Barefoot Escape

My cousin started a very cool jewelry line called Barefoot Escape! Her pieces are so cool, so boho chic that I had to share with my readers! I love her jewelry and she will have a big order coming from me very soon! Check out some of her jewelry and how to order below!!! :)

Barefoot Escape is a handmade jewelry line inspired by boho fashion and a personal connection to the sea. Barefoot Escape is hoping to grow into a more widely known jewelry line for unique and original designs. Customs are available for those who truly appreciate individual tastes.

Any Free-Spirited person who wishes to take in a piece of Barefoot Escape for themselves can order directly by Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/barefootjewelry and pay through paypal. There are hopes of an Etsy account in the near future.

Tuesday Travel Tips

This is my first official "Tuesday Travel Tips" post! I thought it'd be nice to share some things I've learned first hand over my travels in Europe and Asia. I do have my Backpacking Tips page as well, so be sure to check that out, too!

My first tip, DO NOT BUY SOUVENIRS FROM CHILDREN!

I saw this child when I was visiting Sapa, Vietnam. It is very common in high tourist areas in South East Asia to use children as sympathy tokens to get money from tourists. This was a cool rainy night and as you see this child is tired, he is halfway asleep, hunched over sitting in a styrofoam box holding an umbrella sitting in front of his souvenirs. The moms are actually close by just watching, waiting to swoop in when tourists approach the child. This child should be sleeping comfortably, at home preparing himself for school the next day. The sad part is, he probably won't even go to school the next day, he'll be back in the street doing the same thing tomorrow. The only way to stop this is to stop buying souvenirs from children.

Poem

These words stitch up my wounds
This scar freshly reminds me of what I never want to get into

I'm thankful for the pain
So I can be sure history doesn't repeat itself
I'm in a different state
And frame

I'll always be the me you knew
But meeting you made me realize how much more I needed
We grew

Apart

It was a start
In another direction
Another chapter
I realized it wasn't me you were really after

Light in my face and wind at my back
I've finally realized where I was lack

It was you

I deserved more but was slack
Not sure you even realized how much I had your back

But I'm actually thankful for you
Even today I still smile when I think of you

You gave me growth and fine tuned my vision
Losing you has been the best gift of precision

Bikini Pictures = More Likes?

I had an interesting conversation with a man recently about my blog. I told him I wrote about life, love, travel, etc. I told him I averaged around 1,000 page views a month, which I'm quite proud of! Well, he told me he knew exactly what I could do to get more page views.........post bikini pictures! He said THAT is the way to get more likes, page views and ad sales! Wow. Really? SO - this post is just that - Bikini pics! I'm going to see how well this post does in comparison to others. If it does well, well he was right, and I may have to incorporate more posts like this more often! :)

If you like this post, please take a moment to click the "g+1" button on my blog homepage!  If this does well I'll be sure to make this a regular post!  We shall see! ;)

The Day Before Your Life Changes Feels Like Every Other Day

A couple months ago when I was in Chiang Mai, Thailand I met an American girl at our posh hostel. The day I arrived I went to check out the pool and I saw a "white girl" across on the deck. As soon as I heard her talking I knew she was from America! We said hello and shared where we were from. Turns out we both had connections back in my hometown! She was actually about to move there! We hung out a little the week I was there, hanging by the pool and at this awesome jazz bar down the street (like a 20 minute walk down the street). She was glowing from her recent yoga certification in Bali, and could not stop raving about it.

It was a fun week. We were actually staying in the same room, and with us both being named "Elizabeth" it made for some funny moments. She actually went by EB, thankfully, or "the first Elizabeth" because she was in the room before me. LOL. Soon enough we parted ways and kept in touch via FB, targeting to meet up in the coming months back home, too.

