Leaving On a Jet Plane

So today is the day I start my Central and South American journey. It is 4am on the East coast and I can't sleep! I was supposed to meet Meaghan K. in Miami this morning and fly to San Jose, Costa Rica, but unfortunately, she has been weathered-out of Seattle. She is a quick and industrious sort so she managed to reschedule her flight...out of Dallas instead of Miami. That means we travel alone! Well, not the start I expected to my journey, but I have a feeling I am going to have to learn to be very flexible in the next few months...

I am planning on being in Central and South America until May 15th. First stop is San Jose, Costa Rica and then on the Coastal Challenge race! If you want to follow the race, there is a Facebook page. You can also try blog.leadaventuremedia.com/live. It is a 6 day stage race and about 80 miles or so over the mountains and through the jungles of Costa Rica. It sounded fun when I signed up! I'm feeling a bit nervous now...

Next stop is Playa Gigante, Nicaragua. Meaghan and I plan to bus it from La Cruz or Liberia, Costa Rica to Rivas, Nicaragua where her cousin will pick us up and take us to surf camp in Nicaragua! Should be a great time.

Then on to Peru, Bolivia and Argentina (with a day in Chile) with the Dragoman tour group out of the U.K. Their website is www.dragoman.com. I am taking one of their "Overland" trips. There is a fun video on the site showing "overlanding." Check it out if you are interested.

Next, I am meeting Karl in Buenos Aires and we plan to explore Argentina for a few weeks. No itinerary!

Finally, I will volunteer with Global Vision International in the Galapagos Islands for my final five weeks in South America.

I hope to learn Spanish, see amazing sights, meet new and interesting people, experience new cultures and at least begin to fulfill my humanitarian duty. I am sure that I will also learn patience, flexibility and get a dose of humility whether I want to or not...

Cheers,

Kelly

Birthday Celebration

Birthday Celebration

Patrick and Karl arranged a wonderful birthday celebration yesterday. A massage in Stuart in the morning and Asian-Fusion tapas in Fort Lauderdale for dinner...Relaxing and fun!

I'm back in the Florida sun, enjoying my birthday and getting ready to go to my first overseas stop in Costa Rica.

Thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes yesterday.

Cheers,

Kelly

Asheville Turnaround

Asheville Turnaround!

My theme song:

"I’ve been burning up the blacktop

I’ve been wearin’ out these tires

I’ve got a rebuilt carburetor

I’ve got brand new spark plug wires

I’be been clutchin and a brakin

I’ve been up these hills and down

Her good love keeps me makin

That Asheville turnaround." - Del Mccoury Band

http://youtu.be/XUHVhYuKMJI

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I had an amazing 12 days celebrating New Year's, building, running and driving with Butch and Maria in Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee.

We had all kinds of weather (mostly the coldish kind) and all kinds of fun. First, I rang in the New Year with Maria, Butch and Maria's extended family just outside of Atlanta, Georgia...

Then on to Asheville....After building a rack to haul 24 foot beams weighing in at around 125 pounds on a Toyota truck, the "team" (Butch, Maria and me) loaded 8 beams onto the truck, then on to sawhorses, and after much consternation and calculation and re-calculation of the Pythagorean Theory, we hoisted the beams up onto the top of the barn-to-be. Whew!

After "raising the barn," Maria, Butch, the neighbors (Caroline, Wilder, Matt and Brigit and friends) and I met up with Maria's mom Kathy, dad Tom, and the brothers, Michael and Chris, for the Tsali trail run, somewhere near Fontana Village, North Carolina. It was a rainy day but everyone in our group managed to heat up the 8km and 30 km courses. We all took home victory pottery and some door prizes as well.

And then on to Nashville...Butch and I made the 5 hour drive (with a nice lunch stop in Knoxville at the Perrys') and landed at Chris Perry's hip studio right in the middle of the action of Nashville. We felt a little "bushwacked" after hitting Broadway, but Butch managed to conduct a fabulous city tour on my last day in the city.

I just have to say...I love Asheville and Weaverville and Barnardsville...Thanks for a wonderful time Buria (and for hosting Caroline and Wilder)!

I have only a few more posts from the U.S. of A. I'll send out a post listing my Central and South American itineraries very soon.

Cheers,

Kelly

White Christmas?!

Christmas 2011 was my first snow-less Christmas. It was also the first Christmas Eve I've spent waiting in line at a 7-11 for a case of water! Just around the time everyone started washing dishes on Christmas Eve, the water in all of Fort Lauderdale and the surrounding areas dried up. A 42 inch main burst and apparently Fort Lauderdale doesn't have a back-up. Once the water came back on again, it wasn't potable for days. It was awesome prep for my upcoming four months in Central and South America!

