Mexico, Vegas, Our Home, Mountain Bike Exploring & Friend Visits!

Well… I originally wrote this blog in April and failed to post it… sometimes you just don’t have it in ya. I’ll re-work it so it isn’t totally outdated but so much more to add.

It’s now JUNE! We officially signed papers in March and committed AT LEAST a year to staying somewhere, although it will most definitely be longer here in Vegas. 

We are on the total outskirts in the mountains and away from all the noise and commotion. We found ourselves a cute little gated community in an area known as Lone Mountain- perfect, right? You can walk out of our house and immediately go hiking, biking, etc. It’s perfect and we are SO HAPPY!!!! It is literally perfect and the day we got home from Mexico we found it- the timing was on point!

Oh yeah, we went to MEXICO! Let’s backtrack a bit. It was amazing. A week in an all-inclusive resort: YES PLEASE. It was so relaxing and we planned a few fun things to do [SCUBA diving of course and a day full of ATV riding, zip lining, and swimming in cenotes.]

Spending the week in Playa del Carmen with my parents and Adam was so wonderful. We came back refreshed and ready to rock and roll. It also helps coming back to Vegas where the weather is about the same as it is in Mexico- no snow and negative temps for this girl!

Back to the casa- we moved in March 1^st and are slowly getting everything situated. Since the two of us sold PRETTY MUCH everything we had before we left on our trip, we were starting fresh. The best part of starting fresh and decorating is definitely hanging up the awesome things we got from our travels. It’s a constant reminder of the epic journey we took and one we can re-live by walking around and seeing the masks, decorations and photos. 

I made an awesome Bristlecone Pine table and Memory Wall that is above part of our couch. I can sit and stare at this wall for hours. It’s brings me back to each and every memory and I LOVE IT.

We got a killer deal on some mountain bikes and have since been out multiple times a week. What a rush it is to be biking in the desert right in our backyard. Not to mention, an insane work out. 

When you’re not falling. No photos needed of all the battle wounds... there are too many. 

Relocating from NY to Nevada I thought was going to be difficult. I was ready, but leaving your comfort zone is something I know all too well at this point. I am pleased to say that the move and change of lifestyle has put me at peace. I am completely content in this life we have made and where we chose to settle down. The sun shines every day and my sweaters are going to be tucked away for a long time. It’s funny what sunshine and nice weather can do for your mood. Yes, I know coming from Buffalo and saying I HATE the cold is pretty ridiculous, but I really do. I’m a warm weather person all the way. I never got into snow sports and basically hibernated during the winter. Now living in a place where flip-flops still make an appearance in December is magical. I love it and I love our constant journey.

Having said all that- it’s hard being away from pretty much everyone. There are a handful of people who I speak to daily but it’s hard when everyone is living their own busy life. It’s nice to find comfort that although we may be thousands of miles apart, we are still close at heart. 

My parents came to Vegas for my birthday and we had the best time. Tons of good eating, sight seeing, massages, hiking and adventure. I actually said to Adam, “my heart is so full”. Being able to show my parents what we have created and our home was like no other experience. Even after owning my home- this was just different.

We also had Tom and his friend Bri come stay with us for a few days. We did some awesome off roading with Jon and took some epic steel wool photography shots.

This past weekend I helped a friend of Adam’s from the Marines surprise him. And WHAT a surprise! Him, Ruby & Baby Sean showed up at our house and with Steve’s back turned toward the look out on the door late Saturday night, Adam thought he needed to go for his gun. I had to just yell OPEN THE DOOR which confused him even more. Lots of laughs, sushi, and sight seeing were done this weekend and I loved every minute of it. 

A friend of mine, Lindsey, living in Hong Kong posted an article on Facebook that is such a good read.

The Science Of Why You Should Spend Your Money On Experiences, Not Things [http://www.fastcoexist.com/3043858/world-changing-ideas/the-science-of-why-you-should-spend-your-money-on-experiences-not-thing]

Here’s one part that I absolutely loved, and if you have time, read the entire article.

"Our experiences are a bigger part of ourselves than our material goods," says Gilovich. "You can really like your material stuff. You can even think that part of your identity is connected to those things, but nonetheless they remain separate from you. In contrast, your experiences really are part of you. We are the sum total of our experiences."

We are the sum of our experiences.

Maybe it’s my next tattoo. [Sorry, Mom] Maybe it’s just something I remind myself of every day.

After I read that, I just sat and started to thing how amazing and true it is. Our experiences are what make us. I look back on traveling around with a backpack and remember the feeling of being completely mobile. 100% ready to go at any time… what a feeling that is. There was no: how are we going to move this stuff? Where are going to put it- store it or sell it? Granted, that time will come again but what a relief it was to literally have NOTHING.

