Scare This Girl Please October 30, 2010

Mansfield Reformatory

So tomorrow is my favorite day of the year…Halloween.  I love all things spooky.  In fact, my best birthday ever was the one where I dragged Dustin to Mansfield, OH to tour Mansfield Reformatory.  It was an unguided tour of the 12th most haunted place in the US (per Wikipedia).  You may have seen it in Shawshank Redemption.  We had free reign of the prison from 8 at night until 6 in the morning.  This was seriously one of the coolest things I’ve ever had the pleasure of experiencing. 

With the trip quickly approaching I’ve been looking for all of the haunted places in Europe to visit.  What fascinates me about Europe is that everything is hundreds of years older than anything I’ve ever seen in the US.  They have such a rich history.

When we were originally establishing our itinerary Dustin asked what my

The Catacombs

 number 1 place to go was.  I said “Paris”.  He then asked “Aw, do you want to get all romantic and see the Eiffel Tower and stuff?”  I replied “Um no…have we met?  I want to go to the Catacombs and see tunnels full of skeletons!”  I know in the back of his mind he wishes I was a little more normal.  When we returned from our trip to prison he said, “you know next birthday, can we do something like a vacation to the beach?”  Haha!

Unfortunately, most of my ghost hunting or ghost story books are packed away in storage.  I completely neglected thinking about their valuable use in finding other haunted destinations to hit up.  I have been able to find a bit on the internet but if you have any suggestions, please comment and let me know. 

I just discovered that Singapore is consider one of the most haunted cities and they have big tours that take you to all of the haunted destinations.  We’re definitely going to have to lock that in.  They offer pretty much the same thing in Kuala Lumpur too!  I can not wait! 

In comparison to the US, the haunted history we are going to experience is bound to blow our minds.  I’ve read so much about the raging royals and their torture techniques…their cruel and unusual punishments.  Of course I feel sympathy for what these individuals went through, but that twisted side of me is so interested in encountering their spirits.  For me, it’s like an adrenaline rush.  I don’t skydive or bungee jump so this is my way of thrill seeking.

On a side note…We have 15 days left of work and 28 days until we leave!!!

This ones for you pops October 26, 2010

Mt. Superstition

We returned from a vacation in Arizona yesterday.  It was the best vacation we’ve had in long while.  We were able to have a nice blend of nature, socializing and relaxation.  While this was my 3rd trip to Arizona this year, it still had something fresh about it.  That’s what I love about the unfamiliar, there is always an element of surprise. 

During the vacation we climbed up Mount Superstition to 3500 ft.  The view was as incredible as it was in the past.  Our mission of this hike, was to locate the spot on the mountain where we spread my Dad’s ashes 8 months ago, and place an engraved rock with his name and dates there.  The mountain, which is so vivid in my mind, seemed to have changed.  The paths seemed different and the sun hit the peaks in a new way.  So much so, that we passed my Dad’s “spot” right up.  After about 20 minutes of scouring the area we managed to find it.  It was nice to be up there again.  So peaceful.  I can understand why this was where my Dad wanted to be.  He loved the mountains.  He loved Arizona.  And as I spend more time in his element, I’ve become more fond of desert environment. 

With this visit to the mountain, it has me thinking about my dad a lot.  When he was in the Air Force he spent a lot of time in SE Asia.  The second that he heard I had dreams of going there he got pretty excited.  It was like this whole other bonding avenue we hadn’t explored…travel.  He’d tell me all of his stories, warnings and best adventures.  I learned about a new side of my dad that he never talked about.  And I’m so glad we were able to share our passion for travel with each other before he passed.  I have to believe in some way that he’s really glad that we’re going to visit the countries he’s told us so much about.

