Friday, December 21, 2012

Traveling

As I sit here in my boarding area waiting to get on my plane to Las Vegas, I am given ample time to think about traveling and how it makes me feel. Before I go on, I should state that no, I am not going to Las Vegas for some sort of end-of-the-world-celebration, nor am I going to Vegas for any reason other than to get on a plane to Houston, so I can board a cruise tomorrow. Now that the clarifications are out of the way, let's begin...

For me, traveling is one of the most exciting things. It doesn't matter if I am getting on a 45 minute flight to go home or to a city I've seen before, I love to travel. It makes me feel alive, empowered, and especially when being done alone, independent and strong. It brings out of me my favorite qualities -- friendliness, ability to build rapport with others, and a sense of accomplishment. I love to talk to all the security people and smile at everyone, and I love to feel like I am going on an adventure.

Travel = freedom, plain and simple. When you are traveling, there is a sense of uncertainty that you have to cope with. You don't know if the flight will be delayed, go correctly, and if you are going somewhere new, you have no idea [really] what to expect when you arrive (especially if in a country where the language spoken is not your own). It's all so exciting to me, and I get an adrenalin rush just thinking about it.

There's something very cool about being transported through time and space to another place. For myself, I usually sleep through flights. I am prone to motion sickness, so dramamine is my closet friend, and it allows me to drift off after we take off, and then come to just as it's time to land. Because of this, I usually sleep through my travels, so it really is as if I'm experiencing some sort of time/body travel on another level. I go to sleep in one place, and wake up in another. Waking up in a new place is like waking up a new person. You get to choose right off the bat how you want the trip to go and how you want to be. If you get off and are excited, thrilled, and looking forward to new experiences and adventures, that's what you will get, and if you decide you are dreading the trip, you will get a trip to meet all dread. How empowering!

Traveling is also a very curious time. I am very drawn to people and curious about them. When I see someone on the streets, I automatically wonder what brought them to that place in their life. The same goes for being on a plane or waiting for a flight. I wonder what everyone's story is, listen for different accents, and am always so curious as to what their reason for taking the flight is. For just a moment, we all come together from our different walks of life, enter the lives of one another, and spend some common time together. It's beautiful and horrible all at once (horrible when there are screaming children and things of the like).

And there's also an element of mystery in traveling that draws me to it so much. It is, in a word, my passion, and I am so pleased that I will begin a life of it next month. *Blessed!*

Today's Thoughts: Traveling is my joy and my passion. There are so many components and elements to it, and it may be stressful, but it also is so lovely. Travel as much as you can, if you can, because nothing rewards quite like it.

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Reflecting on the First Time

For almost two and a half years now I have been plotting how I would return to Spain. I was in Bilbao, Spain, from September 2009 through May 2010, living, studying, traveling, and learning. It was the best nine months that I could have hoped for, and since my tearful return to the U.S., I have thought almost daily about how I could go back and resume my European life and cultural expansion.

I still remember being on the plane coming home. The moment that we were above U.S. soil and I saw it and realized that I was really back, I started to bawl. I was heartbroken that the life I had created in Spain was now just a memory and a thing of the past, no longer my reality. It was a hard adjustment. Coming back to the life I had known to be mine, but trying to live it while feeling like a different person. Most everything around me had stayed the same while I was gone, but I had changed more than I could have imagined. I grew up, matured, expanded my horizons, and welcomed a global perspective and new way of thinking and living. I had visited seven countries, made friends from two or three times that many, and lived a life full of experiences rich in culture and knowledge that few are blessed with.

Thinking back on it all, it still seems like such a surreal time. I look at pictures and am reminded of all the great times I had, and great people that I met. They take me back to that time and place and I can see and feel everything from that moment. But then, weeks pass, and I forget about the experiences that I've had and the blessings that have been laid upon me. It's that feeling that has compelled me not to give up hope of returning to Spain and to a life full of travel, culture, interaction, and learning.

I seek a life full of adventure. A life with purpose. A life that benefits others and changes lives for the better. And that is what I will accomplish and find when I begin this next adventure to Spain. I want to get to know people, study how they live, learn what they do, and why, and assimilate myself to their culture. I want to get to know them, find out their greatest needs, and figure out innovative ways to help them. I know it's a curious path I desire to travel, but that is why I know it is the right one for me.

In 20 days I will on a plane, moving back to Spain. This time, I travel to Sevilla, a city where I know very few people. I will be embarking on this journey by myself, with only God to guide me. It is a terrifying thought, but also an exhilarating one, and one I welcome. My life might have been on a bit of a hold these past few months, but I know it's just because things are about to take off and all my manifestations are going to begin to take form. World, I hope you are ready for some change, because here it comes!

