To Italy and Beyond...

I'm so future oriented, it's not even funny.
In 5 days, I will be on a plane bound for Roma, and yet, I can't stop thinking about everything I'm going to do when I get back!
paint.
make jewelry.
take loads of photos with my mom's old nikon. (I'm on a film kick!)
practice the guitar again...
read, like it's my job.
find an actual job.
plan cru stuff for the fall.
move into/ decorate my new room.
go to cedar point for my 20th birthday (!)
take on the impossible task of catching up with all the people I love.
aaaaaaaand trust me, the list goes on.
Not only that, I plan for years from now. I'm going to Italy for crying out loud, and I'm already planning my next world travels, and even what happens after that! (Grad school? Job? More world travels?)
The thing is, it's not that I don't appreciate what's going on in the here and now, because I really do. I just operate in the future. I always look ahead, and not usually because I'm worried. I get this from my mom. She can be working at a job that she loves, and she'll still check job listings, because there might be something better out there. I have this state of mind that I like to live in: whatever I'm doing now has to be leading to an eventual goal, or I don't see the point of doing it. This doesn't mean I'm a work-aholic. Because I get as apathetic as the next guy (or girl), but even my relaxation time is usually productive. I have a hard time sitting and doing absolutely nothing; I always read, or write, or make something, or try to be with a friend, or ride my bike, or anything else that makes me feel busy.
Anyhow, I guess my point is: pray for me while I'm in Roma that I will be living in the present, soaking up every moment, seeing how God is using my on a daily basis, and just living for today. I'm not really worried about it or anything, but I was sitting today planning my summer (the one after my two month excursion to Europe) and I thought, "Kate, you need to stop and realize where you're going to be next week!" Crazy.
And then I came back to Earth, and started thinking about the more imminent future:
the cobblestones
the language
the history
the ceilings
the people
the gelato
the artichokes
the fashion
the music
the traveling
the new friends
the experiences
the tests
the growth
the word
I really can't wait!
I love you ladies, and I plan to talk to/ see all of you before I go.

Much love,

Kate