Baby Steps

You've heard them. Those people—those friends, even—who do nothing but rag on how lame, boring, and stale their live are. I admit it. I too, have had those thoughts. But when I start to feel bad about whatever situation I find myself in I think, you know what, I am in charge of all of this!

And you may think, well, not all of it...and you're correct. I still need to pay my car loan and I really do enjoy having hot water and electricity, so I pay those, too. But I have more control over my own life than I realize. We all do.

I recently discovered, quite by accident, Chris Guillebeau's website The Art of Nonconformity, which advocates doing what you want to do, living life on your own terms. While I enjoy my day job (I get to bring my dogs to work, we have a dart board, I listen to awesome music while working, my hours are flexible), I still have my off-days. I still sometimes struggle with feeling like I should be doing more.

So what I have decided to do is make a list of all of the things I have wanted to do, but have either thought that I will get to them later, or that they're not worth focusing on. In the links to the right you can find my lists of goals, and I will update them and list my progress.

That's it for now...baby steps. More to come soon. Until then, enjoy this random image I will choose from my photos.

Halloween Dog Costume Contest at Point Isabelle

On Saturday I, along with my boyfriend and my roommate, took our four dogs to Pt. Isabele for a leisurely dog walk. Because we're all weirdos, we dressed the pooches in their costumes, positive that we would be classified as some of those people. You know, the people who dress their dogs up, and call their dogs their children. I pretty much know I will always be one of those people, as my dogs have more bandanas than a flamboyant cowboy and because I have doggy health insurance. Anywhooo, we were prepared for a hilarious outing.

Husky husky and Business casual

Spike got a lot of attention for his two-headed-husky costume, and, while Jack got fewer comments on his business-dog getup, I think he looked dashing. Penny was her grumpy self but endured her ladybug costume. And Aviv...he was the funniest damn chicken.

Diggin' Penny and Jack's ass

After our walk we noticed a big group of...those people. Dogs were dressed as fairies, pirates, monsters, gypsies, and jailbirds. We had stumbled upon a pet costume contest.

While those people had planned to dress up their dogs for a contest, we did it just for kicks, which I guess made us more those peopleish than anyone else. While none of our dogs won the contest (the judges didn't see the irony of a husky dressing up as a husky), we got good bags, and plenty of great pictures.

Dog Emergency Kit

Wish I'd Joined Sooner

                                               

I have recently discovered, to my utter joy, the Travel Hacking Cartel. Though I have been able to travel fairly cheaply in the past—by merely trolling sites like Kayak, looking for the cheapest flights to...well...anywhere—this site will help me rack up airline miles  for even cheaper airfare.

I have my sights on Botswana and Panama (ideally, everywhere else, but I try to keep my goals focused.)



And there's another neat thing about this site: you can get miles by referring people to the site (see where I'm going?). How you do this is by sharing your referral link (like mine: http://travelhacking.org/megameg-wants-you ) with your friends, family, and shamelessly posting it on your blog. :) Then after those people sign up, they can repeat the process. Win-Win-Win...until forever.

Roadtrip with dogs; conception

Growing up, my family didn't have much money. While we were never able to take family trips to France or the Bahamas, we my parents made sure my brother and I got to go on vacation.

when I was young (5 or 6 if my memory is correct), we drove to the Grand Canyon. I remember attending a kids' question-and-answer session with a park ranger, and I asked "how many people fall over the edge each year?" I was completely confused with the answer they gave which was: "Four and a half." Can you really expect any kid to know averages? I imagined four people falling to their deaths, and assumed that the half-person must either be a child or a little person.

In addition to our camping trips, my dad took my brother and I on a few long road trips. My dad had to attend a game convention, Gen Con, in Milwaukee, and so we planned to have at least 5 days to get from California to Milwaukee, where we would spend 4 days at the convention, and then take our time driving back. The first time I took this trip I was, I think, 12 years old, and my brother was 15. In Wyoming my dad pulled off the road and let my brother and I take turns driving. In South Dakota we visited the martian terrain of the Badlands. And we saw lots and lots of corn. Since that first trip, I have taken 2 more, but the last time I did a big road trip to the game convention was when I was 16 and it was just my dad and I.

