the cheese to my macaroni.

I love my family.

I don't have that much to say here, but do you get much better than this "stone cold pack of weirdos." How did I get so lucky?

~ciao~

explore.

Sometimes you need to just get out & explore! Life is so much more fun when you're seeing, touching, hearing, smelling & living in the outdoors & mingling with the natives.

Whether you're in New York preparing for a new step in your life, backpacking through Europe on your own after college, moving to another country with a one-way ticket or just traveling with your family, make the most of it! Have a little or a lot of fun & get out there & EXPLORE!

This holiday break (this is a bit belated), my parents & I traveled to Peru & the Galapagos. We met the people, we walked the streets, we learned how to make colors out of bugs, we trekked on ancient ruins & cities, we swam with sea lions, we got our hands dirty, we played local bar games, we watched Sally Lightfoot crabs' mating dance, we ate the food (guinea pig & alpaca) & drank the drink, we listened to the music & we (attempted) to talk the talk! It was an experience to remember & something I couldn't even try to forget.

We started off in Peru with our "dear friend," Guido & became engrossed immediately in the city of Lima.  Sometimes it's hard to get out of a geocentric mindset. I visit a city in another country knowing it's not permanent, knowing that in a few weeks, I will be back at home sleeping in my own bed.  I forget that for millions of other people, this is their life. They walk these streets every day, they wear these clothes & they pass those buildings. For me it's travel, for them it's life.

Lima was a bustling city. There were cars everywhere, tall buildings, shopping malls, museums & even a coast line. There were parks & homeless people, bicyclists, stray cats & litter on the streets.  There was graffiti on the walls, street art being sold, bus stops, Starbucks & Subways on the corners & restaurants everywhere. The city I'm describing doesn't sound that different from Chicago or New York, but let me tell you... it was a whole other world.

Something interesting about Lima is that it never rains. EVER. Lima averages less than 1 inch of rain per year & it shows too. The city is dry & the roofs of all the buildings & homes are flat. Who needs a slanting roof when there's no rain? Another different aspect is how Lima itself is broken up into several different areas. When driving in the city, you can cross an invisible line & the city goes from clean & neat to trash piled everywhere with dogs rolling in anything they can muster. That invisible line is the difference between a governor with money & a good following & a governor with no funds on the brink of being booted out. The city was a checker board of safe & sketchy areas.

Once in the country, there was no questioning where you were. The people dressed in the brightest colors, wore the coolest hats & lived the most interesting, yet simple lifestyle. While nothing seemed to be actually going on... everything was happening. Little girls would sing to us for petty change, small snacks or stickers, women would sell everything & anything they could get their hands on & kids would scream in excitement over a small bracelet or trinket. They were a crafty bunch & it was cool seeing different ways people use their skills. Every skill had a purpose.

Now it's time to talk about Machu Picchu... It was crazy. I literally (yes... actually literally) have goosebumbs as I am even thinking about the place. I can't even imagine what Hiram Bingham thought as he pushed aside the overgrown Amazon bushes & saw that he was standing on an ancient Incan city from the 15th century.  How did this society build & sustain a life on the side of a jagged mountain in the middle of nowhere? Seriously... how? It was so incredible that it is hard to explain. I would love to return one day & hike the four-day Inca trail.  I would love to walk up to the Sun Gate once again, but this time from the other side, & see Machu Picchu sneaking out from behind the fog. I know that would just taste so good after four days of hiking & waiting.

We did tons of other stuff in Peru too, but if you've actually made it this far... you're probably about ready for me to quit writing; however, I haven't even talked about the Galapagos yet & you don't want to miss this! It will be quick... I promise!!!

This was our friend, the sea lion... he just wanted to play & luckily he invited us to join him! This little guy had so much personality & it made our adventure awesome! He swam with us in the water, barked like a dog, chewed sticks & practically played fetch.  He is the dog of the sea & for good reasons too!

 
The final most incredible part of this adventure was the group we traveled with. We went on a tour to these amazing places with a company called, Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT) & we were lucky enough to have the most dynamic & incredible individuals traveling alongside us. It was great getting to interact with people who have done such amazing things, have lived in incredible places, have traveled to the strangest locations, have been through crazy experiences & in the end, all ended up on a dusty road in the middle of Ollantaytambo with a huge smile on their faces & a taste for adventure.  I know this experience could have been 100% different & 100% less thrilling if the group had been a dud. But the group was awesome & I wouldn't have wanted anything to change; not even 1%.

