Maximilian

It's been awhile since I've posted and a few things have changed in my life... quite a few very close friends leaving Lexington (and a couple returning) and a new addition to my immediate family... MEET MAXIMILIAN!!!

Max, as I call him, was a stray I adopted from a friend in southeastern Kentucky back in October. He is a Basenji, Australian Cattle Dog (Blue Heeler) mix... and boy is he a handful! But he is so sweet and I have bonded with him very quickly. 

I'm excited to have a new best friend/son in my life!!!

The Unexpected

Last month I traveled to Austin, Texas for a work training conference with the U.S. EPA. I had never traveled to Texas before and had many preconceived notions about the Lone Star State. What I experienced while I was there surprised me, a lot and in all honesty I may have fallen in love with the place.

Austin Skyline from Auditorium Shores Park

View of Lake Austin at the Hula Hut

Barton Springs

If you know me, I know you're thinking "You fall in love with every place you go", but this runs deep into many aspects of live in the city. The climate is warm and the attitude is very relaxed and beachy (even being 3+ hours from the coast). People are friendly and there is tons to do between the lakes and rivers in the area, the natural springs, the music scene and nightlife, the food trucks, and activities around the Texas state capital. Who knows, may one day I'll get to experience life there. =)

The Last Frontier

Alaska is a very special place. I'm sure hundreds one people have written about its vastness,   innate beauty and serene wildlife... and they're all right. While there, I covered a lot of ground but barely even saw half of all there is to offer.

I flew into Anchorage to meet my aunt, we did some grocery shopping and then drove up to Denali National Park where we hiked, took a tour of the park, and spent endless time viewing wildlife. I can't even express how vast and awesome the park is, not to mention the vast differences in landscape in the 6 million acres. It is truly awe inspiring.

View from Teklanika River Rest Area in Denali

Caribou Grazing in Denali National Park

After a few days in Denali, we headed south to the small port town of Seward on the Kenai Peninsula. The landscape here was also awe inspiring, but full of water, mountain views and glaciers. We filled our time with tons of kayaking, hiking, a glacier tour, and some more wildlife watching. We saw orca whales, sea otters, humpback whales, puffins, walrus, and sea lions.

Otters Swimming in Resurrection Bay 

View in Resurrection Bay

Humpback Whale in Aialik Bay 

The Aialik Glacier

I have to say that out of all our activities, seeing the glaciers was the most impressive thing for me. To see such a pristine landscape and the massive geology that contributed to making it all was just awesome... and I have to admit, I was really sad to see how these glaciers have receded and melted. I definitely hope it's in the cards for me to return and hike a portion og the Harding Icefield some day.

One month +

I never have "good" excuses on why I haven't blogged. Nevertheless, I have still been on many adventures and in my true nature, wanted to post a map of everywhere I've been this past month.

I do love a good map. More entries to follow.

Feel Good

Rozalla - Everybody's Free (To Feel Good by Hakunamatata67

Photos from Across the Atlantic

I returned from vacation to the Netherlands on Tuesday. While there, I took a quick jaunt with my family to London. Here are a few photos I wanted to share.

Spui, Binnenstad, Amsterdam, NL

Graffiti on Mauritsstraat, Rotterdam, NL 

City of London from Hay's Galleria,
Southwark, London, UK

Here Lately

The fact that Americans work too much is completely true, especially for this American lately. The 76 mile stretch of Interstate 64 between Lexington and Louisville, Kentucky have become a very familiar commute for me in the past few months. Juggling projects and meeting major deadlines have kept me busy, but I honestly cannot complain. I enjoy what I do and everyday is a new challenge that is fun to tackle. For that, I am lucky and continue to work onward and upward while enjoying life.

I must say among all the work I have found plenty of time to enjoy the warm weather we have been having. A few weeks ago I spent hours downtown for Lexington's St. Patrick's Day Festival with friends, doing the Run/Walk in the morning and drinking green beer all afternoon. This past weekend I celebrated my 25th birthday with my mother and friends on the patio. 

St. Patrick's Day Celebration with friends

Rainbow Birthday Cake (!!)

