Good Morning

"Good morning."
"What do you mean? Do you mean to wish me a good morning or do you mean that it is a good morning whether I like it or not? Or perhaps you wish to say you feel good on this morning, or that this is a morning to be good on?"
"…All of them at once, I suppose."
"Hmmm."
"Can I help you?"
"That remains to be seen. I'm looking for someone to go on an adventure."
"Adventure? Now I don't suppose anyone west of Bree would be interested in adventures. Nasty unpleasant sort of things. They make you late for dinner."

It's pretty obvious I'm a fan of Lord of the Rings.  This is one of my favorite exchanges in the recent movie, "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey."
Yes, it's true! "I'm going on an adventure!"  I'm excited to see new places and do new things; and it's Europe!  I've had dreams of seeing places in Europe for a while now, especially Ireland.  I look forward to the adventures that the next few months hold for me.
Also like Bilbo, I will, of course, miss my home and family.  "The Shire," as we call it, is a wonderful place to come home to, and not seeing it for a number of months will not be easy.  But I know I will be united to my family in love and in prayer, though miles of ocean shall keep us apart for a time.

The purpose of this blog is to communicate my adventures, experiences, stories, and thoughts to my dear family and friends back home.  I look forward to writing about these experiences!
My school provides a wonderful study abroad program, with its own campus in Gaming, Austria: an old Carthusian monastery that has been restored and transformed into a five-star hotel that hosts the students for the few months of their studies.  The program allows us three-day weekends every weekend, which gives us the opportunity to travel to nearby countries and see the sights; and there are also to vacations of 10 days each during which we can travel to more distant countries.  It's a tremendous opportunity to experience the history, culture, and beauty of another continent, and I'm excited to learn!  While I am in Europe, I will be taking classes in theology, history, and philosophy.

I hope to post every week after my travels have brought me back to our home away from home, the Kartause.

Please keep me in your prayers as preparations continue. May God bless and keep you!

"The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page." -St. Augustine of Hippo