The Beast!

Our mode of transportation/bedroom while we travel the good old US of A...that's if she lives through Winter 2011...

The Beast has been known to be a really great spot to watch a Beach Volleyball Game (from the roof), take a nap (on the bed in the back), and store all kinds of fun and free Craigslist finds (wherever they'll fit)...

Stay with us, Beasty!

i can still be somebody! ;-)

I've been reading a lot of articles and blogs online about taking a "time out" from life to travel and see the world (or country, in our case), and how it's not only IMPORTANT to do, but can be a beneficial addition to your resume, once you get to where you want to stay and get back to the "real world"...

(from "Dying to Quit Your Job to Travel? Well, What's Stopping You?" on Huffington Post)

You WILL Have a Job When you Get Home:

Okay, so if you leave your current job on not-so-nice terms, your boss won't serve it back on a silver platter when you get home. BUT, you'd be surprised how much travel adds to a resume -- regardless of your profession -- in this globalizing world. You need to know what's going on out there. If you've never been out of the US, you're one of the many, but that's not reason enough to stay behind. Getting out from behind your desk and into the world will not only give you invaluable life experience (and probably several stories to share with coworkers around your next office water cooler) but also it'll make you a more hirable and more desirable addition to any office. Guaranteed. It proves to your next potential boss that you had the cajones to A: leave a career to follow your dreams and figure out priorities (which, yes, takes major guts) and B: you have the gumption to reenter the market a more attractive applicant than the single internship, cookie-cutter guy fresh from grad school who's mommy still pays his phone bill.

I have a dream......

When I googled "Should I quit my job and drive cross country?", THIS is what I found... I'd like to meet this guy and shake his hand:

"That's the way it was back in the good old days for a lot of us old timers. Back in the 60s and 70s money and jobs was plentiful. We use to just get up, jump in our cars and just drive. Wherever we ended up we ended up. If we needed money we would work for a day or week. Anyone would hire you and pay you good for a days wage. Put $3 or $4 dollars in gas and fill it up then hit the road again. Then Reagan became president and that all went to crap. Sorry you young people are doomed to bust your butts all week just to eat. If could turn back time I sure would go back...

inspiration.....

and away we go......

I know. It's only January. I'm a born New-Englander, and Winter 2011 hasn't been around long enough for me to rightfully bitch and complain yet, but to put it mildly: I HAVE HAD IT. After years of living in the bitter tundras of New Hampshire, Vermont, and Massachusetts and enduring countless "Nor'easters", "Blizzards" and sub-zero temperatures, I think I've had my fill.

Oh what's that? It could be worse? I'll take your word for it.

Before I continue, I must emphasize: I love New England. It's my home. It always has been and it always will be. I love my family and friends, and I love my life. The Fall is gorgeous and there's nothing like a New England Summer. But they don't last long enough for me.

Here are the top 5 reasons why I hate Winter:

1) I don't ski, ice skate, snowboard, snow-shoe, or snow anything. I went ice fishing once when I lived in Vermont, but that was solely for the cute guys and free beer.

2) It's ugly. Okay, okay. The first hour or so after a big snowstorm is quite beautiful, but after that it turns into a slushy, wet, icy mess, and the only 3 colors as far as the eye can see are white, grey, and brown. Not cute.

3) I can't walk my dog outside for more than 5 minutes before she starts crying from salt in her paws and starts shivering from near Hypothermia. I don't own a Bull Mastiff. Maybe that's my problem.

4) It's impossible to share. Roads, sidewalks, walkways, paths, etc. You know, when you're walking up the street after the sidewalk's been snow-blowed and someone is coming right at you from the opposite direction. One of you has to be the "nice guy" and move out of the way or stand still so the other person can get past. Same with driving. Except this is Boston and sometimes, people would rather plow you over than be a hero.

5) Digging car out. Finding random object to stick in its place to hold your spot. You know what I'm talking about. Sometimes its not a pretty outcome. 'Nuff said.

So. I'm a strong believer that change is a good thing. It's scary, and sometimes it involves taking risks. But without experiencing the new and unexplored, what's the point of this crazy life, anyway? Did I mention I'll have a great boyfriend and a cute puppy by my side through this journey into the vast unknown? Yeah. Maybe I'm not such a ballsy risk-taker, eh?

But either way. I'm ready to jump into change with both feet...preferrably from a snorkeling boat into the warm waters off the coast of a state that never hits 20 degrees.

Now don't get me wrong, I understand that the grass is NOT always greener on the other side.  I also know that life and where you live and what you live through is exactly what you make of it.

This blog is a way for me to share my thoughts, fears, adventures and experiences during the process of leaving everything I know for everything I want to know. With a fun-filled road trip or two sprinkled in.

Take the trip with me, won't you? :)