She just keeps going, and going, and going...

It has begun. And by "it," I mean the process of cramming 3 months of summer activities into one hyperactive month of fun.

This past Wednesday night, I said goodbye to Pittsburgh in style -- my style. I spent the evening parked on a bar stool, sipping on a steady stream of delicious brews from all around the world. Surrounded by about 20 friends, it was the only way I could have imagined a farewell for me to be. No pressure. No raucousness. Just beer and laughs.

On Thursday, I packed my car and drove to MD, arriving in time to grab an ice cream with my dad at sundown, but then my body gave up and I fell asleep. On Friday, four of my friends and I packed into my little, exhausted car and drove to Baltimore for the Os game (which they actually won!) After oohing and aahing at the post-game fireworks, we headed to Fell's Point and bar hopped until 2am. We slept at my house in Columbia, and then did it all again on Saturday: Baltimore, record stores, tasty lunch, ska show, good times.

It was the perfect way to kick off what is sure to be a crazy month of summer. This week is pretty calm, but on July 22 I'll be making a one-day trip to Wilmington for a BBQ and Counting Crows concert. Then it's off to Cooperstown the following weekend for Cal Ripken, Jr.'s induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame, plus camping and brewery tours with friends. Right after I get back from that epic road trip, I'm headed to the beach first with friends, then with family. And less than a week after I get back from the beach, it's off to Mexico!

I cannot get a handle on the amount of stuff I am about to do in such a short amount of time. Looking back, I see how I was really in a rut (maybe I should just called it a routine) that had kept me from living it up in Pittsburgh. No offense to the town or the people there, it's that whole "comfort thing"; I didn't have a fear about missing out or wasting time because when I was there I felt like I had all the time in the world. Now that I am in transition and I know I only have a limited amount of time to hang with friends and family, I'm packing it all in.

At the heart of things, that's what I really love about traveling. When I'm on the road, I go-go-go to pack in as much as I can because I know the adventure will end. That's why just living in another country would never satisfy my wanderlust. That's why as soon as I arrive somewhere, I figure out when I will be leaving -- the fear of running out of time gives me the energy to pack in as much as possible.

I am not a calm person. I never will be. But I'm sure as heck glad that I can look back and say, "Yup, I did that!"