mediterranean dream land

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor.

Catch the trade winds in your sails.

Explore. Dream. Discover.”

 - Mark Twain -

I had the privilege of taking a dream vacation with my dear sister Natalie. We took an amazing cruise to some of the best spots on the Mediterranean Sea:

Venice, Italy

Dubrovnik, Croatia

Kusadasi and Ephesus, Turkey

Santorini, Greece

Corfu, Greece

+ lots of time sailing the high seas

Aside from the boat being full of senior citizens, we had a fun time and saw some incredible sights, including some things I never thought I'd see in my lifetime.

That's my boat!

first stop: venice

second stop: dubrovnik, croatia

the house where jesus' mother mary was believed to live after jesus was crucified - rebuilt based a nun's visions and drawings, but you can see the dark red stones of the original foundation 

people write their prayers on paper and leave on this wall so that the Virgin Mary will intercede on their behalf 

the ruins of ephesus, the second largest city in the world during the 1st century BC

the colosseum where paul preached to 25,000 ephesians

the house where the apostle john lived in a community of christians after the death and resurrection of jesus

turkish countryside

helllooooo in there...

next stop: santorini, greece

cappuccinos to warm up since we were on the beach at 10am

black sand beaches

riding donkeys down the cliff

natalie laughing so she doesn't cry as we narrowly avoid death by donkey

last stop: corfu, greece

gelato on the plaza

impromptu tango

controlled risk

What started as a casual skydiving discussion between my roommate and I ended with planning a spontaneous trip upstate. A couple of weeks later, Janelle and I were at a skydiving ranch in Upstate New York about to jump out of a plane. The following is a picture journey from the ground all the way up to 13,000 feet and back down again. Safely.

My death-mobile: the Freefall Express

What am I doing?!

Here's the crew as we head up to 13,000 feet... Janelle is a bit unsure about her

decision-making skills.

Nick and I about to jump....this is me freaking out and questioning MY decision-making skills.

THE JUMP!!

All's good here!

I don't think I could even tell if I was screaming. I think I was.

A whole new meaning to chubby cheeks

One of the world's most awkward photos.

Freefall is over and the chute comes out...

And we're back on the ground!

I'm alive! Thanks to Nick, best tandem jumper ever

A bit frazzled and windblown, but we're all alive and well!

As I reflected on my first jump, I realized that I like controlled risks in my life. I'll move 1,500 miles away from a small town in the South to New York City, but only because I have the safety net of family and friends there. Skydiving is a perfect, tangible representation of that. I will jump out of a plane and fall 13,000 feet, but only because I know that I am strapped to a professional and it's been done by thousands of people before me. Perhaps it's the perfect mix of knowing I'm safe but doing something wild at the same time.

And I'm ready to jump again!