Tag Archives: florida

Sunshine State of Mind

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A man travels the world over in search of what he needs and returns home to find it.

-George A. Moore

There isn’t anything like being in the presence of my grandparents. I am looking forward to the next few months of adventure, but I already know that nothing will be better than just being with Mama and Pa.

Two weeks has passed too quickly. It’s incredible how quickly you can become accustomed to a person, place or feeling again, as if you’d never left, but how long it takes to recover in the absence that is inevitable. I feel my best with them, as if anything I am and do… is more than enough. I am my best self…. my funniest self, my smartest self, my kindest self… with them. Everything is clearer, the world makes sense. The wisdom, honesty and love that flows in their company… There is a sense of invincibility, as if I can face anything as long as they are with me.

I tried to relish in every moment of it, tried to store up some of that energy to carry with me in my travels. And really, in the rest of my life. I want more than anything to be the person in the world that I am with them.

Top 5 moments in Florida:
-The first Christmas morning with my grandparents in over 15 years.
-Seeing an old friend truly happy and the best version of herself.
-The photos. Of my childhood. Of my mom’s. Of theirs. Of my great grandparents. Of everyone I’ve known and loved… The memories both saved and lost.
-My grandmother’s laugh (if you’ve heard it, you know why).
-My grandfather’s view on the world. I love the way he listens and waits to formulate an opinion, I value it more than anything when he is ready to share it.

AIRPORTS: 4
FLIGHTS: 2
STATES: 3
COUNTRIES: 1
DAYS TRAVELING: 21

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Sometimes, you just have to say “fuck it”

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When you’ve dreamt of something for as long as you can remember and you’re teetering on the edge of big life decisions… sometimes the best solution is to slug back a few glasses of wine and say “fuck it”. That’s what I did last Tuesday evening when I charged airplane tickets to my credit card for 2 months of visiting family and friends along the east coast, 3 weeks in Australia and 3 months in Europe!

As said best in Billy Joel’s ‘Vienna’ (a longtime inspiration of mine) – “You can get what you want, or you can just get old.”  I’ve learned that time is the most precious resource I have – both abundant and limited in the same regard – I’m thrilled to be taking full advantage of mine. And while it’s one of the crazier moves I’ve ever made, it feels right like the right time to take the right risk.

And hey – some of the best decisions I’ve made have been while intoxicated, so let’s hope this one follows suits (I mean, that one way ticket to San Francisco turned out to be the greatest choice ever, right??). Drunken courage surely takes action for the sober heart! 

I’ll spend the next two months packing up a storage unit (sadly giving up a great apartment), figuring out what to do with my car and sorting out the hundreds of little details to leave my life in San Francisco not knowing where I’ll be when I return in June. I’m lucky and grateful to have a remote job so I will be able to continue working during this time and will also be tapping into my abundant bank of vacation hours (cheers to being a workaholic and having that shit saved up).

I’m also beyond grateful that I will be spending long overdue time with family and friends all over the world and very excited for the new connections I will make! I’m already overwhelmed with the love, support and offers that have come in within a week of making this decision – I’ll keep everyone posted throughout this process and of course when the traveling starts. Cheers to adventure and bold decisions!

Flight itinerary:

12/7 San Francisco –> Maryland to visit Kaley and my nieces
12/14 Maryland –> Florida to visit my grandparents and Ashley for Christmas
12/28 Florida –> Detroit to get a New Years kiss from Jon
1/4 Detroit –> Connecticut to visit friend and family for 3 weeks (hoping to make it up to Rhode Island to visit Josh’s restaurant in Newport and reunite with friends in Providence after 4 years of being gone)
1/27 Connecticut –> Australia for 3 weeks of adventure with Nicola!
2/16 Australia –> Germany to begin 3 months of European travels!
5/9 London –> Connecticut for a few weeks before returning to California

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