Hello All!!! My visa paperwork has finally arrived to the consulate in Houston!! Wonderful, I sent off all my papers this morning and barring no complications I should have a visa in my hot grubby little hands a week from today! I will be leaving America the 6th of September (a day after my 25th birthday, how fitting) and should be arriving in France the 7th. My orientation at the school and with all the new professors is scheduled for the 8-9th of September. I can not wait. I am in the process of bidding farewell to all my friends and hardest of all to Graham, but I am so excited about this I can hardly stand it, and it seems to be tempering the sting of sadness for now.

Ok, so getting ahold of me while I am in Europe for the next year, there will be several ways.

I am online on Facebook, you can find me there, www.facebook.com/lizy1876

I am on this website of course, you may leave me comments on this page and I can respond to them. Click on the yellow post-it note at the top right of each blog post to leave a comment.

I am on Twitter and you can follow me there, @Pumpkinton, I will be updating frequently.

My email address is now officially changed to lizy1876@gmail.com

I am on SKYPE, this is the best way to CALL me, my username is lizy1876, or you can search under SARAH REED, simply download skype if you do not have it, www.skype.com, it is a free service. You can call me using my username and if I am unavailable you can leave me a voicemail and I will call you back! Isn't the internet amazing!

I have set up my skype so that I have unlimited calls to the US, and if I phone you it will show up as my previous US phone number, do not be alarmed, it will not charge you overseas rates when you see my number, answer me!

If you do not have SKYPE and would like to call me from your cell phone or landline, you may contact me at this US number, 865-630-4466, this US number will call my computer via SKYPE and cost you the same US rates that usually apply to your phone company. If I am unavailable you can leave me a voicemail and I will call you back.

If you forget any of these numbers or usernames my US 865-310-7272 phone will still be functional and the voicemail will have my contact information in it.

Ok, so these are the best ways to find Sarah in France! I will post again soon with another visa update, and departure information! Talk to you all soon!

I love you, I miss you!

Sarah:)

|

Hi All! Just finishing up a wonderful vacation of visiting family and friends all up and down the east coast. I have finally finished packing and have managed to get everything I own into one GIANT rolling duffel bag, one GIANT pink suitcase (i am very happy about this much to my mother's dismay) and my first totally authentic real hiking backpack (I am most excited about tooling around europe with this pack). I took the pack on it's inaugural voyage up to the east coast this past week. Graham and I trekked all the way up to Boston and then headed our separate ways for a few days. I went to Manhattan and tooled around for two days. I must say, I have fallen in love with Manhattan. It is officially my most favorite city I have ever visited. I got to spend two nights with my old friends Ollie and Daniel, and spent most of the time eating everything in sight that NYC had to offer! Papaya dogs, cupcakes, pizza, beer, wings, I swear I have gained about 10 pounds on vacation from food and booze alone. 4 Glorious days on Cape Cod (only 2 of which were sunny), and lots more glorious food later, I am back in Knoxville TN bidding farewells to old friends and my parents. It is overwhelming to believe that in about three weeks I will be leaving everyone for over a year! Graham and I are off to Houston TX on Thursday this week to acquire a visa for myself. I must say this has been the longest and most trying process that I have ever been through. I look forward to having that piece of paper in my hot grubby little hands...then and ONLY then can I finally book my flight to France!! That will most definitely be a big blog day! I just want to say a quick thanks to all of you that made it out to my benefit concert last week as well. It was a wonderful success, and I am most grateful for all of your support and generosity in my newest journey. I've attached some photos at the end of vacation, Hopefully I'll be writing to you soon with photos of what I hope will be a French Visa!:)

Ollie and Sarah on the Train in Manhattan, very excited to be there!

Brew Pub in Chatanooga, TN

Penguin Love at the Tennessee Aquarium

Smooches on a rainy day in Cape Cod

NYC's Finest:) Yummmmmmmm!

Benefit Recital, Note Straight Hair!:)

|