My Oh My, So much to catch you up on...

Well, as the title suggests, there is a lot to catch everyone up on.
Number 1- yes, I am still alive and well, and have not posted on here in close to a month. Lots has happened...I ended up almost totally losing my travel journal on the side of a Denver highway, spent an awesome time out west, classically I missed my flight leaving Vegas (which was actually great fun), climbed a few peaks and saw the beautiful Rockies, had an interview at a modeling agency (we will have to see how that goes), gotton my haircut, suprisingly didn't overstuff myself at thanksgiving for once although there was more than enough food for me to get super uncomfortably feeling like I need to never eat again if I had pushed it, went Black friday shopping all night literally (went to the mall at midnight and didn't return until 705am), got a yorkie to finally like me and find the motivation I need for the month I will be home in December to get my butt in a routine that I cannot break for I now have a "super motivation" not to be revealed unless it comes true, and if it doesn't there are always second chances and other things to substitute in for my superior motivation...yes, some of it is more entertaining than other things, but enough to keep me on my toes and definitely enough that my adventures are not at all near a hault and my spirits are still soaring high.

I do miss my water crew and homerites, but I will indeed see them all soon!

I will have to catch you up skipping along, touching here and there...where was the last place I left off? I will have to check, but I can at least tell you about Atlanta so far.

I got here the night before Thanksgiving, and my aunt picked me up from the airport- it is a little wierd to think that I haven't seen her part of the family in a few years...my how time flies! The "kids" as I still call them are all grown up (I know, what am I- 45?) haha. Coty's already 19 and going into the Navy next week, and Shelby is 13 alread- homeschooling and in grade 7... We had a delicious feast full of turkey, potatoes, rutabega (one of my favorites now), cranberry sauce, stuffing, green bean cassarole...I know I am forgetting a few items....pumpkin pie :)

The next day consisted of sleeping in, watching movies... Friday night Elana picked me up and I got to see more towards downtown Atlanta. Went out and hung out all weekend- had a blast, met some cool people...also met a dog that I absolutely love and if it wasn't illegal I would totally love to take him home with me...or maybe I could just ask to borrow him for a while lol.

When I got home sunday I don't think I have slept this much after such a short period of time in forever (aka in Vegas I was up a lot but my energy pushed through and I didnt catch up on sleep I felt until I was in Colorado a week later..but one weekend and I was out). I slept 2 1/2 hours in the afternoon, fell asleep after dinner for about 2 hours, then was in bed by 1100 and then didn't get up until 1230 the next morning! Hahah. I guess I really needed it- maybe to catch up on the last 3 months of my life finally i just crashed :)

I'd rather though live my life with little sleep especially while I am traveling and in areas that i haven't been before- fully enjoyong them and not sleeping my time there away, and I am in GA for a few weeks so a day or two to fully catch up and recouperate is but a small sacrifice and a well deserved "treat" even.

I have had an interview here, I will see if I get booked for an event, but I have a feeling it went well and I got a good vibe from the agency.  Also, I found a rec position I am applying for, and also am planning on making some lesson plans to see if I would be able to teach a few rec classes as well!  I would love it!

Out west is absolutely beautiful by the way.. the mountains, the skylines, the think elevation air- in which it is quite a new experience to have a tasty brew being a mile or more up from sealevel/ where I am used to!

Ok, I will def be catching this lovely blog up soon...but tonite, after the battle I had with the employment history page and not being able to move the order, having to erase and retype the sequence twice and having the website decide it would be appropriate to play a practical joke on me and switch all the dates I put in on me, I have pretty much had all I can take with typing tonite. I know right, I wrote kinda a lot for being tired of computers- I just decided that I couldn't wait any longer to post a little something for "all of my followers" (Which I finally found out why no one can post on here...you need to sign up for a google account- I know, it's kinda stupid- another marketing ploy to gain more members I'm assuming....but if you have an extra 5 minutes and are bored at work, make one just so you can leave me some love please :) *Hint!!

81 in November...I'm in Miami B*tch!

Miamiiiiii.... love it! Temperature is still upper 70s and low 80s :)
Enjoyed Miami/ South Beach.... white sand and clear blue water.
Skyrise hotels and condos- the princess of Dubai just purchased the top level suite of a hotel my friend Nick used to work at- looks nice from what I could see of it. I bet the view is spectacular....

Club Space...downtown.  3 Levels, cool decor, music... open a LOT later than in little Cortland, NY. You pay one price at the door if you get there before midnight, then the price goes up at about 3:00 and then again at 6:00 (AM- yes, it doesn't close till like 2 in the afternoon...or later). How awesome- talk about the ultimate party nights!

The main DJ went on a little early (3, not 4). Energy was contageous....I do have to say that I think it is a bit odd that miamis wear their sunglasses IN the DARK club...haha, all the time!! Definitely lots of scandelous clothes as well :)

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Did some shopping on Lincoln...

