Up

Hubby and I just got back from seeing the movie Up in 3D. It was awesome and way more sad than I thought it'd be. It comes at the time where I've already been analyzing my life and what I'm doing with it. My job is pretty good. It's a small firm (about 20 people) and we're going through a lot of changes right now. 

I've been wanting to make a career change for a few months now. I have a degree in Communication Technology and Spanish. I haven't used my Spanish in a while, but I know I could work at it and be pretty fluent again. Communications is such a wide field, I'm not sure where to begin. Previously I worked as a Graphic Designer in the Marketing department and now as an Executive Assistant. I'm not sure what my passion really is. I have no idea what to look for next. I am a very organized person and loyal, so I do a fairly good job being an EA. I can't help but look at my parents. My dad owns his own company and my mom is the EA to him. I want more. I want a different future, than myself as an EA in 30 years. They have a great fit though. She knows all the work and when they get home they don't have to talk about it any longer. That's pretty cool.

One day of the weekend, hubby and I often spend on a hike. We typically do about 6 miles, but we're trying to train to hike Half Dome in Yosemite late August, so we need to train harder. But we spend the time on the hike to talk about what's next for us. We've been in California for 3 years now, and although it's fantastic, the weather is great, work is good, we have a lot of friends here etc. it just feels like we don't have any more real adventures.

I have over 4 weeks of vacation time built up. We only accrue 2 weeks of vacation per year within the first 3 years. So that means, I haven't taken a very long vacation since I started and I will very soon be accruing vacation time even faster. Now, the office is closed the week between Christmas and New Years, so we have used that time to vacation. One year we went to Las Vegas and another year we spent it with my family in Connecticut and several days in Manhattan. Friends of our are in Europe for 2 months right now and I am so jealous. Tons of people I know have taken kick-ass vacations all over the globe and I haven't had a stamp in my passport in 9 years. Something is terribly wrong with this picture and it needs to be fixed pronto. I don't want to spend the last 2 years of my 20's and into my 30's confined to a cube in a building doing stuff that's important to the company and important to my boss, but not important to me.

I have always wanted to spend my life exploring the world. I've been to several places: Germany, Holland, Austria (one trip), Mexico, Canada, Australia and Chile - all before the age of 20. I miss traveling and exploring. Now my husband on the other hand just took his first trip out of the country, for work, to South Korea! He loved it and I thought it would open his eyes so wide to want to travel more, but it's been over a year now and we're still here. We have the time to travel and we have the money to travel. I just don't know what we're missing. We've 'planned' trips to Europe a few times now, even put tickets on hold to Italy twice, but let them expire because my parents canceled their end. We should have just bought the tickets. But I want so badly to experience Italy with them. We've wanted to go since before my Nana passed away when I was 13. I can't believe we're still sitting on the pot. It blows my mind.

I would love to do our own thing, quit our jobs, move to a cheaper place to live - with equally fantastic weather - and make our own adventures every day. That's my true life's goal is to be my own boss and do what I want, wherever we are. I want to be a part of something bigger than I could ever be. Volunteer my time around the world to help communities in need. I do not want to be chained to a chair in an office building with no direct sun light. I want more and I want it now. I realize things take time, but I'm trying to bring it together and make it happen. I want to enjoy the best years of my life on the open road with my husband experiencing the world.