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!