The minute I finished my letter to Samantha, I felt a sense of peace rush over me. In two weeks I would be going home. It had been quite a while since I had seen Samantha and my father and mother. I was excited to go home.

I was getting more excited each day about my time in Vermont and my chosen career path. It makes a difference to know that you are doing what you are uniquely designed to be doing, and this was a feeling I had yet to feel in my life. Like a great love, it is and was intoxicating!

My relationships were strengthening. The five of us became inseparable. Perhaps this was because we saw each other every day and had tastings every nite; but despite the simple factor of time spent together, we genuinely enjoyed each others company. Somehow the intricacies of our personalities seemed to mesh at a specific point that allowed us in concert to seem like one. The five of us had become a singular force in some ways. And with the same goal in mind, we all believed we were unstoppable.

Soon after our study of France and French wine was over. It was time for a break, and we all felt spent by the time the clock ticked three on the last day of class. While it was far from all-encompassing, we had learned far more than your average wine connoisseur will learn in a lifetime. When we returned, we would be moving on to Italy, a country I felt more confident with.

I was excited to learn about Italy as it would provide a foundation and a basis to use for the trip I had planned for Samantha and I. Surely, I would find the "diamonds in the rough" from our studies. Kevin would be able to shed some lite on the subject; after all, the additional letters after his name were good for something, weren't they?

It was a Thursday afternoon when we finished our last class. As I packed the car, I again felt a deep calm rush over me. I was preparing for a trip home; a trip I was sure that I needed for my physical and emotional health, and my sanity.