I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that a quarter of this year has already passed. And after this month? That’s a third of the year that’s gone, people! It’s crazy how your mind can perceive time differently depending on what’s going on in your life. There’s days when I get to work, sit down at my cubicle, and think “I cannot believe I still have over a year of this before I get to leave.” Then there’s other days, like today, when I can’t believe how quickly time is flying.

A little less than a year ago – Kile and I put our traveling plans into motion. We knew it would be somewhat of a long haul, take a lot of patience, and give a lot of sacrifices. There’s days where I wake up and feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude and excitement for where our lives are going but then there are days where I can’t believe we’re living in a 360 square foot studio and living off a couple hundred dollars for the pay period (this is, of course, on purpose). Such is life, I suppose. Our moods change, our attitudes shift, outside influences attack our consciousness in the most minute ways possible – it’s all about keeping a positive outlook and perception – otherwise, giving up and letting go of your dreams  is all too possible.

We are still right on track for our September 2016 departure date. Our savings is growing which is making our plans seem more and more tangible. We’ve also paid off another student loan. Yay! Things are progressing as they should but I can’t help but feel antsy. I WANT TO GO! Some days it’s literally all I can think about.

Anyway.

To keep our minds off the future and in the present, Kile and I are still making sure we use our free time to explore and travel locally. I recently bought a new hiking book of all Oregon hikes – my mission is to conquer quite a few of these hikes in the next coming months. We recently hiked Elk Mountain – about 30 miles east of Tillamook. The accuracy of my hiking book is being seriously questioned after this one. They rated it a 3 out of 5 for difficulty – however, the trailhead map said “Very Difficult.” I’m going with the trailhead map on this one.

Even though this hike was challenging (very challenging), doing things like this are what help keep me grounded. It’s like my brain needs to be surrounded by nature and free of “man-made” distractions in order to think clearly.

On another note – even though Kile and I have had these plans for months, it’s funny how our friends are surprised every time we bring them up. As I’ve mentioned in an earlier post, it’s almost like people “okie dokie” us when we tell them our plans. I know a lot of people are used to others talking the talk but not walking the walk so I’m sure our grandiose plans seem a little crazy to most people – especially since they are still over a year out.

Oh I can’t wait for the day when we get to show them just how serious we are.