Being land-locked eats my soul

Needing a break from life, I hopped in the car and drove to Philly on a whim after work on Monday. I've enjoyed my time off immensely, but unfortunately, I have to go back to reality tomorrow.

One of the things that has been getting me down recently has been the fact that I haven't been to the beach once this summer. For a Floridian with an intense love of the ocean, that's almost heartbreaking. Luckily, for me I was able to spend today on the Jersey Shore, reviving my soul after being away from the beach far too long.

It was my first time in New Jersey and I was not disappointed. Then again, I only really saw their beach, but that was enough for me. It was a soul-reviving trip and I feel refreshed just enough to tackle my double double on Friday and Saturday.

A photo update at last!

I should definitely post photos more often than I do...especially if I want to keep claiming to be a photographer. Part of the reason I don't is because I should definitely be taking more photos than I am. I'm working on it.

Tonight I made it out to the county fair to take some shots and blow off some steam from work...
[I now interrupt this blog post to make a very important announcement...*Please tip your servers...it's not our fault if the food takes a long time, and it's definitely not our fault if you choose to be a jerk about it.* Thank you.]

So anyway, I'm happy I made it out to the fair because there were plenty of wonderful photo opportunities.

Behold... (click them to make them larger...it's worth it!)

I loved the sky in this one...




Everything about this screamed, "TAKE A PHOTO!"




Nothing goes together better than sleepy bulls and karaoke...

A year ago today...

A year ago today, I moved to Greece.

A year ago today I would've told you that I'd most definitely still be in Greece, living happily in my breezy Ikea-furnished room as an au pair.

It's amazing how hardly anything went as I planned from the moment I boarded the plane to the moment I realized that being an au pair wasn't anything I'd hoped or imagined.

As far as how I went from being an au pair in Greece to a server in West Virginia, well, sometimes I question myself about the chain of events that led me here, but I definitely don't regret any of the decisions I made between there and here. Lately though, I can't help but be caught up in my thoughts, reminiscing about my time in Greece. I may no longer be in Greece, but it's certain to say that my heart most definitely is.

Looking back, my nearly four months there were tumultuous and stressful, but I grew and learned so much from every moment I spent there. From learning how to drive in the insanity that is downtown Athens traffic to spending time on the very beach they used in the movie Mamma Mia! while they built the set, it all feels as if it was a dream that was over far too quickly.

Sometimes it's a hard realization to make, that, no matter what, you can't relive the past. I suppose that's just how things go. We all have experiences in our lives that no one can help us hold onto the memory of, but ourselves, and I'm sure my life will continue on in a similar fashion. I'm certain to be lamenting about some other past experience of my life that I'd like to be able to relive soon enough, so I should just go with the flow and move on already.

Speaking of moving on, I've pretty much decided it's about that time again. I know, I know, I've been here a mere 8 months, but I just can't seem to grasp the idea of settling down quite yet. Maybe it's the fact that Greece has been haunting my thoughts lately, or maybe I just have this alternate biological clock inside me that lets me know when it's time move on. Whatever it is, it's been causing me to feel more than ready to pack my bags, sell whatever extra stuff I've acquired and hit the road.

I've got a few ideas in mind, but until anything is solid, I don't want to be throwing them out into cyberspace quite yet. The most I can really guarantee right now is that it will be after October 11 (when my roomies, Joel and Ashley, get married), and it will involve some serious road-tripping.

Well...here's to a year past and the years to come...