"Love" = The Language of the World

I must say The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho has brought a sense of vision to my life that almost feels a bit overwhelming. I finished the book this week and have now started reading the last third of the book over again with my highlighter. A quote that hit me pretty hard was "You must understand that love never keeps a man from pursuing his Personal Legend. If he abandons that pursuit, it's because it wasn't true love...the love that speaks the Language of the World." When I relate this quote to my personal life I must admit that I now know I was tested and had I accepted the circumstances, my life would be totally different right now. I wouldn't be traveling the United States selling metal products, meeting new people and experiencing new things on a daily basis. I was nearly engaged about 3 years ago and would most likely still be living in Minnesota and working in a cubicle. Something in my heart told me to move on and see what "could be." I began to travel by myself and experience things I had been desiring to do and I feel like I am now on a path of pursuit. My life has changed in so many ways over the past year and especially in the past few months. I feel like I am now living the "could be" and the vision for my life is becoming more clear. I am a firm believer in listening to your heart and exploring the opportunities. I don't think one can go wrong by doing so. If you don't, you can only live with regret.

The "could be's" have now brought me back to Denver, my most favorite place. I am spending a few weeks out here relaxing, working and planning. For some reason this place makes me feel like I can do anything and I think the people who know me best can definitely sense my happiness whenever I am here. My trip out to Denver was relatively uneventful unless you consider driving flat land for 1,150 miles in one day eventful, trying to figure out a hotel in the middle of Kansas where there are no hotels, not being able to sleep and getting up at 6am the following morning and driving the last 250 miles to leave about 8 hours after arrival to go camping and hike your first 14er eventful, that is nothing in the new life of Sheila Hill. I think the thoughts of being in Denver were a bit exciting for my character.

I must tell you about this 14er that I hiked. It was called Mount Massive and it is Massive. My most favorite part of the trip was of course at the top, but the top seemed to bring a series of confessions. We were just about at the top of the mountain and I am chatting with Pat telling him I am really excited that I am going to make it to the top and feel like it will be the biggest accomplishment in the series of adventure I have been experiencing. Pat is thinking it is because of the high altitude and me not having any time to get my lungs regulated. I had to confess that I am deathly afraid of heights so me being 14,421 feet in the air is kind of a big deal for me. When we finally get to the top, we are all hanging out and Pat tells me he has a little confession that he has been holding out on. "Congratulations, you have just hiked the second highest peak in the state of Colorado." Think some four letter words right now and you will know exactly what I was thinking. Now that I am on top of the world (literally) I am feeling really good, the views are breathtaking and the 8oz can of Coors Light that was cracked open as a surprise and celebratory cheers was actually better than the face the camera captured. When we stand up, I realize (enter another four letter word) I have to get back down and looking down a mountain is way more difficult than looking up a mountain when you are afraid of heights. Clearly I made it down and am alive to tell the story and actually plan on doing some more 14ers in the near future. I am now an addict and that fear of heights has become a blur in the back of my mind.

Struggles and Fuggles

Sometimes I wonder what the hell I'm doing, what got me here and how am I going to stay on top of this when I feel like the poles are aligning in some respects, but definitely not in others. That was my thought today and continues to be my thought tonight. I have the mindset that I can have whatever kind of day I set my mind to, but today just wasn't happening for me. It all started with an email that pissed me off and then to top off that email, I had a very eye opening conversation with someone I would now consider to be a mentor and then I get a phone call about some stuff going on that one wouldn't assume would throw me over the edge, but did, especially after my morning coffee convo. I would hope tomorrow could only get better and I think it will.
I am now in beautiful Pulaski, TN. I think this state is absolutely gorgeous and I could definitely live here or at least visit frequently. I am staying with a family friend who has known me since I was born, which has been absolutely wonderful. Seeing a familiar face who is as close to family as one can get has been a real treat, considering I haven't seen my family since May. I have to say I have been so incredibly spoiled with fresh veggies straight from the garden, hot breakfast, coffee, golf cart rides on the land, ice cream....I might not ever leave this place.
I had a customer tell me today that my new life should become a reality show. He can't believe how quickly I move around and all the excitement that has been created. Apparently I am doing something new every week, which is true, but to me that is what life is supposed to be about. I am getting out and experiencing new things. One thing I thought about today was the fact that my personality thrives on adventure and trying new things. Even if I am scared to death of something, I will generally at least try it. If I were to keep my personality "stuck in the walls" it would be like never opening that wrapped package to see what is inside. If I don't explore who I am and see who I wish to become, I will end up in the every day pattern of things and most likely just wonder what my potential could have been. We'll see what tomorrow brings and I vow not to look at that crackberry until I have had the chance to fully wake up and make up my mind as to what kind of day I am going to have. I believe it could be as productive as I make it...

