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"Be brave. Take risks. Nothing can substitute experience."

- Paulo Coelho

It is in the quiet moments when the doubt sneaks in. When I am lying in bed trying to sleep, when I am doing dishes in a quiet house, when I am driving home in the dark. What am I giving up? I look around at my cute  little house in an amazing location, at my awesome roommate, at my adorable little furballs and think, why am I giving this up? I have a pretty darn good life here in Austin - good friends, good family, a job (that often takes over my life - but that is for a whole series of posts another time), weekends filled with whatever I want. I have a pretty good existence.....so why am I leaving it all behind? Because I want to do something more, I don't want to merely exist anymore. I don't want to get by - I want to thrive.

I want to jump out of bed because I can't wait to start my day instead of hitting the snooze button 6 times.

I want to light up and get excited when I talk about what I do, I don't want to roll my eyes and talk about how many hours I worked this week.

I want to see those gorgeous locations that I've only dreamed about, not just gaze longingly at pictures in a magazine wondering if and when I'll ever get there.

I don't want to live a life that burns me out to the point where I need to take a 10 day break from it all - I want to lead a fulfilled, adventurous life that gives me more happiness and energy that any vacation could.

I want more.

Look at this stuff, isn't it neat, wouldn't you think my collection's complete? Wouldn't you think that I am the girl, the girl who has everything?.....I've got gadgets and gizmos a plenty, I've got whozits and whatist galore. Thingamabobs? I've got twenty. But who cares, no big deal......I want mooooooooore

Sorry, I couldn't help it. Lyrics from The Little Mermaid song "Part of Your World" in case you didn't catch that. Oh, that song is now in your head? You're welcome.

That is why I am giving this ol' life up, my collection ain't complete. I don't want stuff. I want adventure, I want to meet new interesting people, I want unforgettable experiences, I want challenge. I want more.

That is why we need to travel. If we don't offer ourselves to the unknown, our sense dull. Our world becomes small and we lose our sense of wonder. Our eyes don't lift to the horizon; our ears don't hear the sounds around us. The edge is off our experience, and we pass our days in a routine that is both comfortable and limiting. We wake up one day and find that we have lost our dreams in order to protect our days. Don't let yourself become one of these people. The fear of the unknown and the lure of the comfortable will conspire to keep you from taking the chances the traveler has to take. But if you take them, you will never regret your choice.  
- Sabrina Ward Harrison

The Definition of Home

“We must be willing to let go of the life we planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us.”  

- Joseph Campbell

My cats weren't initially part of my life plan, but I stumbled across them and adopted them shortly after college and they soon became my new definition of home. Wherever my cats were, that was my home. 

My cats have been a source of companionship, happiness and joy in a life that was sometimes lacking in all three.  After working crazy, long hours I'd come home to their furry faces, wanting me to cuddle or play. It is entirely possible that their meows were just their way of asking me about my day. No matter how long I was working, who I was living with, how long I'd been gone or where I was packing up and moving them to next; they were always been the same - Clementine petite, sweet and silly and Nutmeg mischievous, goofy and quite demanding of all my attention. They could always make me laugh and would stop me, even just momentarily, from thinking about whatever problems or concerns that were going through my mind at the end of each day. They are good little kitties and very dear to me. 

Now, however, I am giving up my home in pursuit of a dream and with that, means giving up my two furballs in hopes of a better life for both them and for me. For them, I hope their new home is a safe, warm, loving home full of sparkly toys, tuna and feathers on a string - a happy, safe place to live out their remaining years. 

For me, I hope my new home is a place filled with happiness, joy and adventure. My home will be wherever the Universe takes me and wherever I choose it to be. 

The World's Best Island...

...at least according to Outside magazine

Austin: Part Uno

It was a cold day in February 2005 when I rolled into the town that I would call home for the next seven years. Like my hopes, the sun was high....

....just kidding! This is not some long-winded and drawn out story of my life in Austin. Since there is now a limit to my time left in the capital city, I plan to occasionally photos of my favorite places/people/things that I am leaving behind. Yes, I might only be gone for six months, but I might also be gone for longer if another interesting opportunity presents itself after my program is complete. Either way, this project will be a fun way for me to capture the place that I've called home for the past seven years.

Part Uno: Mount Bonnell

Situated in the hills of west Austin above Lake Austin is my favorite place in town - Mount Bonnell. If you have come to visit me, chances are I've taken you there. No, it is not a fourteener in Colorado with majestic views of the Rocky Mountains, nor is it the spectacular Na Pali Coast in Kauai. It is merely Mount Bonnell - where couples go to watch the sunset between lip locks and pose for adorable Facebook photos, where kids go to scratch their names in the rock and cry out when they trip and fall, where dogs go to mark their territory and have their poo left behind by inattentive owners, where friends go to sit and chat over illegal open containers and where the poor, like me, go to drool over the enormous houses lining the lakefront down below. 

