Monthly Archives: December 2011
In Search of: A Proper Sendoff for 2011
When you’re super, super excited about the new year, what’s the best way to say goodbye to the current one? Create a slideshow, of course! So I set about to pick my favorite moments of 2011. Naturally, I assumed all of them would be in Southeast Asia. I was surprised to see that I did a heck of a lot more than travel for two months this past year. Granted, I’d still say crossing the ocean and taking a solo trip through Thailand, Cambodia and Laos was absolutely the highlight of my year. But there were plenty of other great moments to boot.
Goodbye, 2011. It’s been grand.
In Search of: A Splash of Color and a Few Goals
It would seem I woke up at the most inopportune time in the morning, and my mind has begun to race. This hasn’t happened in quite a while, but I figure I might as well make the most of it. No sense tossing and turning when I can write and perhaps do something productive. I’m sure tomorrow I’ll be questioning this bit of genius. But for now, I’ll roll with it.
Aside from wondering if I’m going to royally screw up my beautiful walls with a botched paint job tomorrow (or rather, later today), I’m also wondering what lies ahead for 2012. Honestly, I’m a bit nervous (hence the tossing and turning). When things start to move forward incredibly well, I begin to wonder what’s going to come along and blow my happiness out of the water. Maybe instead of worrying, it’s time to make a map — a map of the year ahead and what I would like to create.
So, what do I want to do with 2012? Here goes…
Travel. This is the easy part. As I’ve mentioned a number of times, 2012 is set to be a spectacular year for travel. I’ll be mixing a bit of U.S. travel with a bunch of international travel, particularly in Central and South America. I’m anticipating the natural beauty of the regions I plan to visit, but also, I can’t wait for the food! These regions boast some of my all-time favorite flavors, and I plan to try everything.
Language. Speaking of travel, it seems obvious that perhaps I should learn a bit of Spanish. All of my travel this year will be in Spanish speaking countries. My lack of language, of course, won’t stop me from going. But seeing as how I have some familiarity with Spanish (not to mention, it’s on my bucket list to learn), I think this would be a good time to give it a go. For the moment, I’m going to work on this on my own. I have a few good workbooks. We’ll see how far this takes me. At some point, I imagine I’ll take a formal class. But for now, I just want it to be something fun and relaxing that I do when I have down time.
Paint. I’ve been interested in learning to paint for a few years. I’m not talking about wall paint (like above), but rather making art on canvas. I signed up for an online paint class, which begins in February. I love this particular artist’s style, and I think it will be tons of fun learning from her. My goal is to make something I’ll want to hang on my wall. Maybe I’ll go further than that; maybe not. But creating one piece of art I can be proud enough to hang up sounds like a great place to start!
Photography. I love photography. I think I’ve mentioned this before. It’s on my bucket list — buy and learn to use a DSLR camera. Well, I’ve got the camera. And I’ve got a photographer friend that’s willing to help me learn. My ultimate goal is to learn to use it well before my trip to Peru. I want to take beautiful photographs of my travels. I would like for my friends back home to catch a glimpse of what I see on the road and get a real feel for the places I’ve visited. I’d like to take pictures that make awesome additions to my wall art.
Student Loans. This one’s much less fun, but it’s something I’d like to tackle. When I first graduated, I had a two-year plan for paying off my student loans. Then life got in the way. I’d like to get back to that two-year plan. It’s going to take some figuring out. Perhaps it will take me pulling in income from a side business of some sort. I’m not sure. But early this year I will sit down, put pen to paper and get a plan together. My student loans aren’t particularly burdensome, and the payments are small. But the idea of paying on the damn things for nearly the rest of my adult life irks me. They’ve got to go.
So there we are. A few things to think about as I move into the new year. Mostly fun; though a little bit of business thrown in. I believe it shall be a good year, indeed. Oh. And by the time I’m posting this, it’s actually the end of the day. My apartment painting project is complete! I’m holding off on the big reveal for the next post. But for now, here’s a peek at the paint color.
In Search of: Life to the Full in 2012
If you read my last post about travel plans, you know I’ve been thinking a lot about 2012. (Not to worry, I’ve also been spending time enjoying precisely where I’m at.) I just happen to think there’s absolutely nothing wrong with getting excited about what lies ahead. And it would seem 2012 will be worth getting excited about.
There were a lot of things in 2011 I loved. But it was also a year of healing and getting situated and figuring out what the hell I was doing. At the end of last year, I took part in a blogging event meant to help sift through thoughts about the year and set some intentions for the year ahead. My very first post was called One Word, in which I chose a word that described the current year and picked a new word that I hoped would describe 2011. The word I chose for 2011 was harmony. I hoped all the travel and adventure and braveness would come together and feel like harmony by the end of 2011.
So how did I do? Not bad. I wouldn’t say the entire year was harmonious. It was tumultuous at times. It was heartbreaking. It was brave. But all-in-all, I’d say it did come together to feel like harmony. Because I think all of those things needed to occur to bring me to this place. And today — today I feel ready to take on another year. I’m excited. I think seriously good things are around the corner. Hell, seriously good things are already here.
So here’s what I really liked about choosing a word for 2011: when faced with a difficult situation or making a decision, I often thought of my word. I asked myself — is this going to make harmony, or will it make more of a mess? Seriously. I did that. And I think it helped.
So for 2012, I want a new word — a new theme. I’ve been thinking about what my word should be, and I’ve realized this year is more of a phrase year. My phrase for this year is: to the full.
