So I feel as though I owe everyone a wordy, rambling, thoughtful blogpost instead of just these random lists of birthday presents I want (though apparently you all liked that because I had more views on that post than I’ve ever had). Currently I am sitting on my sunflower chair in my room drinking tea with real rosebuds in it. Like, I can see the rosebuds. Does anyone else find that strange? Another thing that’s strange is that it has been exactly a year since I left for England. This means that the next 3 months I’m going to say things like: “It’s been exactly a year since I got chased by cows with Hattie.” or “It’s been exactly a year since Corrie and I lost our paddle and got stranded in the middle of the lake in Keswick.” or “It’s been exactly a year since I had the most amazing time of my life with the most amazing people in a castle in Northern England.” Ya, it’s going to be a hard 3 months. I won’t bog you down with how painful memories are, because I already wrote a post about that. Also if you want to read about my adventurous airplane ride, you can read about it here. In the last 6 years of my life I have been to Ghana twice, England twice, Jamaica, Canada, Jordan, Germany, Spain, and Scotland. Woah.

Traveling is something I love. I know all my friends know that and are so sick of hearing about it. However, it is so important to me. When I’m abroad, that is when it seems like I’m living my life to its fullest. I’ve been talking to a lot of different people lately about where I’m at in my life right now. Everyone loves to ask me where I’m headed to next, and with a dropped head and downcast eyes I mutter, “nowhere.” School is my life right now, and though I would always rather be traveling, I am finding so much peace in staying.

I was telling a friend recently that while I was in England and Spain God told me, “Elizabeth, you are exactly where you are supposed to be right now, but when you get home, that is where you are supposed to stay. You are going to be there for the next few years and that’s just how it’s going to be.” He then added, “AND DON’T STAY IN YOUR ROOM ALL THROUGH COLLEGE. BE INVOLVED IN YOUR OWN LIFE.” I of course replied with a happy, “Yes, God!” as I frolicked through a whimsical English fairyland with my wonderful friends. And then I got home. Now to be fair to past Elizabeth, you can ask some of my friends, and they will tell you that I was much happier when I came home from Europe than I was when I came home from Africa. That was probably because I had the worst traveling home experience of my life and I was so glad to be able to sleep in my own room and not live out of a suitcase. When my life settled, and I stopped being able to say, “ya I just got back from Europe,” I wasn’t so on board with the whole, stay where you are thing. Now, this is the point in the post when I should tell you about the turning point in my life and how I’m totally in the right place now, but honestly, I can’t do that. This past year has been the hardest year of my life for so many reasons. As time passes there are more and more people and things and places that I miss so badly. I’m also at a place where my future has never looked more unclear, and that’s really scary. However, I can also tell you that God has brought me so much peace in being still. In every tragedy, he brings me hope. Everytime a life plan falls through, he brings freedom. Everyday he reminds me that this is where he wants me. Everday he is good. And here is where I say my revolutionary statement: I want to be here, in America, right now, because I know that’s what God wants me to do. Please hold that over my head and don’t let me forget that I said that.

If you want to reminisce with me about the places I’ve been you can read about my short stay in Germany, my weekend in Edinburgh, turning into a grownup in Glasgow, being terrified in Spain, being at peace in England, things you should know about Europe, part 1 and part 2 of my story about being in the Middle East, and all about my love affair with traveling.