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22. Arizona

So, I had been to Arizona many times in my life, but this time was very special to me. It wasn’t a holiday, it wasn’t anything other than me going down to see my Grandma! I love my Grandma so much! She has visited me my entire life and always came to my graduations and big events. She wrote every holiday and she never forgot about me, not that I thought she would... BUT still, my whole life she was there for me! Always calling me and taking special interest in what I was doing! This trip was special to me, and always will be! My Grandma and I traveled around the state (I got to drive us, which was awesome too). We went to the painted desert, petrified forest and drove through Winslow on route 66! This vacation will always be my favorite memory with my Grandma. She is exactly 50 years older than me & we have very close birthdays so she is 76 this year.

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21. The Bahamas

Denise and I took a spring break trip to the Bahamas while she was attending that so called ‘prep-school.’ We spent the weekend in Miami, did some pretty wild underage drinking. Some guy bought us a bougie breakfast and drinks. We were giving out fake numbers to people left and right. Spent some nights at the beach and dancing and laughing. Never quite made it into Nikki Beach but then we took our 4 day cruise on the “Majesty of the Sea” via some Caribbean cruise line. This cruise was amazing! We stopped at three different places and took three excursions! One was to a private beach on balmoral island outside of Nassau! So beautiful and EMPTY!

One was jet skiing around key west, an absolutely amazing experience and Denise’s first time on a jet ski!!!

We went kayaking one of the days and slept in hammocks!!

And swam with the dolphins who LOVED Denise- hahaa one of the times two went to Denise and the other girl was soo upset about it lol!!

We got drunk at senior frogs and almost missed boarding the boat 😬😬 in our drunken stopper made some really poor choices, but in all this was one of the craziest and best memories of the trip; jumping off the bar into the water, dancing on the bars, and swinging with that Air Force pilot! This trip was truly one for the books!

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21. California

After two years of my best friend from elementary school living in California I thought I had to pay a visit to see him in LA! I arrived in early February of 2015. We visited Venice beach, went skating on the path, ate delicious healthy food, bought my favorite wallet on Abbot Kinney, chased Malibu sunsets and just enjoyed such a great time together!! Since then We’ve made sure to visit each other every year no matter what :)

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20. Niagara Falls, Canada

Happy New Year 2️⃣0️⃣1️⃣5️⃣ ! Denise and I made plans for New Year’s Day to road trip from CT to Niagara Falls. After a Long night of over-drinking and passing out at my friend Mackenzie’s party we woke up at 6am and rallied the 9 hour drive to the falls. We stopped at McDonalds and then met up with my friend Elizabeth and her boyfriend in Niagara. What a fun time! We all went to the Hard Rock Cafe and sang kareoke all night long and we had balloon hats and drank scorpion bowls!

The next day Elizabeth’s boyfriend got sick and had to go to the hospital, so Denise and I hit the clubbbbbb. That was a night for the books, filled with many firsts 😁😇 The song ‘back up off me’ will always reminds me of this vacation !

This was the view from our hotel room^^ 🙌🏼🙌🏼

I don’t know why I thought the falls would be much taller than they were... I’m still impressed with Mother Nature nonetheless. These falls were massive and beautiful :)

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19. Guatemala

About 6 months after we got back from Europe I attended my first (and only) mission trip with my church! What an experience. I enjoyed similar feelings as I did in Morocco, only this time we were able to make a difference/impact. Myself and a team of about 7 stayed at the orphanage Casa Shalom where we would leave from to give food to the local community and spend the day with the kids making crafts and singing/dancing (:

Guatemala the country was beautiful! I saw my first active volcano there, I would wake up very early around 5am to just watch the sun rise over the gates and eclipse the volcano in the distance.

On the flip side. There was no infrastructure for plumbing, water networks or collecting garbage etc. Here is a photo I took on a hike where you can see the landslide of trash of the side on a mountain. Very sad to see kids rolling around on these large piles of trash you can find around the area.

We were able to take the kids to the park for a day of playing and another time to the pool for a fun adventure.

During my time at Casa Shalom I got to meet Colim. Colim and I became close pretty quickly as we would make jokes with each other and have a good time together at all the events. We sat together and painted each others finger nails, I did Colim’s hair with braids and got the know her well. Although I did not speak a lick of Spanish her English was good enough to keep us engaged. To this day I still keep in touch with my girl. I started to sponsor her the sat I left through the orphanage until she was 19 found a job in the Guatemalan army. Afterwards I still tried to send her things she migt need including multiple iPhones so we can FaceTime. She is a remarkable young woman who lost her parents at a young age and was able to overcome some of the toughest childhood conditions to become the woman she is today. Colim wants to be a flight attendent now. I am so proud of Colim, I know she will do great things :)

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18. Montreal & Maine

While Belgium ended our great European adventure, Montreal welcomed us back to North America. My friend Jake picked us up from the airpoert where we left and went into the city. I remeber there was a piano either outside or in the breakfast place we went to eat, but I remember Abby got on and started playing! So facinating to learn she had true talens besides staying up thorughout the night with me pounding drinks! Just kidding... that is not ALL we did. We did have a great time but it was very cool to see a different side of her. As we traveled back home we waited at the boarder for HOURS... note to self not to ever fly out of or into Montreal again... we stopped at the harbor after we passed and took photos of the beautiful sunny day!

