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!
 

Wanderlust Wednesday: Culinary

I have a confession ... I am the pickiest eater on the planet.  No, seriously.  Think of that person that you always want to hit when you go out to eat because they get the same thing every time ... that's me.  I have been getting better at trying new things but this is where I seriously fail as a traveler.   A bunch of the foods I tell you about will be Josh's.

Also, sorry for the lack of pictures and the poor quality, I usually eat my food before I remember to take a picture.

I love spaghetti!  But, the sauce has to be my Mom's and if you put cheese on it I will cut you (partially because I don't want it and partially because I am seriously Lactose Intolerant).   So, I was very pleased when I got this plate of spaghetti in Rome and fell in love!   I could have eaten that throughout the whole trip!

Just looking at this picture makes me want to vomit.  I know I am a MD girl and I am supposed to love all seafood, but I can not stomach mussels, oysters, or clams.  Sorry, I just don't do slimy.  My homestay Mom in France took us to a nice dinner on our last night and this was what was put in front of me.  I had to eat it - I couldn't be rude, but I also couldn't chew it.  Seriously, I was swallowing them whole.   Yeah ... never again.

This was one of the meals that was offered on the cruise: alligator fritters.  Josh decided to go ahead and get it.  I like alligator meat but I wasn't sure about the fritter part.  I am glad I didn't order it though, it was a bit too spicy for my tastes.  Josh really liked it though.

Josh got this dish in the Bahamas at Senor Frogs. I believe this is Chimichanga.   Josh actually asked me to take a picture of this dish because he thought it looked really good.  Then, he took a bite out of it and was really glad I got that picture because he was in love!  I still hear about this dish from time to time.  I could never eat this.

Josh got this is Bluffton, SC when we visited my friend, Heather.  I really don't remember what it was exactly but he loved it.

Now this is my kind of meal!  Good ol' Southern food! We got this amazing buffet meal at Michie Tavern in Charlottesville, VA.   It was nothing short of amazing and I would have stayed there all day if they'd let me!

And this is my kind of dessert!!  Peach cobbler! YUM!  This is also from Michie Tavern in VA.  Josh and I were each going to get our own but our server recommended just getting one first and he was right!!  It was huge and we couldn't even finish it together.

Remember Georgetown Cupcakes?  Yes, I am still salivating over these cupcakes!  Cupcakes are absolutely my favorite dessert!  We are even having them at our wedding instead of having cake :)

This meal was from one of those times I decided to try something new. We tried a new restaurant, Tidewater Grille, and I decided to try the Dijon Chicken with Crab Meat.  I had never tried Dijon anything but I'm glad I did!  This was one of the best meals I have ever had.

 This was Josh's meal from the Tidewater Grille.  I had a taste of the crabcakes and they were amazing!  I am extremely picky about my crabcakes (made the mistake of getting them in AZ, eww) and these were definitely some of the best I have ever had.

I got this Cream of Crab Soup at Brooms Bloom.  I loved it!  Really good cream of crab soup is hard to find and this one is definitely one of the really good ones!  I highly recommend stopping in and trying some if you ever find yourself in Maryland!

This was one of our meals in Costa Rica.  Everything on that trip was amazing!!  All of the food was fresh and tasted so good!  I wish I had gotten some photos of the fruits, they were sooooo good!!

Trying new and different foods is something that I am getting better at but I am still really picky.  Some foods that I have tried while traveling and ended up liking but didn't get photos of include: Tapas (all different kinds of dishes), Seafood Paella, Calamari, Frog Legs, Buffalo and Alligator.

Around Maryland: The Irish Festival

The Maryland Irish Festival takes place every year during the second weekend of November. This year was the 40th annual festival in Timonium, MD at the Maryland State Fairgrounds.   There are Irish Dancers and Singers who perform and there are vendors selling Irish food and gifts.

Unfortunately they were super strict with photography so I was only allowed to photograph the Irish dancing, the huge Irish Wolfhounds, and the food.

This beef stew was delicious! 

This dog was actually the coolest dog ever!  He was a Pitt/Basset Mix!  I couldn't get a good picture because he was all over the place.  If I'd had the money, he would have gone home with me!!

My favorite part, of course, was the Irish dance.  It was so neat!!  Here are a few videos that I shot.

 

Around Maryland: Applewood Farm

This has become a semi-annual tradition for me and Amy.  We went in 2011, couldn't go last year but were able to make it this year.

Applewood Farm is located in Whiteford, MD and is a family owned farm.  They do both pumpkin patches and Christmas trees.  They have two tractors that take people out to the fields to get their pumpkins and it's such a beautiful ride!  They also have a train for the younger ones that is big enough for adults to ride on.  It's actually a good 10 minute ride - we were expecting it to be shorter - so it was definitely worth paying for! They also have a little petting zoo for the little ones which is free.

There is also a barn located right near the parking area where there is sometimes live music and there is also a gift shop and food area.   The food is very reasonably priced - I got a hot dog, a bag of chips and an apple cider for $3.00.  The pumpkins are also very reasonably priced!  Amy got a pretty good sized pumpkin for only $4.00!

It was overcast and grey this time when we went so I am also including pictures from 2011 when me Amy and Josh went.   Also, I am going to throw in some photos from when my Mom and brother came with us to try to get a Christmas tree in 2011.  This didn't work out as all of the trees were way too big!

2013

2011 - Pumpkin

2011 - Christmas Tree 

Applewood Farm is located in Whiteford, MD about 5 minutes from the Mason-Dixon Line.