Bermuda

January 28, 2014 In Alaska, Bermuda, Caribbean, Florida, Inspiration, Links, Live the life you want to live, Maine, New York, People, Photos, Travel

how does this author know so much about me?

A friend sent me this blog post today and as I read it, I kept thinking; YES! YES! YES! That is totally me.

DON’T DATE A GIRL WHO TRAVELS

She’s the one with the messy unkempt hair colored by the sun. Her skin is now far from fair like it once was. Not even sun kissed. It’s burnt with multiple tan lines, wounds and bites here and there. But for every flaw on her skin, she has an interesting story to tell.

Don’t date a girl who travels. She is hard to please. The usual dinner-movie date at the mall will suck the life out of her. Her soul craves for new experiences and adventures. She will be unimpressed with your new car and your expensive watch. She would rather climb a rock or jump out of an airplane than hear you brag about it.

Don’t date a girl who travels because she will bug you to book a flight every time there’s an airline seat sale. She wont party at Republiq. And she will never pay over $100 for Avicii because she knows that one weekend of clubbing is equivalent to one week somewhere far more exciting.

Chances are, she can’t hold a steady job. Or she’s probably daydreaming about quitting. She doesn’t want to keep working her ass off for someone else’s dream. She has her own and is working towards it. She is a freelancer. She makes money from designing, writing, photography or something that requires creativity and imagination. Don’t waste her time complaining about your boring job.

Don’t date a girl who travels. She might have wasted her college degree and switched careers entirely. She is now a dive instructor or a yoga teacher. She’s not sure when the next paycheck is coming. But she doesn’t work like a robot all day, she goes out and takes what life has to offer and challenges you to do the same.

Don’t date a girl who travels for she has chosen a life of uncertainty. She doesn’t have a plan or a permanent address. She goes with the flow and follows her heart. She dances to the beat of her own drum. She doesn’t wear a watch. Her days are ruled by the sun and the moon. When the waves are calling, life stops and she will be oblivious to everything else for a moment. But she has learned that the most important thing in life isn’t surfing.

Don’t date a girl who travels as she tends to speak her mind. She will never try to impress your parents or friends. She knows respect, but isn’t afraid to hold a debate about global issues or social responsibility.

She will never need you. She knows how to pitch a tent and screw her own fins without your help. She cooks well and doesn’t need you to pay for her meals. She is too independent and wont care whether you travel with her or not. She will forget to check in with you when she arrives at her destination. She’s busy living in the present. She talks to strangers. She will meet many interesting, like-minded people from around the world who share her passion and dreams. She will be bored with you.

So never date a girl who travels unless you can keep up with her. And if you unintentionally fall in love with one, don’t you dare keep her. Let her go.

Confession:

I’m amidst one of the worst winter-duldrum/when does this end and get warm again already/why am I not living in the tropics/on the road full time right now- times I’ve ever had. I’m sure you’re probably thinking boo-hoo, Diane- don’t you travel enough? Haven’t you been to enough spots? Aren’t you thankful for what you have done and where you have gone? Well, no, no, and yes. Travel is simply a part of my heart & soul. I can’t explain it. The above blog post makes me want to run- not walk, and do more.

I’ve tried so hard to shake this pesky bug, this lifestyle, this insatiable hunger for all things exploration and travel, but I just can’t. Sigh. I want to (I really do!) I want to be “normal” but I just can’t be. I’ve realized more and more lately, that probably the only thing that will ever keep me happy is living light and free; Free to stay if I want, to go if I want, to embrace the full “Me-ness” that is me, the forever overly curious, fight to feel truly alive everyday, wanderer.

At the moment I’m under a big blanket feeling cold, stuck, pretty uninspired, and not really myself. In an effort to ditch those yuck feelings, I just perused a bunch of my goofy, fun, and slightly ridiculous travel photos:

The above photo should actually say; I just love everything…TRAVEL.

Ok, now I feel better. I guess when those blah, endless feeling wintery days strike- It’s best to fight back with memories of all the awesome that has been a part of my life already, and all that is still to come.

The reason I started my current BLR 365 project (have you seen it and gotten on board yet?) is exactly for days like this. I really do believe we can feel totally alive and make everyday an adventure, even when we are feeling glum/stuck/yuck. It’s all about taking a minute during your standard day, to look back, dream forward, do something creative, or let your mind wander about all that’s possible in the future.

What makes your soul burst with excitement?

#LifeOfATraveler #Wanderlust #StayUnstuck

PS~ A huge THANK YOU! To my always supportive, fellow lover of all things travel & adventure, fantastic friend, David who sent me Don’t date a girl who travels.

October 16, 2013 In Alaska, Argentina, Bermuda, BLR Play it Forward 2012, BLR Play It Forward 2013, BLR Reunion Soccer Weekend 8/18/12, BLR-Mobile, Blue Lollipop Road Memorial Scholarship, blue lollipops, California, De-lish, Food, Food Porn, Funny signs, Honda, Illinois, India, Inspiration, Live the life you want to live, Maine, Million Mile Joe, People, Photos, South Carolina, Vermont

HAPPY 5TH BIRTHDAY BLUE LOLLIPOP ROAD!

YIPPEE!!!

