2018

2018 started with a bang and continued to have fireworks throughout my year.  I arrived on Maui in Hawaii on New Year's Eve after the sun had already set.  Exhausted from traveling 14+ hours from the east coast, I crashed well before midnight local time only to wake up and walk out to my balcony with wide eyes unable to believe my luck of landing such an amazing place to live.  The sun was shining and the ocean was sparkling with palm trees blowing and I audibly gasped with a wide smile on my face when I saw it.

As luck would have it, I not only had this incredibly beautiful, dream place to live but I also scored with an amazing roommate in Ester.  It was my first time renting from someone and rooming with them so I was not sure how it was going to go but I could not have wished for a better experience and gained a new friend in the process.  We spent many mornings on the balcony drinking cups of tea and waiting "for the show to start".  We witnessed humpback whales fin slapping, tail slapping, swimming gracefully, fighting, courting, and even teaching their babies to breach!  What an incredible experience.

I worked in a long term care/skilled nursing facility while I was in Hawaii and it was my first time stretching my PT skills in the area. I worked with an amazing group of people and came to the realization that I love being a physical therapist no matter what area I am working in.  Helping people to stand and walk again and seeing the excitement of the patient believing in themselves again, brings me such joy that I am at a loss for words to describe it.

Mom and Dad flew out to Hawaii to visit and spent time on Maui with me.  We then went island hopping to the Big Island and Oahu.  A big life highlight occurred on the Big Island when I had the privilege of swimming with wild spinner dolphins!  First landing in the water and hearing the squeaks and sounds of the dolphins communicating with each other before finally having them appear and swim so close to me that I could have reached out a touched one was an experience that will live with me forever and will always put a smile on my face every time that memory surfaces.

I left Hawaii in time to experience a New England summer and fall.  I moved to Salem, Massachusetts land of maritime history and more well known for the witch trials.  I rented space downtown for my first time living in a small, walkable city and spent countless hours walking up and down the charming streets, gazing at the architecture of the historic homes and the characters that make up the city.  I fell in love (again!) with the state of Maine and made many weekend trips to the state to check out different small coastal towns and stuff my face with lobster rolls and delicious seafood in almost every one I visited.  I continued to feed my new found love of whale watching while I was in Massachusetts and took a boat tour there as well.  I was able to witness a baby whale breach over and over again while his mama slumbered nearby.

Mom and Dad once again came to visit while I was in New England and we made our way up the coast to Nova Scotia, Canada.  It's a beautiful area of the world, full of maritime history and friendly residents who were happy to show off the beauty of the area.  From the maritime museum in Halifax to a boat cruise in Peggy's Cove, dinner in Lunenberg, fort tour in Louisbourg, and driving the Cabot trail while staying in Baddeck, we drive almost 2,000 miles in 9 days but saw a lot and I discovered the birthday cake timbits from Tim Hortons make an excellent snack on a Canadian road trip!

I made one other big trip this year to Iceland!  It was a 10 day Grand Circle tour around the entire island with fantastic vistas from every view point and stunning landscapes unlike anywhere else that I have traveled to in my past.  While there is lots of volcanic activity and rocks left from lava flow long ago, it is covered in green moss that makes you consider there really could be fairy tale elves living amongst it!  I was super excited to get to hike on a glacier while I was there.  Gorgeous waterfalls, coast line, geysers, and even spotting the Northern Lights awaited our excited eyes and made the sometimes cold, wet weather all worth it and the beautiful weather days even more appreciated.

I spent the end of the year with my family and friends both near and far.  I made a trip out to Austin, TX to see the my brother, Chad, and his family and was blessed with time to catch up with good friends while I was there.  It had been 2 years since my last visit which was way too long!  I spent the rest of the time in Florida and got to have several visits with my brother, Todd, with his family and with my parents.  I have had the time to do things I love including reading, cooking old favorite recipes and trying out new soon to be favorites, and taking the time to watch the sunset.

Next year is shaping up to an exciting start!  I accepted a contract in Santa Maria, California on the central coast which is another dream location for me.  2018 has been an exciting year with lots of new and memorable experiences and allowed me to spend lots of quality time with my family and friends.  I am looking forward to continuing to broaden my horizons in 2019 and hopefully keep up my whale watching obsession in California!