New Direction
I feel like last Wednesday was a lifetime ago. It has been a slow gradual shift, this transitional phase I’ve been in, but my visit to Portland, Oregon this past weekend had made it official — my life is absolutely moving in a completely different direction.
My passions, mixed with the support and encouragement of so many others, have motivated me in leaps and bounds this past year or so, and I’m now where I once only dreamed of being. I’m on a new and exciting path, and it’s increasingly hard to express in words exactly how I feel about all that is happening.
It’s thrilling, that’s for sure…the three days I spent in Portland were filled with great conversations and dialogue, tons of useful travel & writing tips, loads of fabulous laughter and even a tear or two, sparked simply by moments when I was touched by the awesome spirit of people doing what they love. The buzz one gets after hanging with folks who are truly following their dreams or pushing themselves to new limits is so energizing.
The BootsnAll Holiday bash was just that, and the welcome mat extended by the entire gang all weekend was so great. Catching up with my WR pal was such a treat too, and it was nice to finally meet the BBE. A few other folks took time out of their busy schedules to share a cup of coffee or a microbrew pint, so now I’ve got a collection of special memories to keep me smiling through the dark cold days of winter. (There’s a day-old blanket of snow on the ground here, and more expected to fall tonight…brrr….that Portland rain was not so bad after all…)
So, I returned to New York with this cool wow feeling, a bunch of new friends (including my long lost famiglia in Chi-Town), and a ton of work to do. But it’s work I simply can’t wait to tackle. It’s all good…
I’ll post some pixs when I get ’em uploaded.
Tags: Europe Trip Prep, Portland, US Travel, Tag Index
Kel
December 6th, 2005 at 7:08 am
Hi Kelly! Felicia & I had so much fun hanging out with you in Portland. All the laughs and crazy Italian family stories we shared were definitely the highlights of the weekend. Hope to see you again soon (maybe a trip to New York for me?) and I look forward to reading more about your travel pursuits. Ciao!
December 7th, 2005 at 12:47 pm
Kelly! I miss you, you crazy bi-otch! I was telling Francesca I miss you & to not get jealous ’cause you’re like my long lost big sister! I really enjoyed the time we spent together and I really, really want to visit you in New York. You are always welcome to come to Chicago & hang out with me in Little Italy. I’ll even have my mom say some funny things for you! Did you see the picture of you & me that Francesca took? It’s so cute!