The Beginning of a Dream

Growing up in the South, I got to see much of the southeast United States, but it was not for fun. We moved... a lot. My dad was in sales and was always looking for that better commission deal. I was born in Virginia, but only lived there for six months. States in which I remember living include Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, and Alabama. I tell people that I grew up in Alabama because that is where we lived throughout my high school years. "Traveling" for me wasn't for vacationing. It was for moving, visiting my mom's family in Florida, or because my dad had a business trip (which consisted of watching TV from a motel bed while he was in and out of meetings). So, going on a trip as a child never meant excitement. It was just another part of my life.

Trips with my church group were the highlight of my youth, and helped change how I felt about traveling as a young girl. Traveling in a stinky church van with a bunch of teenage boys, and sitting next to that girl that wouldn't stop talking about herself didn't even seem to phase me. It turned out that traveling somewhere to have fun and experience new things was something I really loved. As a teenager, there were three places I vowed to see in my life: New York City, Switzerland, and Rome, Italy. In 2000, thanks to my church group, and my school's Latin club I got to experience all three in just three months time, and that's when my passion for traveling exploded! Seeing these places that most people only see in books or television changed my life in that I realized that this was to be an important part of my future. The world became much larger, but also tangible to me.

On spring break in 2000, my Latin teacher took a small group of us to Italy and Greece with a long layover in Switzerland. She took a group of students each year, but planned this trip with me in mind. For those of you that have traveled internationally, you can imagine exactly what I felt on this trip. The only way I can explain it is as excitedly uncomfortable. This trip changed my life. I lived in small towns during my childhood (except for a year in Atlanta which I adored). When you live in a small town, it is a special event to travel to the big city an hour away. People ask to come with you. It is a treat, at least it was in my small town in Alabama. When trips to the "city" get people excited, it can make you feel like that is as big as it gets... or as big as it should get. When I returned from Italy, I felt like nothing was unreachable and I was ready to capture the world.

Photography has always been my hobby, so this is the only photo I could find that proved I was there. We are in front of the Trevi Fountain in Rome. I am in the blue on blue with blue jeans.

One of my favorites I took in Vatican City.

Three months later, my youth group took a "fun trip" to New York City. My first trip there and I was able to experience New York City with 30 of my closest friends. There are not many people that can say that. I had a bagel with cream cheese for the first time (it's the little things, folks). We visited the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. We marveled at the chickens in Chinatown, pretended to speak Italian in Little Italy, and even went to the top of the World Trade Center. I don't remember which tower it was (South, I think), but I took a ton of pictures of the city from up there. I marveled at the most magnificent city while the wind blew through my hair. I was so lost in the moment that my group almost left me up there. After we rode back down, we hung out in front of the building while we waited for our bus. I couldn't stop looking up at them. I still can't believe that I stood up there a little over a year before the Twin Towers fell.

One of the many, many pictures I took from atop the Tower.

Looking up at them in awe.

Those moments were critical in my life. They helped me grow as a person into an open-minded adult and expand my reality. I wouldn't trade a single moment of my travels and can not wait to continue the journey.

Please comment and let us know when you first discovered your dream!