Finally booked my flight!

     Well... it took a lot of contemplation, a lot of research, a little bit of tears (who doesn't cry when they are overwhelmed a little), many phone calls... but it all led to me booking my flight to my first country!  I will be leaving for Thailand on January 13th and I can't wait!!!  I have not been there for ten years and am really looking forward to seeing all of my family.  On the other hand, I am not looking forward to this 20 hour flight!!!  Luckily I have a one hour layover in South Korea to get up and stretch my legs and get off the plane for a short while.

     I just want to say how grateful I am for this experience!  I am going to follow my heart and travel until I am ready to come home.  The sky's the limit on where I am traveling to and I don't have any set dates of when I leave one place to go to the next.  I always wanted to do this...  Growing up, you hear of people saying they are going to backpack through Europe or through Southeast Asia and you always hope to one day do it as well.  Being a girl though, I was never fully comfortable with this situation, especially if you are going alone.  Through my research and conversations with friends, I feel thoroughly comfortable traveling alone.  I am also blessed because I already know a lot of family and friends all over the world, so I am not starting from ground zero by any means. 

     One of my priorities on this trip is to find ways to give back.  As I travel I hope to spend some time volunteering.  Orphanages are my first thought, but I am sure I will be able to find some other opportunities as well.  Let me know if you guys think of anything!  Doing volunteer work is when I feel the most full because it is such a rewarding experience.  This past year I was on the Events Committee at the Volunteer Center of Sacramento and the Charity Chair for Future by Design, Student Fashion Association.

"They say if you become a better person, you'll have a better life..." -Charlie Brown

STAY TUNED, more to come ;-)
xoxo

Connections and/or Advice?

Veterans Day!

      For those of you that do not have Facebook, I posted this wonderful image of my father in honor
of him being a Vietnam Veteran.

This is my dad enjoying Thanksgiving Dinner in 1966.  Love and cherish this picture so much!

     This post is to open the door for all of you to give me any connections and/or advice on the locations I am going.  If you have been to Australia, New Zealand or Thailand, is there any MUST DO things while I am in these locations?  Luckily I have family and friends in all these countries to stay with and to show me around a bit, but you can never make enough friends.  If there are any connections you want to send my way, that would be great as well.  

     Can't believe that it has been a decade since I was in Thailand!  Can't wait to see my HUGE family!  They have continued to show me love and support my whole life even though we are worlds apart.  Technology is a beautiful thing!  I am so proud of all my cousins and their many amazing accomplishments.  Several of my cousins, aunts and uncles are world travelers as well!

     While some may think it is odd...  I am going on this trip entirely alone, not counting the family and friends I already have in these nations of course.  I feel like it is a journey I need to take by myself.  Leave this part of the world behind for something entirely new.  One of the things I am most excited to do on this trip is to meet tons and tons of new people.  I can't wait!  I think I inherited this trait from my father.  He used to travel all around the world and make so many friends in simple ways.  For example, just sparking up a conversation on the airplane.  7 billion people in this world, you can definitely never meet enough people!

Alright... back to homework!!!  Got to graduate or none of this happens!!!  HAHAHA

ALL MY LOVE  

                                                                                                                           XOXO
"A man practices the art of adventure when he breaks the chain of routine and renews his life through reading new books, traveling to new places, making new friends, taking up new hobbies and adopting new viewpoints." -Wilfred Peterson

WELCOME

HELLO!!!

     I am sure that many of you are starting to receive my graduation invitations! I wanted to have a post up to welcome you all to my Blog!!! This is going to be very exciting once I am traveling and am able to share some of my adventures with you! I will try to post as often as I can, but my first priority is just to enjoy the experiences for myself and try to keep up with my own daily journal. Blog comes third and I am sure you all understand!

     I can't believe that it is already November 10th and I turned 23 years old a few days ago! Time is flying and there is still so much more that needs to be done. If I could go back in time and listen to my mother for at least one thing, it would have been to not buy so much stuff in college!!! You never know where you are going to go. Now I have a house full of things and am trying to leave the country for a very long time... Luckily I have sold some big ticket things like my elliptical and I am not feeling as stressed. Mom is going to help me have a garage sale in a couple weeks to get rid of all my things as well. 

     I have exactly one month until I am finished with school!!! It is hard keeping up with 6 classes, having a job and trying to get all my travel affairs in order, but I am trying to take it all one day at a time. I am so anxious to get on that plane and go, but I want to enjoy the time I have left and the people I am leaving for so long. As far as the graduation party goes, please RSVP in a timely manor as my mother is going to be cooking some very amazing food for everyone! Look forward to seeing you all there!

Lastly, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the love and support that I have been receiving!
“Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind.” -Seneca