I enjoyed the holiday season with my brother in Fort Lauderdale. We had an amazing Christmas Day dinner prepared by my brother's friend LauRen and ate poolside. It was a perfect, "bug-free" celebration!

I treated myself to a Christmas present of wetones, ziplock baggies, DEET, toilet paper, etc...as you can see. I'm getting really excited about going South!

Next up, New Year's in Atlanta with Butch and Maria. I leave today....more pictures to come.

Happy New Year's!

Kelly

It's a Wrap! - Year in Review

Surprisingly, I am 4 months in to my sabbatical and the end of 2011 is also near. I've been inspired by travel-blogger Chris Guillebeau of The Art of Non-Conformity and Alex and Sarah's Thanksgiving message, "The Top Eight Things We Find Ourselves Feeling Happy About," to write a review, looking back at 2011 and reflecting a bit. Besides, I like lists and this is a project involving a list.

Top 3 favorite things about my sabbatical (4 months in):

3) Reconnecting with friends and family

Living in Alaska is a lot like living on an island...a big island mind you, but isolated. It is also what makes my friends and the people in Alaska so special and close-knit. At the same time, it makes visiting friends and family in the lower-48 expensive and difficult. I've been able to spend quality time with each of my family members. I've been able to reconnect with some of my childhood friends, catch up on their lives and exchange stories about the good old days. However, I haven't seen nearly as many friends as I would like and hope to cram a few more visits in after I return from Central and South America.

2) Visiting familiar places with a new view

After college I spent some time road-tripping across the desert Southwest. I've been able to visit some of the same places that I remember from that trip, with new friends and with a different outlook. This time I wasn't as concerned about getting to a certain spot on a map. This time I really felt the sun and the dry, clean air...and had a blast running and biking with friends too!

1) Having time

For the first month after beginning my sabbatical, I slept 11 hours every night. Now I am down to a natural 7-8. It has been a real gift to be able to sleep and have the time and uncluttered mind to do so. I have had time to take sailing lessons, plan trips, read news articles and books, help my family with chores and projects, and just plain relax. Relaxing is not that easy for me, but I am learning to slow down and to be more deliberate and mindful. It really is liberating! I hope to hold on to a relaxed mind and body even after this sabbatical.

Things that have been less than great:

2) Lacking time

So, the greatest part about my sabbatical has been having time. Well, lacking time has simultaneously been one thing that has been less than great as well. It has been a little difficult to fit in all of the activities that I want to do and to see all of the people I'd like to see. Every place I have been to so far I would like to spend more time exploring! Sometimes it has been hard to meet the expectations of my friends and relatives. I feel the need to fit every item on my "bucket list" in one year, yet realize this is impossible.

1) Missing Alaska

I miss my Alaska buddies and my masters swim, BBB, and Dome track routines (well, mostly the folks I spend time doing those activities with). Because it is almost Christmas and I am sitting outside in shorts and a t-shirt, I find I also miss the snow!

I'm including some recent photos from Florida. Next up, Christmas in Fort Lauderdale and New Year's in Atlanta...

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Kelly

We Passed!

Karl and I just spent 4 wonderful days on the water aboard a 36-foot Hunter sloop in Biscayne Bay learning and living the life of coastal cruisers.

We learned tacking and jibing and docking and anchoring. Navigating the very, very shallow waters of the Bay added to the excitement. Somehow, at the end of the week, we passed both Sailing 101 and 103! Oh, and by the way, 102 no longer exists...

I've included some pictures of Karl and Captain Jim repairing the mainsail, views of Miami from the water, one of the "stilt" houses in the middle of Bay (used as speakeasies during Prohibition) and lots of photos of Karl and me sailing and relaxing on the boat. I can't wait to get out there again!

Jibe ho!

Kelly

Thanksgiving

I have many reasons to be thankful this holiday season...the beautiful places I've been, my travels to come, my family and friends. My sabbatical so far has been amazing and I am looking forward to all of the new adventures yet to come.

My brother has been showing my Mom, Karl and me a great time. Karl and I joined him at his birthday celebration in Ft. Lauderdale, along with his friends, including four Miami Dolphin cheerleaders and the pitcher from the Pittsburgh Pirates. Luckily only a few of you out there read my blog...a couple of the folks at my brother's gathering were very concerned about where the pictures I took would end up!

This weekend my brother is working at the NCAA basketball pre-season tournament at the Atlantis in The Bahamas. Since it is Thanksgiving, naturally, my Mom and I decided to join him. Karl thought it sounded like a good way to spend the holiday as well.

Atlantis is a pretty wild place...part beach resort, part waterpark, part aquarium, part Vegas casino and entertainment center. It would be hard to get bored here!

I haven't gotten too burned yet and I'm hoping to catch a UConn game before I leave...life is good. Well, I'll add some pictures and go back to enjoying my "vacation from my vacation."

Cheers, Kelly