Looking back...

On Wednesday, March 26, 2008, at the peak of my quarter life crisis, I blogged on my current state of affairs:

• My week-long solo adventure in Costa Rica begins on Saturday.
• My lovebirds, Misty and Smoothie, birthed a new lovebird on March 12 whom I call Anastasia.
• I haven’t been in a serious relationship in 2+ years and I’m ok with that.
• The last few men I’ve expressed interest in have subsequently fled and traveled thousands of miles away.
• I still live with my parents and I still don’t have a car let alone a driver’s license.
• I’m on an ongoing search to discover my life’s passion and purpose.
• I’m moderately bored.
• I think I may have ADD.

Now:

• My life is constantly in flux.
• I moved to California less than 2 years ago, met the love of my life, and married him earlier this year.
• In one month my husband and I are embarking on a 2.5 month long journey through Southeast Asia including Cambodia, Thailand and the Philippines.
• I’m the proud mama of a very handsome kitty we named Sir Darwinius the Gray, Prince of Westlake. 
• I have a California driver’s license but I still don’t drive. Instead, I ride my bike.
• I am funemployed and looking for an exciting career change away from a desk. During our travels, we will be volunteering in marine conservation and I’m hoping this experience will lead me to new career paths in conservation or ecotourism/travel.
• Wanderlust has completely taken over. My insatiable desire to meet the world’s people, visit their countries, embrace their culture, art, antiquities, spirituality, and beliefs has taken me on many unforgettable adventures and I don’t intend to stop anytime soon.
• I anticipate that I will discover my life’s passion and purpose as I travel.
• I may have ADD but I’ve learned the secret to my peace of mind lies in my husband’s embrace.

Some things never change.

Goodbye 2010, Hello 2011

This year sure flew by fast while at the same time it feels as though I’ve been in California for years. I had no problem assimilating to my new home, I had always known I was made for California. No doubt, this was a year of tremendous growth and change. A transition year, if you will, because 2011 is sure to bring new opportunities and even bigger changes. It’s already in the works. But first, here’s 2010 in review

This year I (in no specific order):

Turned 27.
Followed my heart.
Packed my bags and bid farewell to all my dearest friends and family.
Started my new life and new job in California.
Cried myself to sleep.
Fatefully opened an account with Chase which is where I...
Fell in love with a boy and quickly discovered that he was the one.
Made plans to marry him... but all of this not til after I...
Had my heart broken.
Gave him another chance.
Let go of regrets.
Got matching origami crane tattoos with my best friend.
Tattooed another cherry blossom behind my ear.
Pierced my lip 3 times til it finally healed properly.
Attended 5 big outdoor music festivals and too many concerts to count.
Saw over 50 bands/musicians live.
Took an epic road trip down the Pacific coastline on highway 1.
Camped for 3 days in Indio, CA for the ultimate Coachella experience.
Heard Thom Yorke perform "Everything In Its Right Place" for the second time.
Danced like no one was watching.
Snorkeled with leopard sharks and sea lions in La Jolla Cove.
Visited Lake Tahoe 3 times.
Took a spectacular 72 mile drive around Lake Tahoe.
Witnessed a double rainbow over Lake Tahoe and pondered what it meant.
Witnessed a shooting star with someone special from inside a tent.
Saw dozens of whales in the ocean off the coast of Monterey.
Camped in the Sequoia National Forest and gawked at the largest living things on Earth.
Watched the most beautiful sunset I've seen to date from the top of Moro Rock.
Watched many beautiful sunsets over the Pacific.
Learned to paddleboard in Half Moon Bay.
Conquered Class III rapids in the American River.
Watched the Star Wars series in its entirety.
Paid off my credit card debt.
Fulfilled my real life Incubus music video on the beach.
Got spit in the face by a very belligerent llama named Ula.
Raised a snail family.
Adopted a new family member and named him Sir Darwinius the Gray, Prince of Westlake.
Viewed original Banksy street art in the Mission just a few days after he visited.
Dressed as a super hero and partied with other crime fighters at a street fair.
Moved in with my fiancee in the city... Daly City, that is.
Learned to play "New Slang" and other favorites on the ukelele.
"Visited" DC for the first time.
Attended the Future of Web Design conference in NYC.
Took a nap on a park bench saturated among autumn leaves in Central Park.
Visited Texas for the first time.
Shot a gun for the first time.
Met my fiancee's friends and fell in love with my future in-laws.
Established a sense of "home" on the west coast with my extended family and my new family...

In 2011, I am...
Arriving in Maui within 12 hours.
Marrying my true love.
Seeking a career in marine/wildlife conservation.
Moving abroad.

Personal Reinvention 2010

My new life in California is well underway. This calls for a personal reinvention…

1. Stop complaining. Think more positively.

2. Get fit. Get back into yoga.

3. Get out of debt. Pay off my credit card and then curb credit card use.

4. Get organized. Keep my room and office neat.

5. Learn a new trade. Something that can parlay into a side job. Something like photography.

6. Plan small vacations. Explore the west coast.

7. Plan a big vacation for Fall/Winter 2010. Peru, anyone?

8. Buy a new feathered friend.

9. Volunteer.

10. Update my look to suit my new lifestyle. Hair, wardrobe, etc.

11. Ride a bike.

12. Learn something new. Maybe take a class in cooking, painting, boxing, Italian.

13. Talk to strangers. Make new friends more often.

14. Spend more time with friends. Less time on Facebook, Twitter, Crackberry.

15. Keep in touch with family and friends. Better yet, convince them to move to the west side. :)

Goodbye 2009, Hello 2010

This year I... (in no particular order)

Turned 26.
Got a new tattoo on my wrist.
Rocked a faux hawk.
Dyed my hair purple.
Got dumped.
Had my heart broken in the worst way.
Had my palm read and was told I had a love curse.
Lost my job.
Was homeless.
Hit rock bottom.
Moved back in with my parents.
Bonded with my mother like never before.
Lived in DC part time.
Made the most of being funemployed.
Saw my first broadway musical.
Saw one of my favorite bands in concert (Incubus).
Witnessed a Brady to Moss pass completion in FedEx field.
Reunited with my extended family for the first time since I was 3.
Traveled the Philippines for 3 weeks.
Dove 12 meters into the coral reefs of the Pacific Ocean.
Ascended and peeked into the crater of a volcano.
Attended a wedding in Montego Bay, Jamaica.
Watched fireworks over the Niagara Falls, Canada.
Experienced Chicago for the first time.
Visited Philly 3 times.
Relaunched my design portfolio.
Landed a dream job in California.
Entered a limbo contest and won first place.
Got my driver's license for the first time.
Converted to a smartphone for the first time.
Modeled for a hair and fashion show.
Partied my ass off.
Had a memorable summer.
Shifted social circles.
Met some great people.

In 2010 I am...

Starting over in Calfornia.
Going to miss everyone.