Getting Out Of Your Comfort Zone

This quote appeared here as one of my favorite quotes.  I love it so much because I find it to be so true!  Some of my best and favorite experiences involved getting out of my comfort zone!  So, over the course of two or three post I want to share some of my favorite experiences which involved me getting out of my comfort zone!  This post will feature adventurous things and the next post (or two) will feature things that just made me uncomfortable but were totally worthwhile!

Before I get into this post about some adventurous things that I've done I think I need to explain my weird relationship with heights.  I wouldn't say I'm afraid of heights, but I also wouldn't say that I'm not.  I'm OK in things like tall buildings and planes but I get scared when I don't feel that security.  That is the fear that I've worked hardest on and I feel like I've come as close as I will to overcoming it - heights still make me uncomfortable but it doesn't stop me from doing things I think would be amazing :)

Parasailing in OCMD

I had been wanting to go parasailing for a long time, I thought it looks like so much fun!  The opportunity presented itself in 2007 during my Senior Week trip to Ocean City, Maryland.  I was all about it and my friend Kristin decided to join me.   We made reservations before we got there for the highest you can go (80ft) and were so excited to get out on the water!  Though it wasn't as thrilling as I thought it would be, it was definitely an amazing experience!  It was so neat to see Ocean City from above and come down to have our toes dipped in the water!  It was also a relaxing experience - you truly feel like you're moving super slow!

Repelling in Italy

In Assisi, Italy we spent the day with an amazing group of New Zealanders with a company called Full On.  One of the most amazing experiences of that trip was being able to repel down a 100ft castle wall that was not open to the public!  Only Full On used it and they only worked with P2P.  Three people went at a time and I volunteered to go in the first group of three.  I was completely freaked out when they made us hang over the wall for a picture before beginning to repel!  Once I was at the bottom I was so proud of myself for volunteering to go first and for making it down without panicking!  It was one of the coolest experiences of my life! 

Zip-lining in Costa Rica
This was the single most amazing thing EVER!  While in Costa Rica we spend most of the time working, but we had one free day to do something fun and were given a few choices.  Everyone thought zip-lining would be the best and it most definitely was!   The entire trip through the canopies was about an hour and a half.  Also, at the halfway point there was a larger platform where we stopped for drinks and a rest and it had amazing views (pictured below).  It was a little scary at first but it ended up being one of the best experiences of my life!  and we saw so much wildlife!

Jumping Off A Rock Quarry in VA

Look up East Jesus in the dictionary and Louisa County Virginia will be pictured right there.  My ex lives there and several times over the summer we'd illegally off road up to this quarry in the middle of nowhere.  There was an area where you could jump into the water and climb the rocks back up.  The drop was probably about 30 feet.  It took two visits before I finally jumped but I'm so glad I did!  It was super fun and the water felt so good!  No matter how hard we tried, no one ever touched to bottom and we have no clue how deep it really is.   The picture below is his friend diving in - I was never that brave!

Extreme Sky Flyer at Kings Dominion

I have been going to Kings Dominion since I was in middle school; it's one of my absolute favorite amusement parks! Every time I went I really wanted to go on the Extreme Sky Flyer but it cost $40 per person or something and I never had the extra money.  So, before Josh and I went with our friends in 2011, I made sure that we had the extra money to do it.  It was one of the most terrifying and awesome 5 minutes of my life!

The Time I Jumped Off a Bridge
This was the most random thing ever.  Me, my best friend Alex and one of my coworkers at the time, Sasha decided to go swimming in Broad Creek by Sasha's house.  We found a place to swim near this bridge and set up our stuff.  Then we see these guys up on the bridge and watch them jump into the water.  Of course, me and Alex had to go talk to them.  They told us what to do and one jumped on either side of us the first time.  We had so much fun, we decided to do it again!  I think the drop was around 25-30 feet.  What started out as hitting on some guys turned into one of the most fun days I had all summer - especially since Alex moved away at the end of that summer :(

White Water Rafting in PA

 I was  in like 6th grade or something when we did this and have no pictures and my memories are scarce but I do remember having a good time and being scared shitless at the same time!  Though I enjoyed it at the time, I don't think I'd ever do it again.  I am glad that I gave it a try though and I do have a few fun stories from that day. 

Rock (Wall) Climbing
For some reason this was super scary to me.  I am so glad I did it though!  I had a blast the day that I learned and I lucked out in going to a University that had a rock wall in their gym!  I definitely took advantage of that!

 
That Time I Rode a Bike For 30 Miles
I guess that's just what you do in Maine.  This bike ride was very hard at times and there were definitely some interesting things that happened which I will talk more about when I do a post on Maine.  It was very difficult but super rewarding at the end!  Oh, and that picture below was taken a little more than halfway during our lunch break - we don't normally look like we wish we were dead.

 
Upcoming Adventures
This upcoming November, Josh and I are planning to do a canopy tour while in Honduras (I believe)!  I am so excited to do it again and for Josh to experience it.   Our other excursions include swimming with dolphins and "scuba diving".  We also plan to skydive this upcoming year.  We have been talking about it for a while but it was never the right time, but I think after the wedding would be the perfect time!
 

Travel Tuesday: Assisi, Italy Day 2

Our second day in Assisi was easily the best day of the trip.  We got to hang out with a bunch of New Zealanders working for a program called Full On.

