News!

Happy Wednesday everyone! It is my favorite day of the week, thus some good news is long overdue. As you all know, I love to travel. New York City, Orlando, Atlanta, Salt Lake City, Nashville, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Seattle... you name it, and I'll add it to my list. This coming August, I'll be happy to add another adventure to my list: Maui, Hawaii! 

After my quarterly pit stop into Seattle to visit my mom, friends, and the rest of my family, I will happily make my way over to a vacationers paradise to visit my dad and little sister. I've already began concocting a list of to-do's for my trip. Snorkeling, hiking, maybe some skydiving? We'll see! And I get to add some more cities to my layover list (this includes cities that I have stopped in during layovers, but have not explored fully...still exciting though!) - Denver, San Diego, and Dallas. Stay tuned to hear all about this Hawaii adventure!

Thoughtful Thursday | Once A Year

I have recently learned that travelling often is not just an indicator of a good job and plenty of money. It is a necessary activity in each of our lives, for if we do not explore the world in which we live, we will remain ignorant forever. When I was younger, I had only explored the tiny northwest corner of the United States. I had no desire to go elsewhere because I had seen all the pictures, heard all the stories, and googled all the necessary information. Somehow, I was conditioned to be content with my ignorance of other cultures. And not only that, but you don't notice this ignorance until you break free of it altogether.

Once I went off to college, I noticed this ignorance as I simultaneously discovered a world of possibility. I cant help this thirst for knowledge - I want to learn the languages, immerse myself in the cultures, and see all the sights with my own eyes! To start of this life-long adventure, I am exploring my own country. Orlando, the top tourist destination on this earth. Each day, I will have the opportunity to visit with people from around the world, people who have experienced what I yearn to experience. And hopefully, by the end of these four months, I will know what part of this beautiful planet I want to explore next.

So once a year, go someplace you've never been before, not because you have the money to do so, but because you are curious and have a never-ending desire to learn.

Follow this blog on Bloglovin'!

#16 - Taste Of Edmonds

Last Friday, my friend Dezi and I went to the Taste of Edmonds. Ever since 1983, the city of Edmonds has been hosting this popular festival. There are tons of food booths, live music, activities, and vendors. I can remember going to this festival as a kid, so there were many deja vu moments. I indulged in a snow cone and a chocolate-sprinkle coated ice cream bar. Mmmm! We also hit up the Washington Lottery booth to try our luck on a few scratch tickets. There were no winners, but that's gambling for ya! Although Dez seemed to enjoy scratching the ticket until there was nothing left to scratch, so she was content! Because I'm going to be out of state for the next few years, I may not be able to go to the Taste of Edmonds anytime soon, so I'm glad I was able to make the most of this day!

By the way, I am officially living in Orlando, Florida as of this morning! If you'd like to read more about this, visit my Disney College Program blog HERE!

Follow this blog with Bloglovin'!

#15 - Do A YouTube Challenge

A YouTube challenge is a simple game that vloggers do with friends - in this case, the baby food challenge! All you need is a blindfold and an assortment of baby food. It works best if half the flavors are good and the other half, not as pleasant. Add some challenge to the game by including a baby food that contains multiple foods! Dez and I referred to this type as "a meal". One person is blindfolded while the other feeds them a spoon full of baby food. They then proceed to guess what flavor(s) it is. See, simple! This is also a fun game to play with friends considering baby food is very inexpensive.

Dez and I had 12 different jars of baby food and chose from them at random as we progressed through the game. Lucky me, I got stuck with a few of meat flavors while Dez's gag reflex got a good workout. To watch us do the entire challenge, click HERE!

And an update on my travel adventures: I am currently at the SeaTac airport in Seattle. My flight to Miami, originally scheduled to depart at 9:30, has been delayed nearly two hours. Luckily, I am a pretty patient person, and it gave me time to do a quick blog update! I will be sure to post again once I am safely in my hotel in Orlando tomorrow afternoon.

Follow this blog with Bloglovin'!

#12 - Get My License

I don't know how it works where you come from, but where I'm from, everyone takes drivers ed, gets their license at 16, and is driving themselves to school by their sophomore or junior year of high school. So it's pretty pathetic that I'm getting my license at 19, but that's how it works in my family. We don't have the money to put everyone through drivers ed, so you have to wait until you're at least 18 to get your license. And since I wouldn't have a car in college, I just didn't bother getting it last summer. But I was tired of asking people for rides, and being known as that one friend without her license, so I wanted to get it before I left for Florida.

I had my permit for four years before getting my license, so the driving test was not too difficult for me. Not to mention the fact that I totally aced parallel parking, and in a car that I had only driven twice before! But it is so handy to be able to drive myself places, as I have a lot to get done before I leave next week. Jeez, I can't believe it's August already. And to think, in a mere ten days, I'll be in Orlando getting ready to check into my hotel for the night. Wow!

Follow this blog with Bloglovin'!

A World of Possibility

Well, we've hit the halfway point for July. This summer seems to be going by so quickly! It's crazy to think that in just four weeks, I'll be all moved into my new apartment in Orlando, training as an employee at Walt Disney World. Honestly, it doesn't feel real - any minute now, I'll wake up and start packing to go back to school next month. But it's not a dream, it's just something I've never experienced before.

Despite the fact that I have moved very frequently, I had grown up in the same general area all my life. I had the same group of friends for six years, the same teachers, the same coaches. In fact, the only places I had even vacationed at outside of Washington were Oregon, Montana, and North
Dakota (exciting, I know). So it's safe to say that I was in my own little bubble, deprived of all the inter-state and international travels that many of my friends had experienced at some time or another. Places like Hawaii, New York City, the Eiffel Tower, Australia, or even Disneyland - they could all be in another dimension as far as I knew. My family never really had the money to travel, so I accepted at an early age that I would be in Seattle for the rest of my life.

But all of a sudden, it was time for college. Hold on a second, I thought to myself, you mean I can go to school anywhere? Well, not anywhere, but somewhere outside of Seattle, and I was thrilled! Despite my scholarships, I still had to keep money in mind, so places like NYU or USC that were over $30k a year were definitely out of the question. I had to figure out my college criteria in order to pick the right place for me:

• Four-year university
• Out-of state
• Under $20k a year
• Rigorous academics
• Relatively low acceptance rate

And in the Fall of 2012, I found myself at Brigham Young University. Before my arrival, it all seemed like a dream, and I would wake up and find myself slumping through another year of high school. After a few pinches and a pile of exams, I knew this was the real deal. That's how I feel about Orlando. I've never experienced anything like it, but once I pinch myself and work my first 10-hour shift, I'm sure reality will set in.

This realization that I can have a life outside of Seattle has opened up a world of possibilities. I even hear a study abroad in Romania calling my name! So stop dreaming about your adventure, and get out there and make it happen! As Lemony Snicket put it, "If we wait until we're ready, we'll be waiting for the rest of our lives."

If you are interested in following my journey through the Disney College Program in Orlando, visit my secondary blog, All Roads Lead To Disney!

Follow this blog with Bloglovin'!