It has been glorious taking advantage of this weather and spending as much time as possible outside! I am heading on vacation later this week, but hope to be posting regularly upon my return.

Belated New Year

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! ... I'm only 22 days late in doing this. 

The holidays were fast-paced for me, but I tend to enjoy my life like that. I was in Virginia with my family for two weekends during the holidays and then spent the New Year holiday in Chicago, Illinois celebrating a close friend's birthday and ringing in 2012! They say work hard and play hard, don't they? =) 

New Year's Eve fireworks at Navy Pier in Chicago

To start the New Year, I have set some resolutions for myself and am sharing them here. They are some pretty easily attainable goals and I have already been working on some of them intensely (on this Sunday night, I am still sore from my exercising from Friday). 

• Lose 20 pounds 
• Exercise 3 times a week (minimum)
• Set (and follow) a sleep schedule
• Be more positive about work
• Get to work no later than 8:30am daily
• Stick to my budget
• Eat out less
• Give up soda
• Conquer sweet tooth

It's a healthy list, but a lot of them go hand in hand. I have already read a lot of other Resolutions people have posted... Good luck and Happy 2012!

Slowdown

I am in Virginia visting my family for the holiday and boy am I ready for a little bit of a slowdown. I sure Hope I am able to get rested and relax this weekend.

Happy Holidays to you and yours!

Firm Foundation

It has been a busy two weeks for me and I feel like I have been running 100 mph non-stop. 

I have been tearing up Kentucky's Golden Triangle for work recently, primarily spending my days in Louisville working on an inspection program implementation. I will say for the most part, that I enjoy my job because it is constantly dynamic and always provides a challenge for me, but not staying at home has been tough and I am grateful when I am home in my bed.

In my personal life, the past couple of weeks have also been a reminder of the strength that I possess within myself. I am not always the quickest learner; I have always been a 'learn by doing' individual, that makes the same mistakes a few times before I realize something doesn't work. The difference is that by acknowledging my strength and standing up for myself, I have begun to realize when I am in the midst of something that is not working and am able to assess and correct this.

Between work and personal life I feel like I am truly growing up. While working hard on myself and enjoying all that I am so lucky to have, I have grown to a place where I am strong to stand for myself and focus inward and proceed upward. I was reminded of all of this today as I was catching up on blogs and stumbled across a note from Things We Forget that captures it perfectly.

It makes me feel at peace and really realize that, while cliche, everything happens for a reason.

Mid-November?

Mid-November?! The last time I looked, it was June!!! I honestly can't remember what I have been doing since my trip to Florida in October; Everything has been just a whirlwind.

I can tell you that my fall and Halloween season was full of haunted houses/ trails, pumpkin fields, horror movies, and fun with friends.

A Birthday with the Family

Two weeks ago I ventured to (sunny) Ft. Lauderdale for my father's 60th Birthday. My sister (over at HelloSweetWorld) and I have not been together with my Dad for 2 years and 11 months, which is quiet a long time since we all used to live in Southwestern Virginia together.

It was a great weekend for me to get away having had a few crazy weeks. My father didn't know we were coming and was very surprised. We spent the weekend talking and catching up, going to the beach, and even had a nice dinner and an evening out for drinks. 

Dad

Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, FL

For now, my travel season has stopped and I will be staying put in Lexington. I am looking forward to just being able to be home more and sleep late on the weekends. My roommate is super excited for Halloween, I've already been taken to haunted trails and more are in store, a Halloween party is on tap, so I'm sure it will still be an adventure. I'm looking forward to it.

Sticks and Stones and Words

"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me."

As an American child, most of us have been taught this phrase and repeat it to our 'mean friends' on the playground many times. Being an adult, I have to simply say that this saying simply does not ring true... for me at least. The past few weeks have been busy with work but I have also had very emotional and trying personal situations. These situations have taught me about a lot about myself as well as others in the areas of discernment, honesty, trust, self-worth, and negativity.

Let me start by saying, I am in no way, shape, or form, perfect. I am a human-being with needs and desires like everyone else and while I wish to always make the most admirable decisions, I indeed and give in to fleeting, temporary things. I will also say that when it comes to judgment, I generally beat myself up for things I do wrong, that I do not need the negativity or judgement from anyone else-- thanks to my amazing friends for pointing this out to me.

