Somewhere in the world, whether it's across the ocean or down the street, you most likely have a place that you love going to and that has special meaning in simply visiting. For my wife and I that place is the country of Japan, which we first visited for our honeymoon, and it's the one place in the world where I want to make it a tradition to visit whenever possible.

That is my goal for not just this year, because overseas travelling isn't always easy or possible, but something to strive to make happen just because we love going there! A travelling tradition.

Although this place may be special and memorable for us, it's not the only place. We even have very local (2 miles away) places that we love and enjoy going to just to soak up the atmosphere, enjoy being there, and revel in the sights, smells and sounds.

If you haven't found that special place yet, don't worry you will, give it some time. It doesn't have to be very far from your house, or it could be across the world! It should be your goal to visit that place, every year or every 10 years, whenever you can, it doesn't matter.

Live life, love, and enjoy what comes your way, when possible.

With a fresh new start on both a new year and a new decade, I'm looking forward to traveling to new destinations. Traveling has been my goal for years, and I have been blessed to make it happen. Nevertheless, there is still so much more to see and experience.  This Anthony Bourdain quote sums it up quite nicely. "It seems that the more places I see and experience, the bigger I realize the world to be. The more I become aware of, the more I realize how relatively little I know of it, how many places I have still to go, how much more there is to learn."

As luck would have it this coming May, I have a family member getting married in Cancun. This destination has been on my bucket list, and I'm excited to share the journey with my close family members. The planning for this trip started last month. With the hotel booked, the hunt is on fo the best flight deals.

Cheers to the New Year and have a fun, safe, adventure-filled start to the decade!

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR! :) 

At the beginning of each new year, we see the infamous “new year, new me!” trend. As hopeful as I am to become fluent in a new language, finish school, and become a millionaire, I need to stay realistic. I need to allow myself to make mistakes and I need to learn to be ok with that. 

I personally need organization and lists to stay on track. Something I want to do for 2020 is to stay organized and set small goals for myself in order to prevent overwhelming myself. This can be setting aside 30 minutes a few times a week to study German, taking one or two classes to further my education, and limiting my amazon obsession… Seeing “same-day delivery when you spend $__ or more” is kryptonite for me. Eyeliner - yea I’ll need that in a month. A cookbook - Sure, I’ve always wanted to learn how to make other things besides cereal. A Trijicon scope - Don’t know what the heck that is but throw that bad boy in too! 

I’ve already got my handy dandy lists prepared ($7.99 on Amazon, thank you very much!), and I’m already excited to fail my goals and start over again. 

Happy 2020 everyone, remember to be nice to yourselves!