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Happy 6th Anniversary- (and) Iceland Day 2

5/8/2015

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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!

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Our 6th Anniversary celebrated at the Blue Lagoon in Iceland. What a lovely start to our adventure!

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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US Departure and Iceland Day 1

4/28/2015

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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.
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Family, Friends, Goodbyes, Oh-my!

4/27/2015

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ATX Adios

On our US tour we were so fortunate to see so many people!

The goodbyes started in that place we will always call home, Austin, TX. Friends we hadn’t seen in way too long were able to gather and it was a grand send off. Thanks to each of you who helped but especially to Lupe (who housed us and let us use your car to finish our endless chores and runs to REI) and to Brad (for storing our precious pinball machines)!

My coworkers also gave me a sweet going away. Potluck lunches, happy hours, and memories never to be forgotten! Lots to be thankful for and I’m not sure I will ever work with peers I respect so much.

I regret not taking more photos but I'm thankful for what I did get! Thanks to my friends Cat and Erica for remembering to take pictures!

Granbury and Dallas Goodbyes

Spent several days with my parents and sister's family in Granbury. My mom was so proud and introduced me to anyone who walked by as "her daughter that is traveling the world for two years." Sometimes that introduction was to people she knew and I am still not sure if some of those were greetings to total strangers, including all the sweet people at the mani/pedi place. She gave this announcement with both smiles and tears. She did good though, I know this isn't easy for everyone.

Mom and Jim have been fantastically supportive, picking us up in Austin and mailing stuff last minute for us as well as managing our mail while we are gone. This would be much harder without their help!

Then we headed to Dallas to see Brent's Dad and a few friends. It was great to hit a few of our favorite Dallas spots including Nova on our way out. Saying goodbye to Brent's dad was especially hard. I think saying goodbye to him represented a final goodbye to Texas. I will miss everyone but also know I'm going to be able to come back with some amazing stories!

Florida Farewells


Florida was our final family and friend farewell. Our friend Andy generously let us crash at his place our first and last nights in Florida. Our buddy Bryan just moved to Orlando from ATX and it was a great treat to see him before we left.

Next we went to Titusville and stayed with Aunt Sherry and Uncle Jeff. Great food, margaritas, and laughter were had here! What a great time. Uncle Jeff was so nice to take us out to the wildlife refuge for some gator spottin, bird watching, and beautiful butterflies! The next day we went to NASA where I totally nerded out on some outer space action.

Then on to Mimi's where we hit the ButterBean (yum, yum, yum!) and celebrated her 87th birthday! What great timing as her bday brought in all the family on my dad's side so I could see everyone in one stop. So glad to spend her birthday at her house.

Last we stopped at my cousin Brook and Bryan's house. THank you for hosting a gathering for us! Here I was able to see my mom's side of the family. What a great relaxing day with good food, beer, and the final round of Q and A's about our trip!


I'm certain I forgot someone in here I was supposed to thank BUT thank you all. I love you all. We'll see you soon and keep you posted on our adventures as we are able!
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Let's Keep In Touch!

4/14/2015

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Per request by many..................
How to contact Brent and Laura during our world travels
:


For Iphone / Ipad users only:
 
Viber * PRIMARY METHOD OF COMMUNICATING WITH US - Free Viber to Viber calls and text.  Just download the app, sign up, and then use the contacts to free text or free call us.  SUPER EASY!

Facetime – You can contact us on FaceTime when we are connected to WiFi only.  Just use our phone numbers and choose FaceTime when you call us.  Both sides will need to have a decent internet connection to support the video.

IMessage -  (text messaging on an Iphone only) – text us using your Iphone and we’ll receive and send messages when we have WiFi connections.

WiFi calling - This is not available as of yet on the Iphone, but may be coming soon.  Stay tuned.

For all other phones / computers / tablets:

Viber * PRIMARY METHOD OF COMMUNICATING WITH US - Free Viber to Viber calls and text.  Just download the app, sign up, and then use the contacts to free text or free call us.  SUPER EASY!

Skype – Brent’s Username is: brentslane, Laura’s is L*3.
We’ll help you add our contact information to your phone / Ipad (if we see you before we leave).  Once added, simply click on the username in Skype…. Skype can also be used to text message and voice call us just like a phone if we are on WiFi.

Email – We’ll check email when we have WiFi service
            Brent.s.lane@gmail.com
            streetblane@gmail.com
            lauralouiselane@gmail.com

Facebook – Use Facebook Messenger to text us and we’ll receive and respond when we have WiFi.

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Wanderlust prevails!

4/12/2015

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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.