Fishing Frenzy

Well, this week was full of work as well as a fishing trip out on Lake Burton and Lake Lanier in Georgia. I reeled in both of those fish and it was a total adrenaline rush. One was 12 pounds and the other was 9 pounds. They told me these were small in comparison with what has been caught this week. One catch was 31 pounds and I saw his picture. He was a monster! For this fishing trip I had to get out of bed at 3am and be on the road at 3:30am in order to meet my customer and get up the mountain to be at the lake at 6am. I have no idea how I managed that, as I am in no way a morning person. We didn't get off the second lake until 6:15pm so it was quite the day. It was a ton of fun and we definitely had some funny stuff happen. I think the funnies started about 9:30am when the brewskies began and the guide was eating some Combos and accidently asked if anyone wanted a condom. That kept us going the rest of the day...

Tomorrow is my last day in Atlanta and I can hardly believe I have to pack up my car again. My life already seems exciting, but this next week is going to bring some challenges that are pretty intense. I am arriving in Denver next Friday and then on Saturday I am hiking a 14,000ft peak. Pretty insane and I am really excited about it. I will definitely be taking some pictures and posting them.

I have been doing a lot of reading these past couple weeks and have been introduced to some really amazing books. I have always enjoyed motivational books and business books, but have really gotten into spiritual and life purpose books now. I have always known that I had a little bit different mindset and I think it is starting to come to light. The book I am currently reading is called The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho and it was recommended to me by a friend who has a similar mindset to me. This book is exactly what I needed in my life right now and it has been very inspiring and uplifting for me as I travel around. Onwards and upwards!

Last Moments In Atlanta

I had a blast this weekend and now I am in recovery mode. Friday night I met up with a customer and another vendor at this restaurant called Pure. It is the most amazing Mexican restaurant I have ever eaten at in terms of variety of food. I feel like I need a drum roll to tell you what I actually ate because when I think about it, it actually makes me want to throw up. I ate mussels. Now the reason this makes me think I am out of my mind is the fact that when I was in Australia, our tour guide was eating raw mussels on the beach and it was probably one of the most disgusting things I have ever seen before. I survived my experience on Friday and I actually ate about a quarter of a bowl of them. This customer that I was out with is actually the one that asked his friends about the hiking trails. He brought me all these maps and he said he has been wanting to go hiking for awhile so I invited him to go along with me. We ended up hiking two different trails with some of the most amazing waterfalls. Total trail distance was 7.2 miles, which was a great workout! Afterwards we went to this little German town called Helen. Now I get to tell you about the second exciting thing I ate this weekend...sauerkraut. I had a bratwurst with sauerkraut. Yum yum yum. I loved it. I also learned about this hippie festival that takes place down in Florida every October. I am going to rock it out this October. My customer's friend goes every year so he told me all about it and it sounds like a blast.
I didn't make it to the mall today, as I have some work that needs to get done and I was more or less just feeling lazy. I will have to make that happen next time I am in Atlanta. This week is chalk full of work stuff...including a fishing trip...and then I am moving again next Sunday. I can hardly believe my time here is just about over and I am on to the next place. Over the course of the next 4-5 weeks I will be visiting 4 different states for extended periods and then I will be going to Florida for 6 weeks. I already know Florida is going to be crazy wild between working a trade show, having friends visit, visiting friends who live down there, a wine and food festival and now a hippie festival. Before I know it, November will be here and my car won't look so inviting and I will be looking for a place to call home...or maybe I will have two homes...you just never know.

Oh the places you'll go...

Well, my weekend is now planned thanks to one of my awesome customers. He consulted with his friends and figured out the best hiking trail for me to hit. Apparently it is a 3 mile hike, the waterfall at the end is HUGE and I am to bring a camera. Done. I am going hiking on Saturday and then there is this big mall in downtown Atlanta called the Lenox and I am going there on Sunday. I learned that I don't even need to take the Marta, as my GPS led me astray on the way to my first appointment yesterday and brought me right past the mall. It was a sign I need to go there...I would like to believe that anyways! I saw the Marta too and it looks just like the lightrail I used to ride in Denver.

