Georgia On My Mind February 4, 2010

Many things come to mind when I think of Georgia, the first of which is love. I love Georgia. I have fond memories of the summers I spent there with my grandparents, ruining every pair of white shorts I ever had. That red clay just wouldn’t come out! Summers in Georgia are the seeds for my travel bug. My grandparents began to sprout my travel bug in the backseat of their car where I would go with them all over the country. Canada, Delaware, The Grand Canyon, Oklahoma City, Kentucky, Tennessee, and all over the great state of Georgia are just a few of the places I remember playing “I Spy” and other travel games.

As most young girls do, I lived fantasy stories in my everyday play. I played by myself on my backyard playscape and imagined I was a princess that needed to be saved by a knight in shining armor. Sometimes I had to act out both the part of the princess and the knight. Looking back, I think what I really loved were the clothes. Who wouldn’t want to wear a big fancy princess dress?

The second best thing to a big fancy princess dress is visiting old homes from the hoop skirt days of “The South”. I traveled all over Georgia with my grandparents visiting places Sherman burned down and places he left standing. Either way, my imagination had no problem filling in any information that was missing.

In my mind’s eye, Georgia will always be nostalgic for me. I will always remember the experiences I shared with my grandparents, the peaches, the Vidalia onions, all of my favorite restaurants, The Atlanta Braves, The Georgia Bulldogs, and the night the air conditioner stopped working.

What place will always hold special memories for you no matter how time changes it?

The National Archives January 24, 2010

The Declaration of Independence

History speaks to me. My favorite travel destinations, by far, involve history.  I crave history. When I am unable to experience history in person, I can usually be found reading a historical fiction novel with a great story. For this reason, it is no surprise that I was a history major in college. You will rarely find me spouting off historical facts and dates simply because I love the social aspect of history. The people, the places, the monumental occasions–the fact that what happened then effects what happens now.  

History moves me. Trying to imagine what it would be like to live and experience different time periods is exhilarating. As I stand in a historical place I almost shutter when I realize who was there before me. This only makes me crave history more, but I always end up thankful for the events and people of the past that make my present possible.  

As I walked into the rotunda of Archives of the United States of America, my excitement was almost beyond containment. In addition to history, I love words. The convergence of two of my greatest loves is almost unbearable. My previous trip to our nation’s capital found the Archives building under renovations. I was crushed to be so close, yet so far away from some of my favorite living history. 

The lighting of the rotunda was dim in order to preserve the documents. The hues of light recalled the candlelight and gaslight that would have been used to write and view the documents originally, and it was perfect. I patiently walked around the room in the proper direction, stopping to read about the history leading to the writing of the documents as well as the history of preserving the documents. My heart skipped a beat when at last I saw, “We the People.” After 234 years, the words are still so powerful. 

As I admired The Declaration of Independence, this document I have read about since elementary school, memorized on more than one occasion, and have a copy of, I was struck by the invisible ink. I know how old the document is, but I never expected the ink to be so faded. I was compelled to memorize every detail of my experience so I would never forget. 

I did not really read the documents. I recited a few lines to myself, but mostly I just stared with the same wide-eyed wonder I had as a child experiencing history. I observed my fellow tourists and imagined bringing friends and family to this very spot where I stood. The spot where I became a part of history.

Hello world! January 12, 2010

In this short life
That only lasts an hour
How much–how little
is within our power
~Emily Dickinson

I believe there is beauty in the world around us, but if you don’t stop for a moment, you may never see it. I believe in the importance of stopping to smell the roses so you may experience them with all your senses.

I believe that travel is a necessity of life. Traveling to new places helps you to see the world around in a new way. Traveling helps you to appreciate what you have in this short life. Traveling renews your spirit so that you may breathe new life into your everday routine.

At this point in my life, I travel more than most. I work so that I can travel. Any job that would not allow me the time off to travel is not the job for me. You don’t have to travel far to renew your spirit. You just have to travel and travel often. Through my stories, experiences and ideas, I hope to inspire you to not only learn to enjoy the world around you, but also to make time to experience it.