Today is Wednesday October 16, and this makes b-day number 5 for BLR. Let’s celebrate!

Cupcake anyone?!

This is the perfect time to write about the above de-lish treat (sun drop pound cake with a sun drop glaze and lemon buttercream) that Wendi, Owner of She Daisy Cupcakery gifted me a few weeks ago after she bought a pair of my vintage Frye boots. (Craigslist rocks.) So yeah, I took a treat from a stranger. (I seem to keep breaking all those rules our parents told us to live by.) Wendi was a blast to talk to. She quit a career that was blah, followed her passion to the land of things sweet- and voila a cupcake company! Another good story about a random encounter with a hard-working, inspiring person who followed their heart. I love being able to share about these kind of people here.

Without a doubt the best part of these past 5 years on the Blue Lollipop Road, has been meeting new people, the kindness of strangers, and spending time with those already in my life that I love. What else is there, really?

Ahhh- yes, the people I’ve met along the way, who share similar interests:

…the cities I’ve fallen in love with:

…my various office locations:

…the food I’ve noshed on:

…the places that’ve helped me find the way back to myself:

…the signs that make me laugh:

…the excitement, energy, and adorable kids (and adults) who keep the Strong Mojo alive:

…the adventure from coast to coast and beyond:

…the lessons I’ve learned:

…the special friends I’ve reconnected with:

…honoring lost friends by giving back to hometown female athletes, so they have the opportunity to go out and see a bigger world too:

(Above left 2012 Blue Lollipop Road Memorial Scholarship recipient Hannah Patterson, and 2013 recipient Mercedes Chen at a recent soccer game:)

…events with good friends in beloved landmarks:

…the strangers out there who’re also on the Blue Lollipop Road:

…the freedom I have found and felt:

…the truths I’ve come to know and trust:

…the journeys and daydreaming in the sky:

…and on the road:

…the cheesy places I’ve been:

…and the beautiful:

…the nicknames I’ve acquired:

…knowing that there will always be bumps, so I better strap in tight:

…never losing faith in things that I hope for:

…and to wherever, and whatever- the road leads to next:

5 years ago today I drove down a road in the Outer Banks of North Carolina and “Blue Lollipop Road” popped ever so randomly into my head as I was brainstorming a best way to share my stories with more than just family and close friends. Who knew this is what it would become! I’ve managed all the above on a shoestring budget and with no plan whatsoever. I didn’t grow up with a trust fund, I never spent my childhood jet-setting the globe with my parents (I barely made it out of the state of Vermont until I was 15), I’ve never taken any writing or computer classes (I’m sure that is very obvious considering my regular grammatical errors and other:), and at the risk of sounding so cliche’- I’m just a small town wildly curious kid, that came from humble beginnings, learned in an heartbreaking incident at a very young age how short life is, and since then have decided that every day is a chance and a choice to live like I mean it. During my journeys on this Blue Lollipop Road, I’ve learned things that’ve absolutely changed my perspective and my life as a whole, I’ve seen places that’ve taken my breath away, and I’ve met people I wouldn’t have been able to in my wildest dreams- all because of this platform. Now that is something to celebrate!

I’ve written and shared here in and effort to keep myself in check and awake about what’s really important, to prevent myself from falling into the drone-zone, and to remember all the things that are possible. I hope by visiting here, you stay fired-up about life, like a kid in a candy store too.

Here’s to the next 5 years, and to going for it all.

What are you celebrating today?

#HappyBirthday #LifeOnTheBlueLollipopRoad #ThisIsWhatILove

January 29, 2013 In Bermuda, Live the life you want to live

airports

I love cars and road trips, you all know that. But I like airports too.

Airports offer that promise of coming through the gate and seeing someone you love standing at the other end, smiling and waiting. They’re places where you can watch anyone from around the world with family, friends, and coworkers. The single where everyone, from everywhere has to go if they want or need to get anywhere. There is no other space forces that.

I’ve just come from a week long trip in Bermuda. My first time there and that makes country 14. So awesome. I’m currently standing at an airport bar writing this during my layover, with a dark- haired quiet business man to my left, and a mom looking type to my right who’s reading feverishly. Our waiter is Indian and the girl behind me sounds like her accent is from a wildly exotic far away warm place.

I’m sitting in Newark, NJ.

This is why I love airports. Different colors all over.

I love airports, I love traveling. I love being around people that are not like me. The ones who have stories, and full lives. I love the broken people, and the ones who have it “all together.” I love indulging in different kinds of foods and drink. I love sharing; stories, seats, space. I love that when you travel- when you’re out of your everyday gerbil wheel and grind. It’s like you’re forced, like it or not- to be a little more flexible, a little more forgiving, a little more open and free.

I think travel makes better humans. Period.

Whether you’re in your own town walking down a different road to find a new walking path for your daily exercise, or flying across the world to sit in a tiki hut to escape winter weather and relax. “Travel” offers a view, and nudges our less of a pain in the ass side. The one that automatically replies “Why not? I’ll try that”- sometimes because you choose to, but sometimes because you have to. Either way, doing any little thing to change the course of your regular day, can change the course of your lifetime. I believe that more than anything.

Here’s to airports, or any “ports”, that become the places you try things you never have before.