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This is MY marathon

10/29/2014

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First official long run of training. It was a hot day. I had cramps and "bonked." I wasn't the happiest this day but I cracked a smile. Sometimes you have to fake it til you make it. I'm definitely stronger than when we started almost a month ago.
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The race
Napa, March 2nd 2015

Registration paid, flights and hotel booked, so let the training begin. I picked this course for several reasons. 1) It's my birthday weekend and what better place to spend a long birthday celebration than Napa?! 2) It's two days after my 38th birthday which is a great way to start a new year of life by accomplishing something brilliant straight away. 3) Probably the most important reason is that it has a nice, downward elevation during the 26.2 miles I'll be running.

Overall this seems like a nice tone under which to complete my first marathon.

The training schedule

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When I look at this schedule I initially feel overwhelmed, intimidated, scared. We are currently in countdown week 18 (Oct 27) and this will be my first time to run five miles during the week, our long run will be eight miles. I guess it just feels real now.

This is a countdown with a definitive stop date. There is no grace period. The wheels are in motion and I am the sole responsible party to my own need to complete this task. That seems so serious when I could be my own biggest disappointment. I have nobody else to blame in this battle.

When I logged this schedule on my personal calendar (AFTER everything was booked) I realized that all holidays are ruined. Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years it's all just terrible. This is my first year out of grad school and I had intended this to be the holiday season of ME. There will be no partying for me on Dec 31st while swigging what seems like countless glasses of vodka drinks sprinkled with a champagne toast at midnight. Nope. I have a 17 mile run two days later. I'm sure there are alternatives but I just haven't figured what that looks like yet.

This schedule is my primary driver through March 1st and I can't really allow myself to deviate.

SO friends and family, please let this be my warning to you.... my schedule has been set and I promise to see you as much as I can between running, eating, running, sleeping, and running. I love you all and will emerge a better version of me on the other side.

The bright side of the schedule..

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Half marathon booked!
Believe it or not I'm pretty stoked that the Austin 1/2 marathon aligned perfectly with our training schedule. When people train for a marathon they run distances greater than than a 1/2 marathon on multiple runs. I just want a medal to go with one of mine!

You may wonder, if I am holding all this fear and feel like this is such a great sacrifice, then why the hell am I running a marathon?

This is a completely valid question that I have asked myself over and over. Before we began our official training Brent asked me the same question. I have to be sure I'm dedicated and find my inner motivation in order for me to complete this. Running a marathon is a mental game, everyone says this. If it's 90% mental then I cannot be negative about all aspects of this training. I can't. And really.... I'm not.

Running a marathon is something I've wanted to do for many years now. Like any big life event the preparation and planning has begun and brings with it both excitement and complete fear. A good analogy of this dual excitement/fear for non-runners would be a wedding. Weddings are exciting! Once the engagement happens the bride-to-be is filled with dreams and plans. Weddings can be consuming can take months or years to plan, you put off seeing family/friends, your free time is spent online looking at blogs and Pintrest, and the bride becomes selfish (it's okay to admit this). The wedding becomes your priority and all other plans must fall. THEN there's also the fear. I mean your committing to someone after all. Til' death do us part and all that jazz. People are coming to the wedding. Did you pick the right dress, cake, photographer? OH MY GOD... DID YOU PICK THE RIGHT GUY? How will you merge your finances? What if we don't have the same taste in where we live? I mean the questions and doubt are rampant and the excitement is out of control. This. Is. Normal. So, I feel okay with my excitement and fear towards the marathon. I mean, thank goodness my marriage has been solid so I must be a good decision maker. Right?!

The fear of failure has become palpable and the commitment level is extreme BUT I'm really ready. Yes, spending valuable time with friends/family, going to social events, and drinking are all severely limited but I'm okay with this... 20 weeks out of my life dedicated to this achievement is nothing but a speck in my lifetime. My commitment level is tangible. I've even cut my hair shorter to reduce the time it takes to dry my hair since I'm showering so much. I don't feel I have a lot of time to waste. My energy needs to be focused on taking care of myself. In some ways this is the most pampered I may ever be! I get sports massages every two weeks (okay they really hurt but their good for me), buy new running gear on a very regular basis (shopping!), and I am focused on rest and eating well. That's amazing! I've never been so protective of my time and my person in my life. Well maybe I was during grad school, but that's just different. I've never really focused on what I need and that is very powerful. The great thing is that I have this awesome "excuse" of a marathon to explain why. It isn't that I want to say no to plans or I don't have time for people, I just have to conserve and expend energy very carefully.

