scuba - florid keys
While going to school at the University of Oklahoma my dad made me get scuba certified. Lot's of glorious pool dives. I actually loved all of it. The gear, the technical set up, the body awareness, the physical tests. In the calmest of places (scuba) I always get the biggest adrenaline rushes. Summer of 2015 we packed our gear and went to the Florida Keys. This was my first time to the tropical paradise and I still think about it often. The first dive was pretty rough. The waters were chopping and tossed us around like little dolls. That was the first time I've experienced sea sickness. It's. nauseating feeling unlike anything else. It's terrible. Never f*ck around with it. Get dramamine. Trust me. I saw my first shark on this trip, my first manta ray and the my first fire coral. I ended up getting "burned" and still have a tiny scar from it. Scuba is wild. It's a whole new world of deep quiet where you have to totally rely on your senses. If you're looking for a stimulating and challenging (both mentally and physically), I highly recommend looking up your local dive shop and going for it! There's nothing like your first time breathing underwater. Be safe and be brave!
santa fe, new mexico
My goodness, Santa Fe. There truly is no place like it. The land of enchantment. Where magic and mysticism are on every breeze. The first time I visited I was hooked. My mother and I enrolled in a Level 1 Kundalini Teacher Training. There are many things I learned from the practice and the experience but I'll save that for another post. For now I want to talk about the food, the colors and the culture. Santa Fe is a decent sized city. Everything you need is there. Outside of the city center it feels like any other southwestern town. Lots of adobe and mountains on the horizon. But when you get to the city center. The old down town, it feels like you're stepping back in time. Native artists line the square selling their authentic jewelry and art. Dancers and musicians perform in the square. And the buildings lining the square go: gallery, cantina, gallery, cantina, gallery, cantina - on both the first and second floors. My family LOVES tequila. I have never drank so much tequila than I have when visiting. Everything there makes you want to celebrate life, indulge in the flavors and just be in the beauty and ambiance that is Santa Fe.
Fair warning, you may fall in love and uproot your entire life to live there.
I did.
fairplay, colorado
A weekend in the mountains. This trip was a spiritual trip. No other way to describe it. Looking back on it I can't quite imagine a more mystical experience. My mom, dad , my incredible dog Dane and I took off for Colorado. Our family loves to climb 14ers. I've done 9 and my dad has done 20ish. Jan and George are around somewhere around 6.