I still can't believe my first trip to Atlanta is just about over. I definitely can't wait to come back here. Who knows when it will be, but definitely in the next few months. You never know where the little hippie will land herself in the coming months...I think we should start taking predictions...

Where Do You Live?

The question, "Where do you live?" has become a question I truly do not know how to answer these days. I now laugh whenever the question arises, because I don't have a home! The first time the question was asked was in Florida a few weeks ago. The front desk concierge wanted to know where I lived. I told him I didn't know what to tell him because I don't really have a home right now. He looked at me with a funny face and I just smiled. I then told him that the real answer might be that I have a lot of homes, but haven't decided where home is yet. He still looked confused. I have had a few customers ask where I live and I sort of just laugh and tell them I am being a hippie for awhile. They have all laughed and I even had one that told me I don't look like a hippie. I told him I'm the newest kind of a hippie - a modern day hippie. When I finally get an address, I know I will appreciate it so much more. It sounds like a simple thing, but when this question of, "Where do you live?" comes up and I don't know how to answer it, it makes me want a home just a little bit. I don't have to be homeless, I am just choosing to be for a little while. When I finally do decide on a home, I am going to do it right. You just wait and see.

This week has been absolutely insane. I have been traveling the past two days and it has kind of been a whirlwind. I know I am busy when I look at my calendar this morning and realize it isn't Tuesday it is actually Wednesday and I had already lived Tuesday. It sure didn't feel like it. I was only supposed to travel a half day today, but it ended up being a full day. I had just pulled in the driveway about 12:30 and the phone rang so I didn't even make it out of my car, I just backed the car up and left again. Tomorrow will definitely be a full day again.

I still haven't planned my exciting Atlanta weekend, but one of my customers clued me in on some insane hiking trails with waterfalls. This is actually my last full weekend in Atlanta, which I also just realized today. I can hardly believe it. I feel like I just got here. I am actually really excited to see Alabama and Tennessee though so I am looking forward to that. I figured out yesterday that I have traveled 10 states since I left Minnesota. That was only 10 weeks ago! Times flies when you are having fun...

Traveling Pants

I feel like I have been all over the Carolina's and Georgia in the past week. Kind of insane how quickly one can move. I left North Carolina on August 1 and arrived in Atlanta. I didn't really know what to expect of Atlanta, as I have never been here, but it really is a cool city. Downtown Atlanta is huge and I am so excited to go and explore. I am planning to ride the Marta this weekend into downtown and go and check out the sites. The house I am living at is only 15 minutes from downtown, but traffic going into downtown Atlanta isn't ideal (even on the weekends).
The lady I am living with, Pat, is just a doll. She is so sweet and is always sure to give me a map so I don't get lost. She showed me all the back roads to the grocery store, CVS, the bank, etc. I also went to church with her my first weekend here and met some pretty amazing people. One couple owns an aluminum supply company, which was right up my ally and his wife owns a camp for kids who have lost a parent. Pretty phenomenal people and I felt very privileged to have met them. I also met the owner of a chemical supply company and he was so much fun to talk to. He is very determined to find me a nice man to hang out with while I am in Atlanta. I wish him luck. I also met a gentleman originally from Birmingham and he told me all about the city and a few sites I need to check out while I am there. Everyone was so helpful and so kind and I am really happy I had the opportunity to meet them.
The next 3 weeks are going to be rigorous, but I am excited about the work I have planned. I will actually only be in Atlanta until August 23 and will then be moving on for a visit to see a family friend in Pulaski, TN. I will stay there and work northern Alabama for the week and then on Friday, August 28, I will be leaving for a stay in Denver. I will be doing some work out there for a couple weeks and then going down to Florida for about 6 weeks.
I just got back from Myrtle Beach last night after a little mini vacation. I had a great time relaxing on the beach and hanging out with my North Carolina mom, Carla, and her kids. I got a lot of reading done, which felt really good. I was really behind and feel like I am moving again in this area of my life.
That's everything for now. This week will be full of work stuff and then I am planning a fun filled weekend in the city of Atlanta. I'll keep you updated...

Short and Sweet

Hi All,

This is going to be short, as I am on an agenda today. I made it to Atlanta on Saturday. It is beautiful down here. I haven't gotten out to see much yet, but I plan to get out in the coming weeks. I will be here until the end of August. Headed to Myrtle Beach tonight for a mini vacation and have a lot of work to do before then. Just wanted to let you all know I am here! Will write and post pics when I get back from Myrtle.

