That's it. I'm joining the circus.

Who says you can't teach a thirty-something new tricks?

I had this week off the road and as a way to soak in all the CA that I could, I finally used my groupon and went to Trapeze School.

Yes. That's a legit thing.

Ever since seeing Carrie Bradshaw soar through the sky on SATC, I just knew I had to do it at least once.

(Well done on the marketing Trazpeze Schools.)

Once I got over the initial fear of being so high up and started to trust that I wasn't going to go plummeting towards the ground,  it turned out to be really fun. Not going to lie. It was harder than it looked, and I was not good at it (definitely not quitting my day job), but I'm glad that I did it.

My body the next few days might have disagreed. There are muscles in my upper body that have clearly never been asked to work before.

Good to know that they're there. An open apology to them for the shock to their system.

 

Heartspots: Meadowdale

Schools are officially back in business. Fall is here and as my tiny island is getting inundated with school kids and their parents, I figured I'd write a special little Heartspots entry. I've had the chance to see many places that have left an impression on me (hence, Heartspots) however, I think it's also important to look a little closer to home. 

Before we become great travelers, many of our first adventures are found in the halls of our schools, on the playground or in the ever popular gossip breeding ground, the locker room. For most of my childhood education, I was at one or another Meadowdale school. (#publicschoolproud) now, I don't know if I had the best education, but I feel like I turned out pretty well. I feel like my friends turned out pretty well. I'm not in jail, I can pay my bills and am slightly addicted to technology like every other successful member of society. So Meadowdale couldn't have been that bad (feel free, fellow Meadowdale survivors...err, Grads to disagree). 

 

Of course, like all youth going through the throws of adolescents (dear god) I had my ups and downs. I won't get into the sordid details (that's what my therapist is for) but I made it out. 

And to a certain degree, I have to thank my Meadowdale family for that. 

Let me take you back to the era of Little Michelle. I still remember my first day at Meadowdale Elementary. I was starting 2nd grade in the middle of the year because we had moved. It was square dancing week in gym. I danced with a girl I didn't know because neither of us wanted to 

dance with the single boy left....Friend S and I ended up being inseparable throughout high school. 

 

Funny how that happens. 

In 5th grade, apparently everyone becomes weird....and little Michelle was no exception. We invented a game where all of us were from different planets. The boys had one planet and the girls had another. (We clearly were on to something....Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus didn't come out till years later. Folks, we should probably get royalties). Glartard (the boys) and Zartard (the girls) ruled for almost the entire year. 

We were just on the brink of losing that childhood innocence, before the need to be cool set in. 

As we all know, once middle school hits, everything is out of wack. There are new students to get to know (even from rival Beverely Elementary). New hormones to figure out (oh the smells). New feelings and fears and interests. 

 

As much as I hated middle school (with a passion) I know that those two years could have been worse.  I could have been a band geek. 

 

No, no wait I was. 

 

And proud of it. 

 

High School was a whole different ball game. I assumed it was going to be exactly like it was for the kids on Saved by the Bell (who didn't think that?) 

 

It was not like that. There was no Max for us to hang out in. (We really wanted a Max). There was no caffeine pill overdoses. There was no Beach Hotel we could all work at during our summers. 

 

There were, however, the first crushes. The first fancy dances. The first kisses and the first...well, you know. 

 

Just kidding Mom. 

I was still a band geek (still proud) who found my place among the arts. I was shy, not incredibly outgoing and often times felt like I had the world on my shoulders. I don't know what I would have done without the music department. It breaks my heart to know that so many kids these days are missing out on the opportunity to participate in the arts. I hate that arts education always seems to get cut first. 

Yes, we went to band camp. 

 

High School wasn't always fun. There was a lot that I hated about it and though I'm thankful that I didn't peak at Meadodale, I'm grateful (at least now) for the experience I did have. 

We can't all be Zach and Kellys. 

 

And by George, thank god there was no Social Media during my time at Meadowdale. 

 

Thank god. 

Heartspots: Central Europe

I know I quickly shared some photos from my time in Europe this summer, but I figured, since I no longer have class or have to write a thesis, I might as well expand a bit. 