Checked out the Botanical Gardens, the Miami Parks and Rec Department and got some info about their programs they run.  Later going to the Clevelander....

MIAMI

Made it to Miami...Nicole picked me up from the tri-rail.... did some shopping and then Nicole BBQed at the house, a few friends came over to enjoy the food and company. Later on, Nick got home and we watched I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell....good movie. Tucker reminds me of this person I know, who shall remain nameless...looks wise, not asshole wise though.

Second day here, ate at the Shake Shack- best burger ever- second to the Mohegan Lake diner.  Later I did some more shopping on Lincoln (kind of like the Ithaca commons but it is a lot longer, bigger stores, etc.) and then walked over to South Beach.  Hung out with Nicole and Xavier today, Nick's at work but he's off tomorrow. 

Love the Beach Town



Boca and Gumbo Limbo

(Delray Day 3)

 Boca Raton, went to the beach, was gonna go snorkeling, but the waves were too big to safely get to the reef- haha idk like 8 feet…plus the flag ripped off Garrett so it would have been dangerous with the boats- I guess recently a snorkeler was killed there because a boat driver didn’t see him and ran him over!! Boo.
Instead, we sunned on the beach then had lunch…Garrett’s dog Shamus is so adorable!! He's an Argentinian Dogo.

After that, we went to Gumbo Limbo- in Boca, a turtle reserve/ nature conservatory type place. There were these huge spiders there on the nature trail and around the butterfly garden too..I need to look them up and see what kind they were…black, red and yellow, stripes, big webs….Banana Spiders.

I made stuffed shells and then we went to see the movie RED. (Good movie)
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Chocolate Sunrise and Beach Meditations                                                          

           (Day 4)

Sunrise on the beach..beautiful!

Looked around on Atlantic (if you can’t tell, it is one of the main roads here along with A1A). Beached it..ahhh, what a hard life, huh.

Beach meditation.

About Last Night…. And Into the Wild. Chilled at Kevin’s.

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Old Friends, New Times
(Day 5)

 Visited Hush’s Aunt Michelle, Uncle Stephen, and Grandpa J It was very nice to see them again! They were the people that I stayed with when I had to evacuate the keys…they are so nice! It was good catching up.

Beached it later, worked on my tan! Visited Cupcake Couture…amazing cupcakes (I think it was on the food network too).
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     Beach Bums are my Favorite People

                                                                                    (Day 6)

Forecast: 85 and sunny, light winds…what do you think I did??? You guessed it..beach! I love that I have such a short walk and the weather has been great.

Late afternoon I watched a group of kiteboarders…I started watching when 1 was in the water and 2 launched…by the end there were 15! They were experienced boarders, getting around 15 plus feet of air. For what you could see of the sunset over the ocean (we’re on the eastcoast) with the k-boarders out there was a nice view. The sky was amazing…there were these little “bubble clouds” that had the pink light shine on them, while you could see different shades of blue in the sky, and yellow and white light on the remainig bigger white cloud. I also met Sasha (a new friend), and we’re going on an adventure Sunday!! J

Random Song Lyric of the day: “We may only have tonite, but till the morning sun you’re mine…” Plain White T’s

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Cowabunga baby..and Here’s Some Fairy Dust to Help Your Dreams Come True 

(Day 7)

 Beached it with Garrett, John, and Nicole. Halloween party… got to hang with the ninja turtles all night… eating pizza, fighting crime, you know…

Honorable mention costumes…a big penguin (looked like the one from Happy Gilmore), a hotdog, Dr. Feltersnatch (gynecologist), the village people, a zombie (?) bride... great costumes all around!

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What should I do today? Oh, idk.. How about jump off a plane!?! / This is what it’s like to surpass awesomeness to the 10^th degree
::Halloween 2010::

     Talk about a day to Remember. This is what it means to live your life to the max, expand your boundaries, and experience things that will change your life.
                                                    **SKYDIVING!**
                                                  Amazing, incredible, a rush…
                                                 Air Adventures- Clewiston, FL
                                                  
Starting from square one… At the beach on Friday I met Sasha where we talked about kiteboarding and other “extreme” sports when skydiving came up. I said I had always wanted to go, and she said that she goes quite often. I said how I had heard nothing but good things, and spoke of my random 3am skydiving convo that took place when I was getting ready to leave Charleston. I had a conversation with Crystal about how much she enjoyed it…I had always wanted to try it but didn’t necessarily create the opportunity for myself. (Life lesson- you can’t wait around for things to be presented to you- you need to go out and get what you want. It’s up to you to make things happen and create yourself- be the initiative and the person that others admire and want to be). Sasha invited me to go with her Sunday, and I merely said “Ok!”
Sasha and Skylar picked me up in the morning and we went and chilled at the drop zone all day. Both Sasha and Skylar are certified jumpers. I had never been to a drop zone before but after watching one batch of jumpers come down, I was even more intrigued and enticed to learn more. It was so beautiful... watching as the jumpers descended, viewing the colorful canopies, the way they swooped around, flipped, spinned, and glided so gracefully! I chatted with some of the people there too….everyone was chill and I loved how relaxed the atmosphere was… couches to lounge on, a “cookout” type area with a grill, refrigerators, etc. I guess if one was nervous they shouldn’t jump anyways because that would be more dangerous because they’d be more likely to panic and screw up in that state of mind.

