Time for the bubbly!

Save the date in my memory banks... January 19, 2011. I finally got my first real job! Yay meeeeeeeee!

More details forthcoming... it's 11:32pm, and

I need to wake up for... work in the morning. Fine by me! :-P

To do list (in no particular order):

• learn to budget (yeah... need to get on that)
• pay off (long expired...oops) parking tickets
• drink some champagneeeee
• celebrate...for an extended period
• pay off some people who've kindly loaned me money
• graciously look back on the past year and the adventures I've been able to have... and will be able to continue to have!
• start planning the next big things. I'm thinking Brazil (which may already be possible in November... time shall tell...), a Paris and Italy (Perugia?) combo, snowboard trip out west (JH for the memories? Tahoe? elsewhere?), roadtrip down the Cali coast with surf lessons in SoCal, visiting Bri in Florida, Coachella... check. next big music fest (ACL? Bonnarroo?), the rest of the list TBD
• learn how to make my money work for me... possibilities...

More on these fabulous things later. Right now, giving my thanks to all the wonderful people and forces in my life. Not to sound contrived (but, well, to sound contrived) ...sometimes the going gets tough. But the tough get going.

One year...

...and one amazing year of travel and adventure later. A chapter closed, a new chapter opened. It has been more than a year since I last wrote here, but I feel perhaps that this is the right time to pick up this blog once again and track my thoughts, experiences, and goals.

Jackson was the adventure I needed to have, although not the easy one I had rather naively envisioned. One thing, for sure, that I have learned about life this past year is that for all the desire for adventure a person may espouse, it certainly comes bittersweet when it cannot be shared with the person one loves. For years, I had made a pledge to myself that I would embrace an adventure for a year after college, a time in my life that would present the least number of responsibilities than any other time thereafter, when it truly would be as simple as just picking up and doing it. One can always come up with an excuse that it's not the right time, that money is short, that it is a bad career move, whatever the argument of choice may be. But you know, there is never an ideal time for making such an important decision. But those who are successful in making good ones make the best decision they can with the information at hand, and then they react to the consequences. Life is about sacrifices, and you make sacrifices for the things that are important to you.

This chapter was one of those times. I am passionate about travel, and I see it as a wonderful means for developing oneself as a person. And yet, I always imagined my post grad adventure to be something more along the lines of teaching English in China. Something more... exotic. Foreign. Distant. Unknown. Yet that was before I had someone who truly meant something deeply to me. Ali, the love of my life, is here in DC. His career, his life is here. I wouldn't ask, expect, or even want for him to have gone with me on my adventure. Jackson was about ME. It was my adventure, and if I didn't have such an adventure, I would likely grow to resent the things and the people who prevented it later on. All the more reason I needed to get up and go.

Yet it is impossible, no matter how much you might wish to try, to simply remove oneself from other things while pursuing their own endeavors, which I suppose is what I had originally imagined: an adventure without constraints. But situations change, and with that change one's desires: I love someone, and so an adventure 10,000 miles away in China could never have been the enjoyable adventure I once wanted-- not without having the man I love, who is tied to DC right now, to share it with me. It was hard enough as it was not being able to share the beautiful Tetons with Ali being 2,500 miles away.

Along with my one year gap adventure, of course, comes the question: what's next? What are my career goals? The past two years, I have felt very unsure. I have felt largely burdened by this question for a while now, and it certainly was not a question that was buried away while I was in Jackson. Rather, I carried that question with me often-- which I perhaps regret somewhat, as it didn't help me to simply be in the moment, to be in a state of flow... which I am certain is critical to success in all endeavors, no matter how large or small. The things I confidently thought that I wanted to pursue post grad while I was still in college are no longer the same. Now I'm trying discover what those other things are. And I feel confident that I'm on the right track to setting goals and making them happen. But it is a challenging journey, and one that certainly has no end in close sight.

Then in July, Ali's father passed away unexpectedly. That changed everything. The person I love had a piece of him ripped away. I've never lost a parent, and I've never been so attached to someone else when they have lost their mother or father. Being there for someone grieving such a loss is challenging in more ways than one might imagine. And seeing the person you love hurting... is painful. I won't attempt to speak further about his father's death, because to do so here would mean either writing a novel (that would inevitably still trivialize the experience) or leaving out important details (that would be inappropriate to exclude, and also trivialize the experience). Suffice it to say, this past year has been a great teacher about love. Love does not come easy, it involves challenges, it involves sacrifices... but you do it, because your love for another surmounts those challenges. You're part of a team, and you work together... because you have no other choice but to. Throughout this past year, I have come to discover-- and the path of discovery is long and rocky-- of what it means to truly love another person. Love is not easy, but you invest in it enough and it will carry you through the hard times and the easy.

