Let's get straight to it - This adventure deserves documenting.
So what's the adventure?
Saying "YES!"
Unless the question is "Are you voting for a Republican?" or, "Should I get bangs?" (in which case the answer to both is a resounding 'no'), we're saying 'yes' more.
We're taking more chances - embarking on new adventures - opening ourselves up to unique experiences. And we're kicking off our new "yes" lifestyle with something huge. No really, it's HUGE.
In October of this year (2012 for posterity's sake), we're quitting our jobs, throwing our crap in storage and heading abroad to travel, volunteer, and explore for 6-9 months...at least. Me and Tom! The World, Party of 2!
I'll give you a moment to re-read/gasp/roll your eyes.
While we don't want to overplan our trip (half the fun and adventure is in being spontaneous), the basic plan is India, Burma, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Fiji, and Australia - not necessarily in that order and, full disclaimer, destinations are subject to change at any time. We're also considering Indonesia (where we've been before together), Bhutan and China. Stay tuned.
Until the time of departure, we're documenting the planning and the researching and the process of wrapping up all the loose ends in our lives so we can travel "loose of limits." (Why the name? We'll tell you later.)
The reason this trip is happening deserves it's own post. In the meantime, I'm going to pretend that you don't know anything about who we are.
We live in San Francisco, California. This city makes us very happy. At this point in our lives, we couldn't imagine living anywhere else in the United States. We met in March, 2004, while I was on spring break in Jamaica and Tom was working for the travel company I booked my trip through. We very quickly fell in love and decided not to be apart. While in Jamaica, I dropped out of school, canceled my flight and stayed there with Tom. A few weeks later, I drove to Boulder, Colorado, (where Tom lived) and moved in. Four months later, we moved to San Francisco. We got married during the the most fantastic wedding weekend ever on July 31, 2010, in Guerneville, California. Curious? Check it out on Glamour.com. Meeting in a foreign country was only the beginning of our travels together. Since we met, we've traveled to England, Scotland, Italy, Mexico (several times), Costa Rica, Indonesia, and back to Jamaica a few times. On top of that, together, we've visited Alaska, Illinois, Kansas, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, and Washington, as well as new parts of California, Colorado, Connecticut and Missouri. And I'm not even counting the states that we've just driven through or spent the night in. We get around.
I'm Stephanie.
I'm 28. I'm from a small town in Missouri called Pleasant Hill. When we got our first stop light, the whole town went to the intersection to watch it turn on for the first time. Spirit days included "Drive Your Tractor to School Day," and a Friday night typically included circling Sonic, hoping for a parking spot on the cool side. I loved it (both living in Pleasant Hill and circling Sonic). Pleasant Hill made me who I am. And a lot of my friends, including my best friend, Ashley, still live there, so I'm lucky enough to visit regularly. But I don't think I'll ever live in that or any other small town ever again. I started college at Central Missouri State University in Warrensburg, Missouri. I majored in Finance. Anyone who knows me understands how hilarious that is. I was (and still am) a proud Delta Zeta and I happily reject any and all sorority stereotypes. Most of my closest friends, including my (other) best friend, Lauren, are friends from DZ, and we still sing recruitment songs and do secret handshakes after a few cocktails. I finished college with a degree in Business/Marketing from San Francisco State University. I've been doing tech public relations for the past 7 years. I like it. I don't love it. At the moment, I'm working freelance as a public relations contractor for technology and entertainment companies. In truth, part of me is hoping I'll figure out what I love while I'm on this trip and get enough distance from my everyday life that I'll grow the cojones to do it. (Speaking of cojones - sorry to be crass, but have you seen this?) Before meeting Tom, international travel wasn't even on my list of possibilities. I'd never thought about it. That has obviously changed. And while my passport stamps don't go much further than what I listed above, I've done a bit more traveling than I've already mentioned, including Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Nebraska, Nevada, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, and....Russia (more on Russia later, too).
Do you want to meet Tom? You'll have to wait.
