Travel Bug Update!

Hello Everyone! I wanted to give you an update since my last trip, “A Journey Into Peace”. During those 10 weeks, I took some much-needed time to calm my mind, breathe, and look inward, focusing on what direction to head next. After spending close to 25 years in the construction industry with a lot of ups and downs, personally and professionally, it became very clear I need to make a big change. I have known this for several years but had struggled with what to do. I became a Certified Personal Trainer in January of 2016 to learn more about bettering my health and how to help others do the same. I thought I could do this on the side while I got some experience, but with a full-time job with lots of demands outside of normal work hours, it just didn’t work. In January my job came to an end leaving me a bit angry, confused, and finally free to explore other opportunities. This is what prompted the trip!

While I was traveling, I realized I needed more time to regroup and figure things out. When I arrived back in Colorado, I started cleaning out my house, purging, and preparing to rent it out for a year so I could see more of the world and experience all types of new things. On June 30^th, I finally hired a property manager and placed a “for rent” sign in the yard. Not even a week later, on the 4^th of July, I walked across the street to visit my friends for dinner and the fireworks show. This is when my life changed for the better. I met Troy, the greatest man I ever could have imagined! The more we talked, the more we found we had in common. At the end of the evening, we walked and talked late into the night. That weekend, we hiked and kept talking as I had to stay away from my house for the first rental showing. As things continued to progress, Troy and I decided that it made more sense for him to move in with me instead of renting my place to a complete stranger. Since then we have taken a couple of fun road trips to Nebraska, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming as well as a quick weekend in Atlanta for Troy to do a marital arts demo at Japanfest. What a blast!

My travel plans began to evolve as Troy and I grew closer. I had a one-way ticket to Milan on Sept. 6th, planning to travel south through Italy so I could make it to Salento by the 22^nd to begin a yoga retreat with Nickyy, the most amazing instructor I met in Cambodia last February. After the retreat I planned on traveling and doing Workaways until Troy and I would meet in Nepal at the end of the year to travel for 3 weeks before coming home. On Tuesday we talked and decided we needed a bit more time to get organized and figure things out. I canceled my ticket and now have decided to attend the retreat, do a Workaway for 2-3 weeks (hopefully on the Turquoise Coast of Turkey if I’m accepted), and then return home to spend some time together before our trip to Nepal and India.

Although my goals of my upcoming journey have changed, I feel more focused than ever and excited to see how the next chapters of my life unfold. I am grateful for this opportunity to leave home with my heart full of love and my mind open to the amazing possibilities ahead. I look forward to sharing my experiences in a much more open format and hope you will feel compelled to reach out and share your thoughts along the way.

Until then, cheers, hugs and love!