One way ticket

I'm sitting in the waiting area at Gate A9, ready to board my American Airlines flight. Today marks the beginning of a new adventure, which will bring with it countless new places to see and people to meet. In short, here's the breakdown of my imminent journey:

14 flights
7 states
6 countries
5 provinces
4 months
3 continents
2 hemispheres
1 EPIC adventure

Today I depart my beloved rainy Northwest for brighter skies (please) and a beautiful opportunity to live wholeheartedly for others, to practice the ideas that I've been reading, pondering, and studying for the past five weeks. After a good dose of "Ali-time", I'm ready to quite literally spread my wings and walk the walk. Em and I read a great article last night in which the central message was to "Be what you want to see". A fitting phrase for this new chapter.
Today my destination is my not-so-favourite-but-somehow-repeatedly-unavoidable city, St. Louis. Tomorrow, I'll roadtrip to the sandy lakeshores of northern Michigan, where I'll be making my home for the next six weeks. I'm excited to work as a staff member at a camp that I've heard incredible things about; encouraging the participants of school groups to push their boundaries, appreciate their beautiful surroundings, and to cherish their relationships with one another.
It's time to hop on board, and take off on this little jaunt. My itinerary is ready; my duffel is packed.