Anyway, now is the time to explore. Now is the time to go outside. Now is the time to travel. Now is the time to follow the wind. Because there just isn't a better time than now.  Whether you do it now, or do it in 5 years... guess how old you'll be in 5 years? You'll be 5 years older... (good math, I know).

This is cliche, but I love it, because it reminds me of my aunt... so here it goes.  "It's not the years in your life that count, it's the life in your years!"-Good ole Abe Lincoln. So I'll say it again, get out there & EXPLORE today!

~ciao~

sorority halloween.

Looking at Halloween through the eyes of an adult is an interesting experience.  One of my favorite things to refer to when I think about this strange shift in... let's just say STYLE, is "Mean Girls."

1: she missed it

2: she gets it

Basically, if you haven't seen it... "YOU CAN'T SIT WITH US!"

But if you truly have no idea what I am talking about I will break it down for you... Picture number 1, with the lovely Cady Heron, dressed as an "ex-wife," is representing our childhood.  We aim to be scary, or cute or actually something other than a scandalous bunny. We aim to be masked & show off our hiding skills that we had been practicing all year during hide-and-go-seek.  We aim for candy & lots of it.

Picture number 2 is the epitome of a high school or college student.  We basically follow the (usually innocent) dogma, "less is more!"  & in the words of Cady Heron, "In the regular world, Halloween is when children dress up in costumes and beg for candy. In Girl World, Halloween is the one night a year when a girl can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it."

But is it really one day a year that we can dress a little scandalous?

Not in Sorority World! In this world it is acceptable every time we hear the word... SOCIAL.  It is always "social"ly acceptable to be scandalous & looking good.  In a way, every night is Halloween if you want it to be & if you don't move the bookmark on your agenda.

So you're gunna ask... does that make Halloween less fun every year if you dress up on the other 364 days of the year?

& the answer is... no, because it's just one more night that dressing up is 100% acceptable, & this night is even better because there is no theme & you can be as creative as you want! No restrictions & the sky is the limit! Express yourself in any dandy or scandy way you feel!

Personally, I'm still in it for the candy... I mean who doesn't love a good Twix Bar or Reese's Cup after a long night?  If only it were still socially acceptable to knock on strangers' doors wearing a costume & get candy as a 21-year-old... can I be 5 again??? I just want to wear my fairy wings & pink sneakers & count the "good candy" & trade off the "bad candy" in peace.  Ya dig?

Disclaimer: this is the only picture of me

Morals of this blog post...

1. Halloween is really really soon, so pick a costume... probably something scandalous (i.e. the classic "Risky Business" attire or the "I'm a mouse... duh" of the genius, Karen Smith)

2. Go to a college social & wear... probably something scandalous (i.e. "trash bash" or "Predator vs. Prey")

3. When you see it every day it becomes the norm... probably something scandalous (i.e. skinny mini high-waisted jorts & a bandeau)

4. Go watch "Mean Girls.." probably something scandalous (i.e. holes in your shirt with a purple bra & army pants & flip flops)

Anyway... HAPPY HALLOWEEN from a kid stuck in a 21-year-old's body!

~ciao~

senioritis.

I thought high school "senioritis" was bad, but let me tell you straight... college senioritis is 3735735 times worse.  & it's not that I am anti-work, rather I am itching to get out & take what I've learned & turn it into something real.  It's a scary thought though... this REAL WORLD enigma.  Most would probably describe it as a love/hate relationship.  You see... we don't want to go, but we don't want to leave.  We are in a state of limbo, caught between the comfort we feel in our (most-likely) paid-for apartments, with our close-by friends, our Nike shorts & big t-shirt combo, our "free" guidance counselors, the proximity we have to "pizza by the slice" & Chipotle, our weekly allowances, our flexibility to do as we please & 24/5 libraries with a Starbucks!

But the real world isn't this comfortable.  There are bills, there are the numbers 9 & 5 that become awfully repetitive, there are real consequences, there are scary (Sigourney Weaver-esque from "Working Girl") bosses, there are new people... & lots of them, there's actual commitment & there's real rejection.

For me, I am in denial.  I am denying the fact that in a few short months I will be turning (or feeling *Shout out to T-Swift) 22, that I will be signing up for my final semester of college, that I will be graduating from the University of Florida with a real college degree, that I will (hopefully) be leaving Florida & starting a career.

Although I am ready & I have stretched my wings in preparation for my flight out of "The Swamp..." I am scared.  Everything I know is here.  It's so scary stepping out of my comfort zone.  I know I'm not the only one who feels that way, but sometimes it just feels like a #personalproblem.  (Yes... I did just hashtag on my blog. "NO RAGRETS").

