OMG I almost forgot- today is my 25th birthday!

I haven’t been too good about keeping up with my blog lately, as I didn’t stop traveling once I got back from my adventures abroad. I will eventually finish blogging since I still want to tell everyone about my good times in London, Barcelona and my last days in Germany; but I’ve been on the go since my feet hit American soil.
I caught up with all my Tennessee friends, visited the fam in Alabama (saw my nephew graduate Pre-School! SO cute),

spent 5 fabulous days at the beach with 15 of my closest high school friends (I know can you believe we still all love each other that much!), and now I’m playing in Sarasota with one of my best friends from college!

As I hit this quarter life ‘crisis’ period in my life, I don’t have any regrets about the past or fears about my future. I’m actually pretty excited about being 25 and can’t wait to start the next chapter as soon as I figure out where it’s going to be! Since I can’t sit still for more than a day it’s hard to say where I’ll end up, and everyday a new idea comes along. Yesterday, I spent a few hours researching Abu Dhabi in the Middle East. I never imagined in a million years I’d even be considering such a place to move…especially not alone at 25. But you know what, it actually looks pretty amazing and if I get the job I just might pack up and try my hand. I’ve been dealt great cards this far and I only see my odds getting better. Besides I’m not sure you can go wrong in one of the richest cities in the world!
Alas, my crazy non-stop, flying by the seat of my pants lifestyle is about to slow down. I am starting a freelance job in Tennessee next week. I don’t think it’s settled in yet that in just a few days my 4 months of traveling will end. Actually, it will never end, just slow down a lot. I’m still planning to hit a few more cities this summer and I’ll be a glob-trotter my whole life!
So cheers to turning 25 and loving my life! I also have to give facebook a little plug! How crazy is it that by 9:20 am on my birthday I’ve already gotten 11 happy birthday wall posts and they just keep coming! Gotta love it!

Staying afloat in London: Rain Rain Go Away

They say it rains a lot in London-- unfortunately they weren't kidding.  Why did I decided to travel in the rainiest countries, during APRIL of all months? I think there has been more rain than shine on my trip.  Thankfully I've got enough shine to outlast this bad weather and I'm looking forward to the nice summer back in good old Tennessee.  I'm in London for 10 days and it's rained everyday :( Yesterday was the nicest day by far, but there was still a little down pour when I was leaving the Battersea Park.  It was so sad, the day had been gorgeous, warm and sunny, it made me remember why I loved London so much.  The park was packed! Millions of kids were running around playing football and riding bikes. I don't think I've ever seen that many kids in NYC! Central Park is more of a big kid playground, Battery Park in NYC usually has all the kids, but no where near this many.  Maybe London is a better place to raise kids than NYC??  Who knows. I still love London, but is it for me? I'm not sure.  

If you're traveling to London don't forget to pack all the right gear: rain coat, shoes that can get wet, an umbrella (though I've heard some people just gave up on carrying one and since storms are usually pretty short. They just wait them out- not my bag baby but whatev).  

Maybe that's why all the museums in London are free? So people can enjoy the art while they wait out the storms?  I know that's what we usually did when we weren't riding around on the double decker buses so we could at least see the sights while staying dry.  The only problem with the bus was, we'd settle in on the top deck and then the windows of the bus would start fog up! Loads of people seemed to have the same idea. You can't really enjoy the views when you have to keep wiping the window clear (at least London has a lot of free daily newspapers so I could use the face of the slime ball Austrian man who kept his kids locked in the cellar's face to wipe the windows- yuck what is happening in the world?).

When the sun finally comes out in London-- stay outside as long as you can!! (I'm obviosly not out there right now...it's not raining but it sure looks like it's going to soon...)