Ever since I can remember I have been a dreamer. It started out small. I would sit with my Barbie and Ken dolls as I was domesticating the Barbie playhouse and I would dream about the car I was going to drive or the man I would one day marry. On the softball field at 9 or 10 years old, I remember pointing my bat to center field and visualizing the home run just like Babe Ruth. In high school, at career day, my dreams became bigger as the counselor asked what I wanted to do when I grow up and I confidently listed: ASTRONAUT, BEAUTICIAN or a SEMI-TRUCK DRIVER!
"Wow," the counselor remarked. "Have you always wanted to go into space?"
"Yes, I have always wanted to fly and why not just do it in a BIG way?"
Maybe it was good that some of my dreams were big, but I am glad I stayed grounded in case the whole NASA thing didn't take off.....Pun intended!
Once that college graduation cap flew in the air, and I was declared an adult, my dreams became larger than life - get on a plane, get a passport and fill it with stamps!
As we all know, some dreams never come true...that is why they are DREAMS! There were many times that I awoke from my dream-like state groggy, with slobber on the side of my mouth, violently hitting the snooze button only to find out that I am smack dab in the middle of reality - LIFE! Those times exist, but it has never stopped me from dreaming!
August 2004 - 2007 - first teaching job in Amelia, Ohio. Worked with some of the most quality people I have ever met and began my passion for education. Had a friend that taught overseas in Brazil and she told me that I should consider going overseas.....THE DREAM SEED WAS PLANTED.
July 2007 - first stamp in passport - Vienna, Austria - went on a 10 day trip coaching volleyball with students all around the world!
August 2007 - second stamp in passport - Santa Cruz, Bolivia - took my friend's advice and moved to South America to live and work for the next three years!
December 2008 - third, fourth, fifth stamps....Argentina, Paraguay, Brazil.
For the next six years 115 more stamps would appear in my passport! Granted many of those are entry and leaving stamps from the same location, but all my stamps are plentiful, diverse and colorful - just like my experiences overseas!
It is hard to give justice to my overseas experiences for those six years. I taught for three years in Bolivia and experienced the FIESTA culture filled with AMOR, CULTURA and CERVEZA! I needed a SIESTA after that stint, but instead took off for South Korea! The Land of the Morning Calm was only calm from 5 - 6am when I would hike the mountain. The rest of my three years were spent in an UBER professional, EXCEPTIONALLY rigorous, AMAZINGLY wonderful community of believers and co-workers!
My homes have existed in South America, Asia and the USA. I have been a vagabond that lives out of a suitcase and is frighteningly comfortable in airports. Time in the States were filled to the brim making up for lost time with friends and family. Teaching overseas opened my eyes to a VAST world, but at the same time made me realize that MY world is sometimes very small. My life has been immersed in both the Bolivian and South Korean culture. My eyes have gazed on the very things I would look at and read about in history books. My feet have walked The Great Wall, Machu Picchu trail and the streets of Bangkok. My tongue has tasted saltenas, Korean BBQ and mango sticky rice. My ears have heard Spanish that I understand and Korean that I sometimes would tune out. My body has felt love, peace, humor, adventure, loneliness and blessings. I have wrinkles from the laugh lines of stories shared and pieces of my heart divided all over the world. Every stamp in my passport has weight and value and I have loved living the dream!
Moving back to the States was a difficult decision, but one in which I found peace! I don't believe in re-writing chapters of your life so I knew for me that ruled out Indiana and Ohio as places in which I would settle down!
My friend Julie used to live in Nashville, TN and I would visit her quite often and always loved the vibe, the history and the southern hospitality! Country music capital of the world is a breeding ground for uber talented dreamers! My kind of place!
One year ago, I landed in the States after living overseas for six years. I had 2 suitcases in my hand, no car, no house and no job. Not to mention that I arrived two days before my sister's wedding. After the "I do's" and celebrating my 40th birthday with my Texas family, I went to a car lot, paid cash for a used Honda and then, on that same day, drove to Nashville, TN. My mom was brave enough to follow me as all of my belongings fit in the back of my dad's pick up truck. We seriously looked like the Beverly Hill Billies with the blue tarp flapping in the wind - YEEHAW!
I was staying in hotels for weeks and frantically searching for employment. This was when I knew that overseas living had infiltrated my blood. Throughout all this transition, through all the chaos, though all the unsettling: I wasn't worried. I had lived in 3rd world countries and stepped out of my comfort zone more in the past couple of years than I ever had in my life. Plus, I knew that I serve a God that has provided for me over the last 40 years and has blessed me tremendously! I had no doubt that God would take care of me again!
After about a month of searching and trying to let go of my control freak nature, I landed a job at a private Christian school outside of Nashville, TN and moved into my new townhouse - ALL WITHIN THE SAME WEEK. My Tennessee dream had begun.
It has been a long year, it has been a tough year, but that is true with ANY transition!
Even though I miss being out of the country and the adventure, chaos and awe-inspiring escapades, one thing that hasn't changed about me is my idealistic nature. I have always been, and always will be a dreamer, a romantic, an emotionalist, a woolgatherer.
Here is one year in the life of this Tennessee daydreamer:
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| Home is where the coffe mug is |
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| New school, new home, new volleyball team = new story |
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| Taking a break from practice for a Wendy's frosty |
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| Kristen's wedding in Iowa |
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| Soul sisters - Seoul sisters |
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| Photo booth madness |
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| First time paddleboarding with my friend Adrian |
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| Peaceful sanctuary |
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| October break with Julie and Kendal |
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| Sister came to TN and decorated my townhome |
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| Duck Dynasty sisters for Halloween |
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| Mom came to TN for some hiking and mother/daughter time |
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| Twins |
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| Volleyball end of season party - sleep over with 15 girls |
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| Weekend trip home to Indiana - The wolf gang - Team Jacob |
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| Miles football game in IN |
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| LCA ice skating field trip |
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| First 5K since being back in the States - love my small group from church |
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| New friends, new experiences - Ugly Sweater 5K |
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| Nothing says Christmas like ping pong, coffee and goofy faces |
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| JOY to the WORLD! |
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| Loved spending time with my Daddy at Christmas |
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| New Years Eve in Miami, Florida with Maria Ines and Hillary - beach, sightseeing and happy 2014! |
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| Florida 'Glades and Gators |
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| Maria Ines came to Tennessee for first time ever - had to make a visit to TARGET - thumbs up! |
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| Such a FUN weekend in Portland, OR with my friend Hillary - one of my favorite memories was the wine tasting tour! |
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| Love pouring into my middle school kids |
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| Some of my high school favorites |
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| Dad and Cathy were able to come to Nashville and see the sights! |
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| My daddy watching live music in Nashville |
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| Running another 5K with mom and niece - the Color Run was cold, but colorful! |
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| Easter weekend with the fam |
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| Family |
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| Great weekend in Gatlinburg, TN with Summer and Reed Austin |
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| LCA softball team 2014 - losing season, but winning attitudes! |
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| NACA softball tournament in Dayton, TN |
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| Graduation and Goodbyes |
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| Girls weekend in Atlanta, GA with mom and sissy |
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| Great 4 days of hikes, talks and girl bonding |
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| Atlanta skyline |
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| Firefly summit 2014 - one weekend, 2 couples, 3 singles, a slew of kids = unforgettable memories! |
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| Free plane ticket to Pittsburgh, PA with my friend Julie and family |
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| Friends for over 18 years |
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| Can't say I love working over the summer, but LCA summer camp makes me SMILE |
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| Here's to another year of BIG DREAMS |
