Do I splurge for one night to end-cap my 17 month dream trip? I just might.

Standard vs. deluxe ocean view for a measly $50 more? That was the easy decision.

After exploring four of the Hawaiian islands extensively, I opted to “go for it” instead of visiting the additional, quiet paradise of Molokai. I know not everyone would have agreed but it was just one of those things I HAD to do.

I never thought I would have the opportunity to come back to the aloha state, so I was exceedingly thankful and grateful for 21 days to get lost. So my 24 hour countdown in Mickeyland had me bouncing around the oceanside resort trying to soak it all in for this once in a lifetime visit.

Pre-booking the shuttle from the airport was a breeze, and landed me in the front lobby for an early checkin at 12:45pm. I was granted a 10th floor room overlooking the luau and I was overwhelmed with joy. I shedded my bags and took off to find some characters dressed in their Hawaiian garb, float along in the lazy river, people watch poolside, soak in the infinity pool giving way to spectacular beach views, weaved my way around the lush grounds, hit the gift shops for exclusive merch and get in my last visit to the ABC store (seriously, it is just a convenience store).

I even had my own magical moment waiting for me in in my room mid afternoon….. a friend had the executive chef make me a tray of Mickey chocolate treats! Omg!!

After a quick shower, I knew I had to view my last sunset on the islands from the man-made beach lagoons and just take it all in. The sky lit up once again and I dug my feet into the sand for a final memory.

Then I raced up to enjoy my own balcony picnic overlooking the hula dancers and authentic Hawaiian storytelling. Meanwhile, twilight magic was in full effect along the horizon and it was a setting straight out of a fairytale. Truly an unforgettable moment.

I naturally couldn’t sleep, so I made a slow loop around the Ko Olina lagoons, soaked my tired feet in the bright blue Disney pool water and spent a better part of the evening reminiscing on my balcony.

With a long travel day ahead, I was pleasantly surprised that I popped up easily to partake in my last sunrise from the beach lagoons prior to making the inevitable trek back to the airport midday.

So….. Disney’s Aulani was the icing on the cake on this adventure of a lifetime and a memory that will forever bring a BIG smile to my face!

Utah is without question my favorite state to visit. It is so uniquely diverse and an adventurer’s playground. Around every corner is a new trail, hidden cave, expansive vista, rugged backcountry, winding slot canyon, towering cliff side, explosive sunset and all around nature’s beauty at it’s best.

With only 6 days to get my yearly fix, I ventured out to all new terrain in and around the hidden gem city of Kanab. I jammed packed every hour of winter daylight and wouldn’t have had it any other way.

Below are my fav pics from my 2022 journey, with a little extra motivation added in to spur on my never ending and forever growing case of wanderlust!

It has been so fun to work on these quotes during my downtime while lounging around during recent airport layovers. The memories are so vivid in my mind and I can’t help but crack a smile and be so proud!

Which do you like best and why?!?

For a measly $30 one way, I hopped onto the ferry to the island of Lanai for a day of R&R and no expectations but to just chill. After spotting a few whales putting on a show while continuing on their migration to warmer waters, I knew it was going to be a memorable day ahead.

I opted to take the .9 mile cliff side hike first to catch a glimpse of Sweetheart Rock. After hugging the rocky beach line, the lava rocks gave way to a dramatic cove and I instantly knew this was where I was going to spend my afternoon….. every last bit of it.

The Mars-like tide pools were mesmerizing, especially with the ebbs and flows of the waves crashing ashore. I jumped around like a little kid and noticed every small detail…. the little fish popping out of the sparkling cobalt blue ocean, sound of the water pounding the multi-colored rocks, smell of the fresh salt, the crunch of the critters beneath your feet, sting of the blazing sun’s rays, and so on.

After climbing to the cliff peak overlooking the heart-shaped island and gawking at the remote beach paradise tucked into the secluded bay below, I finally found a safe path to one of my new top 10 destinations in the world. OMG.

I happily ate my sandwich and chips, basking in the ocean breeze for the next four hours of perfection. One of the moments in my life where I was at complete peace and never wanted that quiet afternoon to pass.

I bought my first car my sophomore year in college…. a used white VW rabbit. It lasted a couple years until it died on me in the middle of the rural Virginia mountains on my way back home for Christmas break.

I went on to buy my dads next 2 cars, both Ford Escorts. Reliable and safe.

Finally I had enough saved to buy my first brand new car a black Ford Explorer and then a beautiful blue Hyundai Santa Fe. While I would love to own a new car, I enjoy having no car payment anymore. I fully intended to keep my “blue baby” for as long as she would have me, but it wasn’t meant to be.

I’ll never forget it. It was a Monday early morning and I had planned to open the YMCA at 5am (which is very unusual for me) since we were jump starting a massive new event to get our members motivated and moving. Suffering with only 3-4 hours of sleep, I had a Mountain Dew in one hand and a hot chocolate in the other but ready to attack the day and week ahead.

About 45 minutes in, my high energy trainer arrives and asks if I was drunk and why I was parked sideways? She is a nut (in a nice way), so I brushed it off. Then after another half hour, my boss comes in and says I needed to follow him to the parking lot. Hmmmm. Well, my car had been hit by a big semi and pushed 2 full parking spots over so I was actually perpendicular to my colleagues’ cars. OMG.