Plus I'm stuck on a plane with no wifi. 

The horror. 

The month of May had been a bit rocky for numerous reasons, so the idea of a European adventure was much welcomed. I had booked a flight into Salzburg, Austria and out of Budapest, Hungary. What happened in between those two dates was up in the air. (Well sort of. If you know anything about me, you know I'm a planner...and "up in the air" really means fully scheduled and booked months in advance)

I flew to Salzburg via Munich and once I landed I immediately started sightseeing. This wasn't my choice. The hotel had no rooms open and I knew that if I sat down jet lag would creep in. 

So I walked around the tiny town of Salzburg for about 6 hours. It was such an easy town to get around. Pretty touristy, and filled with all things Mozart. 

I have to admit, I'm a bit of a fan of the the Sound of Music...which is essentially what brought me to Salzburg. I'm pretty sure I spent the first 6 years of my life wanting to be Gretel. On my second day in town, I took a SOM bike tour. Complete with singalong and field twirling. We saw a number of the shooting locations and learned the truth behind the R and H version of the Von Trapp story. (It was a little spirit crushing). 

I don't care what cool people may think. It was amazing. 

That night I went to a brewery that was in a monastery and run by monks. It was so cool. You pick out a size mug, you wash it yourself and then You get beer right out of the barrel. 

I then took a night train from Salzburg to Krakow. I never really had an interest in Poland, but I did have an interest in Auschwitz. For as long as I can remember (maybe due to my SOM obsession) I have been fascinated with the holocaust. I think I find it so interesting because I don't understand how something like that can happen. I can't dissect it enough to get the answer, so I constantly read about it and listened to stories and watched movies. Auschwitz has always been a place I knew I needed to see in person. 

I got into Krakow early morning and dropped my luggage off at the hotel. Then went to go find the bus to Auschwitz. It took about two hours to get there and I was immediately surrounded by other tourists. 

I have to say, that day was one of the most challenging mentally that I've had in a long time. To see those sights to walk the same path as so many Jews did, to know that this land was filled with ashes of lost dreams, was very overwhelming. I was there for almost the entire day. I could have probably stayed longer. 

One thing that was disconcerting about the experience was that the tour guide said that there are more and more people trying to discredit that the holocaust even happened. 

Makes me sick and sad. 

I spent the next two days exploring Krakow. I took a few walking tours around the Old Jewish town and one that looked at street art. There is so much history in Poland and Krakow is just stunning. It has an old town square and beautiful churches. I ate almost everyday at a small, family run polish restaurant. It was delicious and the family was so friendly. 

After Krakow, I took another night train to Budapest. I made the mistake of googling "polish night trains" and learned that the route I was about to take was considered fairly dangerous. Of course everything was fine, I met a really nice girl from Australia. 

Budapest was just stunning from the moment I got off the train. I was meeting Friend A later in the day after her flight arrived, so I spent the morning at a Bath. It was pretty much like a spa version of Disneyland. And exactly what I needed. There were a ton of different baths or swimming pools you could go in. My favorite was one that had a bit of a current and spun you around in circles. It was fun and relaxing. I spent a few hours there before heading to the apartment we were staying at. Friend A found all of the accommodation, and she did such a good job. We had a three bedroom place to ourselves. 

It was amazing. And in the best location. 

We spent the next few days exploring, drinking in wine and taking in sights. We went to a beer festival at a castle, walked the river and took a night boat tour. Budapest is stunning at night. They light up the buildings. It's so pretty. 

After saying goodbye to our massive apartment, we moved on down to Zagreb, Croatia. Which I fell in love with immediately. It was such a quaint and simple city. People were once again incredibly friendly and spoke better English than I do. The city was really walkable. We went to the Museum of Broken Relationships, which was hilarious and tragic all at the same time. Reading stories of other people's lost loves really puts your own heartbreak into perspective. I guess love, lost love, unrequited love are all apart of the human experience. At least there's that to bring the world together. That week was also when Croatia was playing I the World Cup. Zagreb was on fire with excitement. Friend A and I stayed up till midnight to watch the game with they city. The area of our hostel had a ton of little cafés, bars and restaurants. Each had outdoor seating and there were TVs and big screens everywhere. Croatia ended up winning....so the celebration lasted the rest of the night.

