experiences I have had around the world and use them in my counseling? The more experiences I have, the less likely I am to encounter a situation or student that I cannot identify with in some way. It's about connecting with individuals and what better way to do that than by having common or similar experiences? 

I heard a phrase a few months back that resonated with me more so than probably anything else I have ever heard- citizen of the world. That's what I want to be. I don't know at what point one becomes that or if it's a self perception that one has, but it's what I want. 

So that's it, this particular adventure is officially over. It was precisely the breath of fresh air that I needed and it was absolutely everything that I had hoped it would be. After three weeks with 9 travel companions, a month with my oldest friend and then a week on my own- I would not change a single minute of this grand adventure. Not even the difficult or trying times and not even the fatigue I encountered at the end. Not one bit of it. 

Despite all the travel companions I had throughout this trip and all of the people that I met along the way, there is still two travel companions that stand above the rest. They are hands down my favorite and I am happy to report they made it back home safely as well. 

We've been through a lot this summer, the three of us, but we made it home in one piece (even if we had a sock fatality). Wallace, banana sock and myself want to wish you all luck on your own grand adventures. Don't be afraid to go out there and tackle something new. Live all of the dreams while having all of the feels while eating all of the foods. 

Until the next adventure, all..