Well the story gets better….. a member stops by our main desk and said she saw it go down AND that she had it on video (she was talking to a friend via FaceTime and flipped the camera when she heard a huge crash). We were able to make out the logo on the side of the truck and went into full CSI mode. The police wouldn’t come out to even do a report as it was a hit and run. WTF. So we researched the company and got a hold of their corporate offices in GA, and were able to identify the exact truck due to extra lights the driver had decked it out in. Simultaneously, my boss was out for lunch and saw a similar truck with blue paint all over it’s backside…. so we now had a license plate and through more websites we got the drivers name.

The driver gave me this massive sob story and how he didn’t want his insurance to take a hit. I just wanted to be whole again and get it fixed. We arranged to meet and he was a no show. So, no more Mrs. Nice gal. I called corporate again and they ended up suspending the driver until he got ahold of me to make things right.

After an estimate, it wasn’t worth it to get it fixed so I went on the hunt for a new wheels. I fell in love with my hunter green Jeep Cherokee and the rest is history. And the pay off check…… I used it for another vacation!

I’ve never been more inspired and motivated. It’s amazing what a little adventure and finding your true passion can do.

Taking pictures and then trying to articulate the experience through my own eyes has become a new outlet for me to sink my somewhat lack of creativity into.

It was extremely enlightening to not be able to wipe the ridiculously wide smile off my face every day along this epic trek AND it kept getting bigger. I realized I was starting to take more selfies and wanting to capture my expression in that exact moment. This had never happened before.

So even though I have way too many hobbies and projects on my “to do” wish list, I am now obsessed with overlaying many of the motivational quotes that drive me on top of these epic pics that remind me of such a beautiful, life changing journey.

Which is your favorite?

The day I get home from one of my crazy adventures it is always the same – throw everything into the washing machine and fall to sleep in my own bed. That feeling of complete comfort makes all the days of sleeping in the back of a van or tossing/turning on a red eye flight or crawling up on the floor in the airport all fade away instantly.

Next up is a mini kinda depression. The monotony of every day life. I know it is coming and inevitable. But yet again, I get sucked down. The independence and unknown of any vacation is a whimsical experience that always comes and goes in a flash before you can even blink.

I try to combat that feeling with my wide array of extracurricular interests, but it still creeps into my brain like a nagging headache. It can be kept at bay for awhile and bottled up somewhere deep in my subconscious in the short term. An occasional long weekend will suffice my very independent genes, so I can literally taste the freedom of the open road.

Until the next opportunity to jet off, I enthusiastically scour resources to always have an adventure in the wings waiting for me to act upon it.

I did it for the challenge. If you could add value to each team, would you go for it?

My first love was always basketball, so finding a school that embraced ‘ball was my top priority. Actually most people don’t know that my second best sport was a toss up between volleyball and softball (ultimately the later won out). It was a perfect fit for me to find a Division II school where I could still play both competitively. After freshmen year and learning how to balance all the new pressures of college life, I joined the fall soccer team as a defender (which was a challenge in itself to reintroduce skills that had sat dormant during high school since it coincided with basketball season in northern VA). Tennis didn’t start until the spring…. so why not stay in shape?

I wasn’t the tallest or fastest or the most gifted, BUT I was always the hardest worker in the room. Sprinkle in a little talent and a learning mindset, and you can make a difference wherever you go. I studied the game relentlessly, picked up on others’ weaknesses and did all the basics well. Then the real key is to surround yourself with amazing individuals, so that you can create something very special. Alone you can only do so much, so an overachieving team is the only way to leave a real legacy.

At the time, I didn’t realize the impact college athletics would have on my life. Besides the obvious life skills of work ethic, teamwork and time management, athletics is an outlet for creativity and individuality. You understand the importance of not only practice, but quality preparation. Those endless hours of repetition and play memorization will pay off when the game is on the line. Drilling on the basics is still to this day transferable to any job – simplicity and execution reign supreme.

Those intangibles learned such as self confidence and the ability to handle pressure situations is invaluable. Even to this day when hiring or recruiting, I still always give preference to former athletes.

My teammates became my extended family and some of my closest friends even to this day. With the extreme highs and devastating lows, they help you power through and find a way to win in so many more ways than just in the scoring column.

Coaching and mentoring younger players at summer camps helped you learn how to breakdown drills and ultimately made your own game stronger. When you saw a light click on in their minds and saw them execute a new skill, the immediate joy was priceless.

Be a game changer. What’s your legacy?

There are a few openings on a last minute Disney cruise crossing the Atlantic, do you want to go? A no brainer.

After a stop in the coveted Castaway Cay for a day of pampering ourselves, we set off for 6 days at sea without stepping foot on land or seeing other ships. Most people say they couldn’t handle it. To this natural introvert, I couldn’t get enough. It was amazing. There were extra classes offered in the gallies, bridge tours, first run Disney movies and extra pool time.

We had stops in Madeira, Portugal and Gibraltar, which were my first experiences outside the Western Hemisphere. A whole new world.

Spain was delicious in every sense of the world. The vibrant colors everywhere. The house decor. The exquisite food. The over the top flower bouquets. I will have to spend more time there in the future without question.

Gibraltar was extremely interesting to me with caves built into the towering rocks that we got to explore and views on a clear day to actually see the neighboring continent of Africa. Monkeys lingered around trying to steal your food and wallets. And the airport is listed as one of the most unique and dangerous in the world, as it is the only one to have a highway running straight perpendicular onto its only runway.

The grand finale was pulling into Barcelona for the first time ever, their new home port for the season, with a spectacular fireworks extravaganza. Oh my…… it’s was Disneyesque and truly magical!