This past year involved a great deal of exploration and discovery, of the world around me and of myself, and I look back on it and know it was the right choice. But it did not come easy. It included a lot of sacrifice, a lot of loneliness, a lot of learning about myself and about love. It left me feeling unable to fully embrace the experience as I might have originally wished to. And I realize that no matter how I might have sliced it-- whatever my decision to be in DC, Jackson, China, or somewhere else altogether-- my decision could never have been without its flaws. But I know I made the right decision for me.

Deeper reflections aside, I look at my adventure and think, wow. I did that. More travel than most 22 year olds (now 23) should ever be able to recount. One year after leaving for the west, I recount my experiences of the past year or so...

I've driven over 9,000 miles through 22 states. (Listed in order: The journey to Jackson, Wyoming from: Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming. Then a Coachella roadtrip departing Jackson through Idaho to Utah [Zion], Nevada [Vegas], California [Indio]. Then upon heading back east from Jackson: to Montana, Washington, Oregon, [California], Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, [Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania,] New York, Connecticut.)

I've explored six national parks. Grand Teton, Yellowstone, Zion, Glacier, Redwoods, and the Grand Canyon.

I enjoyed a trip to Austin, Texas last fall. Go 'horns!

I traveled to the UAE on a trip to Dubai with Ali in March. Pseudo-Middle East.

I enjoyed a trip to Telluride, Colorado with Ali. Blues and brews. Absolutely spectacular. And best yet, I discovered my summer alternative to snowboarding: mountain biking!

Did I mention I became quite the snowboarder? Riding Jackson Hole will do that to you.

...It has been quite the year.

Connecticut, Texas, Wyoming: The Perfect Triumvirate

LIFE IS SO GOOD.

Many big changes taking place. Ever since I moved to DC, things were okay, and I love that I get to see Ali on every whim, but my urge to be in a different place and return to DC at a later time finally overtook me to the point where it was souring my relationship. Ever since making the decision to move out west and be a snowboard bum for the winter, I've been so much happier for it. So much!

And it was like it was meant to be, since everything fell into place with minimal effort and with extreme speed. With just one afternoon of Craigslisting, I got a response from a guy that he had three other guys looking for a fourth roommate for his apartment (3 blocks from the center square of Jackson, mind you... AMAZING location), and one just happened to be from Villanova... we had met freshman year and had talked about snowboarding.... what a small world.

So my friend Kristina Scarff, who I met at Jackson last winter on my epic JH trip with Omar, happens to also be going back to Jackson this winter. She just checked out the apartment yesterday, gave it the thumbs up, it's good to go, my check is in the mail, my car Thomas is out of the garage and going to be treated to a nice oil change and tuneup to prepare for his first big roadtrip (over 2000 miles!), and I am super, super excited. STOKED!

Meanwhile, KT my roomate found another girl to take my place, so she moved in on Oct 1st and I'll be sleeping on the couch the next few weeks before I leave (and have an extra $700 in my pocket for giving up my room and avoiding owing rent, which will be very, very helpful). Mom and Dad come tomorrow night (Sunday) to help me move all my stuff out of the apartment and drive back to Connecticut early Monday morning. I'll hang there until Wednesday, at which point I will have unpacked, repacked (with everything necessary for my winter in JH in tow), and head back to DC for a great trip out to Austin with Ali-- we leave that very next day.

Austin should be awesome, and it has been a long time coming! He sure has talked up the place for the past 14 months we've been together. And having met so many Texans in DC, all of whom are Texas obsessed and passionate about the many blessings of Austin, I'm very psyched for this trip.

...more to come later, have to get ready for an afternoon with Ali pre-Sette tonight!

And the fall comes...

It always happens: I'm feeling secure in where I'm at, then WHAM. Lost, once again. Not sure where I'm going, if I like the way the path is taking shape, or if I see much of a path at all. But there is comfort in knowing that I'm not alone. This is a common feeling among many people, and especially people at the same place in their lives as I. And with loving friends and family in tow, I can't fail. So I succumb to the feeling, relish the anguish, and release. The moment has passed. Forward motion resumes. I recall my personal philosophy and bring it back to the forefront of my mind. While there are many ideas that I strive to live by, two quotes in particular stand out: “Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable,” and “Lead a value driven life.” Take these ideas, apply them to your daily decisions, endeavor towards your desires. Now get moving. One does not make backward progress, even the slowest of movement is a continuous motion forward. Only in standing still does peril loom.