Someday we’ll be back to only a backpack traveling around WISHING we could just have a different change of clothes or a fridge full of food so we didn’t have to fine something to eat. And when that time comes, I’ll look back at this post and remember wishing I was back there. It’s a compromise, but a compromise that’s worth it.

For now, we are settled in. We have closets, our own bathrooms, and a place to call home. We celebrated our 2 year anniversary in March and are thankful every day to have each other.

But the best feeling in the world?.. Adam walking through the door, looking me in the eyes and saying, “I love coming home to you every day.”

Perfect.

After a few month hiatus, we are BACK! Here's what has been going on...

I'm back and all settled in! Things have been CRAZY the past couple months but I couldn't be happier with where Adam and I are now.

Oh, hello there.

Here's a quick recap..

We made it to Vegas! We successfully moved [almost] all of our things to Vegas and have started our life here! Adam drove a friends parents UHAUL since they were relocating from NY to Las Vegas; WHAT ARE THE ODDS? We were able to get a lot of our things in the back of the truck!! It was PACKED but what luck!

Holy pack job..

We both got vehicles and jobs pretty quickly and are starting to look for the perfect place. We have some incredible friends who have so graciously opened their home to us [in exchange early on for some house help! haha] while we figure life out, and we couldn't feel more lucky for that.

My JUKE! I love it!

Some powerwashing fun!

Wall sanding!

Thanksgiving and Christmas were quite strange being away from friends and family. 

Thanksgiving we went to a casino buffet which was quite possibly the worst idea we have had to date. We stood in line for 3+ hours to get a seat. Why? We have no idea. We were committed by hour 1 and couldn't turn back. How was the buffet, you ask? It was a buffet. I don't even like buffets. Next year we will cook. Also noted to never go to a casino buffet on a holiday ever again. 

Christmas Eve we stayed busy. Adam and I walked around the Bellagio checking out the beautiful decorations and taking photos of what we were doing and sending them to my dad in real time. 

This guy was made all from flowers! The polar bear, too...

We then went on a Christmas Eve Jeep Run down the strip with 40+ jeeps that were DECKED OUT with decorations!! 

Awesome Jeeps!

Me & Shanda!

Merry Christmas!

Check out this video that Shanda & Adam made after we got back. It was SO MUCH FUN.

Christmas morning was spent drinking coffee and Face Timing my parents while we opened gifts that we sent each other. Apparently my dad and I had the exact same idea to get each other these scuba tank water bottles. All we could do was laugh as we opened them up. Love it!

Since the holidays, things have picked up with work and getting comfortable in our new state! I found an amazing yoga place that will become part of my daily routine now. There is nothing like starting or finishing your day with yoga. Absolutely love it. Namaste.

SCUBA! We have met an incredible instructor, Kelly, who is excited to take us through all of our trainings and continue to Instructor level. This is literally a dream come true to live somewhere where diving can be year round. I may need to get my drysuit certification sooner than later, but it's possible! Adam is in the middle of his certification and will complete it within the next few weeks- so exciting!

Scuba- pool practice at Nellis Air Force Base

What's next...

Mexico! Because the travel bug is never far when you realize how much better it is than reality! This trip though will be much different! It will include some great family time, relaxing, and two incredible incredible words: ALL INCLUSIVE. Yes. This is going to be great, as we are used to counting every cent we spent while on our trip. I will eat lots of meals and drink lots of delicious drinks at the pool bars. This trip will be the trip of relaxation [and more SCUBA diving!] and I can't wait! Also can't wait to see my parents! Woop woop!

GoPro will be in hand and hopefully we will get some amazing shots.

Adam has been continuing to update Instagram during his hikes and posting some sweet shots over there. I have started rolling with the scuba shops Instagram so make sure to check out Blue Gravity Scuba while you're on! Under both photos below will be the links to these Instagrams.

Click the link at the end to check out Adam's Instagram: @the_bautz_adventure

Click the link at the end to check out Blue Gravity Scuba's Instagram: @bluegravityscuba

Have an awesome week!! 

<3 <3 <3

East Coast Living with a West Coast State of Mind

The leaves are changing and it’s starting to get COLD! We didn’t think we would be here long enough to feel the fall weather, but part of me loves throwing a hoodie on and feeling the chill. Let me stress: part of me.