Sunset jump I was told are the best jump of the day- absolutely beautiful, and they were absolutely right. I had been talking to Thomas throughout the day here and there, and they started talking about the how most nice it was going to be- sunset over the lake, on a clear day (sporadic white puffs)…Thomas said it would be the most beautiful jump and said I should do it. Again, my answer was “Alright…I’m gonna do it!”
When I first said yes I was a little nervous, but everyone there was so chill and laid back that it was hard to stay nervous (thank goodness). It’s pretty impossibly to resist the temptation after watching people get ready and (successfully) jump all day…talking to them about their passion and the energy and enthusiasm is contagious! After signing the waiver (if you die you can’t sue and you are doing this at your OWN free will and no one else’s… you take the complete risk for your own life), and watching a short video I was more excited than anything. We got on the plane, up up and away...ground kept getting smaller and smaller !!
After we were strapped in and ready to go, I stepped out of the plane, said hey to Garrett who was hanging on next to me, and then we were off (I jumped tandem with Thomas. He was very good- kept me calm, relieved any fears that started to brew, and I was told he was one of the best- lots of experience, was safe, and knew what he was doing…you couldn’t ask for much more than that!)- when I was getting out of the plane, surprisingly I was very calm- more excited and ready to stop thinking and worrying and just do it~! Garrett jumped along with us, it is so cool how you can maneuver around in the sky…he came over, attached and high fived me…. It was so amazing….we did a back flip out of the plane, then some spins and flips…. Once the canopy was pulled, the view was absolutely spectacular!! Lake Okeechobee…the sunset… I can’t even describe in words how great it was... well, actually Breathtaking would be the best if I had to choose only one.

Thomas asked if I wanted a wild and crazy or mellow and relaxed ride. Of course, I said the wild and crazy! He let me steer the canopy and we did some spirals and stuff….it felt like kind of a long time, which was awesome. When we landed I was relieved we made it safe, but my heart was definitely still pounding from the rush and I was sad it was over. Just an excuse to start jumping and working towards my certification!?! Great first experience… No regrets, totally worth it. I see more to come in the future!! Mike told me about a free ground course they were doing, and then from there you work on your AFF (accelerated free fall) course…too bad I’ll be in Colorado….but they have drop zones all over the world, and so I can keep jumping wherever I end up! Chilled and watched the Hangover for last night at Kevin’s.

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Travel Plans…
So plans are falling through unfortunately… “originally” I was going to take a train to Miami, have a friend pick me up there and bring me to the keys. Stay until Friday when Amy would be flying out of Miami so I would ride back up with her, then stay with nick in Miami until the flight to Vegas. Well, unexpected things always seem to come up…that’s just life. Derrek has to unexpectedly go home, and I have not found a ride other than that to they keys….so after all is said and done, I’ve decided to stay in Delray with “Aunt” Michelle/ Stephen/ grandpa and then go to Miami Wednesday. From there if I can make it to the keys I will go, if not I will be chillin in South beach, Miami, and that area for about a week. Thank goodness for Michelle and Stephen… I’d like to be welcomed back in the future so I don’t want to be over staying my welcome at Kevin’s, or anywhere I go actually. Spend a little time here, and a little time there…makes for a more interesting and diverse trip!! I am finally meeting people here- at first I think I was a little more shy at first, but after relaxing and talking to the people at the beach I have met some pretty cool people!! I am hoping to get coffee or lunch with a girl named Kelly before I leave town as well.


I'm thinking about applying for some travel tour companies, and possibly look into specifics for cruise lines. I want to travel as much as I can..there is so much out there, so many things to see, people to meet, discoveries to be made, personal journeys to embark on, paths to cross and paths to make for yourself, and footprints to leave! I am so excited!!



　

P2- Delray Cont

Rustica- deluxe pizza (caprese mm)

Delray Day 3-

Boca Raton, went to the beach, was gonna go snorkeling, but the waves were too big to safely get to the reef- haha idk like 8 feet…plus the flag ripped off Garrett so it would have been dangerous with the boats- I guess recently a snorkeler was killed there because a boat driver didn’t see him and ran him over!! Boo.