What of the options that lie ahead? Tread carefully, approach throughtfully, and embrace new challenges and opportunities. Stand firm in your values.


On another note. Here in DC, the scent and memories of autumn come rushing in. Texas Longhorns football and frito pie. Cool breeze and changing colors. It feels different. Another year goes by. It finally feels like a full year with Ali. I like it. I like that I'm here, not a traveler here but a native. Yet just like autumn brings both the wistful feelings of another passing year as well as joy for the fruits of here and now, I feel myself getting closer once again to a crossroads. Just a couple of months ago, it was the move to DC. Now, it's the movement forward to take on that next adventure calling my name. I'm one step closer to my westbound adventure...

About Me

Honest to a fault. Secure in who I am. I appreciate constructive criticism of my self, and I make sure to offer it to my friends. People are often struck by how well I am able to break down and articulate the elements of a situation. I relate well with others and offer good advice when asked. I am a good listener. I am comfortable with silence and do not always feel compelled to speak just for the sake of speaking. I call out others bull. I like and respect when others call me out on mine. I enjoy a good verbal spar once in a while. I consider myself an accurate judge of character. I try my best to practice what I preach. I am a loyal and caring friend. I can get along with just about anyone, and while I am friendly towards most people, there are only a small handful of people I consider my close friends. I know how lucky I am to have them in my life, and I know they are lucky to have me in theirs. I know that not everyone may like me, and I’m okay with that. I am confident, honest, straightforward, and real, and I choose to surround myself with people of the same caliber. I may not always agree with you, but I will always treat you with the respect I want to be treated with in return. I will always go out of my way to help others if I can. I believe in karma and that what goes around comes around. I sometimes grow impatient, but I try to correct myself as soon as I become aware. I strive towards constant self improvement, but I don’t sweat the small stuff. I don’t waste others’ time, and I don’t let people waste mine. I am a leader, but I also know that part of being a team means working together towards a common goal, and at times we must all take turns being the star player. I know to make comprises when I can, and I hold firm when I cannot. I am a good instructor and a patient teacher. I know that there is nothing like an early morning run for clearing the mind, or lifting weights for physical strength, mental stamina, and working through stress. I enjoy a friendly competition. I also play to win. When I am happy, I cannot help but to spread that same joy and positive attitude to everyone around me. I have the power to draw people to me by virtue of my optimistic outlook and love of life. I know that I can get what I want through my charm and personality. I always make big plans and live life to the fullest. I do something, everyday. I am an explorer. I will be able to call myself a mountaineer some day. I make snowboarding look easy. I am a skydiver. I would like to be a cliff jumper. I love adventure. I love the company of others, but sometimes I prefer to be off on my own. I am an independent thinker. I am far from superstitious, but I do think it interesting that my sign is the Gemini, the twins, two opposing personalities. I see this quality reveal itself frequently. I am equally the extrovert and the introvert, the adventurer and the homebody, the dreamer and the realist, the perplexed philosopher and the simple lover of life. I enjoy the satisfaction and results that come from hard work. I know that the prize will not be sent to me; I set my sights high and work hard for what I want. I am an environmentalist. I am a concerned individual, and I will never just sit and watch the world pass by me. I contribute to my community. I appreciate the fact that there is more than one right way to live. I try never to judge people, because I admit my incapacity for knowing what has made them the way that they are. I know that it is easy to break trust but much harder to gain it back. I don’t hold grudges. I enjoy the simple things. I appreciate the way that Italians work to live rather than live to work. I admire the sense of adventure, work ethic, and inspiration that has made America the nation it is today. I am a dreamer. I want to be a cowboy. I fantasize that I will grow old out in the mountains and wide open country, with horses and a big farmhouse with a veranda and rocking chairs. I never regret anything I do or the mistakes I have made, because I know they have made me wiser and shaped me into the person I am today. My only regrets are for missed opportunities. I know that what does not kill me makes me stronger. I push myself to my limits. Then I push harder. I like being out of my comfort level. I always have fun. I don’t get too caught up in the little things. I live in the moment. I am far from perfect, but I am pretty content with who I am.