Wanderlust

Craziest two weeks of my life.

If there's one thing I've learned over the course of this month its that dreams don't just happen, you have to go out there and make them happen. Traveling is the one thing I want to do more than anything else in this world and I'm doing just that.

Seattle, Florida & New york was just the beginning of the journey I have planned for myself. In 14 short days I have checked off 3 bucket list items and have been to a state I had never been before. I was able to do these things because when I set my heart on something there is no changing my mind. I'm stubborn and tend to get what I want because I'm not afraid. I'm not scared to dream big and go after the things others view as impossible.

Lake Havasu was insane to say the least. That's not most peoples idea of traveling but to me it was. I was like your average college student spending spring break in a city that people all over the United States travel to. Literally. Everyone was just there to have a good time and get away from reality for a bit. Yep, mostly everyone was wasted. Not even gonna sugar coat that one but it was a good time. Getting crazy over spring break is almost a right of passage. These are the memories we will look back on someday and smile because we lived our lives to the fullest. Yes, granted everyone has different opinions on what living your life to the fullest actually means. For me? Well, its doing the things I know in my heart will make me happy and in 50 years will be proud to say I did. I believe in trying things at least once because that's how you learn and grow as a person. I had so much fun and my parents being disappointed in my actions was the last thing on my mind. I let loose and was carefree and acted my age. I'm only 21 years old and am finally realizing I'm not supposed to have all my shit together. This is the time to make mistakes. This is the time to be selfish. This is the time to make all my dreams come true.

This last weekend I had the amazing opportunity to go to Long Beach and then over to Catalina Island. It was with my environmental science class and I actually got school credit for going. Whaaat?! It was absolutely life changing. The entire experience was even more of a confirmation of how much there is in this world and how little we know about it. I may not be an expert on all aspects of the Ocean and the creatures that live in it but I am able to understand and appreciate it a little more. Why? Because I didn't just read about it, I didn't just watch a movie and say that was enough. I went out and saw it for myself.

Catalina consisted of:

Swimming with sharks & sting rays

Seeing wild dolphins

Sea lions came super close to our kayaks

Pet a shark

Went snorkeling for the first time

Stayed on the Queen Mary

Put a message in a bottle and dropped it in the middle of the Pacific Ocean

&& Had the time of my life

I can't express enough how blessed I am. I can't imagine my life any other way. It has drastically changed in a matter of two weeks; I am not the same person I was 14 days ago. I guess you could say I needed this, I was clearly lost and found my way back. Its always been traveling. I may not be daughter of the year right now, but I'm happy. I realize now that everyone is trying to leave their mark on the world. Everyone has different wants, needs, and desires and mine just happens to be different than most. A lot of my friends are settling down and having families, others are serving the lord and then there's me; the gypsy obsessed with the world. I don't just want to stop and watch life happen, I want to go out there and explore it. I want to meet new people and learn about their culture and what moves them. I'm determined to change peoples lives. And maybe its a little naive of me to think one person can have this huge impact but I'm going to try. I honestly can't wait to see where life leads me next.