It is also where I go to sit, watch the sunset and reflect on how truly grateful I am to be here and live in this city. Roll your eyes if you must, but I love running up the countless stairs to the top, reaching the edge of the cliff gasping for air and taking in the view. I look up Lake Austin to the cars on the 360 bridge, across to the homes along Westlake Drive, down to the boats zipping along the water with water skiers and wake boarders trailing behind, and up to the sun setting behind the antennae covered hills. I soak in the sights, catch my breath and then run down the trail along the cliff back down to the parking lot down below. 

Unless otherwise noted, the  photos below are from this past Sunday, a glorious spring day with a cool breeze and clear sky. Enjoy!

view up Lake Austin towards the 360 bridge

view down Lake Austin towards the Tom Miller Dam

My little Honda Fit would look quite nice in that big, lonely driveway

Sunset over West Lake Hills, 6:23pm

From spring 2011

From spring 2011, with my niece

What if?

Sunday! Sunday! Sunday! I live for Sundays. Not because I go to church (though I probably should), not because of some weekly family gathering (though that isn't a bad idea considering we all live withing 50 miles of each other), it is because I get to go mountain biking with the Austin Ridge Riders (beginner's group of course).

For me, there is nothing quite like speeding down a hill, crouched above the seat with my weight back over the rear tire, gripping the handlebars with all of my might and hoping I see that gnarly rock/tree stump/root/hole in time to avoid disaster. There is no time for thinking about work/money/life/relationship problems on the trail - you have to be in the moment, keeping your eyes on the trail just ahead of you, focusing on where you want your bike to go, not caring where you've been, just happy that you are still on the damn thing.

I was first introduced to mountain biking while studying abroad in Scotland as part of a bonding weekend in the country somewhere near Loch Ness with my study abroad group. They threw us on beat up mountain bikes, made sure we could steer between narrow obstacles and then lead us on a trail that I swear had the word "death" in the title. After the exhilaration of speeding down a few steep and muddy hills without falling off my bike, I had a huge smile on my face and large trail of mud up my back - I was hooked. Fast forward to almost ten years later and mountain biking still has that same effect on me.

I took a break from mountain biking for a few years in my mid to late twenties, not because I didn't have a bike (I had a pretty decent one collecting dust) but because, well, I don't really know why. I had a bunch of excuses for not going such as "I don't know anyone who likes to mountain bike," "I can't go alone," "I'm not good enough to join a group, "my bike is too old," "the trails are too busy on the weekends,"  "I'm too busy on the weekends," "what if I get hurt?" "I'm not in good enough shape." I finally realized that they were all bullshit excuses covering up various fears and insecurities and the only way I'd get over them was to get back on my mountain bike. I broke out the spandex, looked up free group rides online and found the Austin Ridge Riders - they lead all level rides on Sundays out at Walnut Creek, a mere 15 minutes from my house. I now had a group of people to ride with.

The first time I showed up, I was a little nervous. What if I don't remember how to mountain bike? What if they laugh at my bike? I don't have those fancy disc brakes, the clip-in shoes or the nice camelbak backpack with 100 fluid ounces of water. I just had my old, basic entry level mountain bike, regular plastic water bottle in a cage and my running shoes. What if I am the only girl and hold the group back? What if I fall off? What if, what if, what if?

You, dear reader, might be thinking to yourself "I thought this blog was about her moving to the Seychelles, what the hell does mountain biking have to do with moving?" Stay with me, I swear there is a connection.

About five minutes into my first ride, I had that familiar smile and that delightful trail of mud up my back and realized that I needed to change the tone of my questions. What if I show up and I have a great time? What if I meet some fun, interesting people who like to bike just as much as I do? What if I get better every time I go because I am riding with people who can actually teach me how to ride better? What if I have people who help me out when my bike breaks? What if I now look forward to my Sunday rides more than anything else during the week? 

You see, I asked myself many of those negatively framed questions when I first came across the six month long program in the Seychelles and thought to myself "I could never do something like that." The questions sounded something like this: what if I can't come up with the money? What if I go and I hate it? What if I am not good at scuba diving every day? What if I get homesick? What if I actually get sick? What if the people are terrible? What if I lose all my money? What if I get premature wrinkles from spending so much time in the sun? Seriously, this crossed my mind. What if, what if, what if......

I quickly realized the only thing stopping me was me, my attitude, and the framing of my questions.

What if I can come up with the money? What if I go and I love it? What if I am actually good at scuba diving every day? What if I get in the best shape I've ever been in because I am doing something active all day, every day? What if I meet amazing people? What if this opens up opportunities that I can't even imagine yet? What if I am so happy there I do get wrinkles......from smiling all the dang time?

