Happy 2014! I spent the last five months unintentionally dark on this blog, but busy in the other parts of my life. I am happy to find that grad school has served me well in cultivating a writing habit. Without the eye of a classroom, I still made time for a NaNoWriMo novel and several short stories. I’m hoping to finish drafting my first piece of the new year in the next few days. 

My world is about to turn over. I left my job three weeks ago, and Andrew and I are packing up our belongings to put into storage when our lease is up at the end of the month. We are T-minus 19 days until we embark on a 6-month tour of India, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Ireland, Greece, Germany, and France. I am so excited for what this trip will do to change our perspectives, deepen our marriage, and seriously energize my writing!

Of course, this trip means giving up a lot as well. Our jobs and our townhouse are the first to go. We’re traveling carry-on only, so we’ll be limited in terms of wardrobe and the luxuries we’re used to at home. Also, I want to take advantage of the time to explore, so this time I’m not simply going dark on this blog. I am taking an official hiatus until August, when we return. The plan is that I will post pictures and some trip updates at our shared blog, http://www.jatrip.wordpress.com, when I have the Internet, time, and energy lined up to do so.