south africa bound!

Well my bag is almost finally packed - seriously. why doesn't this get easier? And tomorrow night at this time we will be somewhere over the ocean on our way to AFRICA! Who would have thunk it?! I cannot believe that I have gotten to most of the continents this past year...what a dream. So Jen and I are headed to the Winelands for the first few nights to taste South African vino and then off to Cape town before heading north for a 3 night safari - should be interesting! I am getting excited for the upcoming adventures and beaches.

Had such a fun and exhausting weekend with Heather...loved hopping from spot to spot and celebrating St Patrick's Day. It never, ever is dull and was so great to catch up with her.

Some of my favorite hours this week happened when Kara put Makenna in bed with me Monday morning. She is so sweet and makes little bull dog noises and I could just eat her up. We did a 3 month photo shoot and the pictures turned out so freaking cute.

Some things I do not how to respond to or what to say to make anything better. My heart hurts when hearing about loss and I need to have faith in the fact that everything works out for a reason. But I cannot help but be sad at what might have been.

Until April, one more country down!

We wander for distraction, but we travel for fulfillment. ~Hilaire Belloc

Like all great travellers, I have seen more than I remember, and remember more than I have seen. ~Benjamin Disraeli

catching up/ the haps

The first week of this month was a complete and utter whirlwind. Let’s just say things completely have a way of working out exactly as they should.

It has been 14 months since I have worked, 13 months since I have worn a bra, 12 months since I jumped out of a plane, 11 months since I packed up and moved back to the east coast.

This time last year I had never been to England - now it seems that I will be moving there in the next few months.

It is a dream opportunity for me and will allow me to continue to travel. I never imagined that things would play out as beautifully as they are - I am incredibly lucky and grateful. I know that there is an amazing road ahead and I simply cannot wait to see where it leads!

This past weekend we all headed to Berkeley Springs, West Virginia for dad’s 60th birthday. It was a lot of fun - hiking, exploring, hanging out by the fire pit, swaying in the hammock, playing with the kids, grilling out...lots of family time in this cute house out in the middle of nowhere. We were so far removed that I had no access to email or the internet for days which isn’t the worst thing but gee wiz am I fairly addicted. The wine tasting on Saturday night was so fun. I must admit that I enjoyed my time in the great outdoors and know that dad did too. Tonight I am staying for the first time overnight in the house that I grew up in. That I haven’t stepped foot in for several years but holds so many memories. For 20 + years this was home and now Kara, Brian and Makenna are almost all moved in and getting settled. I love when life comes full circle like that.

looking forward, looking back

I am blown away by the fact that at any given minute something life altering can happen to each and every one of us. Sometimes this is something we never see coming and leaves us sadder than we ever thought possible. But there are other times that you just want to pinch yourself. I am having one of those days. Something was brought up to me out of the blue several weeks ago and ever since then I have been wondering - could this possibly be? Its a great feeling to know that the precious time that I have had - delicious moments spent with family and friends and strangers alike and moments where I stepped out of my comfort zone or did something that I never expected I would - were all exactly as they should be and so very worth it and just maybe I can pick up where I left off career wise. Uh - so this week there will be no skipping out of class. I need answers! thoughts! opinions! Please inquire within.

Last night was a walk down memory lane. I decided to go through hundreds of photos that have been in boxes for years. This was a bigger project than I realized and confirmed several things:

1) I have always loved taking photos - this is not a new thing

2) I am certainly somewhat of a hoarder and need to work on that

3) I've had some really wonderful times and my hair has most certainly turned browner as I have gotten older

I loved looking back at shots of my family through the years, seeing everyone gathered and smiling and sporting whatever haircut they thought was in at the time...

I loved seeing photos of when I was in college and met my life-long friends and all of the nights out and trips and fun that has been had over the years.

I want to do something with the travel photos that I have taken this year so that I can just as easily pour over them and be taken back to a different time and place.

May your days be many and your troubles be few. May all God's blessings descend upon you. May peace be within you may your heart be strong. May you find what you're seeking wherever you roam.