Closing the North Carolina Chapter

The conversations I have had with myself and those around me this week have really influenced me in phenomenal ways. When I think about the fact that I am leaving North Carolina in 5 days for the next chapter in this adventure, I reflect on what I have learned and how I have grown over the past 8 weeks. I honestly feel as though I have learned more about myself and what I am striving to accomplish these past 2 months than I have in the past 2 years. I have had more time to reflect and slow my mind down. I feel I have regained focus on who Sheila Hill is and what I believe my purpose in life might be based on my strengths, beliefs and values. I am currently taking the stepping stones to get there. I feel like I made the right choice walking through the doors presented to me and I am happy with where I am at. I realize I can always turn around and go the other way if it just isn't working!

I have a huge agenda the next 3-5 months and am so amazingly excited for it! I am leaving for Atlanta on Saturday to start the first leg of my second journey. I am living with a friend's mother for the month of August and am really looking forward to my time in Georgia and also traveling Alabama. I will be traveling a lot, but that is how I will get to see everything and meet people! I will also be spending a weekend in Myrtle Beach and a weekend in Tennessee. I think the month of August is going to fly by.

Next stop is in the air, but I am working on a definite plan for September. I will definitely be living life by the seat of my pants, but that is what I love. I have some ideas of what I might be doing, but stay tuned...

October is definitely Florida for the entire month. My goal is to see a ton of customers down there and also enjoy the beaches on the weekends. Hopefully hurricanes won't disrupt my plan!

I have the idea that I might need to settle down in November and at least get an apartment somewhere, but that will be determined when I feel like I want to do that. I am in zero rush at this point, as a tent sounds more appealing.

December I have a couple of vacations planned and then there is my birthday and the holidays. The rest of my year is tentatively planned, but it sounds like a goal accomplishing, fun and challenging year. I love it.

This week is going to be full of excitement and challenges, but I am so ready and so looking forward to it. I will try and check in this week, but if I am not able, I will write when I get to Atlanta.

The Best is Yet to Come

Live It! Love It!

Talk about an inspiring day. I seriously feel like I have totally revamped my life and my attitude in the last 24 hours. I feel like I have FINALLY come to terms with a situation that has been lingering over me and I feel like it held me back a lot last week. I was kind of up and down in emotion because of it and woke up this morning feeling really good and as I was laying in bed, I said a little prayer about the situation. I knew that I just wanted to let it go and give it to God. It was put into my life for a reason, I think I learned from it and I was ready to let go and give it back. I am learning that if you can let God into your life just a little more, he will take care of it. I went to church this morning after this experience and I feel like I have started the week on a good note and I am feeling really strong.

Today was one of the most exciting days of my life. I decided to see where the road would take me. This was after a little thought provoking text message from my manager, Bill. I was going to head over to Tallahassee and then up to Macon then onto Atlanta this week. That got tossed aside when I was told I didn't need to be back for a vendor meeting on Thursday if I didn't want to be so that kind of got me thinking that Tampa was calling my name. As I was driving to Tallahassee, I text messaged Bill and told him I would be back on Monday and was headed to Tampa. I love randomness and I am so happy I made this decision. Tampa is BEAUTIFUL and I could definitely see myself living here. After my hippie lifestyle days are over, of course. First things first.

I went to Davis Islands for dinner tonight and had the best shrimp I have ever eaten in my life. It was fresh and tasted so good. The people were really nice too. It was a small family owned restaurant and as I was paying my bill, it started pouring. The daughter came out and offered me an umbrella to take to my car, but I opted to sit there and watch the torrential downpour. It was relaxing and something I would rarely take time to do. When the rain slowed down, I walked to my car and the warmth of the rain water on my feet was actually quite nice. It doesn't seem like they have the best drainage systems here because lakes and puddles build up everywhere. I kind of just wanted to start splashing around.

I am really looking forward to my day tomorrow. I have quite a few things I want to get done that are work related and then I want to take a run along the boardwalk. I feel like I have turned another corner in this journey and I can't wait to see what this week will bring. I have some big goals that I want to accomplish and I know if I take each day and do a little bit towards the larger picture, I will get there.

Hippie

Somehow I slept until noon today. I haven't slept til noon since I don't even know when. I haven't been sleeping very well so I must have finally relaxed enough to be in sleep mode. It was nice to wake up feeling refreshed.