We didn't stay long in Montreal, and back to CT we would go, dropping Abby off in Maine along the way. That is not why the title has Maine in it though. It has Maine in it becuase I visited Abby in Maine a few weeks later and she showed me Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park. Both were absolutley stunning and breath taking. This, I remember were some of the first places I visited in the US and thought WOW -- all the overseas travleing and I don't even know what is in my own back yard!

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2. The List

I am a planner. I am not a perfect planner, I like to go off the cuff and be spontaneous but I love lists! I don’t always stick to my lists well... but something about making a list is theraputic. This list took me almost a week to write. Each item that has a number next to it, for example: (0/67), there is a running list on an excel sheet for it... unless its supposed to represent time or money. 

I started this challenge because an old friend of mine told me how he started it and I was quickly interested. There really is no organization to this list, just the order things came to my mind. Now to see what the hype is all about... I hope you all enjoy what comes of this list as much as I do!

** This list photo will update as I complete my tasks **

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Starting strong, I hope we can maintain this momentum. I can keep a journal for a month! Plus there are plenty of pages in here for me to start over if I choose. 

---UPDATE! I made the journal to day 9! I need to restart because I forgot for about a week, to be fair, it is tough to keep a fitness journal when every gym in the entire country is unavailable. I will start this journal again once I can keep up with a gym routine.

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3. Reflection

Today I’m reflecting on Thanksgiving. To me it feels like I am not missing out on much. Normally I wake up early to get all dressed up just to drive all over my state. I have this family here and that one there, another somewhere else so I never get to stay long at any one place— and I always miss the formal lunch at everyone’s house. Hear me out, I love my family as much as anyone, but the holidays have always been more stressful than relaxing for me. As I sit in my apartment in France watching Netflix with my dog, I can’t help but think about what I’m really missing out on by not being home for thanksgiving. Splitting the day between family is good because I do get to see everyone I normally don’t get to see, but it sucks because I don’t get in any real time anywhere. I’m thankful that we have a day in America dedicated to thinking about the things in life we are most grateful for. While this is not the original purpose for today, I find it worth believing in. The alternative is less admirable... in any event, I took my dog for a walk today and he stopped to watch the birds fly and as I watched him watch the birds I couldn’t help but reflect on what he was thinking; I mean, what do I even think about when I see birds fly. The novelty to him, seeing and animal skim the water then raise in the air so effortlessly; such a freeing beauty that birds hold we often take for granted. It’s something that no matter how hard or fast my dog ran, he could never jump into the sky and lift away— being a bird is just something he could never physically attain, only admire. He sat for a while, I took his photo because he just looked so majestic and cute. The reflection of the houses in the background reminded me of today. A day set on the calendar to look back a reflect on the things that make you most happy. Things that you are thankful for. I am thankful for my friends and family back home; For my dog and living in France; I am thankful people can take this weekend to dedicate to something that we normally overlook. As I am in France I am thankful for the opportunity to reflect on thanksgiving — a day I cannot physically be a part of.

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4. Oops

I definitely missed a day... so do I restart? I put a lot of time and effort into thinking what I would do about missing a day. I decided that I might be a little lazy for this, or just self-aware, but I will not start over if I miss a day... I think 365 days is a long time. So if I miss one day it just wont count - that means I have to post an extra day, not 4. This is reasonable to me because if I forgot to post on day 312, I would NOT want to restart the clock. Especially because, like I have mentioned before, posting online is not really the norm for me. It's something I have to go out of my way to do.. So here is to a day late, my first crepe and 361 days to go!

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5. Portugal

Portugal was the first country I ever visited! Back in 2012 I went on an 'EF' (Education Frist) tour in high school with my French class!

Two things you might be thinking, 1. "Wow, must be nice to travel in high school - she must have had money like that," and 2. "Don't they speak Portuguese in Portugal?"

First, I was not rich growing up. As a matter of fact, quite the opposite. When I was in high school my French teacher told me about these amazing trips she hosted in the summers -- ending with "You have to come with us!" I wish it were that easy. I wanted to go so badly, I had to find a way. I worked my butt off that year. I started working at McDonalds and raised funds peddling goodies from my desk. People from all over school would come to my locker and donate their used water bottles (I raised over $200 in water bottles)! My friends family helped me make cookies and hard candy to help raise funds. Even my teachers pitched in. This whole experience made me believe anything was possible. Leaving JFK, I knew with the right people behind me, the sky was the limit.

Second, The EF tour we took incompassed five different countries, Portugal being our first stop -- sneak peak: France was Last!

I am sad to say that most of my memories from this trip have subsided. I lost the travel journal I kept after returning home. This made me never want to keep a journal again. I have thankfully grown away from that ideology and I now continue to journal.