There is no way to know the answer to these question unless I show up and try something new, scary and incredibly exciting all at the same time.

Kind of a Big Deal

It is with much excitement that I officially announce that I really, really am going to the Seychelles at the end of June for six whole, entire, straight uninterrupted months. With even more nervous excitement, I am officially announcing that I will be blogging about my preparations to depart the country here on this lil' bloggy website thing. Then, once I am settled in the Seychelles (pronounced like "say-shells," not "seech hellies" which you are probably thinking) I hope to continue this blog to keep all three of you updated on my whereabouts and activities in a place I like to call "paradise." But much of that will depend on my access to internet there, which at this point is one of the many questions you probably don't have, but I sure as hell do. To answer a few of them, here are the basics...

Who: ME!! Just me, myself and I
What: Marine Conservation Divemaster Expedition volunteer program with a company called Global Vision International  (GVI). While Global Vision International sounds a bit like that fictional company created by Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly in Stepbrothers and GVI does sound a bit like a bowel obstruction, I assure you, it is a very reputable company based on that one website/blog I read before sending off my check to secure my spot
Where: THE SEYCHELLES!!! Oh, you've never heard of it? Probably because it is an archipelago of 115 small islands located approximately 1000 miles from nowhere, in the middle of the Indian Ocean near the equator. It's somewhere north of Madagascar, east of Tanzania/Kenya/Somalia, west of Indonesia, and south of the Middle East. Also where William and Kate spent their honeymoon on a private island. Oh that is Seychelles? Yes, yes it is.  And I am moving there.
When: Program dates are June 30 - December 15 2012. I'll leave a few days before, and come home a few days after
Why: WHY NOT? No really, why not? I love the ocean, have always wanted to live abroad, I've dreamed about visiting this magical Seychelles place since I was 15 and well, why the hell not? Adventure used to be my middle name until my mother changed it to Eleanor. Also, I love scuba diving but never make the time for it, so instead I'm just going to sell everything and move to a tropical island where I can scuba dive every day, while collecting valuable data about the local fish and coral reefs for the marine research institute. I'll also be learning skillz that might come in handy for a new career to be determined over long walks on the beach and coconut drinks. No really, one of the first things they teach you  is how to crack a coconut so you can drink the coconut water and eat the meat - gotta survive in paradise somehow!
How: By taking many chances, facing many fears, selling lots of things, working many hours, saving lots of money and as a wise Bon Jovi once said, livin' on a prayer.

Four months from today, I'll be on my way.

Learn Me Some Stuff

"I wish you would use all means at your disposal - films! expeditions! the web! more! -- to ignite public support for a network of marine protected areas, hope spots large enough to save and restore the ocean, the blue heart of the planet." - Sylvia Earle, TED 2009


Since I committed to spending half the year swimming in the Indian Ocean, I have reignited my love for all things ocean related by reading, watching, and listening to anything on the topic. I'm currently reading  The Human, The Orchid and The Octopus: Exploring and Conserving Our Natural World by Jacques Cousteau (you know, the famous ocean explorer who invented the AquaLung so that people like me can breath underwater).  


I've also spent the better part of many days listening to various TED talks on the ocean. I love TED talks, they are on a wide variety of topics and are informative, entertaining, quite often ground breaking and sometimes even heart breaking. If you've never heard of TED, I urge you, no I DEMAND that you immediately go to their website, explore and watch a few videos on topics that interest you. Come back and finish reading this post when you are done.......




.......pretty cool stuff, huh?   I bet you watched this one didn't you. Figures. Now, back to the ocean! 


Below are a few of my favorite TED talks that contain valuable information about the state of the oceans, marine life and what we need to do to preserve the precious oceans for future generations. These aren't just about "save the turtles!" though I fully stand behind that. These are about preserving the earth's most valuable resources and how we need to stop treating them like giant garbage dumps that are void of life. If we keep acting the way we are now, the oceans will be void of life before we know it.


Watch, listen and learn! 


Sylvia Earle - an urge to protect our oceans



Brian Skerry - the oceans' glories (and horrors) 


Mike DeGruy - how his love for the ocean began


David Gallo - underwater astonishments 



Captain Charles Moore urges you to think twice before you buy and toss another plastic water or soda bottle. "All the king's horses and all the king's men will never gather up all the plastic and put the ocean back together again."  