Today's Thought: As the time for me to board draws nearer, I am overwhelmed with a mix of emotions, but know without a doubt everything will be great. It is because I think this way, that it will be so. Remember to make your own destiny, make your own reality, and always manifest the best!

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

2012, A Year To Remember

This morning when I went on Facebook, it gave me the option to see my 2012 in review. Naturally, I clicked it to see what it would say, and the following items were what I was shown:

  • The photo album I posted after last year's SnowGlobe Music Festival (NYE in South Lake Tahoe)
  • The day that Steven and I became Facebook friends after we met at said NYE festival
  • My birthday on February 26 when many beloved friends of mine wished me well
  • When I started working at the Disney/ABC Television Group in March
  • A glorious trip to Vegas that I took with some of my closest to see Bassnectar and celebrate my birthday, my birthday twin's birthday, and our Papa Bear's birthday
  • The end of the job I started at DATG in March, and the start of a new position there
  • Photos and video from Coachella with the Famaree
  • Photos from the utterly life-changing Lightning in a Bottle experience that I shared with some of my favorites, new and old
  • Photos from my fifth and last EDC in Las Vegas
  • A funny "Brotip" that I shared that states, "Ladies, guys are sick of hearing you ask where all of the "nice guys" are. They're in the friend zone, where you left them." (So true, by the way.)
  • The end of my other job at DATG
  • Posts about this year's SnowGlobe Music Festival
  • The making of Steven and my relationship "Facebook Official," and it's end
  • And the assortment of friends I've added, and pages I've liked
Overall, looking at the year 2012, I see so many good times, with so many dear friends. I am so blessed by the experiences that I've had and the people that I know and have met. I need to remember to say thank you to my Lord far more often than I do. 

Now, because I tend to view things from multiple points of view, I see the amazing life that I have lived and been given and am thankful for it, but at the same time, I see an array of experiences I've had before. 

I love music festivals and music, but do I want all my years to consist of just that? No. While they bring to me a new love for life and remind me that there are peaceful people out there like myself, I know that I want more than just that. With the exception of my jobs and having a boyfriend, Facebook could only find music festivals or raves to show me as highlights of my year. I want more! 

So it is with great joy, overflowing joy, that I tell you that I have finally acquired the final pieces of the puzzle that I needed in order to go to Spain and return to my European life! (Which is even better news, because as I was searching for alternative job options in case I couldn't go to Spain, I realized that none will work for my wild spirit and I just yet.) I am overjoyed and cannot wait to return to the life I have felt pulled to for years. I couldn't be happier, and I haven't felt so right about something in quite a while. Praise be to God! 

Today's Thoughts: I can't wait to see what my "year in review" for 2013 will look like! I have a feeling it's going to be a year I am incredibly proud of. God's plans for us are so much greater than our own. We will never understand His timing, but we must trust it, and not worry, because in the end, everything works out, and if it doesn't, it's not the end. 

Friday, December 7, 2012

It's The Final Countdown

As all of you who have been reading my blog the last couple of months know, I am trying to move back to Spain, but have been having a little bit of a hard time getting my visa squared away. Well folks, I am here to finally present some wonderful news... I now have all of the paperwork in that I need in order for them to issue me a visa!! YAY! Rejoice!

I'll be honest though, I had another moment of doubt when I showed up to the Spanish Consulate yesterday and the gate was closed over the door. I was left, once again, questioning if it was the right choice to make, or if I was supposed to just give up the dream. But I realized, once again, that if you want something badly enough, you will make it happen no matter what. And that is exactly what I'm doing. So I went back to the Consulate today, after calling to make sure they were open, and got it all in to them no fuss. Now, I just have to keep my fingers crossed that I get my passport back by the time my family and I are supposed to be going to Central America on a cruise. I'm pushing the envelope of time again on this one, since the visas usually take 10 days to be issued and received in the mail and we're leaving on the 21st for the cruise. Yikes. But I have hope, faith, and believe that it, as all things in my life seem to, will work out just fine, and just in time. Besides, what's life without a little excitement? :)

It feels like I can really breath again. This process is finally done, now I just have to figure out the funding to survive over there till I get my first check, but that, in comparison to all the hoops I've jumped through till now, seems very slight and I am not going to stress about it. So cheers to accomplishing things and pursuing dreams! Make them large, be in charge, and make it happen!

Today's Thought: Even if I don't end up going to Spain for a variety of things that could come up, I will always be able to know that I tried and did what I could to make it happen, then, if it doesn't work out, I know without a doubt it wasn't meant to be. There are huge things coming in this life of mine, and I am very excited to find out what they are! I hope you'll stick around for the ride. <3