All that being said, I have been naive and genuine in trying to meet additional friends in Lexington and also trying to find companionship. Through all of this I have opened myself up to people who seem to be genuine people with kind hearts and similar interests, but can myself around critical very critical people. I have been pushed these past couple of weeks, feeling insecure and maximizing my emotions to a weakened point that I have not felt in about a year.

My lessons from this are invaluable. Discernment. I have got to open my eyes to red-flags and abnormal behavior and identify this in my life. It's not that I ignore them, but I need to limit myself and discern what is appropriate as well as what I can withstand emotionally. I have been through a lot in the past couple of years of my life, but have come out ahead of it all and refuse to be in that dark place again.

It's been a learning experience for me, in the least. I already feel stronger and, oddly enough, happier. Blogging about this experience is not easy, and not intended to be a call for help to my family and friends (I am fine), but encouragement to anyone else who comes across negativity in the world. Stand strong, and believe there more good in the world than bad... you just have to search for the strength within to wade through.

Busy Thoughts

To start, let me state the obvious and say that it has been over a month since I have blogged. The tail end of my summer has been full of trips, a heavy workload, local weekend festivities, and the overall dealings of day-to-day life. I've been to Michigan to visit a friend, Florida (Fort Myers to be exact) to hijack my parents' vacation, and put in countless hours of report writing/ compiling for projects at work.

Kalamazoo, MI

Picnic with the Pops in Lexington, KY 

View over Bowditch Point Park in Fort Myers Beach, FL

Things have slowed down a bit now and I have thoughts of days past and current that I am dealing with. I have recently become very aware of all I have accomplished in my 24 years on earth. I also am very aware of my dreams and desires for my life and realize I have a lot of ground to cover. The conflict lies in the fact that I would like to pursue a number of these dreams but doing so may not be the most 'responsible' or 'safe' by societal standards (and my family's).

My sixth anniversary of living in Lexington has come and gone and I find myself somewhat rooted here. My problem is I don't feel settled here, per se. I find myself desiring other things for my life and struggle with what exactly that is and making preparations to pursue other dreams. Thinking about pursuing dreams and settling down has left me with the difficulty of not growing complacent, bitter, or withdrawn from other activities I generally would enjoy because I am in Lexington.

It is hard to see what is on the horizon when you know you want a change of scenery or pace, but you have no idea where to start. I know I will figure out, but I struggle with my nature of planning it and having the stars perfectly aligned before I leap and sometimes we just have to go. 

Alas, time will tell what's in store and I'm going to keep on trucking now and "suck the fun out of this place" as a good friend phrased it. 

FIFTY States!!!

Today I am expanding my boundaries and heading to The Great Lakes State with a good friend of mine. (That's Michigan for those of you that may not know.)

Leaving for this trip got me thinking, "How many states have I been to in this mammoth country?" The answer is 23 (if you count Michigan). I've got a lot of ground to cover!!!

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Life and Love

There's been a few things going on here and there, mostly work and spending time with my friends. I threw an engagement party for two of my very close friends whom are engaged to be married in less than a year. It was a little stressful getting commitments and everything arranged, but it went off without a hitch and I think we all enjoyed ourselves.

These friends are very dear to me and I can see the happiness they hold in each other and it just makes me warm. They are also in the process of moving away and it has brought a lot of mixed emotions for me. I have mentioned before that I do not feel settled here in Lexington, but I don't know where to go next. I know I want the hustle and bustle of a bigger city and really any of the top 20 metropolitan cities in the United States would suite me, but that's kind of a broad start.

Thinking about moving and throwing an engagement party has also made my realize my single-ness. I remember being a young boy dreaming of having that best friend to spend my life with and this still holds true today. I am at a place right now where I would like to have that relationship and that companion, but I have also been through some tumultuous relationships and enjoy my freedom.

It all goes to say that I am probably exactly where I should be at the moment. I am busy at work, not sure where to go next, and content on my own right now. It's funny how we constantly wish for something and then suddenly you realize, "Wow. I'm in a great place."

