Sunday, March 6, 2011

My gypsy soul story.

I've been meaning to start this blog for awhile now and thanks to the encouragement of those around me including my best friend/cousin Julie(who campaigned for it often) and my sister no longer in law Brenna lol(who came up with the name) I've finally decided to take the plunge! I figured I would start off with a little back story first so here it is...


I remember the first time that I was bitten by the travel bug, I was watching Dirty Dancing and dreaming of going to a place just like the one in the movie; so that Patrick Swayze could fall in love with me too of course! My family didn't go on vacations often, to be honest I think I can count them all on one hand and they were never luxurious or fancy but they were enough to make me fall head over heels in love with traveling. The idea of being so far away from home, yet still having home with you was fascinating to me and I wanted MORE...I was 18 when I went on my first plane ride it was to Chicago for my cousin's wedding which was also my first real trip away from home, away from Florida. Soon after that came countless road trips with my girlfriends from one end of the state to the other, all of that leading up to the trip that changed my life...Greece!! The day that HCC posted the sign I put my name down without hesitation and took a loan out from the bank to cover the cost. I met my group for the first time at the airport which was nerve wracking because here I was 20 years old and going on a 10 day trip with people I had never met before,little did I know it would become such an important moment in my growth process!  Going to Greece was an amazing experience that I'll never forget and opened my eyes to new things, people and well..Canada..it's easy to fall in love in the Mediterranean with it's beautiful skies and ridiculous amounts of Ouzo I might add! Canada, Toronto especially, is still one of my favorite places and I say that despite getting my heartbroken there. Then came several trips to Tennessee(where I seem to get into the most trouble) one CRAZY Spring Break in the Bahamas with the equally crazy Bartle sisters(who I love more than words can express) and some very eventful nights in Miami. Then real life set in.. I traded vacations for work and home bound escapades and learned that sometimes beauty is right in your own backyard and you don't have to travel half way across the world to find love especially if it finds you first..

Chad and I met 2 1/2 years ago while he was in Tampa for a job and despite my most valiant efforts to not fall in love with him, it was kind of hard not too(he's REALLY cute!). He travels for work and when the time came around for him to leave we both decided to take a big leap of faith and go together. I believe that God has a plan and everything happens for a reason..I mean how perfect is falling in love with your best friend and getting to share a passion of yours with someone who you're passionate about? (I'll give you a hint, it's pretty perfect!) We've been all across the United States from California to Maine and seem some pretty incredible stuff, saying that we've had tons of fun is an understatement!! Plus I think it's truly allowed us to bond on such a deep level and I'm thankful for that! Our greatest adventure though was born 10months ago on April 25th 2010 Lily Anne Pope became our new travel partner and I can say that this journey, this beautiful journey is one I've waited my whole life to go on! I know there are a lot of "Mom" blogs out there great blogs, insightful blogs this just might not be one of them! lol I can't cook, or sew or even take brilliant photographs for that matter but I do LOVE life and my family and I hope that comes across on these pages(that's really all I hope for). For the moment we're in Omaha and in hibernation since it's unnaturally cold outside, and all I can say is prepare to get to know us real well! ;}

I do want to point out one mom blog in particular that truly inspired me on so many levels and honestly gave me the idea to write and that was Kelle Hampton's Enjoying the Small Things(if you haven't checked it out you should it'll rock your soul, she's amazing!!)

That's us in San Fran which was SUCH an awesome trip!!



And this is our sweet girl and love of our lives Ms. Lily Anne!!

1 comment:

  1. I love it, love it!! I love the gypsy soul story because I know you so well and I know that traveling has always been in your soul, it's right up there with your lifelong desire to become a mother! My favorite would have to be your description of life with Chad!! Well done Tip, your happiness exudes!! More pictures please!!

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