The Year I Resolved to Go
I was never one to make New Year's resolutions. I mean, I appreciated the idea, but it was just not something I did. But as 2013 changed to 2014, I found myself resolving to have a better year. And I did. As 2015 transitioned to 2016, I resolved to be grateful, making the most of every day while being open to new possibilities. And I believe I was generally successful, those resolutions in many ways leading to me meeting and falling in love with Brandon. The beginning of this year, though, felt a bit different. As I began 2014 and 2015, all I could see were the possibilities, the potential of all the things that could happen in the course of the year. Equal parts scary and exciting, those were years where I did things like move across the country and take a last minute trip to South Korea. But as 2016 began, I felt a subtle shift, an almost imperceptible nudging at the edges of my mind. Now, as I look back on the year, I think what I was perceiving was that this was, perhaps, the end of something. Somehow, after this year, life would be more settled, my (carefully) impulsive decision making would need to be curbed, and my life would become simultaneously smaller and yet bigger, too, I think.
And that's why I believe, without fully knowing why, I quietly resolved to simply go. My half-formed idea was that at least every other month I would take a trip. It didn't have to be far or long, but I wanted to take at least six trips over the course of the year. I think I wanted to fit as much travel and adventure as I could into a single year (while also working full time, living far away from family, being responsible for a dog who is rather emotionally needy, etc.).
With that idea in mind, these are the places I went:
January: We rang in the New Year in Bend and enjoyed a weekend getaway to the coast.
February: Brandon and I spent Valentine's weekend in Portland before I took a solo trip to Iceland later in the month.
March: My aunt came to visit and I got to show off Oregon.
April: I think I actually managed to stay put, other than some local hikes (or attempted hikes...).
May: This month brought an amazing birthday trip to Hawaii! And let's not forget, my first camping trip in several years.
June: We camped and got to share the amazing Oregon summer with my parents.
July: I attended my first music festival ever - the Cape Blanco Country Musical Festival was a weekend of camping, music, and friends.
August: I bought a house. I think packing and moving and, you know, buying a house, pretty much ruled out going anywhere for a few weeks.
September: Brandon and I celebrated a year together with another trip to Bend. At the end of the month, I flew to Arkansas for my annual roommate reunion and to see family.
October: I took a work trip to North Carolina. It was my first time in North Carolina and I got to catch up with some old friends. And eat Southern food. It was a great time.
November: We celebrated Brandon's 30th birthday with a trip to Washington (details to come, I promise!!).
December: This was, other than April, possibly the least exciting month of the year.
If you were counting, that was a grand total of twelve trips, an average of one per month. That number doesn't even include the weekends when I hosted company, a full count of the camping trips, or the many single day adventures we enjoyed. Whew! I feel tired just thinking about it. 2016 was a great one!
Yes, this year may have been the end of something, the last of its kind in my life, at least for now. I have LOVED this year, the adventures, the new places, the lightness and carefreeness of it all. And most of all, getting to do so much of that with Brandon. I do feel sad about leaving this behind sometimes. And scared and excited. But the end of one thing means the beginning of something new. The next season of my life will be its own kind of adventure I imagine, full of unexplored territory and beauty and sometimes pain. But most of all love. A love that encourages me to let go of the past and move into the future. And although I will miss this phase of my life - it has been one of the best - I think I'm ready for the next one. Maybe there won't be quite so many faraway trips and the weekend getaways will be less frequent, but I am guessing there will be some great surprises in store. Here's to 2017. Here's to new beginnings.