Thank you so much to all of you who offered your thoughts, prayers and kindness about Sam here and everywhere else. I cannot even begin to describe how much it meant to me and my family. I never forget that kind of stuff, and I only hope that I am as kind to you when you need it most. Sam’s funeral was sad, of course, but beautiful. I discovered just how much of an impact he had on others in his final few months. He managed to get past his anger to find meaning and significance in his life, and that has had a ripple effect.

So, not to completely switch gears, but I have some other news that I’ve been meaning to share for the past two weeks or so. I’m going to India … um … this afternoon. Well, I’m leaving this afternoon anyway.

One of my favorite people — the one who is responsible for getting me to the wedding where I met the Modern Love Machine — is getting married late next week in Mumbai. I’ve known him since middle school and dubbed him “my sunshine” in high school. I’ve long been interested in attending a Hindu wedding, and the fact that I’ve been invited to join him for his is just the icing on the wedding cake.

Here’s the kicker: the MLM, who is as much friends with the groom as I can’t go. School started back on Tuesday this week, and the school system generally frowns upon a teacher taking off the first week and a half of a semester. Still, the MLM urged me to go, with the idea of meeting up with several other high school buddies once I arrived in New Delhi. Which kind of freaked me out, but as a modern gal and well-seasoned traveler, I figured I could buck up and handle it.

As it turns out, I will not have to handle it alone. My friend Sarah, who lives here in Knoxville and has gotten to know the groom a bit over time, is joining me. We leave Knoxville this afternoon, fly through Dulles and lay over in Frankfurt for 14(!) hours. Lest we get bored, we’re planning on doing a walking tour of Frankfurt to soak up a little culture in my vaterland and get an extra stamp in the passport. From there we’ll hop to New Delhi, and we’ll spend a few days in the Golden Triangle before hopping on SpiceJet(!) to fly to Mumbai for the three-day(!) wedding festivities.

So there you go. This year is not even two weeks old, and already I’ve packed some serious punch into it. I do not expect to be updating my blog while I’m gone, save a prescheduled post. I’m going to do my best to post some things to my Tumblr travelogue, Instagram and Twitter. At the very least I promise, promise, promise a recap when I get back.

P.S. If you’ve been to India and you have a few tips, feel free to share — unless they have to do with packing. By the time you read this, I’m packed and gone and seeing what I may have forgotten will only cause me to freak out.