Italia?

Today has the potential to be a crazy good day. First off, my dear Eli is getting back from EUROPE today. She's been gone for more than two weeks...what's a girl supposed to do without her sister for that long? I've missed her. She spent part of the time in Italy, with a school group, then after the school group headed back to America, she was off to France to visit her fabulous sister Rachel. Rachel is a foreign exchange student in a cute little French town. (Oh, what I would give to go to France. Or Italy. Or...anywhere in that general region of planet Earth.) Eli and Rachel had planned to go to Paris together...and talk...and shop...ah. Sister time! I'm so incredibly glad they got to see each other. It had been almost 5 months since Rachel left for France, so it was about time!

The idea of being a foreign exchange student is very intriguing to me. Just a thought... Italy, maybe? Far Away, by Ingrid Michaelson.

Another reason why today has incredible potential for goodness? Snow. It may snow later today. I love snow. Did you know that? Because...its true. Here in Arkansas, snow is special. Some schools weren't even open today because the weather "could" get bad later. Wow, you know you live in the south when that happens. Alaskans, you have permission to turn your nose up and laugh. BUT, I am excited about the snow, because here, it's not the norm. The only thing I'm worried about is the possibility of it interfering with Eli's flight home tonight. The plan is for me to go with her mom to the airport to pick her up...I hope it all works out. I miss my Eli!

Tomorrow night, I'm leaving with my youth group for a retreat. The retreat is called Boring Weekend. Nope, not kidding. There will be no games, no fun, no activities...just "boring into God's word" (clever, Mike.) Basically, it's going to be a weekend of reading the Bible, talking about what it means, journaling, and just...being. I always love it when I get an hour or two to set aside reading the Bible, thinking, and journaling...so the thought of having a whole weekend set aside for that...ah. I'm fond of that thought. It should be a good weekend. Nothing fancy, not many people (fifteenish.)...just...us and God. I'm praying that God will teach me this weekend, and that he will allow me to just relax in the opportunity to completely focus on him, rather than letting my attention drift off to other things that have no significance in the Big Scheme of things.

I've decided to save up for a Canon EOS Rebel. I've been wanting one for...I don't know how long. A while. A long time. It's time that I officially begin the journey towards one! I say journey because financially, I am terribly limited. It's time for me to get a job. I'm in the process of making that happen. I am. I will get a job, and I will purchase a beautiful, black, Canon EOS Rebel, and she will be my best friend forever.

I'm off.

...I want to go to Italy.

-caylielane.