Blue Lagoon (First video blog)! Today we did so many things! We spent a lot of time just chilling at the Blue Lagoon. It was lovely and relaxing and helped clear my stuffy nose, even if only for a little bit. Then we drove a long long way to see the Hraunfossar and Barnafoss waterfalls, lots of geothermal activity, and a huge crater (Grabrock). We finally ended our day at Hotel Hvammstangi where we made a very um... simple dinner in the room, because all two restaurants closed at 9pm and we got in too late. The little hotel was humble and sweet. Aware that it was our anniversary they left us a glass of wine a piece and a box of chocolates. It was a small town and a nice quiet stopover. Big Day! Silica mud mask at the Lagoon... I'm pretty sure I kept the mask on for all of 5 seconds. The wind and the wet mud made my face feel so cold. No me gusta! I was pretty stoked about putting on the silica mask! Everyone who slathered it on seemed oh so very happy therefore it must be excellent. Hmmm, I didn't think.... Laura's Blue Lagoon FAQs I'll have to see about how I feel about these video blogs after doing a few of them. a) I realize that I don't really like my mannerisms and b) everyone hates the sound of their voice and I'm not excluded from that. SO if you can get beyond my voice then have a look! My biggest tip here is to explore! There lots of interesting little inlets and caves that you wouldn't find without some exploring! Photos, photos, photos! Click "READ MORE" to follow more adventures in Iceland!
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As we flew to Boston I began realizing that our journey was no longer a story I was telling. This was really happening and a little panic set in. Holy crap... I don't have a job. I don't have a home. I'm living out of a backpack and I'm not sure if I'll see anyone again. I'm terrified of flying and I'm about to begin a life of flying. WHAT ARE WE DOING? I cried a few tears but then begin to hear all the words everyone has been saying.... and viewed through others visions the excitement ahead. This was about to be an amazing journey and this IS a once in a lifetime experience. Reservations and self-doubt are normal. I begin to reflect on my fears and realized that I felt the same way when I got married. Before the wedding I wondered how my life would change beyond a different last name. Would I be different? Would I miss my single life? As I look back at that I can say YES I have changed and my life is different... but really in a most spectacular way and I love who I am today. I begin to sink into a thought process that this will be the same. As we leave the comforts of our routines it is scary, no matter what that is: a job change, moving, marriage, and so on. This is just the next step and I am lucky that I/we have made this choice. We have chosen to go on this adventure. Okay.. feeling calmer. As our plane took off I knew this was it. Then I got to see something I never thought I would. Our steward woke us up and pointed out the northern lights. It was amazing and I knew that our journey would be full of moments like this. How did we get here?
We’ve revealed to our friends and family our plans of travels over the next year or so and we hear words of excitement, fear, wonder, and… oh my jesus these people have lost their minds! Some say we are “lucky” or “brave” but really we are planners. Though there is some crazy luck and an ounce of bravery, this has been a very deliberate decision. This choice seems sudden to many as if this was a whim of spontaneity and a quick decision but I am here to assure you we have been planning this for quite some time. Planning Summary: 1) Brent and I met in April 2006. Soon after we began dating he invited me to live abroad in Roatan, Honduras. I quickly gave an emphatic “NO.” After all, I barely knew him. 2) The invitation prompted travel discussions. Dreams of living overseas developed and by the end of 2006 we were talking about this regularly. We knew we weren’t planning to have children and in a sense this became our child. We nurtured this dream and fluctuated between both excitement and fear for how it would develop. 3) Talk eventually became action and in late 2010 we moved to Dallas to be closer to our families and reveal our intentions to live overseas. We wanted to spend more time with them before we departed the U.S. (I think they heard us with hesitant ears… hearing but not believing it would happen.) 4) January 2013 I began an MPH program. My dream was also to become an epidemiologist and working overseas in any official capacity would be helped with a master’s degree. I don’t particularly care to work as an illegal when I move abroad. If you know me, you know I’m a true rule follower. 5) In December of 2014 we thought we were going to begin our world move BUT Brent’s job offered him a position in Austin. We couldn’t resist going back for one last stint living in a place we consider home. I obtained a fantastic job as an epidemiologist working in the Tuberculosis and Refugee Services Branch of DSHS as an epidemiologist. Austin was luring us back in with the comforts of familiarity and good fortune. Rent was high so we began looking for a condo. 6) We found a home, put down a contract, and regularly discussed what this meant for our world plans. It would lock us down for a while for sure but we kept telling ourselves was, “it’s a good investment.” We both knew though that this might keep us in Austin indefinitely and I think we both saw the dreams of living abroad fading away. (For any of you who have read the Alchemist I read this during this time and became aware I was being lured off course by Austin, my beautiful lady. I was fearful I was going to lose my personal legend. OUR personal legend). 7) Life intervened. Rumors began at Brent’s company that it was going to split. It eventually became clear he was going to lose his job. He did and we were able to get out of the contract for the condo. On top of it, the universe was sending us out on our journey with a little bonus check, which means we don’t have to just throw darts at a globe and blindly move, as originally planned. We can travel and explore and have our own adventure! 