Wanderlust hearts consumed her; foreign hearts and exotic minds compelled her. She had a gypsy soul and a vibrant hope for the unknown. -d. marie

Walking through Chelsea Market downtown New York City, I ran across an intriguing book called ‘What I was doing while you were breeding’ with a quote by one of my favorites, Oscar Wilde, that started it out just as this: “all things in moderation, including moderation.” Speaking from a lover of quotes, this one hit me like a ton of bricks and was immediately added to the memorabilia of such simple words that seem to make complete sense out of life with such simple effort. As I sit here flying China Southern on a 777 high above the lands of Siberia en route to Thailand, my mind is running wild with the adventures that lie ahead for a country that holds a whole other world from what I have ever known or experienced. It’s an anxious form of excitement, it’s the feeling of unknown lands, it’s languages and people that I cannot wait to dig deeper into discovering their individualistic realities that come so foreign to the wanderlust heart of mine yet fully discovered. As I’ve grown older, and worked on discovering the inner being to myself and what makes my world go round, I find it difficult to find a balance between the settled assurance of a home and a steady career compared to this wanderlust heart of mine that seems to scream for adventure when I get wrapped up in a mundane routine. Like a caged bird who just wants to fly with soaring wings to lands yet seen. Endless nights I fall fast asleep, dreaming and planning the adventures that I hope to someday have. So when I ran across this quote at the start of this adventure that is just beginning, it all seems to make sense. I’m a chaser of sunsets and sunrises. I’m a dreamer and a doer. And I truly want to see the whole world and all of the magnificent beauty that God has created within it – to experience the hearts of the people, and to taste the fruits of the lands, to see the blues of the ocean, and the feel the crisp air throughout the many rainforests. I want to hear the birds singing in different countries, and I want to feel the sand on my skin and my toes on the shore of the different territories. I want to climb mountains so high that it completely takes my breath away when I reach the peaks. I want to stand In a place so foreign to me that I feel utterly invisible in that very moment so that I can calm my soul and let it settle in the deepest parts of my being. A moment to never be forgotten and a feeling to always be held tightly to. On this 16 hour flight, I’ve been blessed enough to watch the sunset on one side of the world followed by watching the fiery sunrise in a completely different hemisphere. It was a sunset that painted our faces golden as we gazed out the plane window in awe. It’s the simple things in life that remind me to pursue the very things that set my heart on fire and to thank God while doing them. It’s the little unexpected reminders to the joys of exploring this world and its entirety. Any day for the rest of my life I will always choose happiness and joy over any amount of material or monetary graces. It’s a balance that one must find in order to be able to lie on their death bed, and remain constant in the belief for themselves and for their families that life was a beautiful ride. “Everything in moderation, including moderation.” We only have one shot at life. One chance to never have regrets. And once an opportunity is gone, it’s a chance never to be forgotten. Life is a give and take of moderation. And every once in a while, You’ve got to dominate dreams and fly high chasing them. Because one thing I can promise you from 28 short years of adventure on this earth is there is not one day that I have yet to regret chasing a dream out of moderation to my norm. And so here is to gaining speed on becoming a memory millionaire, to throwing moderation out the window for the next two weeks, to New York City adventures that were had, to Thailand adventures about to be had, and for celebrating 50 beautiful years for the most special woman in my life, my mother! And so it begins… 

-C. Spradlin

(Trip details to come!)