I got ready and headed down to Crescent Beach for the afternoon. I am learning that the water looks different at every beach I visit. The sand is also different. It is kind of interesting. I like Crescent Beach way better than Jacksonville Beach. The sand is white and the water isn't as dirty. I met a really nice gentleman while at the beach and he's lived in St. Augustine for 35 years. He's a retired security officer and even showed me his drivers license so I would believe him. He got stranded on his boat earlier in the week and found out there are still nice and genuine people in this world after someone saved him and brought him home. He got his boat back today and will probably take it back out tomorrow after church. He gave me his phone number and if I ever need anything, I am to call him. I thought that was really nice of him. I will put him up there with my other 72-year-old boyfriend.

While down at Crescent Beach I did some thinking and decided I don't want to plant my feet anywhere. I want to travel my territory and see what I can make of it. While I am out on the road I will figure out where it is I want to be and then I will plant my feet there. For all I know I could really like Atlanta and if I have already committed myself to St. Augustine, then I will be missing out. I think I will travel each state for a month and see what I think. The idea keeps reoccuring so I better do it so I don't live wondering what might have been. I am going to become a hippie (less the drugs) for three months. I bet I will meet some really cool people and see some really great things.

Tonight I ventured out to Boston's to watch the UFC fight. I was sitting on the bench texting while waiting for a table when two guys came up and asked if I was there by myself or what I was doing. They invited me to come in and sit with them so I did and they are total college guys, but I had so much fun joking around with them and watching them drink shots. Boy-oh-boy. My days of that are over and I hope they feel okay tomorrow.

Smoothing it out

Today was a day of going through the motions and my day did not start how I would have liked. I get kind of bothered when I have 8 million things going on and then someone wants 20 minutes of my time to ask me about something I have already explained 20 times and given notes for. Call me a bitch, but it irritates me. I knew for sure I needed some "me" time and that always means the spa.

I went and got a massage tonight at the Sawgrass Spa, which is now my second favorite spa after Tallgrass Spa in Evergreen, CO. It turns out the massage therapist is actually Tiger Woods' massage therapist. Kind of a cool thing. She did wonderful work and I felt so good when she was finished. Afterwards, I sat by the spa pool and had a glass of wine along with some fruit and cheese. I was going to walk the beach tonight, but it started pouring as I was leaving the spa. I went to Target instead. I'm not sure if that is any sort of tradeoff, but I really do like Target!

My decisions and contemplations from yesterday about the living situation may have subsided some. I made it to St. Augustine today for a sales call and I absolutely love that area. I sent out a few emails about places to live and we'll see what happens. I realize there is a really good chance of a hurricane, but there is also a really good chance I could have been eaten by a tornado in Minnesota. I have the ability to work wherever so if a hurricane does occur, I will travel during that time. I won't live there forever, but I would kind of like to try it out and see what happens.

Tonight I am going to watch a movie and relax. Tomorrow I am going to St. Augustine to walk around the city, hit the beach and go to the national park. I hear there are alligators and I kind of want to see one in the wild. I saw crocodiles in Australia, but they were on a farm or at the zoo. I don't want to see one face-to-face, but just close enough to get a good look.

Decisions and Contemplations

I feel like I am on a roll posting two days in a row. I'll try and keep up the pace! I felt like today was a successful day. I had my meetings in the morning and then this afternoon I met with a distributor to go over some of our new offerings, sold a gutter job and got in two more estimates that need to be worked up tomorrow morning. I feel like being on the road and having to juggle 8 things at once is going to take some practice, but once I figure out what works for me I will be just fine. Today was the gas light issue and remembering that the car won't go forever. I didn't run out, but that little light was on for at least 25 miles before I came back from my "working" mindset to reality. I have my little list created of what needs to be ironed out before I make the real move at the end of the month and then I will be all set based on the challenges I have faced on this little "practice" run.

The decisions and contemplations factor set in today when I realized that Jacksonville just doesn't feel like "home". I have experienced the feeling of home in both Denver and Minneapolis, but I'm not feeling it in Jacksonville. I know I will find a place I want to call "home" but this isn't it. I am going to check out Tallahassee on my way back and see if this does it. I don't want to get too far from the Alabama and Georgia borders for traveling purposes. Maybe I will just become a backpacker and do three month stints in different places...

