Party in the USA

** I wrote the original as a draft on my phone yesterday, and it didn't save. This made me quite upset as it was so good and had exactly everything I wanted to say. Hopefully this version is half as good***

4 cities, 3 flights, 13 hours in the air. . .

I've been home for  less than 24 hours, and still can't believe that I just spent the last 5 weeks living in Madrid and traveling throughout Spain. I mean seriously? Did I just do that? Life is quite amazing and I'm so thankful for the incredible opportunities and adventures I've been able to have thus far. Good thing there are photos of my trip, otherwise I may give in even more to it all feeling like a wonderful dream.

Being home is pretty much as I expected, same old same old, with my family moving on as usual. I'm gone so frequently that its weird to think of Naperville once again being my primary address. Now that I'm back, the only thing that will really change is the addition of diet green tea, raspberry sorbet, and Parmesan cheese in the kitchen. Oh, and re-runs of C.S.I. Miami on the DVR.

Its crazy to think that in 2 weeks my (not so) little sister is moving off to college. Perhaps even crazier that I officially start work on Monday. I'm so excited!!! And really glad that I planned this quick turnaround from Spain to Work as I don't know what I'd do with a week of free time (we all know I don't sleep much, I must have Spanish in my blood or something). Plus, it will be very nice to have a steady income again.

This morning I consolidated my finances, and while I have a balance of $21.16 in my checking account, everything was totally worth it. Every flight, meal/tapa, drink, tour, and adventure. I don't know when I'll get to take my next journey overseas, so I'm glad I decided to make the most of Spain, and figure out how to pay for it later. (Like my $296 dollar AT&T bill, whoops international calls and google maps)Depending on my first pay check, I may have to budget for a new scrapbook . . .

I have always loved to travel, and highly encourage everyone, at some point, to spend some time abroad. Be it a simple 1 stop vacation, 3 weeks with a family, a few months country hopping, or a year backpacking the continent, you will gain new insight that enriches your perspective of your country's culture, and have experience than enhance your life.

Honestly, some of my best and closest friends are people I've met while traveling (Or people I have traveled with). Maybe its the effect that travel has on people (or that only the cool kids take the time to conquer the world), but everyone I've come in contact with has positively influenced my experience and taught me a thing or two about myself. After meeting some people on a weekend in Southern Spain my trip went from a fun weekend getaway, to something I will never forget. That just doesn't happen the same at home, as its something about the spirit of travel that seems to bring out the sense of adventure in everyone.

So now that my Spanish adventures have come to a close, The Document will now switch gears from traveling overseas, to commercials, fast food, Chicago, and advertising. While I'm sure plenty of random things will come my way, I just wanted set the stage for what's yet to come.

Thanks for being interested in what I'm up to, knowing that someone wants to listen makes it that much more fun to share :)