Anyway... there are a couple things that I feel lucky enough to have as I reach my final months of childhood (& I say child because... let's be honest) & they are:
1. My Mom
2. My Dad

The parents... aka, the rocks.  I know no matter where I go & what I do my parents have my back & will be there for me.  I am so lucky to have them in my life, especially now as I take the biggest leap of all... REALITY.   

Thank you so much for being more than just motivators & figures of respect, but also my friend.  I love you both so much!

Now I just need to get past the "slowness, the procrastination, the... blah blah blah... too lazy to write it all... blah blah blah... apathy" symptoms of sEnIoRiTiS!

~ciao~

charleston.

If you know me, than you know I am not too crazy.  I follow most the rules, I am always on time, I like food, I like photos, I enjoy sports, I like people, I like camp, I like my parents, I like wine nights, I like adventures, I like being outside in the day time & I don't like leaving my apartment after dark.  If you know me at all... I think that pretty much sums me up. 

 
This weekend I almost got to do all my favorite things:
-I followed most rules.
-I made it Charleston at almost exactly 5pm... even though Chloe was with me ;)
-I ATE LOTS OF FOOD!
-I took 7576537 photos & probably annoyed Chloe because I was her personal paparazzi all weekend.
-I watched some (weak) football.
-I spent some time with some new & some old.
-I didn't get camp, but I felt close by.
-I didn't get to see my parents, but I know I walked along the same streets they did from this summer.
-No wine, but something a bit different.
-I had an adventure in the best of places.
-& I spent time outside exploring with my mains.

However, this weekend I even explored my "leaving the apartment after dark" side & ventured into the streets of Charleston for my friend's 22nd birthday (am I really celebrating 22nd birthdays right now? How did I get this old?)!  But yeah, we braved the streets of Charleston! & this homebody had fun! 

Besides the quaint charm the city offers in the day time, the city has some great places to visit with friends at night! The bars are all so classy & cute compared to the clusters found in Gainesville.  As much as I love my second home here in "Gainesvegas" or my personal (more accurate) favorite, "Rainesville," Charleston was just perfect.  The homes were southern with their colorful shutters & side decks to catch the summer breeze off the Ashley River.  The trees were lined down the cobblestone roads, which the horse & carriages bounded along, the people had a pleasant air about them, & the weather was 73563557343 times better than anything you'll find in Florida.

Anyway... I just had the best time wandering with some good friends this weekend.  

I loved road tripinnnn' with my bestie, Chloe. 

I loved seeing Emily & meeting all her fantastic friends.  

I loved spending time with her parents & taking the carriage ride through the city.  

I LOVED the food, going out & my Moscow Mule.  

I loved seeing the beach & feeling like the protagonist of a Nicholas Sparks original. 

I loved (& always do) shopping & taking in the culture.  

    

I loved it all! Thank you so much Emily, Madison, Alli, Emily's parents & anyone else who made this weekend so awesome!

Ciao!

perspective.

It's all about perspective.

This summer I decided I needed a bit of a change, and really what I mean by change is I needed to build on my previous experiences.  I needed to grow.  In high school I started to grow through an amazing outdoor organization for young adults called Adventure Treks.  I was fed the dogmas that I attempt to express today, which have been important elements in my life: 

1. Adventure Treks taught me real communication.  Although cell phones weren't quite as prolific as they are today, social media was on the rise, & the "cool factor" stemmed from what kind of phone you had & what song was on your MySpace profile.  Not at AT.  You were cool for being you, which is unfortunately quite rare these days.  I just brought my personality flair & some "reaching out" techniques & I got to truly know people.  Who needs to hide behind a phone anyway when you can just be you at AT?  I think I just put this into perspective for you...

2. Adventure Treks taught me about community & respect.  It may sound cheesy to someone who doesn't have the AT background, but community is an indescribable element of AT that forms fast and forms strong.  It is almost like a large family unit & with that comes respect.  Respect for your friends in the community and respect for yourself.  With group gear & small living quarters, there is no room for negativity & selfishness.  Some of the individuals I met in my years at AT are people I respect & venerate the most.  They are real people with real perspectives.

