3:30 AM

3:30 AM. Enough said. It will be here before I know it, but at this point it just seems as far as July. I am now packed and my purple shoes are ready to go. I keep wondering if my other friends are getting some much needed rest, or if they keep double checking their alarm just as I to ensure that we will not run late. Or maybe they keep looking in their suitcases to make sure that they remembered everything. (fingers crossed, we have it all) The seats in my SUV are down and I am ready to put in some luggage and head to the airport with a strong cup of coffee, some new songs on my iPhone, and a lot of excitement. By this time tomorrow we will have embraced Washington, D.C. to its fullest...this is so hard to believe. I really enjoy history and as "cheesy" as it may seem I like to stand still and think of all that has happened in the very exact spot that I am standing. A lot of the time it gives me chills and takes me back to what is most important, other times I cry, and most always I leave a different person than the girl that arrived. I think when we travel we do things that we would have never tried when at home. Traveling opens doors, thus creating countless opportunities for us to find out more about the place we are vising, but most importantly more about who we are. We come back tired, with cameras full of pictures, and stories that we will always remember. We will be traveling to the land of our forefathers and stand amongst the leaders of our nation in the midst of change and more importantly hope. What an experience! There is this one word that keeps coming to mind when thinking of D.C......"freedom." May this word lead us down the road of change as we embrace this city, whether we be sitting in the airport early on Monday morning or amongst the many exhibits within he Smithsonian. My mom was tellling me some Washington, D.C. facts this afternoon and one that I thought was truly interesting was that George Washington has 220 years of overdue fees from New York City's oldest library. Don't you wonder where those books are? We will get to our hotel late tomorrow night....but do not worry I will post, I promise. I pray that God will grant us safety as we travel. I pray that He will impress upon us who He is in our history yesterday, today, and tomorrow. I pray that we come back changed. I pray we realize the importance of community with one another and within our country. I pray there is no illness, injury, or homesickness. I pray for rest, for fun, and lots of time to fellowship. I pray that God would open our minds to the knowledge of a God that is alive within the foundations of our country. So farewell Texas and hello to maybe a few cherry blossoms left, the home of our President, and to many new memories that await us. Get ready for some breathtaking pictures, incredible stories, and the experience of a lifetime. Ready purple shoes? Here begins the trek ready, set, here we go.....