Goodbye

“It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done to say goodbye to my friends and this place.  I thought it would be easy.  I look back on our times together and know it will never be the same again.  I hope everyone will always remember what we used to be, and smile.  Then, at that moment, we’ll all know it was the best time of our life.”   – A.A. Milne

Away Again

After a nice visit home, I’m off again. 
My time in California was short but in just two-and-a-half weeks I was able to squeeze in a road trip down south, a few overnights in Grass Valley, poker with Hannah, dinner with the T’s, a day at Ocean Beach with my mom, a 5:00am track practice, a concert in Golden Gate Park, a birthday dinner for my dearest friend, many a lunches and shopping trips with my east bay girls, a long walk in the park with treasured old friends, laughs and tickles with my favorite little Peanut and a few beautiful Marin trail runs.  And although I’ve had a wonderful time at home, I’m ready to get on the road again.  Popping in and out of California has it’s benefits and it’s disadvantages.  I enjoy being with the people I love but I hate having to say goodbye them over and over again. 
So tomorrow I will close the door on another journey and open myself up to a new experience.  Thursday morning I will arrive in England to visit a family I haven’t spent time with in over 7-years.  And although I am a bit nervous and hesitant for this new adventure, I’m also anxious and excited and see what will come of it.
Although this year is not yet over, it has already proven to be an amazing physical journey and an even more incredible spiritual and emotional one.
I look forward to throwing myself back into this big world to see what unfolds next.

Until next time …

Small Girl, Big World

Life at home has been exciting and challenging.  Getting back into the groove ended up being easier than I thought.  Even with the living situation and job adjustment, I found I was lucky to be able to fall back into my friendships (I’m so incredibly blessed by all the wonderful friends I have.) and old hobbies.  I readjusted pretty quickly … I got a new job, visited with family, caught up with old friends, took in a concert, competed in a race and planned the next leg of my trip (Meg’s typical life).

But with all the good familiarities, some new changes came too – changes that have left me feeling a bit lost and confused.  In just five days I leave again for the unknown.  And although I’m retracing some old steps, this time it’s different; this time it’s bigger, scarier.  And this time I’m different; this time I’m smaller and much more unsure.  And although I’m looking forward to leaving and exploring more of this big, big world, I’m also very anxious and nervous about going out there on my own.

It’s amazing how life can change in the blink of an eye.  How all your plans and goals and ideas can twist inside out and leave you feeling empty and exposed.

So here I go … out into the world with a blank slate, a new outlook and a different expectation.

Thank goodness I have Becca (and hope) by my side.

A Favor from our Readers

Since we are ending this portion of the trip, we ask a small favor from all of you. 

I have a wonderful time writing journal entries and posting photos; however, I would like to know how successful the blog actually is.  If you’ve read the blog once or twice (or if you log on for your daily fix – hey, it could happen!), will you please post a comment with your name?  I only ask for your name (of course anything else you want to contribute is also welcome).  Your email address won’t be displayed for everyone to see, nor will any of your other personal information (other than what you write in your comment).  

We would really appreciate it as it will be a great help in determining whether or not we should continue with the website during the second portion of our trip.

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In other news, today is our very last night in Latin America (boo).  Our flight leaves from Buenos Aires tomorrow morning and arrives in San Francisco on Thursday morning.  These past four months have been so wonderful.  This is, by far, the best thing I have ever done in my entire life.  If we could, we would do it all again – exactly the same.  We look forward to the next phase of this trip.  Although we still haven’t worked out all the details quite yet, we plan to leave soon.

Stay tuned as we will post again when we return home.
In the meantime, happy trails …

One Month and Counting …

As of yesterday morning, I have officially been on the road for one month.  I can hardly believe it.  I spent two long years planning this trip so it’s hard for me to wrap my brain around the fact that I am actually here, in Central America, traveling and living. I’m proud of myself for following through with this – proud that I didn’t let the idea of this experience stay only in my dreams.  There are no regrets here. No urges to return to the life I was living back home and certainly no curiosity about what I would have done had I not packed my bags and hit the road.  Today, for the first time in my life, I’m living in the moment and I wouldn’t trade the feelings that go along with that for anything; the spontaneity, surprise and excitement is too wonderful.

But most the most important thing about the last thirty days has been the knowledge I’ve learned on the road, the faces I’ve met along the way and the memories I’ll have forever.

Thanks to: (This list is way to long but I have to attempt it) Jacq, Tim, Robin, Lily – especially Lily, Cattia, Ian, Ania, Mike, Nate, Sparky, Erin, Seth, Guy, Paul, Kaleb, Liz, Kathy, Dicky, Sonya, Conrad, all of our random cabina housemates at Vista Serena, Scott, BORUS, all the guys at Verde Camino, those two smart ass Yale students, Marcos, Extremo crew, Dave and Dave from New York, Luther, Mr. Lava-Lava, James, Mike, New York Jimmy and all the wonderful Ticos and Nicos who have been patient with our language skills and helpful with directions and bus information.