One of my favorite parts of the trip was the two days we spent down in Lake Plitvice. It was like walking into Ferngully, or how I imagine the Garden of Eden must have been. There are a ton of lakes, at all different elevations. Most of them are connected by waterfalls. It's just amazing. I've never seen clearer water...you could see all the fish! 

If I could, I would have pitched a tent in one of the caves and just lived there for the rest of the summer. 

It would have been magical! 

Now. Here. This. Revisited.

Way back in 2012, I wrote a blog titled, "Now, Here, This" and it sort of became my mantra for the year. Since then, it's really stuck with me...and although I have a hard time living it every day, I have kept the idea of living in the moment with me. As it is the beginning of the new school year (seemingly more important to me than the "real" new year) I often find myself making goals, resolutions, and getting excited for the upcoming months.

Last year (during my incredibly long blog hiatus) I chose three traits I wanted to work on during the year. The first was to always be grateful. The second was to be gracious and the third was to present. I have to say, in my most Oprah-esque voice, that it changed my life. Constantly reminding myself to live breathe these three things daily changed how I saw the world. It changed how I responded to situations. 

That being grateful everyday for the blessings that I've had is so easy to do. Even if it was something as simple as being thankful that there wasn't traffic or a flight delay or that I never ran out of toilet paper.

Reminding myself to be gracious taught me that nobody likes an asshole, so I really should try not to act like one. That I need to be thoughtful and pleasant to everyone regardless of who tired I am or how dumb their question may have been or how slow the service was. It made me pause and it always reminded me that my story is only one in a sea of the human experience. 

Lastly, being present is something that I continued to learn from my time in the jungle. It was a little different then the idea of "now, here, this" because as I thought of it in jungle terms, it was to remind myself to not only enjoy the moment, but truly suck the life out of it. Which meant, putting whatever screen I had on in front of me down, going outside more and just being. My life can be a bit crazy----airports on a weekly basis, new hotel rooms every night, jet lag all the time. However, I realized that as I zoomed from one campus to the next, I was never taking advantage of the things around me. Being present reminded me that sometimes work emails can wait till later, but the beauty and calming nature of a hike or a quick run or even a trip to the outlets is good for the soul. It's where the memories are. 

I realized that no matter how stressful life became, if I at least went back to these three things, I was able to find an ounce of joy. I think I'm a much happier person than I was last year...but I know I'm not done yet. 

So as this school year has just begun, I've been trying to think of some new traits to work on this year. Because I have slight OCD, I'm of course keeping it to three. 

1. Confidence: I think I'm a pretty confident person, however, I know that I allow myself to fall into self-doubt. This year I hope to work on being strong in who I am and who I'm growing to be. I'm also working on being more confident in trusting my gut.

2. Be more bold: I blame Sheryl Sandburg on this one. After reading "Lean In" I realized some of the self-sabotaging I've done in my career and personal life. I think this one goes along with confidence pretty well. Hopefully it'll help me speak up more, learn to lead better.

3. Openness: This one is probably the hardest for me. Being open in every area of my life. Saying yes more or at least be more willing to look into new ideas and new opportunities and areas of growth both personally and professionally. 

I don't know where this year will take me, but I know it'll be an adventure regardless. Like they say on the Facts of Life, I'll take the good and I'll take the bad.

Week one and done.

First week on the road for Fall 2014: 1473 miles driven in 5 states, 2 presidential museums, one run in with the law, an amazing concert, and more brisket than one person should eat in the span of six days.

Not too shabby.  

I started the week off with a flight to Omaha. I'll admit, I was a little grumpy at having to go cross country so early in August, but the trip ended up being pretty darn fun. Once I arrived I zoomed all the way to Small town Kansas for my first event of the year. Thanks to my good friend A, I had been nominated for the now infamous #alsicebucketchallenge and had only a few hours to complete it once I arrived in the heartland. Thank goodness it was about 100 degrees when I got there. Since I was staying in a hotel, I didn't really have access to a bucket...or a pot, so I made due with a garbage can (it was clean I swear). I found a fantastic shooting location near my hotel, complete with a massive can of coke. The best part was the locals who kept glancing at me from the road. 