3. Adventure Treks taught me about pure happiness & being humble.  AT was the first time I truly realized how lucky I was.  How many 14-year-olds get to travel for 16+ days, climb live volcanoes, glissade down snow-covered peaks in mid-summer, & white water raft without parental supervision?  (That is not a rhetorical question... very few!)  I was & still am a lucky kid & with that, I learned that not everyone shares these amazing opportunities & it is important to be sensitive to all sorts of diverse people around me with different perspectives on life.  

Although Adventure Treks taught me way more than that in my 3 years as a student, what it did not teach me was how much background work went into making the "adventure of a lifetime."  As a student you have this perspective that AT is magic.  No I'm not kidding... AT just transpired into this incredible trip that took no effort to plan or organize & was just filled with amazing students from all over the world.  With a wave of the wand, a flick of the wrist & an Abracadabra... boom, a mountain summit & a perfect sunrise to go with it!

But not really.

This summer I definitely experienced a new & unique perspective... I interned in the Adventure Treks office.  It's funny because I remember walking into the "AT barn" on my first day of work, looking around & thinking, "what are all these people doing on computers... I mean what kind of 'work' can they actually be doing?  They are all probably just on Facebook!"  But they were doing work. Real work that takes the whole year to plan.  Trip logistics, permits, regional director plans, travel information, waivers (all 47648653743 of them), outfitter communication, unaccompanied minor details, trip photos, welcome packets, social media strategies, t-shirts & hats, food, rental vans, health history binders, application forms, birthday cards, phone calls, pay checks, Treks Checks, graduation packets & much much more.  Honestly, that's not even the half of it. 

It's not like I expected to waltz into a room full of magicians, but I just never realized what really went into making an AT trip successful.  Dock told me I was the first AT student to actually work in the barn, which gave me a very unique opportunity because I still understood and felt the surreality that is AT.  I can explain the importance of evening meeting & still get goosebumps on my arms, I can still picture the wicked dance moves kids had when retrieving items from the "bin of doom," I can still hear Bob Bailey recite, in complete accuracy, lines from "Shrek" as the Gingerbread Man, I can still see Haley's face as she paddled our canoe backwards on the Clearwater Lake, I can still feel the tears in my eyes as I left AT for (what I thought would be) the last time in 2009, I can still tell how long a 3 minute shower really is, I can still remember laughs I had with Haley & Jenn Tanner over kidney beans, I can still smell Ramen Extreme & Oatmeal, I can still feel the "natural mattress" of sand on the Olympic Coast, I can still taste my very first AT pineapple that grew straight from the ground, I can still see smoke spewing from the crescent of Mt. St. Helens, I can still recall practicing head stands in the British Columbia with Niki Gaeta & I still CAN'T explain why I am so in love with Adventure Treks, but I am.  

2007

2008

2009

I learned a lot this summer from some incredible co-workers with some varying perspectives:

Perspective 1. Emily taught me to go for it & that decisions are never easy.  She taught me to be myself & she helped me act like a total goofball in my attempts to YOGA.  She also accepted me as her "right hand wo-man" & taught me her ways. 

Perspective 2. Joan taught me selflessness & how one person can be so loving, giving, & special.  She taught me (& Emily too) how to best approach a decision & how to conquer it & also that FSU has some awesome Alumni (tell anyone & I'll deny it... just kidding) & that Talenti bars may be the death of me. (Meow)

Perspective 3. Jan taught me how to be 24 & professional & that using headphones in the office may lead to a paperclip throwing fight.  But really he fed me some rad technology/systems knowledge.  

Perspective 4. Holly taught me the parent perspective & how hard it is to give up your child for any period of time.  I remember her telling me she missed the "pitter-patter" of her son's feet when he woke up in the morning & it hit me that I never thought my mom & dad would be "child sick" while I was away, having the time of my life, at camp. 

Perspective 5: Stacey taught me that sometimes not everything works out, but that with a little self-determinism and personal strength you can do anything & be anyone.  

Perspective 6. Dock taught me that working in an office can be pleasant & accepting & that no matter your age, you have a place with Adventure Treks.  He also gave me a sense of importance that I am truly grateful for.  

So I guess what I am trying to say is thank you for such an eye-opening summer.  Thank you for letting me indulge in my summer camp obsession.  & thank you for EVERYTHING!!

Adventure Treks may not be magic, but what transpires within each individual trek is truly magical & can only be understood when under its fantastic spell.

~Ciao-Ciao

pictures.

I have been having a blast the last few days snapping pictures of some of my favorite people!  Just look at these beautiful people! 

__________________________________________________________________

Let me know if you need any pictures done for graduation, or applications, or for fun, or for just a good 'ole smile!

~ciao