Instead, we sunned on the beach then had lunch…Garrett’s dog Shamus is so adorable!!  After that, we went to Gumbo Limbo- in Boca, a turtle reserve/ nature conservatory type place.  There were these huge spiders there on the nature trail and around the butterfly garden too..I need to look them up and see what kind they were…black, red and yellow, stripes, big webs….

I made stuffed shells and then we went to see the movie RED. Good movie!

Florida P1: Delray

Got picked up in Delray by my friend Kev and his friend Mike. We went to get dinner at Dub’s (thank goodness we went right away, I really wanted some real food other than Cheetos and pb crackers- which was what was easiest to keep on a 13 hour train ride!!)  Got a chicken salad, and found the best chicken wings I have ever tried…the skin was so crispy and delicious- I usually am the one to pick them apart and not touch the skin (some wonder what the point of eating them if I pick them apart that much is), but these wings totally changed my mind about wings.

Chill night, watched The Taking of Pelham 123, then hit the hay.

Day2- Walked E Atlantic and looked at some shops, and then hit the beach with one of K’s friends (Garrett).  Started working on my tan, enjoyed the beach and the ocean- the waves were good, and water was great- a little chillier than Isle of Palms, but definitely not cold by any means.  I wanted to stay longer but decided after like 4 hours that I didn’t want to push my luck in the sun (even though I wore sunblock) because I will be down here for like 2 ½ weeks…pace myself. 

So, as you can see I decided to catch you all up on the adventures of my past few weeks and destinations.  After writing all this I decided to check on my “tan”…def got some color today, and I guess I need to remember to put sunblock on the sides and inside of my legs--- whoops…Aloe and overnight and I should be ready for tomorrow. I believe I’m going snorkeling and beach again!! So glad to not be in the snow/ cold of ny right now- I guess it only snowed like once, and didn’t really stick, but honestly I am a lot happier in the sun, at the ocean, in my suit and flip flops/ shorts! 

Thinkin of maybe doing some seasonal work if I don’t decide to get a full time right now. Maybe do some more restauraunt and bar stuff, possibly nanny, or a season at a resort again. Love the possibilities!!

Need to figure out flight to Atlanta still, and when I am going to Miami…

Oh crap, I went to brush off the sand from the beach chair I had- I set it inside K’s door so no one would take it, and a lizard leaped out. Ahhh I forgot about those suckers!

Later on- I went to get something out of my book bag and realized that the lizard could be in there because I forgot to zip it…all these things I forget about living up north…if it gets lost in my bag and dies there I will be freaked out. I just went though all in the zipped pocket, but still nrvous about it so I left it open so it can climb out hopefully if gosh darned its in there.

Charleston ... Recap!

Visited Kara in Charleston.. beautiful city, historic…summary would be- Folley Beach (Taco Boy)- all kinds of Mexican food, tacos, good margarita selection.  Surf Bar- real chill place right on the strip, surfers on the tvs, decorated very well- pics, articles on wall, surf boards, island feel, chill bartender and friendly staff.  Reminded me of the keys, down by the beach…sandy parking, palm trees everywhere- excuse me, Palmetto trees (South Carolina’s state tree).

Kara had to work the next few days, so I went to downtown Charleston, walked around King Street, got some ideas of stuff around at the Visitor’s Center… had a picnic at a park downtown and watched some sword fighting slash tai chi type stuff…at first I was surprised to see people all ver sunbaithing at the park, but then I realized, why not? Who cares if it’s mid October….it’s great weather, and keep in mind I’m not in NY anymore!  Dinner at Vickery’s…beautiful setting right on the water, boats, good view, yummy food and drinks…then Red’s Ice House- cool bar right on the water, open, bi-level on a canal…Phillies San Fran baseball game on, live southern music… 

Isle of Palms…beach accesses all over the place..at first I didn’t realize that you can park all along the road as long as you’re 4 feet from the curb.  Tons of huge houses, like 3 levels along the beach. I also visited their town recreation center and talked to a great lady who I learned had lived in many places and she recommended some places to check out.  Mount Pleasant has a larger recreation department than Isle of Palms, but it’s because they are a larger community/ town than Isle.  I learned a bit about their facility and the types of programs that they run in their recreation department.  After checking that out, I headed to the beach to enjoy some sun and the ocean.  The water was incredibly warm…about 76 or so…maybe even warmer.  I caught up on my travel journal while I was there too, which was a good idea because I had been doing so much!! I learned that pretty much all of the houses that were more than 2 levels were built recently, and the “original” town houses were smaller, a lot of times one level houses.  