More Information on the Ocean Garbage Patches:
Indian Ocean Garbage Patch
North Atlantic Garbage Patch
Great Pacific Garbage Patch

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Bonus! For watching all those videos, you now get to check out some incredible ocean photography that makes me want to grab my mask and snorkel and jump in! 



http://brianskerry.com/
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2010/08/bahamas-caves/skiles-photography

Happiness in 2012

No eloquent ramblings about how I hope to find true happines on a beach this year - just one simple, straight forward quote I stumbled across today:

"There is NO reason  in 2012 to do the shit you hate. NONE. You can lose just as much money being happy as hell." - Gary Vaynerchuk

Well put!

The Four Agreements

I just listened to The Four Agreements by don Miguel Ruiz - love love loved it! Do it, you won't regret it.

*photo from  http://www.miguelruiz.com/index.php?p=Resources 

It Just Makes Sense

“It takes practice to hear your true desires. Your passion will often come as a whisper or serendipitous event that reminds you of what's important and what makes you happy.” —  Eckhart Tolle

Ambergris Caye, Belize - May 2007

Why wouldn't I sell everything and move to a group tiny islands in the middle of the Indian Ocean? It just makes sense, really. 


I have always wanted to visit the Seychelles. I used to get one of those "Islands in Paradise" type calendars almost every year growing up and would gaze at the white, sandy beaches and turquoise waters daily. I quickly figured out that the best and most pristine beach pictures were always from this magical place called the Seychelles, so I decided that I would someday visit this tropical paradise off the coast of Africa. In fact, I used to (jokingly) tell my parents that I would not get married until I could afford a destination wedding or a honeymoon in the Seychelles (this was YEARS before William and Kate honeymooned there, by the way). My friend Sara and I first bonded over the fact that we both knew where the Seychelles were and kept ourselves sane on brutal days at work by emailing photos of the beaches back and forth. And the ocean, oh how I love the ocean!


My fondest memories usually involve the ocean; vacations to Panama, Belize, Bermuda, Hawaii, and Florida snorkeling, kayaking and hanging out on a boat waiting (im)patiently to jump into the crystal clear blue water and explore the world below. I would spend hours hovering above the coral reef watching the fish dart in an out of their little hiding places, watching the sea anemones sway with the waves, waiting patiently for a sea turtle to come visit or holding my breath as sting rays and nurse sharks gracefully floated by. Then there were the parrot fish with their brilliant colors and funny beaks.... I could go on and on about snorkeling, but as someone once told me - snorkeling is like watching your favorite game from the side lines, but scuba diving is like actually playing the game. 


I finally got my open water scuba diving certification in 2007 before a trip to Belize where I did my first ocean dive. Though the waves were choppy and it was a bit rough on the boat, I was THRILLED and couldn't stop smiling (which make it hard to keep the regulator in my mouth to breath) as we swam through the reefs 30+ feet below the surface, getting and up close and personal view of the marine life down there. There was nothing like swimming with the fishes and not the mobster sense, and being a part of that world (insert The Little Mermaid song here). Except for the eels, I could do without the eels, showing off their sharp ugly little teeth. Those things are like the snakes of the sea, ugh. I loved my diving experience and wanted to do more, but it is an expensive hobby, so I told myself that when I was rich and retired, I would scuba dive around the world.


Fast forward to a few weeks ago, I was researching vacations and opportunities to volunteer abroad next year and stumbled across a nice little six month marine conservation program complete with a dive master internship in a place called....the Seychelles.  My first reaction was, "that sounds UH-MAY-ZING, but I could never do that!" After thinking about why I held such silly limiting beliefs, I realized this is actually my dream come true and combines so many things that I love. So I applied. And now, I'm going. It just makes sense, really. 

Ticket to Paradise

It has come to my attention that I am turning 30 in two short weeks. (I know, I was surprised too. I don't look a day over 23.) As my birthday present to myself, I will be spending the second half of 30 scuba diving in the Seychelles, becoming a PADI certified dive master, learning about marine conservation and possibly interning at a local dive shop. 

Wait, WHAT?!!!!! 

Basically, I'm moving to paradise. If you want to read about the program I am doing, here is the link. It starts on June 30, 2012 and runs through December 15, 2012. 24 weeks of hard work and bliss. Conveniently, my lease here is up on June 30, 2012. Coincidence? I think not! 

In the mean time, I will be selling almost everything I own (except a few swimsuits), continuing to work on the project that I am currently on, donating plasma for $$ and doing anything and everything I can to earn a few extra bucks to buy my ticket to paradise. Oh and convincing someone to take care of my cats (for $$) while I am gone. Anyone want to hang out with two adorable but low maintenance fur balls for 6 months in exchange for everlasting gratitude and a little cash? 

 I have seriously never been more excited about anything! Seychelles is THE paradise I have dreamed about for my entire life, and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to live, learn and work there for 6 months. Oh, and possibly jump start a new career in adventure travel or something even cooler that I haven't encountered yet. 

Follow me as I prepare to embark on the greatest adventure of my life!