There are two great things that happen here… one being sleep (I’ll let you decide what the other thing is). Need I say more?

My “family” has taught me everything I know and has helped shape who I am today. This family taught me the basics. How to make decisions and the consequences that go along with those decisions. They taught me personal finance and how to save my weekly chore money for that one big item I wanted to purchase.

Dear 2011,

Thank you for not always being what we expect or plan for. Thank you for being patient as we reprioritzed in order to write a better story for our life.

I like technology.

As much as I want to travel light and be unplugged, I know that I can’t resist technology. I love computers and gadgets and gear. Below are just a few of the gadgets that I will be bringing on the trip:

You were the perfect mix of organized and spontaneous. You swept me off my feet the moment I stepped off the train. I was instantly attracted to your interest in culture and desire to continually learn more.

Whenever I am in the midst of spectacular natural beauty, I feel connected to nature and a higher power. Whether it be endless mountain peaks or a glowing sunset I know that I am blessed with a beautiful earth to spend my time on. There is no way that every rock formation and sandy beach around the world was just created by chance.

In the past, our trips have been short, week-long breaks from our home and jobs. The focus is usually on balancing relaxation with doing as many things as possible. To ensure that we relax enough and check everything off our list, we end up spending money to achieve those goals. We plan on changing that with this trip.

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma, which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice, heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.