2AmericansTravel: A New Year

The holiday bustle is winding down, people are returning home and thanking their stars for the great time spent with their family and friends. New Years is always a time to reflect, a time to make goals, and a time to restart. When December 31st turned over this year I actually felt a distinct difference in the year moving forward. Normally on January 1st I feel no different, but this year I feel a change. Perhaps it is that I'm turning 26 and will be officially a "grown up" (my own health insurance and everything!), or maybe it was the cold snap that finally hit after all that record breaking warm weather, but this year feels new. As I reflect, the biggest moments of 2015 for me were reconsidering my career, moving to Wilmington, and visiting Uganda. After living abroad, this has been a year of reconnecting with family and friends and has been full of great memories.

Our move to Wilmington was very spontaneous. It took Jeremiah and I less than a month to decide to do it. I don't think that Wilmington will be my forever home, but it has been wonderful to live at the beach again. To just sit out in the ocean on my paddle board and watch the birds fish is my heaven. Each town I've lived in has had it's own personality and I feel that Wilmington's personality is Fun. You can go out on the town, catch a few waves or a frisbee, and sun on the beach. Most of the people here do their best to play more than they work and I love that lifestyle. My only complaint is that there aren't any mountains for me to climb, but we've been able to pop off to Boone every now and then to do that. Wilmington has so much music, art, and beach culture to explore that it keeps us busy. And we've got an amazing group of friends that makes us feel right at home.

My career change was also spontaneous. It took me less than two weeks to decide on that one. I am so much happier managing our Amazon store, The Flying Kiwi, than I ever was teaching. This is an extremely shocking statement. I never pictured myself a business woman, but at the end of this year we did so well that we pulled a pay check and are visiting our beloved home away from home, Nelson for a month. Next year we will kick into full swing with the goal being to have our own e-commerce store that we can operate ANYWHERE in the world. I have never seen such possibility before and am excited. Our month in New Zealand will really put this to the test as we will have to work as we go. I know that people must work for money in order to live, but honestly most of us basically live where we work. I hope that each of you is able to find a place of work that you love (most days anyways). I think that for now, I have found that in The Flying Kiwi. This small business game has been new, scary, and so much more rewarding than I had ever imagined it could be. With this job I feel happy and empowered. My work is challenging, but in a way that sharpens me rather than wearing me down.

Keeping with the theme of spontaneity, I visited Uganda this year. This decision took about a month and has been extremely impactful on my life. If you've read my previous blog posts, I am sure you could feel the emotion just pouring out of the text. I feel so thankful, grateful, and humbled by everything God showed me there. Every hot shower I have, I give thanks. Every time I go to the grocery and come out with a full cart, I am amazed. I was able to buy myself two new pairs of shoes this winter, I am so grateful. At Christmas, all of the things I received were amazing. And I wondered what my Ugandan friends were doing on this Christmas. I now have a sweetness to this life that I did not know before and I am thankful and eager to share what I have with others.

The Uganda Team

These reflections may seem a bit scattered, but 2015 was very scattered. A lot of my decisions were driven by following my gut and it was difficult to see what was coming next. My direction this year changed so many times that if I painted it, I might just paint a whirlpool. Looking forward to 2016, I am looking for direction and a path. New Zealand seems to be where our compass is currently aiming. Jeremiah and I hope to move back in 2017 and work on our Residency. We shall see if this becomes a reality, or if a new path presents itself. Whatever the way, I am striving for my feet to find it. I hope that each of my readers will take a moment reflect on their year and the direction 2016 will take for them. What were your best and worst moments? How are you different this January than last? What are you willing to change to make 2016 better than the last? This year, rather than just following where the winds take me, I would like to take more control and find my direction.

Sending my love to you!