Where my road leads I do not know, but I will take up my camera and enjoy my adventure as it unfolds!
The Question: What do you get when you mix an unhealthy addiction to pintrest.com (i.e. - the beautiful images, the amazing places of our world, the lovely DIY projects, and the inspiration to improve not only yourself but your life as well.), the knowledge that you are about to get not one but two weeks away from work, and the fact that you have no plans for said vacation whatsoever?
The Answer: A young woman with the world at her fingertips, her head in the clouds, a want of doing something other then what she normally does, the crave for an adventure however small, and the desire to capture it all and share it with others.
In four days I will have fourteen days to do whatever I want. It’s been a long time since I have had more then a one week vacation and even longer since I’ve actually been able to do something on my vacation. Growing up I was one of the few people I know who got to take (in my opinion) extravagant vacations. On my parents dime of course.
Trips to Texas two sometimes three times a year to visit my father. Summer vacations around the states, Canada, Nova Scotia, and more. Autumn cruises to Grand Cayman, and Costa Maya. So vivid even to this day. Now though those vacations seem like distant dreams what with work and responsibilities. I suppose that is what makes you treasure them even more.
That being said I have spent the last few days trying to decide what I want to do with my vacation. Under normal circumstances I would generally spend the time lazing about the house, playing on the computer, and reading a whole bunch of books dreading the end of my seven day respite from work. This year though I seem to have come into my own. Since the beginning of the year I seem to be finding more enjoyment in the world around me and the possibilities of adventures closer to home.
Funds are not unlimited so taking an extended vacation say in another city for more than a day or two is not possible. However if I stay close to home or stay at home and venture out to places that are close I have a little more leeway to play with. I want to do things I normally wouldn’t get the chance to do. The weather has been great the last few days and if it continues I might just get my wish.
Which brings me to what I am considering doing on my vacation. What would it be like to play tourist in your own town?
Bowling Green, Kentucky isn’t very large but it isn’t very small either. It’s your typical college town surrounded by other smaller typical country towns. I work in Bowling Green and live about twenty minutes away in one of the surrounding small towns. So how do play tourist when you live and work in an area?
It’s actually quite simple. Go into the vacation as if you have never been to the town in your life. Some might find this hard to do but I have a large imagination and the ability to find an adventure when I want one.
Working a third shift fulltime job doesn’t give me the option of going out on the town at night. I don’t get to go to clubs with friends, going to the movies before sunset seems almost sacrilege, and anything you might be able to do is usually scheduled during your sleep time. Let’s face it most of the time after work I want to do nothing more then come home, check my emails, post a blog post (which I’ve been falling behind on, sorry about that.), and chill out maybe get a few levels in on TeraEU.
I’m not saying I don’t do anything, I still get out to lunch or breakfast with friends, my days off are spent taking pictures or reading, sometimes shopping, but that doesn’t really amount to that much. I have been back in Kentucky for five years now and I can’t remember the last time I did anything that would amount to something even close to a “vacation“. So I think for once I’m going to take a new and closer look at my town and the surrounding areas.
Now matter how long you live in a place or area you always can find things or places you didn’t know about or haven’t been to. I’ve traveled far and wide but it seems I haven’t really traveled close to home. I like the fact that at the end of the day I will be able to sleep in my own bed and the money I will save on hotels can go towards souvenirs (and yes I plan to get them like any other tourist would), or another days adventure.
Simply taking a look on the internet shows plenty of things in the area that I haven’t been able to do or didn’t know that were there. I also plan on going into full tourist mode and asking locals from the area that age old question to someone new in town; “Anything interesting to do around here?”.
I have a feeling I’m going to discover some new local favorites, eat some really good food, capture some pretty awesome pictures, and have plenty to share with everyone. Another good thing to is I can commission friends to join me on my vacation and share in on the experiences with them. I can’t wait until my vacation starts and I do believe I am even more excited now then I was when I began my post.
I hope everyone will stay tuned and join in on my adventures with me. So T-minus four days and counting! Bon Voyage
~ Sharon
.). This means that going to the movies, shopping, or even going very far away is out of the picture.
