Your Coworkers Aren't as Awesome as Mine

Yeah, not only did they have a happy hour celebration for me earlier this week, today my coworkers decorated our office with Dora the Explorer party supplies, made me wear a backpack and Dora ribbon all day, brought in an awesome lunch from Salsaritas (complete with special gluten free soft tortillas just for me!), wrote their well wishes on a perfect card, and made me cry with their awesomeness and support of our adventure ahead.

I'm pretty lucky.

I will miss you all!

*disclaimer: Drew's coworkers are pretty awesome too ;)

Gratitude, Support and Inspiration

I've dreamt of our upcoming adventure since I studied abroad in college and got the international "travel bug" (which, by the way, is absolutely a real thing - travel truly does get under your skin). It's incredible to be getting so close to our date of departure because it means so many things to me. It's a dream come true, years of saving, hundreds of conversations, hours of research, many moments of sacrifice, and a million daydreams, questions and answers.

I was always worried about what other people would think. I'd gotten snide remarks and uninformed comments for trips I'd taken before, so going on a trip like this would certainly entice even more of these comments, wouldn't it?

Sure, I've gotten a few. A few people have asked me why I would want to do this. A couple people have commented that "it must be nice to be rich" or something similar without really asking for or listening to any details of how we've gotten to this point. 

But overall, I've received so much support, excitement, and yes, a bit of envy from family, friends and coworkers. Most people think what we are doing is amazing, inspiring, and awesome, and so many have commented that "now is the time to do it."

Yes, we couldn't agree more.

I am so flattered and proud that a trip born in my mind evolved into an actual event that will not only become our reality in just over a month, but also has the power to inspire people that I know and love to do something similar, or to at least get out there and plan their dream. A few of our friends may meet us along the way, maybe some will begin to research and save for something that they've been dreaming of, and still others may simply reevaluate their budgets and priorities and see that the things they truly desire are attainable with a little bit of sacrifice and hard work.

I hope I am not coming across as boastful, fake, or naive. I admit that I am an optimist. I grew up believing that anything was possible if I wanted it badly enough and was willing to put in hard work. 

It hasn't been easy and there have been times when I was fearful our trip would never be a reality, but I continued to believe and learn and communicate and move toward my goal. And now...I am leaving in 37 days.

Imagine that. Oh, that's right, I did.

Ready to jump the fence and explore the world again!
(photo taken in the Grampians National Park, Victoria, Australia)

I am so excited to begin this journey, and am equally excited to share it with the people who want to follow along with us through this blog. Stay tuned...

Those We're "Leaving Behind"

Leaving behind sounds a bit too dramatic for me, but you get the idea.

We haven't told too many people about our upcoming adventure, we are slowly opening up our "circle of trust" so to speak, but so far it mostly includes immediate family, a few select friends, and...you who is reading this blog post.

There are several reasons we aren't telling everyone we know about this trip. A. We don't want to risk losing our jobs prematurely, and B.  We don't know how people will react, but history has told us that most people will either be indifferent, judgmental, or discouraging.

I don't need everyone to be rooting us on and wanting to know every detail of our trip, but I don't think it's unreasonable for people who care about us to be genuinely excited for us, although I know not to expect that.  It's frustrating because I had a realization a couple of years ago that now helps all of this make sense to me.  My husband and I do not want kids right now (if ever), for many reasons, but for the most obvious - we're selfish and OK with it and just want to spend our money on ourselves and our adventures!  At least we know this about ourselves and aren't having babies just because all of our friends are. 

So that is where my realization comes in.  Many of our friends started getting pregnant about two years ago.  They kept asking us if we were going to be next, etc.  We didn't understand their choice to have kids at that point because it wasn't something we were interested in.  Then one day it struck me - this is directly parallel to our travels and the way people often react to us when we take trips.  It doesn't matter what your dreams, goals, and passions are in life, it just matters that you reach out for them.  If you want to be a mom or dad and that is your dream right now, I can see the joy and satisfaction this brings you, and I feel genuine excitement and happiness for you.  I can share in these amazing emotions because I care about you and I want you to be happy and fulfilled.  I may not "get it" just yet, because I don't want that, but it doesn't matter because I love you and your joy brings me joy. 

I just hope my friends and family will be genuinely happy for us in this way.  I know some are, and I greatly appreciate those who have been supportive.

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net