Today the weather wasn't the greatest, but I did get down to Jacksonville Beach this evening for a few minutes before it started pouring. There were some surfer dudes out there and if it hadn't been raining, I would have made some new friends and asked them to teach me. I now know that they really do surf there (no matter how small the waves are) and hopefully this weekend I can learn how. Aside from the fact that I am scared silly of the sharks and sting rays, it is one of my goals and I will do it.

It's Been Awhile...

After all the emails and text messages wondering where I have been, here I am. I have been incredibly busy with both work and socializing and now it is time to get back to this blog thing.

I can't believe I have been on this adventure for almost 6 weeks now. A lot has changed in the past 6 weeks and I have grown and experienced many new things. Some of these new things have been hard life lessons, but I feel like these experiences have also taught me quite a bit about myself. I will never regret and will only move forward. The good experiences have definitely outweighed the not-so-good experiences and I am excited to share these things with all of you.

The first weekend after I moved to North Carolina I went to a music festival down on Carolina Beach. I learned what "beach music" is and danced the afternoon away on the ocean shore with my co-worker Carla and some of her friends. Dancing in the ocean has definitely been one of my favorite moments since moving down here. Just laughing, dancing and being silly in the ocean water is something everyone needs to experience. We spent the night on Mike's boat on Wrightsville Beach and did some shopping the following day before heading back to Durham. Carla has become my "mother" here in North Carolina and I just love her. She is awesome.

The next week I did some traveling with Jackie, our outside sales rep for North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. We traveled South Carolina Tuesday-Friday and then spent the weekend in Charleston. This week proved to me how wild and crazy redheads become when they are together. We definitely had a lot of good sales calls and a lot of good times after those sales calls were over. Charleston was an experience I will never forget and can't wait to visit the city again. It is a city full of history and elegance. I just loved it. Mike and Jackie's husband, Eric, met us down there for the weekend so it definitely made for a good time.

The following weekend Jackie, Eric, Mike, Gabe, Kodiak and I went to Mike's boat for the weekend. We played at Wrightsville Beach on Saturday and hung out at the pool on Sunday. It was a really fun weekend and I learned how much fun dinghy rides at 2am can be. Wow. We were laughing, singing, entertaining everyone we came in contact with and just having a weekend to remember. I also learned a new game called corn hole and I love it. It is kind of like horseshoes, except you use bean bags and a square board. There was also a moment to remember when I got brave and jumped into the water and had a fish thrown at me...

I had to stay home and rest the next weekend. All the traveling was starting to catch up.

Last weekend Mike and I took a motorcycle ride up to Charlottesville, Virginia. It was a great ride with beautiful weather. The vineyards were amazing to see and I definitely want to go back for some tasting. We saw the fireworks at the Durham Bulls Stadium and then went out afterwards.

This past weekend was hard in more ways than one and I think I felt a little bit homesick for the first time since arriving here. It was a weekend full of experiences that definitely changed my life, but at the same time gave me the urge to turn the next corner and keep working towards my goal. I thought about my plan on Sunday and somehow God willing, my manager asked if I had a time frame in mind of when I wanted out of the office. I told him at the end of the month and I wanted to visit Jacksonville over the weekend to look at living arrangements. I actually left North Carolina this morning and stopped in Savannah to visit a customer and will be in Florida until next Wednesday. While I was traveling today, I was so excited. This is truly what I want to be doing and I love the industry that I am in. I made my plan and now I am getting to work my plan. I love it. I am really excited to dive in deeper and learn more. In an industry with so many challenges and so many avenues, I can't wait to see what I come up with.

I have meetings tomorrow morning and then I will be hitting the pavement hard with sales calls tomorrow afternoon and all day Friday. Monday-Wednesday next week I will be traveling different parts of Florida and then working my way up through Macon and Atlanta back to North Carolina. This weekend is going to be all about R & R. Surfing lessons are a good possibility....

I Love It

I have been out having too much fun and decided I need to take a moment to update ya'll. I cannot believe how much I have already experienced in this journey. Not only have I experienced the physical change of my surroundings, but the emotional aspect has really been amazing. I was honestly scared the night before I left Minnesota and wondered what I was getting myself into. After thinking about it and realizing that I had really thought about this change for the past year I knew it wasn't just a spur of the moment decision. I needed to do this for myself to accomplish my goals and keep moving forward. I was inspired by the relationships I had built with some of the people I now work with and knew in my heart that they were the kind of people I want in my life. Things moved pretty quickly once I made up my mind and here I am. The amount of support I have received in this journey from all of my family and friends has honestly been a humbling experience. I want to thank each and every one of you for the help you have given me to get me here. The words of encouragement, recommendations and words of advice have all been incredibly valuable to me.