I know a lot of people, have varying opinions of the challenge, but I loved the creativity of it all...and was more than willing to have a little fun and donate a little money to a cause not many know or talk about. It's been fun watching all my friends...and I'll admit, the celebrities do the challenge. 

The next day was the first fair. I always love back to school season...it's weird that I'm no longer a student, but the excitement and newness in the air always gets me a bit nostalgic. It was so incredibly hot outside and we didn't have tents (what is up with that Kansas?) I spoke with a lot of international students. It's fun to get their perspectives on small town America. They always seem to love it. 

I then spent two nights in Wichita. It was a great little city! They have a really nice little Riverwalk, where I went running one night. There is a statue called the "Keeper of the Plains" that every night has a flame  thing. I stayed after the run to watch them light it up. 

Friday after a few meetings, I headed down to good ole Oklahoma. Now, OK tends to get a bit of a wrap for being boring, but I consider it to be a pretty fun place...and one that is filled with quite possibly the nicest people I have ever come to meet. 

As sometimes the Universe blesses me with good things, I happened to be in the area (ish) the same weekend, one of my most favorite performers, Kristin Chenoweth, was having two homecoming concerts in Broken Arrow, OK. These concerts were going to be at a theater named after her and were going to be filmed for PBS. Obviously, I just had to be there. 

And I don't care how geeky it is, or how not cool her music maybe, I loved every moment and it was incredibly special to see her perform where she grew up. She got overwhelmed a few time and cried, but was very funny and entertaining. I got the chance to meet her and her parents afterwards at a little after party, I somehow managed to end up at (seriously, small town people are awesome). 

Afterwards, I tweeted her a photo of her parents that she ended up retweeting: 

Pretty darn good way to spend a weekend. 

As I left OK, I must admit, I may have been zooming up the highway and got pulled over. True to OK form, the officer was incredibly friendly...he was going to issue me a written warning...and then he asked me to get out of my car....and to sit in the front seat of his car. Since then, I've totally googled this occurrence and apparently it happens fairly often in OK (still of idea why) but at the time, all I could think of was this is how girls like me end up on episodes of Dateline or Law and Order: SVU. I proceed to follow him into the car, and look around. My nervousness is clear as I can't seem to stop chatting...so the officer and I learn quite a bit about each other. (he's a native Okie, farm boy, good looking). He teaches me the ins and outs of speeding while in OK ( be more cautious in the morning). Finally, he gets back to business, and were both on our merry way. 

Odd, yes. But good story...and has reaffirmed my belief that Okies are the nicest people in the history of all people. 

Afterwards, I jump up to Kansas City to stop off at the Truman Museum (seriously, you learn a lot...not at all a lame hobby). And finally ended up in Omaha. 

Now, I'm heading home for a week (amazing). Gonna soak it in...this'll be a long semester! 

I'll do better this time. I promise.

Well, what can I say. It's been awhile (okay, longer than awhile) since I last posted. A lot has happened the past year. 

Here is the 2013/2014 school year in a nutshell. 

I started my 5th year of working for my awesome company:

I went on a beautiful glacier tour of Alaska: 

I dressed up as Lana Winters from American Horror Story for Halloween: 

I turned 3-onederful and celebrated with some amazing friends: 

I saw my 4th Rockefeller Christmas tree: 

 

I celebrated 10 years since studying abroad:

I watched the Seahawks win the Super Bowl: 

I went back to Alaska and went dog sledding with friend S:

I took up running and ran a half marathon: 

I got to hike around beautiful Colorado: 

I fulfilled a lifelong dream of going to Dollywood with friend A:

I wrote an entire Thesis and didn't die trying:

I finally finished Grad School:

I went to NOLA with my momma: 

I spent a few weeks this summer in Europe: 

Salzburg, Austria

Krakow, Poland

Budapest, Hungary 

Zagreb, Croatia 

There were tears, there was even more laughter, there was a lot of sweat and believing in things that seemed impossible, but all I can say is that I'm incredibly blessed.