But I'll miss Athens.....

You know that moment in Home Alone where the McCallister family oversleeps, then awakes, realizes they have an international flight to catch, and frantically scrambles around the household, assembling luggage, children, and their wits? It's a time lapse of high-stress motion and intense expression. Well, that's exactly how Pepp and I have felt.....ALL DAY LONG. The turnaround time from wedding to honeymoon to South Korea really hasn't been long enough. I knew that the three-day span between the end of our honeymoon and the beginning of our South Korea journey was "biting off" quite a lot, and I must admit that I'm feeling the pressure, big time.                                                                                                                             We each had our own apartment in Athens, which meant we had to box up our belongings, recruit able-bodied friends to help lift and move furniture, then have a wedding, then return from a week-long (although awesome) trip to Mexico, pack for a YEAR-LONG stint in Korea, make nice with our individual landlords (please don't charge me for the stylishly painted doors, please). It all feels chaotic, and it's probably my fault for having too many things. In the U.S, we get quite comfortable with all our belongings surrounding us, yet when we travel, we often think we need AS MUCH STUFF as possible. Guess what? Suitcases can only hold so many burdens. Pepp is more of a minimalist than me, so I'm trying to learn good habits from him.

Anyway, my goal was not to rant about the stress of putting our belongings in storage and packing for a somewhat uncertain journey to the other side of the world. Instead, I wanted to talk a bit about the town of Athens, and how much it's meant to me.

This place has great. Living in a unique city (I'd call it a city, although its not as tremendous as Atlanta) has been a blessing. I lived centrally, which meant everything I needed was just a short drive away. Athens very much has an identity of its own, and it's not solely defined by the Dawgs...although let's face it, football is a distinguishing factor. Living here has allowed me to branch out on my own with a brand new career, a new church, and new friends. Heck, I even managed to find a good husband. These things could have happened anywhere, sure, but I'm happy to have called good 'ol Athens my home. I may be a Kentucky native, but I do have a soft spot for the red and black. In a day or two, I'll post more Athens and Mexico pictures. Also, South Korea goodies are on the way! First, we must make it to the airport on time.

This unique artist is Athens-famous.
He uses his mouth and a sharpie to
create images for UGA fans.