I checked out Market Street Saloon..Coyote Ugly type bar..fun atmosphere- gets kinda crazy, but fun! The bartenders have choreographed dances on the bar, and a few even hula hoop- which, as you can probably guess- I joined them for that part J.  Fun times…then, after that part was over, proceeded to hoop around the bar, both in and outside on their deck…I wish I made (or purchased) a hoop that you can take apart for taking on the plane…I will have to invest in one, or everyplace I go maybe I will just buy one and leave it as a gift to those I am staying with for their entertainment later on! 

Kara had the next day off, so we enjoyed bottomless mimosas downtown at Toast- and I got a very southern breakfast, but delicious. (crabcake on a fried green tomato, w a poached egg, biscuit and gravy, and cheese grits).  I didn’t know grits were made from corn..also, I am not a fan of the famous gravy everyone loves down here, but the rest of the meal was delish.   I really like the friend green tomatoes..I’m gonna have to start making those!  We went shopping at the Market downtown, then went back to the house and took naps.  Market Street again, and afterwards decided to have a crazy dance party back at Katie’s… aka dance with some Svedka till 5am.  I woke up the next morning to find I had 3 cats asleep on top of me all night (thank you  to Kara’s camera phone). They must have known I am an animal person!

Last day, crazy schedule…finally were around/ showered/ dressed and out the door to lunch/brunch at Triangle by 1.  They have great black bean burgers, and I got my collard greens- good, but they were spicy (for all of you that know I don’t like spicy I sure have been up-ing my heat/spice level tolerance- yes, be proud).   Decided that we needed a “morning coffee” at 3 in the afternoon…process haha.  Then we went and checked out the Firefly Distillery….famous for their sweet tea and lemonade infused vodkas. The lemonaide one you can only purchase at the distillery itself…their staple vodka.  We did their vodka tasting and then a wine tasting from Irvin-House Vineyards.  We visited Angel oak- the oldest Oak tree in the US…they think it’s about 1500 years old, incredible to see…the branches get so heavy they touch the ground then keep growing up from there…pretty amazing that something can get that huge!  Chill night- BBQ’d at Katie’s and watched a game.  

Next day, Amtrak at 5am. Cheap way to get around if you have time to kill in getting to your destination…I ended up sleeping most of the way. I talked to a girl from Spain who was pretty cool- she went to school in Winter Park, FL but we talked about our Charleston visits. 

Toga and Albany Part 2

Went back to Albany, met up with a college friend.  We hung out in Albany for the first day then went to Saratoga Springs....The weekend consisted of all sorts of fun, including hooping, longboarding, green man shenanigans, tshirt bracelets and art, playing with the pup, enjoying parks around the area, seeing the mineral bath at Saratoga Springs State Park, football practice, getting cooked a delicious dinner, and grilled pb-jelly or bananas(...if you've never tried it you need to!!!), homemade fork mashed hummus :), baseball games, Four Lokos, learning about funny places that should be visited around NY- thanks to Wierd NY (can be purchased at your local Barnes and Nobles), balancing acts and wrestling in the park, Hamboning, the Regular Show, and Prism Glass Works to name a few.


Met some cool ass people who I surely hope to slash WILL be seeing again!!



I will add more and spice this post up tbd....gotta go revamp my resume and get a ticket to colorado, fl, sc, or vegas. Which one should be next?!?!?

Boston Part Duex

Sorry this took me so long to get up here#!!

So, Also in Boston, the aquarium...really cool, lots of sealife, their special exhibit were penguins. I was a bit disappointed because they had advertised to have the largest touch tank for rays on the east coast (I think, it was that or in the US), but never mentioned that they are working on it and it isn't opening up until April or May of next year..Bummer!!

Matt and I walked the Freedom Trail all over Boston and ended up at Bunker Hill. It's neat how they have a red line (Painted some places, and brick in others) that you can literally follow all around Boston which is the exact trail you need to hit all the spots on it that include: Boston Commons (where we also saw a larger than life macaroni noodle), Massachusettes State House, Park Street Church, Granary burying ground (w/ graves of Sam Adams), King's chapel and burying ground, first public school site and statue of Benjamin Franklin, former site of the Old Corner Bookstore (Where famous writers all used to gather), Old South Meeting house, Old State House, Boston massacre Site, feneuil house, Paul Rever's house, Old north Church, Copp's hill burying ground, the USS Constitution (war boat) and Charlestown navy yard, and the Bunker Hill Monument. 

After the freedom trail, we took the T (which I navigated, yey!) to harvard and walked around the campus and the town up there. Got some tasty beverages in their bookstore- which was absolutely beautiful by the way. 

I met up with my friend Emily and we went to a Japaneese Noodle House that was really good...one of those hidden gems.  Lots of neat stores around the area she was in too... Patagonia, 344, etc.

All in all, I had a great time in Boston, I really liked it and even though it was a city I feel it had more of a town look to it- very beautiful.  I definately am planning on going back, possibility of living there at some point as well!