When we first got to the building we were greeted by our leaders.  To get started, they had us playing some games (one was called Evolution but I don't remember the rules).  After hearing some stories were were split up into 6 groups, each group assigned to a different leader.  My leader's name was Ginny.

First thing after being split up, we hiked up a small hill and played a few games with our group.  I have them all written down but it would take forever to go into each of them, but they were super fun games and most were geared at building teamwork.   We then had to get to know people in our group.  I talked to two girls that I already knew fairly well.  When we were told to switch, I talked to Ginny, our leader.  I learned a lot about New Zealand during our short talk; I love hearing about peoples lives in other countries.

After that we played even more teamwork games and had our lunch.  Then came the exciting part ... We were going to be repelling down a 100 foot castle wall!!   I was so freaking excited.   When we got to the castle wall, we were told that this wall was only open to People to People groups so not many people get to do it.

We immediately got fitted into our harnesses and helmets and were given instructions on how to get repel.  I was in the first group to go along with Rachel and Joan.   We got our pictures taken hanging over the side but I don't have a scanner so I can't share it, plus it is totally not flattering.  Repelling was so much fun and I wish we had the option to do it more than once!!  After we finished repelling we headed back to the full on building where we listened to some music, told some stories, and said goodbye to our Full On crew.

Walking around Assisi was so much fun.  It is definitely a pretty area and we had so much fun with our leader.   This was definitely one of the best and most fun days of our trip.

Assisi was definitely one of my favorite cities on this trip!  It was so beautiful and we had so much fun!

Travel Tuesday: Assisi Day One

After touring the Vatican, we hopped on our bus and headed to Assisi, Italy.  This may very well be my favorite place on earth.  Our second day (which I will share in two weeks) was one of the best days of the trip!

When we arrived we were actually late, so we missed our meeting with one of the priests.  We got to wander around at our own pace because our dinner reservations were not for another few hours.  This was also the first day that I really talked to three of the girls who became my best friends on the trip, I ate dinner with them that night and we ended up getting really close.

That night at our hotel was too fun.  We found this playground not too far away and had a great time playing and getting to know each other.   After which we all gathered in the room I was staying in with two other girls and all of us ate junk food.  I guess we were being loud because the leaders came in to tell everyone to get to their rooms.  We were definitely in for a treat the next day!!

My Favorite Travels

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the top 5 places I would love to see and why.  This week I thought I'd write about the top 5 places that I have already been and why they are my favorites

1. Las Cruces, Costa Rica

Costa Rica has my heart.  If I ever had the opportunity to move abroad, this country would be very, very high on my list. I had an amazing experience working at a biological station and learning about the things that grow there and the animals that live there, I even got to hold a bat! I got my first experience staying in hostels during our first and last nights and I got to see and experience a wide variety of wild life.  It doesn't hurt that this Country is absolutely beautiful!

Hanging out in a Strangler Fig Tree.

2. Savannah, Georgia

I am not a huge fan of cities but this southern city made me feel right at home.  It is safe to say that apart from DC, this is my favorite place in the United States and I would not hesitate to live here.  The city is absolutely beautiful and definitely has charm.  River Street is a great area for shopping, eating and drinking and was probably my favorite area of Savannah.  Also, Leopold's Ice Cream was enough to make anyone want to stay!  Also, as a former Girl Scout (11 years) it was neat to see Juliet Gordon Lowe's Birthplace.

Fountain in Forsyth Park

Juliet Gordon Lowe Birthplace.

3. Assisi, Italy

Assisi was exactly what I pictured when people would talk about Italy.  The olive tree's made me feel as if I were standing in a pastel painting.  I also had the amazing experience of rappelling down the side of a 100 ft castle wall which was not open to the public!  Assisi was such a beautiful town and my whole experience there was positive, from the activities to the hotel, it was a great experience!

4. Carcassone, France

I have mentioned that I am fascinated by castles, Carcassone was no exception. I have a picture of an area which I swear looks like Diagon Alley from Harry Potter. It doesn't hurt that while we were there, Sting was playing a concert in the Castle.  Such a neat experience (even though we could only stand outside of the stadium area).  Also, while we were there, France won one of their World Cup games so there was definitely some partying in the street happening.  I have so many great memories associated with this place!  Fun Fact: It was the filming location of Robin-hood, Prince of Thieves.

5. Barcelona, Spain

Barcelona was such a neat city.  I loved all of the Gaudi architecture!  It seemed like everywhere we went there was some weirdly shaped awesome looking building.   Of course seeing amazing sites such as Park Guell and the Sagrada Familia did not hurt the experience!  I learned so much on our tour of Sagrada Familia and found the history fascinating!   I even bought a book from the bookstore!   We were also in Barcelona when Italy won the world cup!  Our bus driver was Italian so that was definitely a fun experience!  We also got to try some AMAZING tapas and got to see a flamenco show!   Overall, my experience in Barcelona was amazing and I definitely want to go back.

   

I had a really tough time narrowing this down.  I was taking both the place and my experiences into consideration so it was really hard to leave Boulder Creek, CA off of the list because I had such a great experience leading those kids! It was also hard to leave Cinque Terre off but overall, I think my top 5 are pretty accurate.