I want to take chances, have adventures and travel. I will do what I want regardless of the opinions of others. I choose to be open to opportunities. I will go with the flow, with the moment, with my intuition. This coming year will be lived to the full. Even the smallest moments — I’m going to soak them up. Perhaps you’ll join me in choosing a theme for the year?
In the next few days I’ll sit down and put some thought into 2012. What do I want to accomplish? What sounds like fun? Nothing too detailed. Nothing that requires strict following to the “T” — just a little something to start the year in a good direction, to get me thinking of what to the full really means. I definitely have a few things I want to accomplish, and I have some fun ideas the get the year started all smiles.
Actually, the first thing is to paint a few accent walls in my apartment! This will be my first attempt at painting anything with color, and I’m seriously excited and bit freaked out. Luckily, I have Angela to help! So that’s where I’m headed next — to Home Depot to pick up a few cans of Cozumel and a handful of paint supplies. Pictures to come, peeps! (Keep your fingers crossed for me that this goes well!) Until next time, do you have a theme for 2012? If so, I would love to hear it!
In Search of: Awesome Travels in 2012
The semester is over. I’m on winter break at work. I’ve got two weeks of downtime (well, after today, really just one — seeing as how a week has managed to slip right past me). I am officially in my new apartment, and I sort of love it. I say “sort of” because the process of decorating (and, more importantly, buying furniture) is both exciting and exhausting. I’d really like it all to be done. I feel a bit like I’m bleeding money. And if you know me, you know I don’t particularly care for bleeding money. I much prefer to hoard it. Ah well, soon enough, it will all be taken care of.
In so many ways, life is moving along pretty damn perfectly. I love my job, I have a beautiful apartment, and I’m planning some awesome trips in the new year. Which, of course, means I’m sort of waiting for something to fall apart. Things don’t generally go so well, not without a few hiccups. I’m trying not to think about it, but it’s hard not to worry. This is an unfortunate part of my genetic makeup.
Enough of that though, because I’m seriously excited about my travel plans for 2012. The other day I was sharing these plans with a friend, and it dawned on me. 2012 is going to be one damn good year. At the end of March I’m heading to Indianapolis, Indiana for the National Conference on Science Education. Sure, Indianapolis isn’t the most exciting destination, but I hear the conference will be awesome. Also, I’ve never been to Indiana, which means I’ll be one state closer to achieving bucket list item 40, visit every state in the U.S. From Indiana, I fly home, and the next day I hop on another plane, destination Peru. I can’t even begin to tell you how ecstatic I am about my Peru trip! I’ll spend one week with my friend, Christy, exploring Cusco and Machu Picchu (where I’m seriously thinking of mountain biking to the ruins). The second week, I’ll be on my own, exploring the Amazon rainforest. It might just be the coolest thing ever in the history of ever. I’ll be biking, kayaking, tree climbing, bird watching and just plain acting like a kid in a candy store. It will be serious amounts of awesomesauce. Seriously.
You might think my travel year is pretty much tops with the Peru trip, but there’s more. My summer travel plans are starting to form. First stop — Mazatlan, Mexico. A few days lounging on the beach and hiking a local island or two should get me ready for my real summer adventures. Although I don’t have all the details set, here’s what I’m thinking: four weeks in Guatemala and one week in Honduras. Gautemala = one week at a jungle lodge, complete with waterfall hikes, caves and hot springs; one week trekking to El Mirador, a spectacular Mayan city still buried deep in the jungle (plus, the obligatory stop at Tikal, the very well known and well touristed Mayan ruins); one week exploring the phenomenal natural wonders that are Semuc Champey and the Lanquin caves; and one week I’m not settled on yet. Perhaps I’ll explore some more natural wonders — Guatemala seems full to the brim with those. Or maybe I’ll check out one of the cities. I’ve heard great things about Antigua. We shall see. No rush to figure that out. But before I depart from Central America, there is one thing I know for sure — I’ll head to Roatan, Honduras for a week of beach, sand and diving! Yes, I’m going to learn to scuba dive!
I sort of want to pinch myself. Is all of this real? Seriously. Is it? It’s pretty damn fantastic that I love my job and it allows me time to do the other things I love — like travel. For reals, folks. Sometimes, life rocks.
In Search of: A Poem for Today
As the semester heads toward an end, I have been insanely busy writing papers and prepping for classes. Although I haven’t had much time to write, I’ve been thinking a whole heck of a lot about it! In the mean time, I wanted to share with you my latest poetry obsession. I have been loving the Poetry of Mary Oliver. Here’s one I really like.
When Death Comes
By Mary Oliver
When death comes
like the hungry bear in autumn;
when death comes and takes all the bright coins from his purse
to buy me, and snaps his purse shut;
when death comes
like the measle pox;
when death comes
like an iceberg between the shoulder blades,
I want to step through the door full of curiosity, wondering:
what is it going to be like, that cottage of darkness?
And therefore I look upon everything
as a brotherhood and a sisterhood,
and I look upon time as no more than an idea,
and I consider eternity as another possibility,
and I think of each life as a flower, as common
as a field daisy, and as singular,
and each name a comfortable music in the mouth
tending as all music does, toward silence,
and each body a lion of courage, and something
precious to the earth.
When it’s over, I want to say: all my life
I was a bride married to amazement.
I was a bridegroom, taking the world into my arms.
When it’s over, I don’t want to wonder
if I have made of my life something particular, and real.
I don’t want to find myself sighing and frightened
or full of argument.
I don’t want to end up simply having visited this world.
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