Public Garden...Where Everything is Public (Boston)

Made it to Boston, with Laura and Fiona (very happy baby by the way).  We stopped in the Berkshires and had lunch in Stockbridge at a lovely little cafe- had a picnic outside to enjoy the day.

Arrived at the train station, made it to South Station and met Matt.  From there we took the T to Matt's so I could drop my stuff. Had a lovely conversation about Theology and what he does in his major.  We walked around Cleveland Circle and got some dinner, then met up with my friend Bryan.  We went to downtown Boston- it was really nice, I liked it a lot. Saw the world's biggest Apple store..or was it the US's largest...idk. Also, got oatmeal cookie frozen yogurt- amazing. 

Went to the Public Garden..so beautiful at night, and the buildings were all lit up(obviously) but it was really nice.  There was a building that the top looked like a castle, complete with the little flags and the moon behind it was cool too.  We definitely ran into some "interesting" people at the park...haha..never before and probably never again....

Also, we went through the oldest subway station in the US.

DC / NYC/ Bear Mountain

So- It is kinda hard to keep up with this while on the road and constantly traveling, but I will try! I hung out in Mohegan Lake...late start leaving from home, of course. The next day I trained into NYC and then got a bus to DC.

I had a great tour guide in DC :). We did lots of stuff there...I learned The mall was the strip of the Smithsonians and monuments and stuff..haha, I thought at first he meant likea  shopiing mall and I didn't really feel like doing that!


A Quicky list of what I did/ where I went would be- Adams Morgan, Reeves (a cool rooftop bar- I want one or two of these at least wherever I relocate to!!), the H Garden, Air and Space Museum, saw the Capitol Bldg and First Looking Glass Pond, Freer Art Gallery, the Sculpture Garden (This had a really cool metal tree in it), the National Archives (my first time seeing the Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights, and the Constitution- amazing), <We got to go to the US Constitution's Birthday Party they held there...complete with two types of cake and drinks!!>, Museum of Natural History (Also a butterfly garden which I loved- so did Mike, haha; the Hope Diamond, Gemstones, etc.), the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Monument/ Reflection Pool, and the Korean War Memorial. This was a very busy day- and that was only about half of it!

H-Street Festival- I went to check it out- full of vendors, musicians, contests, artists, food, interesting things to see and do/ people, etc. They had a tattoo competition- best/ worst/ most unusual tats. There is a studio called the Joy of Motion, and they did some dance demonstrations- the afro-modern one was really neat- another thing I want to do- dance again!! :) Beautiful artwork- my favorite in particular was Francisco Esteban...such beautiful work! I also heard a band called Lucky Dub that was pretty neat. Chess competitions, decorated cars- one from the Baltimore Rock Opera Society that had a stage set up on top of their car display, and you could take a turn with their "guitar" and have about 30 seconds to go on top and totally rock out to a song they would play for you.  People were really into it and creative with their performances!!

Later that night I went with Tommy out with his friends for his friend's birthday.  We went out in Dupont to a bar and a club. The club was so much fun! (Obviously I love to dance, and around here there are not many options)!! It was a fun time.

I decided to stay an extra day there because I had a lot of fun, and then also pushed back my bus too..ahh, the luxuries of not having a very specific schedule..all the flexibility. :)
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Bus ride back went ok- I slept a few hours and then in Philly the bus filled up and I met a new friend on the bus which made the time go by faster.

When Back in NYC, hit up a festival in Little Italy (I need to check the name again). Lots of dancing and food and vendors (like every festival, haha). I got a sweet head scarf I'm pretty excited about. Got some authentic Chinese food too- first 24hour Chinese place I have ever heard of!
 Didn't get back to Dena's (Mohegan Lake area) until like midnight..I was pretty tired!

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Bear Mountain State Park

Very pretty! Nice drive, beautiful scenery...they had a mini zoo there- brown bears, owls, amphibians and snakes, hawks, a bobcat, porcupine, bald eagle, etc.

We walked the _______________________ Bridge and back- super windy on top, but it was pretty cool- super high up too!!

We headed back around 730, helped Dena (and Kima) move back to Cortland..not with a T at the end (I went from one Cortland to the other Cortlandt was the joke).

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Next stop... Boston!

Miss Sarah, Love you!

Last night shenenigans

Sarah's leaving us...time for her to go- we will all miss her, but I'm sure glad to have had her in my life!! She has helped me a lot this past summer with some personal things going on- I am back to my old happy self, and I  definately thank and love her for that! I know she will continue to bring happiness to all those around her and I wish her the best in everything she does! I will be down to see her no doubt!

Off to see her...let's have one last night of madness.... <3 Love you miss Sarah!

