She's miserable...not

Our Kate has never liked being away from home. In fact, she was a kid who never wanted to even do sleepovers at a friend's house. Her willingness to be away overnight has increased a bit as she's gotten older and she has managed to go on class trips if they lasted no more than a few days...but that was about all she was interested in. So how is she managing being away for 18 days on her P2P student ambassador trip? Well, she's a bit homesick but she's not letting it stop her from having fun. The proof is in her smile...

This is the 3rd Mediterranean beach she's visited...this one is in Italy.

Our girl has toured all the sights, visited museums, and stayed with a family in France who took her shopping 'til she dropped. She's learned to make paella in Spain, visited a perfume factory in France, lunched in Monaco, and done beach hopping, a dance party, and community service in Italy. The next big challenge will be rappelling down this:

I'm just glad I don't have to watch my baby do this.

I know all this because she calls each night before bed to tell me about her latest adventures...gotta love the cheapy international cell phone her Dad found for her that makes our frequent chats possible...and that's how the former homebody has become a jetsetter. As long as she knows she can talk to us when she needs to, she can roam the earth with confidence. Of course, I don't miss her or anything...and I don't hover near the phone each afternoon, waiting to hear that she's safe and having fun...and I'm not marking the days off the calendar until she returns to the nest. (OK, it's 5 more days and I am indeed counting. Leave me alone, it's a mom thing.)