Update 5/31/12: Since this post, we've decided to leave SF in September (leaving the country in October), and we're traveling for a minimum of 9 months...hopefully for a year or more. And also, since then, I've turned 29.
So what's the adventure?
Saying "YES!"
Unless the question is "Are you voting for a Republican?" or, "Should I get bangs?" (in which case the answer to both is a resounding 'no'), we're saying 'yes' more.
 |
| Yes to pie...always. |
In October of this year (2012 for posterity's sake), we're quitting our jobs, throwing our crap in storage and heading abroad to travel, volunteer, and explore for 6-9 months...at least. Me and Tom! The World, Party of 2!
I'll give you a moment to re-read/gasp/roll your eyes.
While we don't want to overplan our trip (half the fun and adventure is in being spontaneous), the basic plan is India, Burma, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Fiji, and Australia - not necessarily in that order and, full disclaimer, destinations are subject to change at any time. We're also considering Indonesia (where we've been before together), Bhutan and China. Stay tuned.
 |
| Needing a geography refresher? (I'm sure you know where Australia is.) |
The reason this trip is happening deserves it's own post. In the meantime, I'm going to pretend that you don't know anything about who we are.
We live in San Francisco, California. This city makes us very happy. At this point in our lives, we couldn't imagine living anywhere else in the United States. We met in March, 2004, while I was on spring break in Jamaica and Tom was working for the travel company I booked my trip through. We very quickly fell in love and decided not to be apart. While in Jamaica, I dropped out of school, canceled my flight and stayed there with Tom. A few weeks later, I drove to Boulder, Colorado, (where Tom lived) and moved in. Four months later, we moved to San Francisco. We got married during the the most fantastic wedding weekend ever on July 31, 2010, in Guerneville, California. Curious? Check it out on Glamour.com. Meeting in a foreign country was only the beginning of our travels together. Since we met, we've traveled to England, Scotland, Italy, Mexico (several times), Costa Rica, Indonesia, and back to Jamaica a few times. On top of that, together, we've visited Alaska, Illinois, Kansas, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, and Washington, as well as new parts of California, Colorado, Connecticut and Missouri. And I'm not even counting the states that we've just driven through or spent the night in. We get around.
 |
| Seriously? How happy do we look? Crazy happy. |
I'm 28. I'm from a small town in Missouri called Pleasant Hill. When we got our first stop light, the whole town went to the intersection to watch it turn on for the first time. Spirit days included "Drive Your Tractor to School Day," and a Friday night typically included circling Sonic, hoping for a parking spot on the cool side. I loved it (both living in Pleasant Hill and circling Sonic). Pleasant Hill made me who I am. And a lot of my friends, including my best friend, Ashley, still live there, so I'm lucky enough to visit regularly. But I don't think I'll ever live in that or any other small town ever again. I started college at Central Missouri State University in Warrensburg, Missouri. I majored in Finance. Anyone who knows me understands how hilarious that is. I was (and still am) a proud Delta Zeta and I happily reject any and all sorority stereotypes. Most of my closest friends, including my (other) best friend, Lauren, are friends from DZ, and we still sing recruitment songs and do secret handshakes after a few cocktails. I finished college with a degree in Business/Marketing from San Francisco State University. I've been doing tech public relations for the past 7 years. I like it. I don't love it. At the moment, I'm working freelance as a public relations contractor for technology and entertainment companies. In truth, part of me is hoping I'll figure out what I love while I'm on this trip and get enough distance from my everyday life that I'll grow the cojones to do it. (Speaking of cojones - sorry to be crass, but have you seen this?) Before meeting Tom, international travel wasn't even on my list of possibilities. I'd never thought about it. That has obviously changed. And while my passport stamps don't go much further than what I listed above, I've done a bit more traveling than I've already mentioned, including Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Nebraska, Nevada, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, and....Russia (more on Russia later, too).
Do you want to meet Tom? You'll have to wait.
Update 5/31/12: Since this post, we've decided to leave SF in September (leaving the country in October), and we're traveling for a minimum of 9 months...hopefully for a year or more. And also, since then, I've turned 29.
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