Cheers to adventure!

When I was 16, I remember telling a friend that I wanted to travel to all seven continents. Today, I am almost 25- let’s see how far I have gotten with that dream. I, of course, live in the USA and have been to Canada- so check off North America. I have been to Spain twice and Italy once-check Europe. And this past December 2015, I had the pleasure of visiting Buenos Aires, Argentina- check off South America. That leaves Asia, Africa, Australia and Antarctica- all the A's. I have a one-way, yes one-way ticket, to Australia on Feb. 10, 2016. So I soon will be able to check off Australia; only a few continents left to go. I wonder when I will get to Antarctica- I heard cruises there can be expensive and oh yeah I almost forgot it could be cold there too right?!

Antartica aside, let me sound like a Hallmark card for a second: life is not about the check marks. I have grown (or like to think I have grown) from that wide-eyed 16-year-old into a mature, relatively sane, 24-year-old “adult”. In those 8 (I swear I can count ) years, I have realized you need to enjoy your current place in life, right now. I am a very impatient person- I hate to wait- I hate living in the in-between. I move full steam ahead- putting all my passion, gusto, and heart into any project I am working on. I do not hesitate, I do not wait, I go, go, go. I am learning to take pause, take a breath, and enjoy my surroundings in the here and now.

Travel has been one of my all-consuming goals for a long time. Ask anyone who knows me, they have heard me drag on and on about travel. As I embark on My Trip, as it has been so cleverly named, I remind myself to take every day, every moment, and squeeze every bite of life and wisdom I can out of it- truly live in the moment.

This is my year.  I quit my decent paying job, chose not to get a lease on an apartment, lived at home with my gasp parents, sacrificed a marriage to a great man, to follow my travel dream. Boy, do I feel crazy, scared, and well excited all at the same time. I want to enjoy all the parts of this dream- even parts I did not anticipate- all the worry, all the prep and planning, are parts of the dream too. I need to be thankful for every second of this journey. I can't miss it- it’s my life, my decision. I am taking this leap of faith, I am stepping off that cliff, insert cliche here, to see what the world has in store for this wide-eyed girl now woman. 

I will be turning 25 on the plane- I will be as my Dad so aptly put, " in the journey." on my birthday. And I think it is the best and most fitting way to celebrate my quarter-century on Earth. Cheers to this adventure, this dream, this journey, this glorious life!

Come follow me on this journey to the ends of the earth...