La La Land

A close friend of mine got married last weekend in Southern California. I was fortunate to be able to travel to Los Angeles to spend some time with her and her family and attend the wedding as well as have a little vacation. This trip was much needed, for I have been very busy and I just needed some time away.

My friend's wedding was gorgeous. She put a lot of effort into making it her dream wedding and to make sure the guests enjoyed themselves. The wedding was in a quaint church in Orange County with the reception at an awesome venue down in the Newport area. I am truly happy for the bride and groom. They are one of those couple that are 100% made for each other.

Ceremony

Reception

After the wedding, I spent two days in Hollywood with a very close friend of mine from San Diego. We haven't been friends for very long but have a connection of life-long friends that I just don't find very often. We have a lot of the same views of life and have been through very similar circumstances. We spend the entire two days just talking, and some some sights here and there. We spent the afternoon at The Getty, ate at an awesome restaurant (Gladstone's) in the Pacific Palisades,  walked around Venice, got lost in downtown Los Angeles, and (of course) watched the painted California sunset.

The Getty

View of Century City from The Getty

Patio at Gladstone's

Venice Studio Shop

I had a phenomenal time. The weather was perfect, there was so much to do, and I had great company. I now understand why so many people choose So. Cal as their home and as with most of my trips, I want to go back.

Summer Fun

This past weekend I went down to the Red River Gorge with friends to swim and relax. We even took the time to jump off a huge rock.

Nada Valley Tunnel

The Jump

Gorge Famous Pizza

Ciclovia

Every place I have lived in Lexington has been walking distance from my work and at most a miles walk. My recent move has taken me a mile further, totaling my distance from work to 2 miles. Given my record of morning punctuality, I cannot walk this distance and have taken up to biking to and from work. I. LOVE. IT. 

My Trusty Steed

I got my bike from a friend of mine, it's an old girls bike that doesn't have any gears and comes with it's fair share of quirks, but I've bonded with it quickly. I love riding it almost everywhere.

Not only is biking healthy, but its fun, sustainable, and just makes me feel better all around. Not to mention it is in my blood, being Dutch and all. I have committed to Clif Bar's 2 Mile Challenge and have really gotten into it, logging my rides, taking different routes, even biking to the grocery store.

     

BIKING FACTS

• 40% of U.S. trips are 2 miles or less
• 90% of those trips are by car
• 12 bicycles can be parked in the same space as 1 car

It's not all fun and games though. You have to be smart, conscious, and aware of everything going on around you. I have been laughed at numerous times, had names shouted at me, honked at, run off the shoulder by bus drivers, the list can go for pages. But I have enjoyed it and really miss it on the days that I cannot bike (because of work).

My Evening Commute

If you have a bike and live less than 2 miles from your destination, I challenge you to bike. It may be tough the first time of two, but it's worth it!

I'd Settle for a Slow Down

The past twenty days have been somewhat of a whirlwind. I have been settling into my house, adapting to a roommate and two very charismatic puppies, having work proposals rain down from the heavens, planning an engagement party, and travelling back and forth to Virginia to help my mother clean up the house.

New Roommates

Roanoke Star

Needless to say, updating my blog has been far from my priorities. I have been pondering how people do it with a family; it's just me and it is so crazy! The past few weeks have been very trying for me, pushing me to my limits creativity, brain power, and sleep. I have found myself wondering if I am in the right business or if I am just frustrated with growing up. During my teenage years I always worked and I dreamt of having a "grownup job" so I could pay my bills, but now I just long to sleep in past 9 a.m. I'm wondering if I have reached burnout where I am.... but I will figure out in time.

Alas, the working part of my summer has now slowed down and I am looking forward to my trip out to Los Angeles. Even though I am heading for a friend's wedding, I will have plenty of down time to explore the City of Angels and it's surroundings, enjoy all the restaurants (I'm kind of a foodie), and soak up some sun on the beach! I am very excited for some time off and relaxation. 

That's my adventure right now.... hope to blog about some fun things rather than just updates in the coming weeks.