travel. growth.

i need to travel. somewhere. far.

whenever i look at pictures from trips people take (mostly to Europe), i get really jealous and want to go. now. i'm not worried about the money aspect, even though i probably should be... since i should be saving for grad school.

i need to get out of Michigan and see other cultures. i say that like i've never left here. that is far from the truth. i grew up traveling. i've been out of the country many times. i've been to Europe and the Caribbean and Canada (and Hawaii). i've been on cruises. lots of them. i've lived in Spain. i've seen Big Ben, Stonehenge, the Guggenheim, La Sagrada Familia, the London Eye...

i have traveled.

but i can't get enough of it.

sometimes, it just consumes my thoughts. i dream of places i want to go. i stare at maps. i flip through "1000 places to see before you die." i sit in the travel section of Barnes and Noble. i NEED it.

and yes, i am going somewhere in about a month. A MONTH. i'm excited. Vegas and L.A. and Palm Springs. and this summer, i'm flying to Seattle and going hiking up through Canada (Whistler and Vancouver). but for some reason, i want more. something bigger.

but i want a big trip to plan for. backpacking through Europe. a road trip to California. a cruise in the Mediterranean.

it's going to happen.

Question: How have you seen yourself grow in the last year? If you haven't seen growth, how have you withered? 

i think i have grown more than i have withered. ways i have grown:

-in my art. especially jewelry. i look back on some of the first necklaces i ever made, and it's almost embarrassing. haha. my style and work has evolved a lot.

-in my outfit choices. i find myself not wanted to re-wear the same outfit. ever. no, i'm not crazy... but i hate getting stuck in a rut with clothing. i seem to think that more colors go together than most normal people... so i feel like i have such a wide range of options for what to wear. lately, i've been wearing purple and mustard yellow together a lot. and also, coral and teal. and hunter green and tan. it's especially helpful when i have lots of jewelry at my disposal to tie things together. (:

-my boldness.

-confrontations. speaking my mind.

-my food preferences. i always liked different foods, but this year has been much more culturally experimental. Indian, African, Middle Eastern foods... thanks to two new cookbooks. i LOVE cooking food from other cultures.

-my teaching. obviously there is quite the learning curve from student teaching to having your own classroom. i can't wait to go to CKH in April. (:

-my boot collection. ha.

hmm. that's all i can think of for now.