I see Brent more, feel stronger than I ever have before, and not having a drink every weekend is a good exercise in a healthier attitude towards blowing off steam and relaxing. I'm setting a standard for how I want to live my life.

Overcoming some serious challenges

Though I generally like to focus on the positive, I have to be real with some of the challenges I've faced. This has been a very "me" focused blog: MY run, My schedule, My commitment. The truth is this is a very "we" effort. Brent has been a rock and I haven't made it easy.

I am an angry runner. I have been so angry that at the end of the run I was shaking and doubled over as if someone punched me in the gut. I was crying uncontrollably and asked Brent to stay back because I couldn't stand ANYONE. I was so furious because he ran in front of me the whole time. What a freaking asshole! I get so angry sometimes that I want to yell at the runners beside me. Scream at what I felt was the stupidest squirrel in existence for flicking it's tail as I ran by. I've wanted to push Brent to the ground. I get so mad that I can't think and I don't like it. It's so weird to me because I think of myself as a joyful and happy person. Brent and I don't fight or yell at each other. We don't call each other names. When we face hard decisions and difficult times we are a great team and we are both good communicators and planners. SO why does such guttural rage emerge in me when I run? Why do I want to rip him to shreds and call him names?

When we first began our pre-training I was in an angry moment. We sat on the trail and had a very serious talk. Brent was like, "Laura, I'm not sure this is for us. I'm not sure this is worth how angry you get and maybe we can find another activity to do. Maybe a marathon isn't the best thing." I heard his words but I know this is something I need to do. I want to be a joyful runner. I need to figure out what this anger is about and deal with it. If I can control this crazy anger I think it will flow into other areas of my life: self control, self talk, and just make me better.

So why am I so angry? I don't like doing things I'm not good at. When we first started running.... I wasn't good enough for my standards. I'm competitive, I want to be my best and I was wheezing and could barely run two miles. I felt fat. Every time a foot hit the ground my body reverberated. My mind said, "Stop running you fat, lazy bitch. Stop embarrassing yourself you slow fucking idiot. You're not athletic and you never will be. Why do you always try to do things you can't do? Listen to your gasping for air like a fish on the ground, how pathetic." I mean the self-talk in my head was so destructive. It hurt mentally. It hurt physically. Every time I tied on my running shoes it was like an automatic stream of hateful slurs began. These are things I would never say to anyone else. Why am I so encouraging to others but hate myself so much when I run? The crazy part is that I KNEW if I was running that I wasn't lazy. I KNEW that by being on the running trail nobody was looking at me and wondering why I was there....It wasn't embarrassing. So I needed to work through all of this.

I began by first listening to music. Listening to music drowned out my breath. When I did this I was able to say positive things in my mind. If I got distracted and started yelling at myself again then I could focus on the beat, the words in a song, until I got back on track and could be nice to myself again. After only a week or so the breath got better. My legs felt stronger and the talk became easier. I'm not saying it was perfect, but it was better. But I still had this lingering issue with Brent. It was making me so mad when he was in the lead. Thoughts looked like, "Why does he always have to be in front of me, I know he thinks he's better than me." "Why is this so easy for him? He isn't sweating or breathing hard. His legs aren't ever tired." "If I got hurt he wouldn't even know, his stupid peppy ass would just keep going and I would be left here to die." "Why is he making this all about him? It's MY race. I don't want to run at his pace but he's making me." So the bad part to all of this is I asked him to train me. He's run several marathons. He's trained people. He is a legit person to lead me in this. I ASKED him to lead me in this. Yet, I always feel like it's a race and he's winning. I feel angry. I can't say I've totally worked through this but we're getting there. I'm not sure if this is really dealing with the issue but he runs behind me. Just behind me off my right shoulder and I lead the pace. If I need him to set the pace I'll "invite" him to lead, though this rarely turns out well. There have even been a few times when he's led the run and I still felt love for him, so I know I'm improving. But for now, at best, he runs beside me and I'll keep working on this.

I've been so surprised how this has challenged our communication. In a strange way I feel lucky that all the "real" trials we've faced we've worked through so much more easily. The good news is that we could have walked away from this training if it wasn't getting better, but it is. We generally make a plan before each run and our communication has grown stronger. I can tell you.. I did NOT expect this to be my challenge. But what I do know is this, many other things during this 5 months will surprise me. As I work through them, I will only continue to become a better person.

I've been told many times that I always pick the hard way, the difficult path. I can acknowledge that in myself. But I will also say that I choose these things in part because I want to be the best version of myself that I can be. We are at our worst when times are hard, so if I can practice or control what that looks like then when times get really hard, I'll be solid.

