My Adventures Began Yesterday

Each New Year brings about change, and hope, and short term commitments of improvement. Some people carry out their New Year Resolutions (NYR); others, not even through the first week of January. With over 60% of Americans making resolutions, what do you think would be the top 5 NYR? Number 1 is easy: lose weight. Everyone wants to lose weight, tone the body, and look good for swim suit season that’s just around the corner. Number 2? According to the Statistic Brain Research Institute (hey, it sounds fancy), it’s getting organized. For me, I’m an organized machine, so this doesn’t apply. Does it apply to you? Hmm, although, I did go through my closet and hope chest on New Year’s Day and donate a bunch of clothes and stuff I refused to hold onto any longer. Number 3: Spend less, save more. Duh. We all want mo’ money. Number 4: Enjoy life to the fullest. Yes please. Any suggestions on how people achieve this one? Everyone hears how you’re supposed to live each day as if it’s...

Dear Shooters, More than feeling disgust, you scare me. Am I going to be the next victim? Is my brother or my mother going to be in the wrong place, at the wrong time, and are you going to shoot them? The odds keep increasing that someone I know will be in a mass shooting, soon, and those odds are terrifying. I don’t understand what killing people achieves for you? I don’t understand how you can sit in your home and plan out the details about how you will shoot to kill and not care (or understand?) that you’re taking lives. The lives of possible future friends, loved ones, or someone who could have cured the cancer discovered within you. I can’t comprehend the destruction and I don’t understand all the cop killings. How many people do you need to kill before you’re satisfied? What number will be enough? Why the mistrust of your brothers and sisters? Why the hate? Do you not care how your mother or father or friend would feel to see you on TV in a police chase? Or watch you...

Figuring out the next step is hard. I planned and researched and wrote a general idea of my travel route. I even bought a few supplies for my car! But a nagging voice kept telling me that this wasn't my path. This wasn't going to be my time. Something was off. Maybe it was the timing (Winter is Coming) or maybe the people telling me I'm crazy (thanks mom). Telling me they would prefer I not travel by myself; it's not safe. Take someone with me. Do I even have enough money? What about my apartment? Am I going to leave my roommate to cover the rent? What about my furniture?  All valid questions.  I decided I wasn't going to quit my day job and travel the USA. At least not today. I'm still on a mission to find my peaceful place, a place to bring me joy, contentment, and feelings of home, but the discovery of said place must (hopefully) be accomplished through quick weekend trips. Hop on a plane, take a short drive, maybe jump on a train.  Am I the only one th...

It's happening again, I'm feeling the urge to uproot my life and travel. This time the USA is calling to me. I envision State Parks and National Monuments, friends meeting me in random cities, hundreds of beautiful sunsets, and the time to explore my innermost thoughts, delve into writing full time, and discover America’s historical cities and landmarks. Money is saved but I will most likely supplement my savings with random jobs (did you know that you can work for a week or so on a farm and they’ll provide you with free room and board, while teaching you about organic farming?). Perhaps I will write a few articles to sell to travel magazines/websites. Or maybe my network of family/friends is broad enough that a couch/spare bedroom will be available in each city that I choose to visit. I’m a firm believer in planning and knowing what will happen next. When I planned this trip for a friend and me to take after college, I had the route, stops, and mileage written down a...

It’s been almost a month since I found out they are selling my property and I’m no closer to choosing my next path. Having to figure out what to do for work come January is making my head spin. Heck, figuring out what to do for the rest of my life has always been difficult. Not knowing if a master’s degree is worth the time and money. Wondering if it’d be easier to write a book and build up a clientele? Or if I have enough blarney in me to fake it until I learn it? The questions are endless, yet the answers always remain out of reach. On a positive note, it's football season, so I’ll be happily distracted with Aggie games. Whoop! BTHO ‘bama! We’re driving to College Station in three hours. I’ve heard that CS is already a madhouse with Aggie and ‘bama fans. I’m excited! It’s going to be an epic weekend. Do you ever experience those moments when your chest overfills with expectancy? You don’t know what’s going to happen, but you know something IS? The anticipation and ex...

Took a night train to Bruges, Belgium. Have you been there, know anything about it? Oh, you saw a movie with Collin Farrel? Ahh, yes, that movie is the reason we traveled to Bruges. Meghan fell in love with the movie and FORCED us to go there. She tied us up, put bandanas in our mouths, and refused to let us say any differently. Okay, not really. The entire time we are walking around the town, Meghs is asking herself, 'oh! is this where....happened. I think it is" and "oh! this must be where they ran through the....take a picture of me please!" haha. Good times. We climbed up the Bellfry (that was in the movie, yes), except there were barricades on the windows and plexiglass around the bells. Hmm, i wonder if the window barricades were there BEFORE the movie? Ate our first REAL, delicious dinner. Oh my. The hostel we stayed in had a restaurant, bar AND club (three different areas). AND if you ate in the restaurant, you received a free sampler of beer (wheat, ch...

Took a fast train from Germany to France. Had previously booked a hostel so we just had to find our way to it. Hopped on the metro. But wait, halfway to our stop, the train stops and someone tells us we have to leave because the train can go no further. BUT theres a bus to catch upstairs. Okaaayyy. After walking around for 5 minutes we find the bus stop (essentially directly in front of us), and ride the bus for 20 minutes, get out and just start walking in the general direction we suspect to find our hostel. We turn the corner, and BAM! There she is: The Eiffel Tower, lit up and beautiful. We find a map of the city and make our way to our hostel. There we find a sign that tells us about the Eiffel Tower light show at 7pm, 8pm, 9pm, 10pm, and 11pm. Voila! We know what we are doing for the evening. :) We grab our cameras and head towards the World Famous Tower. Ahhhhh! It's silly, to feel such excitement and joy at a structure the french people do not even enjoy. But I did....