the best promise ever made.

i LOVE to travel.

i haven’t been many places, but i’ve only just begun. 

before 2016, i spent most of my 30 years on this earth tucked safely inside the sunshine state.

i was awful at saving money and i was extremely terrified of flying... which is a bad combo if you ever want to get out and explore the world.

everything changed once i married my best friend.

we both were IN LOVE with new york city and decided that we would venture out of our comfort zones and spend the best week of our lives thus far (our honeymoon) in the big apple.

not only did we fall even more in love with the city, but we also fell deeply in love with the whole process of packing, airport chaos, FLYING, and wandering around in a new place.

i called my mom every day and would tell her about our adventures, both big and small. i could hear my mom smiling through the phone. she was so genuinely happy for us. this meant everything to me.

when we got home, mom hugged me tightly and asked me to “please, never stop living. enjoy life as much as you can. keep traveling... even if it’s just for a weekend in orlando.”

i promised my mom that i would do whatever i could to do just that.

mom passed away 6 months after that conversation. i don’t want to dwell on that though... she made me also promise that i wouldn’t post too much about her after she was gone. she hated social media. 

so, every chance we got, we travelled. in the past 2 years, we’ve been to miami, orlando, georgia, washington dc, north carolina, new york, tennessee, and chicago. 

every time i’m in a new place, i think about how badly i wish i could call mom to tell her what we did and saw, but i know she’s with me in my heart through every experience. 

we are not rich by any means... and without ANY help, we have made all of these trips.

it helps that it’s just the two of us. kids are expensive! 

every single week, i set money aside specifically for travel. 

if you put your mind to it and save up, you can go wherever you want... and whatever we don’t spend within that year, we save for the next year. 

i am so thankful to my mom for putting that passion in my heart. she told me it’s okay and it’s not selfish to go do something for yourself if you can. 

so while you are able to... go out and live! 

enjoy this life that you are given.

don’t be jealous of others.

make your own happiness. 

and if you get the opportunity to get out of the house... go do it!

even if it’s jusy a weekend trip to somewhere nearby.

it’s all worth it.