You are welcome to be fabulous October 19, 2010

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us, it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” – Nelson Mandela

This excerpt from Nelson Mandela’s inaugural speech hangs above my desk.  Every so often my eyes flutter up to it and I read it once again, as if it were the first time these words had wandered into my mind.  They are strong and thought-provoking.   I’m almost certain that all of us have felt unworthy of believing in ourselves at one point or another.  Regardless of your social class, your religion or your beliefs.  It is only natural to have some sort of doubt at one point or another.  And why is that?  Is it because if you believe in yourself, or if you are proud, you are then considered cocky, egotistical or a narcissist?  Is that fair? 

I bring this up because the other day I was having a conversation with a random stranger.  He had asked me what college I attended.  Normally this is the moment when I hang my head in shame and reply, “I didn’t go to college”.  It has been a huge insecurity trigger for me this past year and I automatically feel unintelligent, uneducated, and as if the value of my conversation just dropped down to nothing.  But this time, for the first time, instead of being ashamed and insecure (which is always visible on my face and in my demeanor) I exclaimed, “I didn’t go to college, I’m just naturally an overachiever”.  This rallied a good laugh and the result of that statement made me feel proud, not ashamed.  It’s not as if I wasted those “college years”.  I was living.  I was growing and achieving.  Granted, I don’t have a degree to show for all of the life lessons and experience I’ve gathered along the way, but I have nothing to be ashamed of.  I am welcome to be fabulous.

Now, let’s look at the other side of the spectrum.  Dustin and I were just discussing this last night and it turned into quite an interesting conversation.   Leading up to the trip we’ve had many talks with people about our upcoming adventure.  While we are over joyed, it seems that most people aren’t really happy for us.  Not that we need them to be, but it would be nice to have some excitement from the people we love.  It just seems that people start relaying in their heads why they aren’t the ones taking their dream trip.  Why they chose to start a beautiful family instead of exploring the world.  Is it the “grass is always greener” conundrum?  It’s gotten to the point we don’t really talk about the trip with people because it’s immediately followed by negative energy.  Perhaps, these are my personal hang ups???  Perhaps, I’m assuming???  But perhaps I am right in concluding that people don’t want to hear about our good fortune…which really isn’t good fortune.  As you know, it’s been a long time of planning, saving, and taking the action to make this happen.  So why then do I feel the need to minimize the fabulousness of this trip? 

This leads me back to the quote in the beginning of this post.  Mandela says “We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?…Your playing small doesn’t serve the world.”  Isn’t that the truth!  So why do I have this constant need to hide what we are doing so people don’t feel bad for not doing it  themselves?  Not anymore.  I am proud.  I worked hard for this.  I earned it and I deserve it.  And no longer will I be ashamed of sharing my dreams.  It’s not cockiness.  It’s not narcissism.  It’s not bragging.  It’s factual.  It’s a belief in myself, and I would be no where without it. 

With all that being said, remember Mandela’s words.  And remember to spread the love!  Let your light shine!  Be proud and show off!  You are welcome to be fabulous!

We are soon-to-be world travelers! October 14, 2010

Today was productive.  We received our second session of immunizations, we received our Eurorail tickets in the mail, and most exciting of all…we were highlighted in one of my favorite blogs…A Pair of Panties and Boxers.  I have been following the fabulous Monica for quite some time and she always provides a fun and informative read.  I really enjoy her.  You can check out her blog here and see what I’m talking about – http://networkedblogs.com/940ah.  You can find the post we were highlighted in under “Seven Soon-To-Be RTW Travelers”.  Reading that title for the first time was like, WHOA.  That’s us.  We are the soon-to-be world travelers she’s talking about.  How crazy is that?!?!  So many times I’ve read articles on people backpacking the world, but I find it hard to believe that its us this time.  It fascinates me that I am writing this post right now, or that I even have a travel blog.  To say it is a dream come true seems so inadequate.   Today, there are only 45 days until departure and only 24 left of work.  I’m finding it difficult to put all the feelings I have right now into words after a statement like that.  Use your imagination.  🙂

October 12, 2010