Stronger. Faster. Harder to Kill. Brent has said this so many times. I get it now.
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Picture after our most recent long run (6 miles). Finished at Alta's cafe and had a smoothie. Yes, I was genuinely happy. Love to this guy for his patience and support. Love to myself for patience and support.
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Well hello.... long time no blog!

10/26/2014

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It's been a while.....a very long while since I've written a blog. As I began writing about my marathon training, I felt a need to catch up first.

My last post was December 2012 and even at that time my posts started getting very spotty. This is partially because we moved to Dallas in 2010 and when we first moved, I really struggled in adjusting to my new life there. Work, friends, culture, everything was different. It took quite some time to feel settled. Initially there was no love to share, no "Laura's Latest Love" that I could find. But it was by no means all bad! I just needed some time to adjust to my new surroundings.

So I'll sum up the love: I was so glad we lived closer to family for a few years. I have some truly great memories hanging out with my father-in-law, brunches with my mom and sister, and reconnecting with one of my best friends in the world, the future Mrs. Grubbs. We also made a life time friend who even became a great traveling companion venturing with us to both Tahoe (twice) and Thailand.

I also had the opportunity to go back to school and obtain my Master's in Public Health, which was a dream come true. During my two years in grad school I made another great friend in Kaley. As I spent two seriously grueling years in school I found a camaraderie with someone who experienced my pain. I was thankful that she a) was going through the same experience as me and b) was also the total Type A, driven, married female with whom I could relate to both personally and professionally. She definitely made the experience more tolerable and I'm so glad to have gained a great friend to boot.

Towards the end of school I lived with one of my nephews for a semester, which was valuable time with him for which I will always be thankful.

Though I wish I could have spent more time with every one of these people I'm glad we had the time we did while living closer. As I scoured through my photos of the last few years here are a few gems. I'm sad there's so many pictures I DIDN't take but there's another lesson learned I suppose.

Snapshot of good times in DFW!

Brent says there should be a completely separate blog on how my hair styles have changed over the years, Ha! Also, I at some point I need to dedicate a entire blog to Thailand and graduate school... but not today.
Overall, I learned to appreciate a new environment (Dallas) for what it had to offer and stop looking for Austin in every corner. That was a very important lesson for me to learn. Dallas has great food, fantastic museums, and this overall experience served as a reminder to not take special moments for granted. We lived closer to family, made new friends, and I got to live a dream. Not bad Dallas, not bad at all.

This was a long lesson though, I would say it took about two years before I really found my happiness again and then it was off to grad school which was a new form of blissful self-torture with no time for my husband much less writing this blog.

Now, back in Austin...

I'm happily reporting from my "home" in Austin and living my dream career as an Epidemiologist....wow, I still can't believe that's what I do... this job was always a fantasy for me and here I am! I've been back in Austin for a year in December and I just love life.

Now that we're all caught up, time to get to the meat of my marathon training! Update coming soon.
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Anchorage, Alaska

12/11/2012

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Things to do when travelling in a new place:
Do use yelp to find local eateries and coffee shops; don't be afraid to strike up conversations with strangers. Sometimes you meet the greatest people that way.

Do walk outside, find a tall identifiable landmark and roam aimlessly when possible; don't forget your camera, you'll always regret when you don't have it.

Do watch the weather, it's crappy to head back early when you need another layer.

Do eat the local food; you might never get a chance to try reindeer sausage again!
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We figured out that "do not eat" means the health inspector came in one day and basically said this is unsanitary.
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After a few drinks a somewhat local whaler-looking-tech-dude convinced me that he really liked the cheese and that I should try it. He DID eat some first.
Do buy some sort of momento and/or take lots of pictures. I like to buy an ornament everywhere we go. I write the year on the bottom or somewhere and then every year when we put up the tree we reminisce of all the great places we've been able to go and memories made.
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The cheese was actually tasty. I like to think I was also strenghtening my immune system.
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Phone Test

5/31/2012

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Testing a post from my phone. Thank you weebly! This might have me back in business.
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Taco Deli, North Lamar... Awesome!

9/14/2010

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You're way out of the loop if you haven't seen or heard that there is now a Taco Deli on North Lamar. Even more wrong than not knowing there's a new-ish location, is not having eaten there.... so you if you haven't yet, then you just need to make it a priority. Since it isn't brand new the lines aren't quite as terrible as they were at first. I've also been generous enough to chow down at this location on at least six times by now and can verify that they definitely have their sh*t together. So go, enjoy and let their Dona sauce Blow. Your. Mind.

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“We must take adventures in order to know where we truly belong.” —Anonymous
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