I do remember loving the weather in Portugal in June. Hot and sunny! The roads were cobble stone, like pictures I saw in books. The roofs were red and everything looked a little sandy there. I wish I could be a better guide for those looking to go to Portugal, but no worries I have a better memory for more countries to come in the following posts :)

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6. Spain

I liked Spain so much because it is exactly what I pictured it to be (bulls with red drapes and all)! We went to Seville, Barcelona, and Algarve. Three beautiful towns -- so much fresh air and sun! In Spain we saw a traditional Flamenco dance show and I drank my first glass of wine ever. We also did a bike tour here and I think that was a huge highlight. Now that I think of it though, I should have put that on my list of 101 things to do! Again this trip was taken almost 9 years ago so my memories are pretty faint.

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7. Monaco / Morocco

I put Monaco and Morocco together because these were both short one-day excursions we took on the trip. Also, the two could not have been more different.

Monaco was luxurious and quaint. Yachts lined up in the water as far as the eye could see. We saw some beautiful shops and views at Monte Carlo. We also got to witness the Grand Prix in person, I will say that it’s not too exciting when there is no race going on. I tried my first Croque Monsieur here, and Ooo did I love it. Actually this was the point of the trip that I started to run low on funds. I remember because I only ate that croque monsieur that day, and my teacher had paid for it. I was starting to really feel the effects of not having financial stability or a savings account for that matter.

Morocco was a lot different than I had imagined. While we were there we enjoyed a traditional couscous dinner -- family style. It was something that took me out of my comfort zone for sure. The whole experience was something I remember most vividly. From the ferry ride over, seeing the true rock of Gibraltar, to the armed guards we had for protection with our high school group. I remember that didn’t quite know what I could expect. Maybe I was thinking an African Jungle or some other stereotype of camels in the desert. What I came to find here was outside of my reach. I thought I knew poor, I grew up poor. This was not the same. The well known beautiful Casablanca palaces were juxtaposed with the slums and the markets. I’ll never forget the cats I saw, starving and brittle looking pests. People begging everywhere for food and money. It was like nothing I’d ever seen. Even the ‘clean’ people were dressed in a thin layer of dirt. It sent me back with an emotion I never felt. Helplessness in thinking there was nothing I could do to help, at least not by working at McDonald’s. I felt an eternal pull that I needed to make some kind of true meaningful contribution.

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8. France

The first time I came to France, I visited Nice. We enjoyed the first day on the rocky beaches, and right before we had to go I saw some people in the sky attached to a boat, it looked like so much fun -- I looked around and saw a sign that said “parasailing,” never heard of it before. We were leaving the next day, and there was no chance to come back to the beach, as it was a group tour. The beach was just a few blocks from our hotel though and I had just the plan. I checked the prices and time they opened as we were headed out. The next day before we returned back home to America, we had to be in the lobby ready to go by noon. I convinced my two friends Danyelle and Ben that we could come back to go parasailing in the morning as long as we had everything together by 9am. That’s exactly what we did! We snuck out that morning and reported to the beach and set out on their first sail of the day. Made it back just before 1130 to meet the group. At the time it felt a little rebellious, maybe rash. Convincing the two of them to do it was actually difficult as well, but that is what made it so memorable. This was a huge highlight of the trip (if not the biggest) and I knew it would be the last adventure I would have until I could afford my next one. This trip taught me so much about life. I got the physically see that there was SO much more our there in life and understand the importance of understanding different cultures and ways of life, not to mention I was only 16 - this adventure would become the cornerstone of any success I experienced in my adult life. 

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9. Oklahoma, the interlude

I took a break from my travel hiatus to do what I thought would help me find my way into higher education. I stoped traveling the world for some time to start traveling the US— mainly from army bases. Nonetheless, on Aug 8, 2013 (over one year after my enlistment date of June 27, 2012) I reported to Fort Sill, OK for basic combat training for the United States Army. Enjoy this photo of 17 year old me 3 days Into boot camp.

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10. Texas

Everything is bigger in Texas - is an understatement! While in AIT I ate the biggest pizza and the biggest cinnamon roll known to man! I also made the biggest commitment of my life in Texas. Not the typical committed relationship that you might be thinking... I met my best friend, Denise Blackmon.

She hated me at first for being soo brutally honest and a little annoying. Truth be told, I knew she would come around. I am the type of person that grows on people, my first impressions are never really that impressive. Little did she know it at the time, but we would both be in it for the long haul eventually. Not only did we have a similar upbringing and optimistic view on the world, we genuinely cared about what mattered most to us. We both had firey passions and enormous gripes.

She pushed me to be faster and stronger. She pushed me to understand who I was (an as*hole as she often described me). Even if I didn’t know fully who I was, she would at least help me get to why I did or said the things I did. We did everything together, partially because we were assigned to, but eventually because we wanted to. She made my life better, and continues to do so today.

Leaving Texas was only hard because I knew I’d be leaving my best friend. More on our story in later posts **

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11. Georgia

Fort Benning - home of the infantry is where I spent the next 7 months of my training. The irony is that when I arrived here at fort Benning I was taking X-rays of people who fell out of planes and broke their ankles, femurs, shoulders etc., and I left fort Benning being one of the people who is qualified to jump from those planes. Luckily for me I did not break anything along the way, except maybe my pride 🙃