Last year was a great year for me. I am a nurse and work three 12 hour shifts per week, so I am able to travel a lot! I visited many cities I had never been to before, and some that I had but just needed to visit again! I hope I am fortunate enough to keep the exploring going into 2017.
Boston in February: I had been to Boston before but in the summer. It was freezing! But I pranced around in the snow like a child and got my combat boots soaking wet because I’m from South Florida, and let’s be real, never prepared for snow.
DC in April: Some of my best friends from college live in the DC area so I was very excited to visit them. We did a lot of biking, brunching, and bonding all weekend.
New Orleans in June: My first time in New Orleans! I went as my boyfriend’s date to one of his high school friend’s wedding, and we made a little vacation out of it. Lot of drinking, eating delicious food, and live music. Anddd I loved his friends’ girlfriends, always a plus.
Singer Island in June: More like a stay-cation since it’s only a about an hour away from where I live. My family and I went up for Father’s Day and had a very relaxing weekend.
Chicago In July: I didn’t know it got so HOT in Chicago! I was expecting it to be at least a little bit cooler than Miami, but I was very very wrong. Another city with absolutely amazing food. Me and my mom did yoga in the park one morning so that makes up for all the deep dish pizza, right?
Oklahoma in August: My bff from high school now lives about an hour outside of OKC with her boyfriend, two dogs, and cat. I finally made the trip out there to visit them. They took me on a float trip with a group of their friends which is the thing to do there in the summer. Basically we got two huge rafts and packed them with people and beer and floated down a river all day. What more could a girl ask for?
DC in November: So again, I live in South Florida and don’t know what season are. FALL IS MY FAVORITE. (Just like most people I know.) This was my first fall and I couldn’t get over how pretty it really is. I’m used to green palm fronds all year round. Also I love my friends, visiting them is always a blast.
Denver for New Year’s: My boyfriend is from Denver so we went up to celebrate the new year. We were able to squeeze in some sightseeing between spending time with his family and partying like it was 1999. (I’m pretty sure I was actually fast asleep on New Year’s Eve 1999). And again, we ate amazing food. Green chili should really be served at every Mexican restaurant, in my opinion.
What I am figuring out:
- Well first of all it’s best to travel where you know people so you can stay for free. Also that makes you feel less like a tourist and more like a local.
- I need to keep exploring, cities and countries far away and those hidden gems close to home – exploring what interests me and what scares me.
- Always save my pictures somewhere besides my phone, my phone broke a few months ago and most of my pictures from Boston are lost forever.
-Steph
Figuring It Out 