2014- Looking Back to Forge Ahead

Last year around this time I wrote a year in review. I had visited many new places and done a lot of new things, and I had the photos to prove it. This year, this review post is a bit different because I am a bit different. 2014 for me has been a year for learning, about myself, about what I want in my life, and about how the world works. So for those who know me and for those who stumbled upon this blog here's a bit about what happened this year.

I'm a bad blogger. I realized this fact this year. This year has marked a lot of changes both personally and geographically, and while I have had tons to write about, I just haven't . It's not because I haven't wanted to, but because I realized that it wasn't something I wanted to make a life out of. Some people do, and they are good at it. They write all the time, publishing ebooks and going on press trips. It's just not me, and I'm ok with it.

I spent the beginning of 2014 carving out a career in travel writing. I wrote for some excellent websites and a couple questionable ones. I reached a point where I was blogging twice a week, and travel writing was becoming something that I could have made a living doing. People even started finding me and asking me to write for their sites. And they paid me! But every time I sat down to write an article, a little voice in the back of my head was telling me that this wasn't what I was supposed to be doing. I ignored it for a while because I was living the dream- working in my PJ's and able to pick up and go whenever and wherever I wanted.

I lived in Washington state, Auburn, Alabama, and I visited family and friends all over the country including Hawaii. I went to Thailand for the first time, and I wrote about some of it. I even went back to the novel I started the previous November. But I soon realized that all of that wasn't enough. While I enjoy travel and writing about my experiences, and I love the freedom to be able to work on a novel for an entire day if I want, it wasn't enough. It wasn't making me jump out of bed in the morning; it wasn't my passion.

When I got to Alabama, I was itching to do something. I didn't know what it was though. And I don't even remember what prompted me to jump head first into this next step, but I did. I decided to apply to grad. school, to go back and get my PhD in education. It was that little voice again telling me that I had to get back in. While it causes me stress, it is that stress that allows me to make a difference. In order for that to happen, I knew a couple things: I needed to get a full ride, and I wanted an excellent program. I set my sights on schools that may be a bit out of reach, but "faith is taking the first step even when you can't see the whole staircase." I went for it.

So that's where I am as I kiss another year goodbye and usher in a new one, waiting to hear my fate and putting the finishing touches on my novel before I send it out to publishers. I'm not a travel writer, but I will continue to write. I will always continue to write, but it will be on my terms. Whatever may happen in the coming months, I'm ready for it, and that in and of itself is a grand accomplishment.

A giant thank you to all of the people who follow this blog and who have been so supportive in my journey to follow the road less traveled. It's been a rough ride and a great adventure, and I'm looking forward to what lies ahead. I enjoy writing it, and I hope you enjoy reading it. All the best for a happy, healthy 2015. Cheers!