Happy New Year!!

Yes, the page has turned and it is now 2014! We have each been granted 365 blank pages upon which we can write. Some people’s writings will reflect days spent sitting around doing the same old thing, or of countless hours spent watching tv, playing video games or other types of virtual reality that never transport farther than the couch. Some stories will be of regret, believing the best years are long past with no chance for excitement or discovery. Me? I’ve never been interested in being a couch potato, nor am I afraid of change or challenges, so for MY 365 pages, I am writing an action adventure novel!  Since this blog is all about great food, good works, and making the world a little better in the process, here’s how my action adventure novel is shaping up.

I’m taking off three and half months from work this summer for 8 weeks of travel (mostly solo), to boldly go where I’ve never gone before, to explore the incredible and varied slow food culture of Europe, visit open air markets, evangelize Foodlanthropy and actively participate in non-profit projects in Kenya. The 8 weeks will include a week in Iceland, three nights in the Netherlands, three weeks in Spain, a week or so in Germany and then back to Amsterdam by early July to catch a flight to Nairobi for a ten day Moja Tu donor trip. And if that weren’t FABULOUS enough, my sons will be joining me on the Moja Tu trip! After Kenya, we’ll all return to Austin wiser, enriched, and certainly more globally aware. I’ll then have time with family, friends and continue my food, culture and philanthropic adventure locally.

I am ECSTATIC about this opportunity! I find it THRILLING to figure out how to make this happen!  I LOVE that I don’t know ALL the details!  And the best part is, you get to join me as I share my experiences in planning, preparing, and undertaking this adventure through the writings and pictures posted here!

The  first step in making my dream a reality was, believe it or not, keeping it private. Yes, you read that correctly. PRIVATE! For the first year I confided only in my husband and no one else. No one. I wanted to avoid the risk of well intentioned but potentially damaging input from others. I know why I am doing this and didn’t want to waste time convincing others. I am taking time off to unplug from technology, high tech pressures, and focus on those things that nourish my soul and make my skin tingly:  family, food, friendship, travel, history, and my Aquarian need to serve others.

With the full, loving support of my AMAZING hubby, I spent countless hours on weekends and evenings researching and thinking through what I wanted to do. It’s amazing what you can find from a few simple Google searches. One blog, Nomadic Matt, has tons of travel info and resources. It helped to also reflect on all the dreams and ideas I’ve had over the last 20 years. I didn’t judge or let inexperience keep me from adding something to my list. Some of these were:

• Spend more time with my parents
• Take the kids on college visits
• Travel by myself in Europe
• Make paella in Spain
• Visit my friend Christos in the Netherlands
• Soak in an Icelandic hot spring
• Improve my Spanish
• Photograph the Southern Cross
• Travel Europe by train
• Clear out those “scary” closets
• Spend 3 weeks in Spain
• Visit the Moja Tu kids at Tania Integrated Rehabilitation Center

With my list, I defined what it was I wanted to do and where, but without making it an overly detailed schedule. I want this to be flexible and relaxed, not some critical deadline type of schedule. So then it was simply a matter of estimating how much time was needed to make it feel “right”.  I’m more of an immersion traveler. I’d rather spend at least a week in a new place so I can meet locals and get a sense of what it’s like to live there. I’m also more inclined to go off the beaten path to explore or sit at a sidewalk cafe to people watch, than stand in line for some popular tourist trap. So for me, the overall sabbatical duration was a minimum of three and half months. With that, I reviewed my work and family schedules to define the when: Summer of 2014.

Finally, I was ready to notify my boss. I was certain I would have to resign from my VERY good job because I honestly didn’t think a three and half month unpaid leave would ever get approved. But lo and behold, when I met with him in late October to spill the beans, he was fully supportive! As was my Director! I am very grateful to have such an incredible management team. It also helps that I’ve been a hard-working high tech warrior for the past 22 years.

So, there you go. A dream. Faith. Determination. That’s what got this adventure underway.   While I have purchased all of the airfare and completed research on travel insurance, there’s still plenty more to do:

• Finalize travel insurance
• Research and decide on where I’ll stay for Iceland, Spain, and Germany (thankfully, I have a wonderful friend in the Netherlands so I’ll get to stay with his family)
• Research gear to purchase for the trip, including clothes, shoes, camera
• Figure out what/how to pack (minimal is the objective)
• Research and decide on rail travel for Europe
• Immunizations
• Make sure my kids and I are prepped and ready for the Kenya travel
• Lose a little weight and improve my cardio
• Set realistic budget
• Have a Plan B

It’s a lot to do, but I really look forward to sharing my learnings and experiences with you as I work my way through and eventually embark on the trip. I would love to hear your thoughts as well, and will be happy to answer your questions. I’ll be posting updates and checking for comments on a weekly basis; more often as schedule permits (I’m not on leave YET). So, by all means, sharpen your pencils and let’s start writing!