Vermont Sept 13/14

New Haven and Burlington
*Nate- Also Rachel, Rick, and Erika! (Bella and Nanook too)

Nate and his family are so nice and so hospitable to me! They have a great farm house in New Haven that I was lucky to stay at as well!  It rained all Sunday night so it was nice to have a warm dry place to be!

 Magic Hat factory- tour and tastings...Blind Faith would have to be one of my faves I would say! I wanna go back foe their Burlington Mardi Gras- sounded like a good time- February- I think they said the end of it..?
 Lake Champlain Chocolates...great chocolate peanut butter fudge!!
 Muddy Waters and Muddy Shakes...may be the best sweet invented for mankind- definately one of my new favorite things!
 Vermont Pub and Brewary had really great pub food and atmosphere..
 Burlington Waterfront was beautiful and great photos taken of the mountains, with the sunbeams shining down on them- absolutley beautiful!!
Rowing contest- Nate vs. I ... the fight was a good one! :) 

 Day 2- Echo Center- science center and aquarium...
 Toured more of Downtown Burlington...lots of colleges centralized there...4 I think!
Sushi..I tried futi maki (or something like that) with gourd in it...it was really good! Also, I finally found that dark and crunchy seaweed from the keys I liked- called something like Hiajii  (close to that). :) I was really happy!
 Small tire issue..got a piece of metal stuck in it, but luckily AAA was right around the corner, and the nice men there patched it for me, vs. me needing a new tire on the spot- plus I have a spare at home. 
It was rainy the first half of the day, but then it was sunny and warmed up the second half.Ben and Jerry's- Boston Creme Pie limited edition ice cream- oh yeahh! Delish!
Had to stop at the pick your own sunflower farm...(my fav flower) there were slim pickings, but I got the best one of them all.

Headed home 2 hours later than I originally wanted to, but it's alright.
 GPS's suck...mine died and wouldn't turn back on even though it was fully charged and ready to go- it kept trying to turn me around to go on the ferry boat but I wanted to go down instead and not have to drive onto the boat and pay 8 bucks to cross when I could just go a different way and get there faster and cheaper.

I did get to see the sunset over the moutnains and it was absolutely gorgeous! The clouds were really crazy and I tried to take a few pictures on my way- pulled over at some farms, but photos will not do it justice- it was one of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen- besides at Bahia Honda!

I went into Whitehill and Fort Ann, NY..got home around 12:30am. Long drive but I really wasn't too tired until the last 20 minutes- it's always like that- you know when you are gonna be able to lay down after a long day and you are so close, yet those closest minutes drag on and on!!

Glad to have my handy trusty atlas...and gas stations to double check your route! :)

List to do- put that spare in my car, get a new jack, and while I'm at it throw some jumper cables in there too!

Albany

Friday I got into Albany..we went to Massachusettes to pick up Dan and Vanessa's new boxer puppy..Sampson (aka no longer Pinecone). He is so cute!! :) 
 
 Saturday I got the "tour" of Albany...I can finally say I've been there!
 Crossgates mall...got a few little black dresses/ a girl's best friend! :) Had a huge campfire which was great- s'mores included!

Crazy Dance Partys Lead to Lazy Days

Dance Dance like it's the Last (Last) Night of your Life... (and we sure as heck did last night!).

Morning consisted of Hooping, Aj's, and then nap with my cat. Life is good..

 I love my friends, gonna be sad to not have them with me everyday anymore...excited for the adventure though and cheers to new faces/ new places...

Let Change Happen

So, would it be totally crazy to go with some people I just met on a 7day trek across america adn end up in San Diego with no plans after that? Maybe....seriuosly thinking about it. A group of international people, talked to them on the phone- they all were in the city so they met last night for drinks. I wish I was there!!!!

 Also, thinking of going to Ireland to see Megan for a few weeks. Wanna go to Fantasty Fest in Key West this year, end of October, and then Brasil in March hopefully as long as everything works out!! I'll just have to do odd jobs in between, or see if I can get hours at my old jobs when I am back. I am on the sub list for the school too (Cortland and Ithaca) which is good as well.

I love that right now everything is open and the possibilities are endless!
I might try this ride share thing too, better for the environment and a lot more comfortable/ faster than a bus! Talked to a lady who has an 8 month old who is driving to Boston in 2 weeks...I've never been but I have been told it is a lot different than NYC. I will see about that! Plus, Matt is there!! We always have a good time anyways so that is a no brainer! :)

GO with the Flow/ Let it Begin...The Cape

Plans changed..I'm alone now for the trip (only in a sense though).  I know people along the way, just my course of action has changed.  Still gonna be traveling around a bit.

