Category Archives: florida

and how they tell the story of who is lola

when i got wind of this blogger relay series going on, and then asked to join #teamBLUE by Christina from Jandal Road, i actually didn’t struggle much with which 3 memories i would pick. even though i’ve done my fair share of traveling, 3 really stand out for me and do a great job of representing who i am and what i believe in.

thanks to Christina for being our team captain and to Lowcost Holidays for sponsoring this campaign. the goal of the campaign is to have the longest chain of memories – one blogger passes the baton to next and so on. AND if you win the gold then you may win some great prizes too. if you’re interested in following along you can by following the hashtags #BloggerRelay and #teamBLUE on Twitter.

now onto my memories that make me moi

my minxy mouse encounter: DISNEY WORLD

Growing up in Texas, as a family of 6, we would drive EVERYWHERE for our family vacations. Florida was a popular destination as we could go to the beach or Disney World after a couple of days driving. i’ll be honest with you, i was a BIG fan of both of these vacation destinations. Florida is still one of my favorite places because of my childhood memories and fondness for the state. anyhow, i digress. this favorite travel memory is about me FINALLY meeting Minnie Mouse. here it goes…

even though we went to Disney as a family on several occasions, i somehow, after multiple visits, never seemed to be able to find her, shake her paw & get that precious photo-op. it was an inside joke within our family and an obsession of mine. i’d see her in the distance running off with Mickey and not be able to catch up. OR she’d be swarmed by a crowd and need to take a break from the heat of the Florida sun just as i was about to have my turn. it was RIDICULOUS the luck i had with that sassy mouse!

fast forward. many years later, my mother suggests we have a girls weekend at Disney. my mom, my sister & me. OK! sign me up – here’s my chance AGAIN!! going back to Disney as an adult was great. it brought back a flood of happy childhood memories and how magical the place can actually be. i found myself teary on many an occasion. AND i no longer had to chase that minx of a mouse all over the park. at this point, Disney had wised up and had the popular characters on continuous rotation over at the Toontown Fair. i waited patiently in line. over 30 minutes at least. they let in groups of 10, then you go one at a time to get your photo-op. i was so excited. i would be the first in our group of 10. it was finally my moment and unscripted i said “i’ve been waiting all my life to meet you!” WHAT?!?! this is a teenage person inside a mouse costume. i said to my mother “you better not mess this photo up!” my mom broke down laughing and said that the whole experience of me & my mouse encounter made the trip worth the expense. i proceeded to leave the meet & greet tent and buy myself a princess hat because, after all, i felt like one. the rest of the day little girls all over the park asked for my autograph!

why is this one of my favorite travel memories? it shows that even if it takes multiple attempts and many years, DETERMINATION CAN & WILL PAY OFF!

if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere: NYC

i am a determined & strong-willed person. i’m sure you can see that just from my Minnie Mouse meeting determination! 😉 so after several visits to the fine metropolis of New York City, i announced to the world that i would be moving there a few months down the road. ya know, after i paid off my post-college credit card debt & saved some money for rent, etc. it took me about 6 months but in that time i’d been working connections for roommates, places to stay while i apartment hunted, got a temporary job at the Gap as a back-up until i landed a “real job” and was working my “real job” connections too. NOTHING WAS GOING TO STOP ME FROM GOING FOR MY DREAM. much, much, much to my parents dismay.

so, one day in late January, i took my one-way ticket and boarded an airplane to my future. the contents of my life were already en route via UPS in boxes. i just had to get to the big apple and find a place to call my new home. as soon as i landed i met up with a college-pal-turned-future-roommate and we began our apartment search. as it turned out we found the place we lived for the next year that very first day. AND, as they say, the rest is history. i did work at the Gap until i landed my first “real job” working in PR at a multimedia company.

now you are thinking…why is this a favorite travel memory?? because lola went for her dreams and succeeded. AND i made it there, so, you know…I CAN MAKE IT ANYWHERE!!

some of the best couple of months of my life: EURO TOUR VIA EURAIL

after some time in the big apple, i decided it was high-time for a new challenge and, heck, i was changing jobs & apartments anyway so why not just pack up all my stuff into storage and go off for a few months on my own to a continent i’ve never been. seems to make perfect sense, right? well…i did to me. again, not my parents so much but they knew me pretty well by this point in my life and didn’t try to hold me back.

i’m a planner, so again, i saved up and plotted my attack – chasing the better weather as i headed to Europe in March and left in May. it was one of the most thrilling times in my entire life. i knew where i was generally going next but not everything i would see & do OR where i’d be sleeping each night. that made it exhausting too and by the end of my couple of months i was ready to get back to a normal routine of sorts. many friends met up with me along my journey and, of course, i made new friends everywhere i went. it was incredible in every way!

i love this travel memory because it was life changing. I WENT OUT ON A LIMB INTO THE UNKNOWN & RETURNED MUCH RICHER & WISER THAN I EVER EXPECTED.

so, there you have it. i would like to add, by this year’s end i expect a couple of these memories could be  knocked off by new ones. i have 2 BIG trips coming up that i believe to be opportunities of a lifetime. i head off to Cambodia in two weeks to build a house for Habitat for Humanity. this is similar to my 3rd favorite memory in that i’ve never been to Asia and i’ve never done a house build. i think it’s a fantastic example of putting myself out on a limb into the unknown & i fully believe i will be richer & wiser from the experience. my second big trip is with my wonderful friend, Leah, of Leah Travels all over Europe from November 5 to December 5. having the opportunity to revisit so many of the special places from my prior Euro tour with my travel partner in crime is something i never dreamt i’d be able to do. i’m beyond excited to share in the precious memories from my past and make new ones with Leah! you’ll want to stay tuned to this plot line for sure! the Minnie Mouse story can never be outdone 😉

thanks for reading my special travel memories!

the travel memories baton was passed to me by Henry from Fotoeins – check out his FAB memories from New Zealand. AND i get the pleasure of passing the baton now to a lovely chap, Tom, of Waegook Tom. we ALL cannot wait to read your favorite memories, sir.

Go #teamBLUE – let’s capture the gold!!