The First Post

Tomorrow I leave for Italy. My bag is mostly packed, my phone is charged, and my shoes are by the door. I'm sure you can imagine my excitement. Five and a half weeks of travel with stops in Rome, Florence, Pisa, Genoa, and Milan. I'll be teaching Mississippi State students about drawing and lettering, something I haven't quite done before. Plus, I'm really looking forward to all of the drawings and photographs I'll be making myself. *Nerd alert: I even bought some new pens and pencils!

All of the excitement is great, so you might be surprised to know that I'm actually feeling bittersweet. I have to leave my wife, Alisha, and two daughters, Joan and Charlotte behind. We've known about the trip for a long time, and I hoped to at least bring Alisha along for a week, but the cost is simply too high for us right now. I've never been away from them for this long, and it's a bit weird to think that I will experience all of this without them. I will certainly miss them, but technology will help narrow the distance between us. In addition to following my trip on this blog, I'll also be able to speak to them through video chats and emails. If you're a friend or family member reading this, I hope you'll follow my blog too! But, this first post is for Alisha, Joan, and Charlotte. I love you all very much, and I hope all goes well while I'm gone.

Quick side note: I'll turn 30 this Thursday, May 26, and on Saturday Alisha threw me an awesome surprise birthday party! You can read more about it here.

The next post you read on here should be from Rome - CIAO!