Started the adenture in Cape Vincent- so beautiful! Great weekend, went to see my friends up there. You have to go to Snug Harbor- Best Pizza Ever!! The time spent consisted of wave riding, sailing, 4 wheeling, playing with the pups, relaxing, hot tubs and jumping in the lake, checkin out windmills in Canada, a specialty 'late night sailing adventure' (which sure was exciting- Especially with some winds from Earl...We all made it back alive so ya know..), and a midnight harmonica jam session...and "we were good!" Totally blues..the best 2 were with Blues Traveler and the DMB song I would have to say.(Erin likes to pick on me here, but she knows it's true) :). Took it with me to play along the way...rocks.

*Never a dull moment*
Great start to my adventures!!

So Soon

A week off is amazing! I'm so glad I have gotton to see so many great people this week :) Still so much to do... my procrastination is not a good thing right now. The weather has been so amazing, I've been trying to be outside a lot and it definately doesn't help that I need to be inside to do my packing.

Still think I'm leaving the 7th...

Always Obstacles, but You Make Yourself Get Through It

Ok...potentially some bad news. A minor fender bender with the car is putting things into morph-mode...no worries, everyone is alright, but wish the timing was a little different. Timing is everything- in all situations I have noticed as well.  I am definitely traveling this September..even if we need to change out means of getting around and whatnot. I am flexible, which is good...there are always other options to choose from....please, God, let this work out! I know it will in the end. :) Let's keep looking up!

Sept 5th we can still all get together though... will keep you all updated as this progresses.

Setting In

So...about 2 weeks until our desired start date...the anticipation. I thought that I would have enough time to get everything together- this is my last week of work so I can have a week to make sure everything is set and I'm all packed/ the plans we do have set are in place, get to see my family and friends, etc. Now I am beginning to think that maybe a week to fit it all in may be a bit tight...oh well, I will make do! I hope we get off to a timely start too...when there are plans there is usually some sort of glitch be it big or small- good thing we are flexible!!

I am still really excited, but thinking about a zillion things every waking moment..I need to get my online bills all set up, thinking of canceling my gym membership here, visitors from out of town are up who I haven't seen in a while..I got lucky, a few weeks ago my friend came in from China where he is teaching..it was great to see him and my other friends who I haven't seen much since high school and catch up :). This week it has been a lot of NYC/Long Islanders. I'm glad they are picking now to come up versus in a few weeks! Sleep isn't important these next 2 weeks I guess. Hmm..

Tonight I went through a chunk of stuff in my garage and got rid of stuff. I wish it was easy for me to just be like "I don't need this- I'll get rid of it," but some things even though not in constant use anymore I feel either someday I could use it again (you may know this always happens once you throw something away you will suprisingly end up needing it a week later or if you get rid of that dress in your closet ladies there is always an invitiation you get shortly thereafter which it would have been the perfect dress for the occassion, we've all been through it), or there is some sort of sentimental value to it where I feel guilty getting rid of it. Maybe the expression "take a picture it will last longer" is a good one for this situation ... although in this case it would save me space too!

PS- Happy Birthday Dad. (Yes, today is his birthday).

Random

*September 5th... Get together. 1:00pm. Location TBA. Dish to pass, Byob, Donations accepted : )
(Gas fund).

I had such a wierd dream last night...glad I totally know what it means! Sometimes your subconscious and what you dream reveal what you are going through/ feeling/ experiencing and help you realize sometimes the most important lessons we will learn and need to learn will come from within ourselves.

Everyone should hula hoop once in a while!

The Next Step

...So my next step is going on a Cross-Country Road Trip with my friend Sarah. It is going to be totally awesome! I have traveled before, but not for an extended period of time with no real end destination or expectations.  I do have other life expectations in the long run, but I think it is best to keep my options open for right now- especially with all the opportunities and people and places I am going to go/meet/see!

I am a planner and have been for a while now, but I have chosen to try to not really plan as much along the way so that things can just happen- we can go where we feel we want to, we are going to be living on a relaxed pace which will be a nice change from my constant work and doing 6 things at once.

I could not have picked a more perfect time in my life rather than right now to go either (job change was needed, summer sessions has ended, need a 'life' change, move forward in my career-type pursuits/ resume needs to be refreshed). 

I have learned a lot these past few years (transitions from college to life not as a student)... About what kind of person I am, what types of people/atmosphere/vibe I want to surround myself with, what kind of lifestyle I want and what I "expect" of anyone involved my life.  Lately I have also learned some major life lessons, and have been trying to choose the best decisions to help me evolve who I am. I feel like I need to go different places, see new things, meet new people, experience different ways of life.  Every experience has the potential to affect you- yes, it has the potential to affect you in a good or bad way, or a large or small way..or possibly not even really make you think twice about it, but every experience holds that potential.

Anything that has happened to you that made you change your way of thinking, or understanding, or perceptions, or actions? What is it that really brought YOU to that limit/ crossed the boundary??