the wanderer, the free spirit, the wild child.

Ever since I was a little girl I have always wanted to travel the world. I guess you could call me some what of a nomad. My parents must of sensed this in me at a young age. Arriving by train, we trekked the vast cliffs of the Grand Canyon. I will never forget the heat seeping through the cracked windows, my glass bottled coke dripping with beads of water. My younger brother and I plunging off a colossal cliff the color of fire into the bone-chilling Colorado river. Purchasing turquoise jewelry from the local Sedona trading post.

Later on my parents will take me to Florida. The sunshine state....so they say. We get caught in a Hurricane named "Erin". My brother and I will be frightened from the storm and huddle under our covers with flashlights and our new toys from Disney World. Disney World is an amazing place. My personal favorite ironically ends up being Epcot. The one theme park that represents the culture and cuisine of the world. We will watch the Dutch clog, the Scotts play their bagpipes, and breathe in the sweet smell of french pastries. 

My most unforgettable childhood trip winds up being on the East Coast. My parents will announce our trip the summer before, warning us we will miss Thanksgiving. I am devastated. Holidays from childhood to adulthood will carry some of my most treasured memories. The mer fact we will be missing this will instigate my pouting for weeks. Flying to Virginia will consist of torn emotions of excitement and despair. I have not flown on a plane in nearly 3 years and the butterfly feeling in my stomach, the rush of the plane taking off into the sky will be over-whelming. The east coast is like nothing I have ever seen. The leafs are the brightest colors of copper, rusts, and scarlet. The clear, crisp blue sky with just the slightest bitterness in the air. History surrounds me. The 100 year old buildings, the war memorials, and the museums. It is a Thanksgiving I will never forget. We visit Baltimore, D.C., North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. My grandparents will join us and bring a whole new perspective to the history I ingest. Years later, after I meet my husband I want more than anything to show him the beauty of the East Coast during the fall.

As a family, our trips will consist of visits to the big Island of Hawaii, Maui, Texas, and once again Florida. I alone will travel to Mexico for the most life changing mission trip I have yet to experience. We will sleep in tents in the middle of a cow pasture, eat pop tarts and cup o' noodle, and refrain from showering for days on end. I will build relationships with children, whom I can't even speak with, and the memory of them I will carry for a lifetime. Texas will bring a whole new perspective of my Dad's family. I will learn I am a distant cousin to the outlaw Jesse James. I will discover my Great Great Grandmother was a Cherokee Indian. I will embrace my "southern jeans" so to speak. From the polyester jeans, cowboy boots, and good ol' fashioned BBQ. Hawaii will leave a huge impression on me. One that leads me to pursue moving there all through out high school. The sweet smell of the Hawaiian air imprints on me like hot iron on skin. I wont be able to shake it. It is the first time I snorkel and surf. I immediately take to surfing like white on rice. The salty breeze in my face and my feet gripping the waxy board is a feeling I could get used too. 

Traveling through out my childhood will open the door to my so called infatuation with wandering the world. My gypsy tendencies to bounce from one place to the next. My desire to experience the food, the culture, the art, and the history. I hope I encourage you all no matter what lies ahead or what your life consists of....you will travel NOW.