Rewinding to Thursday...My friends at SPS celebrated the start of my new adventure with me all day long and I was really left with a great impression of this company and the people who work here. I went out for lunch with some of the gals I grew close to and we went for our usual afternoon walk and wrapped up my time at the office with a company cake and ice cream celebration. I really appreciate the outpour of support that was shown and I know the closing of this chapter will always sit close to me.

I made it to Madison on Thursday and got up quite early on Friday morning out of excitement to see my friend Kelly and her husband John in Lexington. I hadn't seen Kelly since high school and have known her since 5th grade. She and I can talk about anything and I was really happy I got to see her, especially when I was going through such a huge change. I met Kelly at the barn where she boards her horse and upon arrival, Kelly pulled out some pictures for me. They were actually ultrasound pictures and I learned she was having a baby girl! I am so happy for her and her husband John. Lexington was a ton of fun with a lot of new experiences. The state is beautiful and I will definitely visit there again. One of the highlights of the trip was visiting Keensland, which is a horse track in Lexington. Kelly brought me there to watch the horses workout on Saturday and Sunday morning. Sunday morning turned out to be quite adventurous, as I made friends with Bobby Ussery, who is a famed jockey from the 60's and 70's. He gave us his card and told me to contact him when I get to Florida, as he has a condo down in Hollywood. He was interesting to talk to and I can't wait to chat with him some more. A great weekend and the fun has only just begun!

I arrived in North Carolina on Sunday about 5:30pm. Talk about a beautiful drive. I was a little nervous driving through the mountains as I am deathly afraid of heights, but I conquered it and made it through. I keep trying to conquer this fear of heights, but it just hasn't gone away yet. One would think after all the time I have spent in Colorado I wouldn't be afraid, but I am. Upon arriving to Mike's house, within the first hour my car was unpacked and we were off to a new co-worker's house for a pool party. Within the first hour I was even more excited about my new adventure and was flying high. The people that I have met are absolutely amazing and the outpour of support I have received over here has been phenomenal. The people I work with are like one big family. They don't just work together, they play together too. I love it. I feel like I fit in and I am excited to experience the day. It is just awesome.

Last night (Monday) Mike showed me Falls Lake, which is very close to his house. I am truly a Minnesotan and I realize it now after I wondered why the hell people were swimming in a lake at the beginning of June?!?! The water was freezing cold in Minnesota when I left and I asked Mike if they should really be swimming. I grew a few blonde hairs in that moment without realizing that the lakes don't freeze in NC. It has actually been swim season for about 3 months. Huh. I love this place. Later, Mike and I went running on the trails near his house, which was absolutely beautiful. That was my first time running in about a month and I felt like I was running at about 12,000 feet above sea level, but really I was only at about 540 feet.

Tonight was one of the best nights of my life. I have been corrupted by the motorcycle frenzy and toured Raleigh on the back of a motorcycle. It was AWESOME! The wind in your face, bugs being squashed on your face and the free feeling was phenomenal. It definitely fed into my free spirit wild side and I loved it. I never had the desire to ride on a motorcycle, but I had the opportunity and took the chance. Yes, I wore a helmet and yes, I will definitely go riding again.

First Stop. Madison.

I arrived in Madison this evening. The drive was actually quite nice and I enjoyed it even more with the Dale Carnegie book on tape my mom gave me. Might as well get some motivational teaching in while I am on the road! Tomorrow morning I will leave for Lexington. It will be about a 9 hour drive tomorrow. I am excited about this part of the trip because I have never seen Kentucky and hear it is beautiful. The first thing I get to do when I arrive in Kentucky is help Kelly with the horses. I am very excited!!

The Adventure Begins...Tomorrow!

As many of you already know, I have accepted a job in outside sales and will start driving to North Carolina tomorrow. I will be in North Carolina for 3-6 months as a training period and will then move to my territory of Florida, Alabama and Georgia. I am very excited about the adventure I am about to begin and have faith that God has led me to this door for a special reason. Tomorrow evening I will drive to Madison and Friday I will drive to Lexington and stay with my friend Kelly and her husband. Sunday morning I will continue the roadtrip to Raleigh/Durham. I will post again when I arrive in NC!