About US. We are silly, passionate, fun loving, and yet we are also boring homebodies. Because we met in theater, we have a flare for the dramatic and LOVE anything within the arts realm. We love food. We cook quite often even though sometimes I would rather have a live in cook (or better yet maid!) You might call us foodies, and maybe even winos. We have fancy camera that we take WAY TOO many photos with. However, we still need practice using it. We are passionate about travel. There is no better way to learn about the world and yourself than by being out of your comfort zone in a completely foreign country surrounded by a language you can neither understand nor read.
Kyle and I have been married four years. We got married EXTREMELY young by international standards, however in Texas, it was quite a normal age to be married in our early 20′s. I have found the reactions of people world wide intriguing. Most people can’t believe we would get married that young without an external reason such as having a child. I can’t imagine not being married to Kyle. We dated for so long before marrying, and I love being married. At first the word husband was really foreign and too “grown-up” sounding, but now I love saying it. He is a wonderful man and I thank God everyday for our life together.
Where have we been? We studied abroad in Italy while still at college at the University of Texas at Austin. Whooo hooo LONGHORNS, Hook 'em! This was the genisus of our adventures abroad. Before that, we had both been to Mexico (the border towns are only a few hours drive from San Antonio) and I had visited Vancouver, Canada once as a child. Those two countries were the extent to our traveling experience until college. From Austin, we flew to Scotland and Ireland before heading to Italy to start our college program. It was a great beginners point because we could basically speak their language. (Scottish English is sometimes unrecognizable) However once on the plane to Italy, and all instructions on board reverted to Italian, my heart palpitated with anxiety. How will we navigate around a non English speaking country without any knowledge of their language? We managed with help from Italian guardian angels to arrive safely at our school. Once in Italy, we were able to traverse around Europe with ease.
We had a fall break in Greece and a four day weekend in Switzerland. And when the program finished we spent the next four weeks traveling across Europe in a whirlwind- faster than I would recommend - adventure.
Salzburg and Vienna, Austria
Prague, Czech Republic
Munich, Germany
Amsterdam, Holland
Barcelona, Spain
Paris, France
London and Bathes, England
After we were married we spent 8 months in Chile teaching English on a volunteer program to unwilling children. We lived with a host family and made $150 a month. See the South America tab for more on our adventures in the Southern hemisphere of the Americas.
Chile
Argentina
Peru
Ecuador
We spent some time at home doing odd jobs for a while after that until Korea came knocking on our door. I went to Korea first. We were supposed to go together but because of complicated complications I left without him, hopeful he wouldn't be far behind. He never made it. Seven months later I was back on a plane headed back to Texas to see my husband whom I hadn't seen during that entire time.
Once the complications unraveled, we headed back on a plane to South Korea hand in hand. So far we have only been to one other country in Asia- The Philippines. But we plan to travel the much of Asia when we finish our second year teaching.
Where are we going? That question has no true answers. We don't know where we are headed. So far we have followed our hearts and it hasn't led us astray. The Yellow Brick Road isn't always as clear cut as you might think. A few years ago, I found this quote that seems to really capture what I would like my life to look like.
"Risk more than others think is safe. Care more than others think is wise. Dream more than others think is practical. Expect more than others think is possible. " ~ Cadet Maxim
Here is our bucket list.
See below for pictures from our travels. (Coming soon)