8) April 28th 2015, days before the anniversary of the date we met, we are departing on our world journey. What a gift to be able to travel, vacation, explore and determine where our feet will land. We will get to see so many places I’ve only dreamed of and taste food, smell smells, and smile at the world first hand. Our relationship began in an unexpected way. Our journey has been uniquely ours and we own our decisions and chances. I really believe that God or the universe or whatever you want to call it, is sending us on the journey we have been asking for for so long. Our intentions are paying off in an amazing way. With that in mind I’ve already learned so much and we haven’t even left the US. I learned that you can never anticipate what will make you sad to give up (for me the robot shirt nearly put me out). You really can’t foresee which people will make you the saddest to speak goodbyes. Laughter and tears have already smattered this journey and I know there is more to come. Selling life belongings and beginning this journey is scary and wonderful. It has challenged communication with Brent and strengthened it as well. This will continue and this is the part of the journey I am most excited about. Getting to know my love in a way that is deeper than making life’s daily ritual seem sufficient. I recognize this isn’t for everyone and I am in no way saying this is what everyone should do. But, this is definitely what WE should do and I’m so glad that our hard work, luck, and life have brought us here. I expect my views to change as I see the good and bad in the world. Here you will be able to follow that with me. I hate that I'm writing this post so late but that's how I seem to roll sometimes. Anyways, I went home, several weeks ago, to my hometown to celebrate my Mother on Mother's Day. It was a short visit but a good one none-the-less. My mom isn't so easy to shop for but she has a lovely garden to which I wanted to contribute. So, we sauntered down to the local Lowe's to do some browsing and shopping. I don't think either one of us really thought we were going to come home with trees when we chose our little sports car over the 4-runner my step-dad drives. BUT I saw the plum trees and we both loved 'em so you just make it work! Oh yeah, and there were two rose bushes in the trunk... Brent would have died! Granted, we did have to drive 25-30 miles-per-hour on the drive home but it was an adventure and well worth it!
The day after our excellent dining experience at Charlie Trotter's, which I posted about here, we were treated, compliments of Chef Trotter, to a lunch at Trotter's To Go. We were beyond delighted to continue in our Chicago adventure and taste more of what Charlie's team had to offer. We were given an address and told what time to be there and we had no idea what to expect. I knew a little about Trotter's To Go and expected maybe a picnic lunch packed for us to take to the park... what a silly girl I am sometimes.
I am no doubt the luckiest girl in the world.. at least in terms of the husband I ended up marrying. So, oh, about four years ago I read this book called Lessons in Service by Charlie Trotter. My GM at Eddie V's requested I read it since I was delving into a new career as a restaurant manager. I started reading the book and simply became enthralled by it. I loved this man Charlie! I loved his concept on food, how he treated his employees, the importance of a great diner experience, and most importantly his desire to give back to his community. I simply can't capture all of my feelings about his concepts in words, you really just have to read the book. Whether you are a "foodie" or not, I highly recommend it. I would literally get off work at 3am and come home excited to read a few more chapters before dozing off. It was amazing.
After reading his book I desperately wanted to go eat at Chef Trotter's restaurant and discussed with Brent my excitement and hopes, but oh, where to begin? In learning about his restaurant, Charlie Trotter's, I knew I would have to plan out pretty far in advance to ever eat there, for two reasons: 1) It is expensive and 2) some people literally make their reservations years in advance. I truly desired to go but as with some goals in life, the memory faded as I was engulfed in my own fast-paced restaurant life. I never totally forgot about that dream but in going back to work for the State, it wasn't exactly something my "public heath" feel good job could afford. Sadly, our vacation was coming to a close and this was our last night in Maryland. Of course, this family couldn't just let it end with a quiet dinner and an early night, no way! A small luxury bus was rented to corral all of us up and take us to dinner at Rosa Mexicano and then onward to see some of the beautiful monuments in D.C.
What I came to discover is that every night starts at the lounge in the lobby. After a few drinks were served and we all had gathered we loaded Our second in night Maryland we went to Olazzo for Uncle Laurey's 90th Birthday! (I'll get to the food in a minute.) 90, that is a nine and a zero people, can anyone really fathom that? I can't. I hope that on another visit, I can sit with Laurey and Faye and learn of their vast experiences as the world and their perspectives have surely changed, over so many years.
The birthday boy and his wife have been together for 60 something years, again, this is unfathomable from my point of view. These two, besides just I was super excited because I had never been to D.C. before and Brent and I were able to go for such a special occasion, Brent's Great Uncle's 90th Birthday! After a long day of travel we were starving. We went to this little shopping/ eating area in downtown Bethesda, and roamed around until we found this hot spot, Mia's Pizzas. You know the food should be good when it's the only place for blocks that is bursting at the seams. Of course, it was going to be a 45 minute wait, but when there were two open bar seats it was a sign for us to stay, so we ordered some antipasto and a couple of beers and did a little people watching.
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