So it's been a year. 12 months, 52 weeks, 365 days... don't they go by in a blink? Well, a lot has changed in a year! It's fascinating to see the progress that you can make in just a years time. I stumbled across my blog after deserting it a year ago, almost to the date, and decided it was time to pick it up again. The adventures keep mounting.. and thus, so do the stories. If nothing more, I can blog of the memories of the moment, so that some day (hopefully not annually) I can reflect back on where I was, and marvel at where I am...
I left off as I was departing for the first time to Europe. I cannot begin to explain the excitement of fulfilling that childhood dream. It was always a fairy tale for me. One, I always managed to place on the back-burner for 'another time'. Well, no time like the present ey? So, a year later.. it amazes me that my first trip was at age 26 'across the pond'. What amazes me even further, is that I managed to do it 3 times in a calendar year! Cause that makes sense right? Wait 26 years, then start blowing up the sky miles in 365 days!! Its funny how in life, sometimes all we need is a lil push to jump start ourselves in the right direction towards X'ing off our goals we set out to achieve. So what 365 days ago was a great big goose egg on the 'European countries visited' has now turned into: Germany, Sardinia (Italy), Czech Republic, Luxembourg, UK, and Scotland.
In another month, I can add Spain and France to this list, as I leave in a week to tackle another childhood dream I had of running with the bulls in Pamplona, Spain. What can I say, guess I'm a bit of an adventure seeker! What was a father harmlessly showing his 5 year old daughter slides of pictures (yes they were on slides) from his adventures in the military, later developed into an obsession of seeing the world, and doing 'just as dad did' on a few particular adventures that peaked my interest: running with the bulls in Spain, and climbing the Egyptian pyramids.
So, in a week we can check off one of those boxes... and I don't think it will be long before I can check off the other. Which brings me to another development that I finally put down on paper over the past year: my bucket list. I always had it in various places, be it computer, or written journals.. but I never put them all in one consolidated spot. Now, thanks to the beauty of facebook notes, and a chain letter that came my way in March, I finally put down all my bucket list goals in one location. Its amazing when I look at it and see just how much I checked off in a year... if I keep up the current pace, I'll be done with the list in about 5 years.. luckily for me, I am adding to the list almost monthly it seems. Thank goodness for a soul that never seems to settle for status quo. Gotta keep up'ing the bar. Gotta keep setting a new goal. Gotta make sure I am enjoying the journey getting there, just as much as crossing the line.
Here is to the adventures of the next 365 days and beyond...
Prost,
Jen
And yes, in about 4 months of consistent study, I managed to teach myself over half the German language. This goes along with a goal I set back in 2004 to learn French, German, & Italian. I started French a week ago, no telling how long it might take.. but I'm enjoying it along the way :)
Who knows what else I'll be doing in a year, and what language it will be in. :) Au revoir!