About a month ago EB was in a bad diving accident and she is paralyzed from the chest down. Even with insurance the cost of continuing care, rehab, and home modifications are expensive. I just wanted to share in case anyone wanted to help.  Click here to read about and donate to her cause.

https://m.helphopelive.org/campaign/5473?3.8.753


It's crazy that life can change in the blink of an eye. Love. Listen. Laugh. Clap. Travel. Love more. Love harder. Never let your passions die, let them take over your soul and body. LIVE OUT LOUD!

And SMILE, it's contagious.

Guys - ASK FOR HER NUMBER!

Man, I don't know if I'm more sad or mad at the dating scene these days. It seems most men want to skip over the courting and dating and go straight to your bedroom. Why the rush? Is the world about to end, did I miss the memo?!

I'm not posting this rant after a one time experience. Over the past few years that I've tried dating, even dating sites, I'm frustrated with the lack of old school chivalry skills I've encountered, if at all. I can understand asking a girl out in person may be nerve wracking and/or awkward for a man. But it's really not that difficult. All it really takes is five simple words - "Can I call you sometime?"

I know guys are just as weary of being turned down as we all are. I get it!  BUT - there are TONS of fish in the sea!  Like they say, men and women are like buses, if you miss one it's OK, another one is coming in 15 minutes!

Asking a girl out in person may be tough, but it's doable.  So, you would think over email, a guy wouldn't have a problem asking for your number, right? WRONG. In my experience 99.999% of the guys I've met on a dating site always drop THEIR number after a couple weeks of email exchanges. WHAT THE FUCK!!!!! What is the deal? You really want to drop YOUR number so the girl will text YOU?! WHY CAN'T A GUY ASK FOR A GIRLS NUMBER ANYMORE??????? What is the problem?! Why is that so difficult?

I'm so glad that I was raised on old school values, although they are hard to find these days. But in a way it is a gift and a curse. If I was OK with a guy texting me all day and not communicating to my face I would be in heaven in 2014. But unfortunately I feel like it's hell. A bunch of fast paced non investment cowardly men out there looking for some quick action. No wonder they aren't chivalrous because they probably don't have any chivalrous intentions!

Anyway, yes, I am venting. All I want is to meet someone that is tired of getting it wrong as much as I am. A guy that respects the journey, not the destination. Someone who enjoys the excitement and thrill of what could come next. The elated feeling of pondering the next level and depth we could reach together.  How exciting is that!

These are some official #FirstWorldProblems and #OldSchoolProblems but I'll be alright!  ;)

#venting 

Adjusting Back Home?

It's been almost a month that I've been home from my travel adventures in Asia. I was only gone two and a half months, but I'm amazed by how much my perspective has shifted, and continues to shift....

At first thought, two and a half months doesn't sound like a lot of time. Especially if you're staying in the same city doing what you do, day in and day out. But, two and a half months of traveling, leaving everything you knew and loved back home, being in multiple foreign countries, being stretched emotionally, physically, and spiritually, is A LOT to take on. From airlines to buses to trains to new curry dishes to new horizons, my world has exploded in color and new perspectives. I can feel the weight of this new vision on my shoulders ready to be digested. I'm processing it slowly, every moment of every day. I've had a few reflections where I find myself challenging some things I thought I knew and wanted. I'm finding some old things I dreamt of unattractive an undesirable and new things coming to the forefront of my interests that weren't there before. I've completely changed the direction of my life from just a few months ago, and I could not be more excited for what this unknown will turn into!

I thought I would be gone two years or more, not two months! It's crazy how life shifts you. But I feel I am right where I need to be. I came home early for a reason. There's a reason why I changed careers. And it's all starting to make more sense. I'm listening to myself and pushing my boundaries. I'm testing my limits, and I'm growing, further, deeper. You have to create space for change and growth, and we all have space for it, only some of us choose to see it and push our limits to receive it.

I'm excited to see how I feel as each week passes. Slowly letting my travel adventures unfold me into my new days. What's even more exciting is I feel even more excitement is on the horizon. Shaking your life up is actually fun. I feel more creative, more ballsy, more FREE. And that is just what I wanted!

HollerAtAPlayerWhenYouSeeMeInTheStreetz

✌️