Thursday, January 05, 2012

Finding New Adventures...

As you can tell, I love going on adventures - both big and little - with my family.

I used to be a lone adventurer and loved it... I got excited about signing up for a Winter Term Study Abroad trip that I didn't know anyone else on (Guatemala). I packed my bags and headed to Eastern Russia by myself for a semester. I even enjoyed going to Indianapolis for a research conference in college without really knowing anyone on the trip... Thank goodness I did because that's where I met my hubby!

When we first met, one of the more attractive aspects about Joe (besides his smile and cute tush!) was that he was also an adventurer. He had traveled as well and wasn't looking to stop-- we spent our first summer together via pay phones and calling cards as I was living in Spain and he was in Maryland! He managed to visit me in Spain and it was the perfect test adventure to take together... He didn't mind my quirky ways and we were able to laugh over the things that went wrong. I had already known he was the one, but the fact that we could easily travel together really sealed the deal!

When we decided to start a family, we both agreed that the adventures would still continue. They may not be as newsworthy as traveling abroad (although I wish they were!), but when you chose to look at the world the way that we do-- every day is an adventure!

Doodle travels well- she's not really had a choice in the matter! She went to a Caps game at 5 weeks old and flew to Maine for a trip to Vinalhaven at 6 weeks! She's a decent car passenger and is learning the art of road trips (Hello, princess DVDs!).

What has really been fun is that as she has gotten more aware of the world- and what we're doing in it- we now experience it through her bright blue eyes! We spent a half hour feeding goats and alpacas in Deep Creek last weekend- it was as if the rest of the world faded away and her goal in life was to make sure these animals were well fed! She smiled and giggled while she talked to the goat and I could just see how purely happy she was. It cost me a few quarters in feed from a little vending machine and didn't require a single bell or whistle... Just let this girl hang out with a goat and she's happy as a clam!

I'm always looking for these small adventures because you never know where they'll lead you... And I love capturing them in photos that I'll be able to share with her someday. My hubby made a good point tonight-- that often I'm in the mood to take photos and I'll create a new adventure so I can photograph it. Although I hadn't thought of it that way, he's definitely right... but I don't think that's a bad thing. Annoying, perhaps, if you're not into me taking photos of you. To me, if that's what gets us to the Renaissance Faire or the Orchard in the Fall, then it's worth pausing for a few photos while embarking on life's adventures!

What motivates you to get out and try new things? Do you like a challenge (learning a new sport) or do you like to escape reality and enjoy the show (concerts or theater)? Would you rather go it alone or bring the little ones? So many ways to enjoy the world around us... I'm just giddy at the thought of it all!

4 comments:

Unknown said...

She is just as cute as cute can be : )
I love adventurers! Life is too short not to have them, right?

Lolli @ Better in Bulk said...

I love adventures too, but I admit it was hard to do too many adventurous things when I had little ones. Before I got married, i did a lot of traveling. I could go on and on about the crazy things that I did ( you might be surprised!).

Jessica said...

I love your take on adventure and how our passions (like photography) can lead us to new places. I especially like how you have reminded me that having kids doesn't slow you down, but just takes you somewhere new.

My Captivating Life said...

Cuteness and the answer to your question for me is all of the above! I love lone adventures and family adventures, new challenges, and escaping reality. And, I will definitely create adventures just to photograph them! I have always known that and so does my Husband. For the most part he doesn't mind but sometimes it annoys him. He says it would be nice to see my face "sometimes". LOL! :)