Feeling all growed up.

So, it may seem a small thing to many, but I just booked my train tickets to and from Edinburgh Scotland for my fall break. And for me, it was anything but a small thing!
This is my first trip traveling abroad, and my first trip genuinely traveling by myself, talk about learning some independence! And this trip was no easy thing to plan. Not only am I figuring out buses, undergrounds and trains all by myself, but then there was the mix up with the 24 hour clock. I hate the 24 hour clock. Saying 15:00 for 3:00 just doesn't make sense, and no one uses it in real life here! Its only on schedules and train stations apparently. So what happened is, I booked my train to come into London and hour after our Fall Break Curfew (the one time in the entire semester that they demand a time to be home!) and while that doesn't seem like a huge amount of time to be late, keep in mind that its about a twenty minute ride on the underground and then an hour and a half bus ride from London to my home in Oxford. So that put me home at about 2am on a 10pm curfew.... not really going to work...
However, it took about 4 hours collectively on the the phone today with the train company to fix this small problem so that I come into London at 16:56 (yes, ladies and gentlemen, that is almost 5 o'clock) which gives me plenty of time to get home by 10pm. Phew!
The really funny part of the story though is how much I let this trip stress me out. For those of you who know this worrier well, the smallest mistakes on my part can seem the end of the world. I was so proud of myself and so happy that I had planned and booked this trip all by myself! And then I found out that I did it all wrong. All wrong! Oh no! Its the end of the world!!! (Ok, so not really, but you know the inner drama queen comes out every once in a while....) What this meant thought is lots of asking for help, lots of figuring things out on my own and a whole lot of prayer for patience and humility.
So maybe the lesson here is that being all grown up doesn't mean having it all together. It actually means that you mess up, make mistakes, ask for help and figure it out. Being all grown up means learning even more humility than I needed as a teenager, means i ask for help and then I do it on my own. And make mistakes and ask for help.... its a huge cycle. However, there is nothing to be ashamed of in needing help as a 'grown up'. I'm not perfect! I never will be! The important thing is, I did it. I didn't let fear or pride hold me down, I asked for help, I made plans, I changed plans, made mistakes and fixed them, and in two weeks I am going to be on a train to Scotland! It wasn't smooth, but I did it. I'm feeling all growed up.


Just a little teaser.... this is where I am going over the break. I promise to take LOTS of pictures and to tell lots of stories.