This last trip was eventful. I had just gotten my learners' permit, and my dad had no objection to me learning how to drive while on a 3,000 mile journey. We estimate that I drove 1,000 miles. I learned that true terror is driving in a rainstorm in South Dakota, driving among semi-trucks and Sturgis bikers. The car we were driving was a 1986 blue Chevy blazer, that had no radio or air conditioning and had a slow leak in one tire. We hit a bird—or the bird hit us—either way our windshield was streaked with blood. I came home from that trip as a vegetarian (I have since converted back to the meat-eating lifestyle).

And now, ten years since that last big road trip, I will begin to plan my next road trip. We will have the same destination, Gen Con, but I am planning on sharing my journey with my two Malamute/Siberian mixes (Jack and Spike), and my boyfriend. Road trip summer of 2013, here I come.

Spike!

Jack!

Dogs in Hats (and/or bandanas)

The Boys

Meghan and Treesa Volunteering in Haiti

I have begun a blog that follows my preparations for a trip to Haiti I will be taking with my mom next year. We will be volunteering with MamaBaby Haiti, a birth center near Cap Haitien, in the north of Haiti. Check out the blog, and if you're interested in donating, visit my donations page. For more information about MamaBaby Haiti, check out their website.

Playing for Change Foundation | News | Passing on the Knowledge

Playing for Change Foundation | News | Passing on the Knowledge

Top Romantic U.S. Cities According to Amazon.com | Moon Travel Blogs

Top Romantic U.S. Cities According to Amazon.com | Moon Travel Blogs

Have you ever wondered which U.S. cities are the most romantic? Well, in honor of Valentine's Day last year, I posted a list of my top 10 picks, including Chicago, Honolulu, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, Santa Fe, and Savannah.

Although I still stand by that list, Amazon.com has released its own choices, based on a recent sales study, and you might be surprised by its top picks. In honor of Valentine's Day 2011, Amazon compiled its sales data, since January 1, 2011, for romance novels, relationship books, romantic comedy movies, Barry White albums, and sexual wellness products on a per-capita basis in cities with over 100,000 residents. Surprisingly, Amazon determined that – based on sales, not travel plans – the top 20 most romantic cities in the United States are:

1. Alexandria, Virginia (#1 for the second year in a row!)
2. Knoxville, Tennessee
3. Orlando, Florida
4. Miami, Florida
5. Ann Arbor, Michigan
6. Columbia, South Carolina
7. Cincinnati, Ohio
8. Murfreesboro, Tennessee
9. Gainesville, Florida
10. Tallahassee, Florida
11. Vancouver, Washington
12. Round Rock, Texas
13. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
14. Salt Lake City, Utah
15. Arlington, Virginia
16. Las Vegas, Nevada
17. Clarksville, Tennessee
18. St. Louis, Missouri
19. Dayton, Ohio
20. Frisco, Texas

As the author of Moon Florida Keys – and a fan of the Sunshine State in general – I was delighted to spot four Florida cities on the list. If Amazon's romance-related sales are any indication, it seems that Floridians are indeed in the mood for love. I have to admit, though, that while I was also pleased to see places like Ann Arbor on the list, I was rather surprised to note some not-so-obvious towns, such as Round Rock, Texas, and Clarksville, Tennessee. Admittedly, those aren't the first two locales that come to mind while planning where to take my next romantic getaway, but it's clear that their residents have romance on the brain.

So, tell me, which U.S. city do you consider the most romantic? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

In the meantime, Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

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As always, I’m open to ideas for future posts. If you have any suggestions, burning questions, or destinations that you’d like me to explore in greater detail, please comment below or contact me via laura@wanderingsoles.com.

Disclosure: While I occasionally accept free or discounted travel assistance when it coincides with my editorial goals, my opinion is never for sale, which means that everything written in my American Nomad blog and Moon travel guides is my unbiased reflection of the things that I see, do, and experience while traveling across the United States.

Photo © 2011 Ann Arbor Area CVB / Text © 2011 Laura Martone

This article was borrowed from the Moon Travel Guide Blog
http://www.moon.com/blogs/american-nomad/top-romantic-us-cities-according-amazon

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