December 2007 Archives
Did I mention that I was going to Mexico? Yeah, I've been in Puerto Vallarta for about one week... See you back in the Estados Unidos al fin de semana!
Alright, it’s time to dust the cobwebs off this place…
My six month sabbatical has been going incredibly well. To say that it has exceeded my expectations would be a ridiculous understatement. The two months in Europe were life changing. My world has been expanded tenfold and I can never go back. I treasure the 200+ pages I wrote in my journal where I recapped the events and feelings of every single day of my trip. When I read back through it, I see the tone change from nervous about the unknown to confident about whatever comes next. Seeing Europe’s differences and deep history was stupendous, but realizing that I successfully coordinated a two month travel plan over 13 countries, 5 currencies, and 37 different beds boggles my mind.
The downtime in Portland has also been wonderful. I’ve been able to spend quality leisure time with my friends and family. I’ve been able to take time to do the things that I enjoy, and I’ve had time to try new things. One of those new things is tile mosaic art. When I was in Italy, I fell in love with the art form, and I was determined to try my hand at it when I returned home. I have already made one that was patterned after a mosaic I saw in Pompeii and now I’m working on one that I designed myself. Both turned out way better than I thought I was capable of. Like the Europe trip, I made it up as I went along, and the results exceeded expectations!
A month ago we were invited to spend a week in Puerto Vallarta at an all inclusive resort with some friends. All we had to do was buy the plane tickets down there, and the rest was already paid for. We jumped on the deal, and last week was spent basking in the warm Mexican sun. The warmth, drinks, and food were quite enjoyable (I’ve got an expanded belly to prove it), but the social situation was a little difficult. We were in a group of about 20 friends, of which we only knew two people. So, we did what we could to connect with people, and made the most of it. Even though it wasn’t what I’d consider a great vacation, I was happy with the outcome.
This Friday we fly back to Maui for three weeks and I’m very excited. I’m looking forward to snorkeling and swimming and boogie boarding and lounging on the many beautiful Maui beaches!
I still have about 2.5 months before school starts, so I’m just over halfway through my extended vacation. As the plan stands now, I’ll have 3 weeks in Maui, 3 weeks in Portland, and 4 weeks in Sydney before I have to get serious again!
(We originally planned to fly straight to Sydney from Maui, but we changed our plans in order to save some money. Now we will be returning to Portland for the remainder of January, and then we’ll fly to Sydney at the beginning of February.)
And the big question is… when am I going to get my journal up on my site!?!? Well… I don’t know. Journaling for 60+ days straight was a real task at times, and I guess I’m still a little burned out on it. I’m so glad I did it, but I don’t have the fortitude at the moment to type it all up. So, someday it’ll make it on here, but I’m not sure exactly when.
Alright, back to life as a happy bum! :)
