Starting in a Winter Wonderland

Dear Family and Friends,

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Since most of you are buried under a foot of snow, I hope you're taking the chance to bake and decorate and wrap like crazy!

Since there are so many wonderful people with whom I want to keep in contact over the next few months, I have created this blog as the most effective way for anyone who is interested (or desperately procrastinating a paper) to see what I'm up to over there "across the pond." I will be more than excited to receive and exchange emails and letters, but rather than send 53 people the same photo of me at the Vatican (!!!), why not just post it here?

I'm excited to finalize my preparations, and hope to see many of you before I go! If not, have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year... you'll be hearing from me soon!

Sincerely,
Lauren :)