A few things have been decided since we made our west coast road trip and cross-country drive back east. Most importantly where we will be settling down; Vegas, Baby! Woo! With the locations we visited, nothing compared to the feeling we felt while in Vegas. Not only is it a great travel hub, but the outdoor lifestyle you can live while there can be year round. Hiking, mountain biking, paddle boarding, and all things outdoors can be easily done 12 months a year, which is perfect for us.

We particularly loved Summerlin and the surrounding areas near Red Rock. Our hope is to rent a house somewhere around there which would make us 20 to 30 minutes from the strip. The common misconception about Vegas is that it’s all about the strip, which is unfortunate. Las Vegas has so much to offer and the strip is such a tiny part of what it’s all about.  We are excited to make this move and can’t WAIT to finally put our feet down somewhere we can call home.

Now, WHEN are we moving? That is still up in the air. It is proving to be extremely hard to job hunt from across the country, but moving out there with nothing lined up is terrifying to me. Do we spend our time on the east coast where family and friends are [and living is free] while looking for jobs remotely OR do we head to Vegas fingers crossed in hopes of landing a job quick and being available for immediate interviews. There are pros and cons to both options right now, which is making just about EVERY decision difficult.

You think I would be better at just going with the flow after doing so while out of the country, but this is totally different to me. Employment and the employer are both extremely important to me. I love to work, and I would love to find a job that I enjoy going to every day. I don’t want to just settle for a position to have a job, but would rather find something I’m passionate about… and that’s HARD when you don’t know the area or companies to look in to. It’s the main goal I’m sure for everyone to love what he or she does, but it’s hard to find that something when you are across the country. The struggle and the STRESS are real.

Woosa…

It’s funny how certain things can hit you different ways. I find myself extremely stressed about what is going to happen not remembering how lucky I am to be healthy and living with a roof over my head while trying to figure it all out. I should not be consumed by stress related to the job hunt, but thankful I am healthy and able to go to work. 

If this Ellen episode doesn’t make you tear up and be thankful… I don’t know what will.

Now wipe your eyes and be thankful. Hug your loved ones and know that even people going through the worst things imaginable still have the strength to smile. And this is where I tell myself to ‘MAN UP’.

Let’s bring it back up with two words: TED TALK!

Boo-ya! This little lady sent in an application with some Q’s and A’s and got picked to attend the Tedx Buffalo [independently organized TED event] event on October 14. Never heard of TED Talks? Do yourself a favor and visit: www.ted.com or better yet, watch my favorite and one of the first Ted Talks Below.  

Sir Ken Robinson: Do Schools Kill Creativity 

I love listening to this talk. You may agree, you may not- but it will get you thinking. This is the point. One of my favorite parts is “Frank sent this.” HAHA It makes me laugh every time.

I am so excited to attend this event and feel very lucky I was picked to be one of the 200 who will be in attendance. This has a little something to do with staying on the east coast as well. Once I got the email that I was picked, I REALLY didn’t want to miss out!

Keeping the motivational vibe rolling… here’s another good speech.

Alan Watts- What if Money Was No Object 

So. Good. Here’s a snip:

What would you like to do if money were no object? How would you really enjoy spending your life? Well, it’s so amazing as a result of our kind of educational system, crowds of students say well, we’d like to be painters, we’d like to be poets, we’d like to be writers, but as everybody knows you can’t earn any money that way. Or another person says well, I’d like to live an out-of-doors life and ride horses. I said you want to teach in a riding school? Let’s go through with it. What do you want to do? When we finally got down to something, which the individual says he really wants to do, I will say to him, you do that and forget the money, because, if you say that getting the money is the most important thing, you will spend your life completely wasting your time. You’ll be doing things you don’t like doing in order to go on living, that is to go on doing things you don’t like doing, which is stupid.

Give it a listen. It’s a shorter one but also gets you thinking. I love the message.

So as this was more of a blog rambling post than a photo update happy post, I always feel better when I write and can analyze WHY I’m feeing a certain way. This may not be as exciting, but writing this did exactly what I needed it to and for that I am thankful.

In short: Don’t Worry, Be Happy.

Las Vegas, Nevada

Coming Home, Road Tripping on the West Coast, and Riding the Emotional Roller Coaster Called Life

WHAT HAS BEEN HAPPENING

I can’t believe this is the first blog I’m sitting down to write since we landed back in the US. Emotions and plans start snowballing and you lose track of time and all the things you are “going to do tomorrow”. But as I sit here in Ashland, Oregon- I finally have a moment to breath. Woosaaaa…

Once we arrived in Buffalo after a long 19 hours of flights, we were greeted with balloons and hugs from my parents- much needed! Spending two weeks in Buffalo turned in to almost a month with some time spent in Fredonia to see our good friends Chuckie and Kari. We went boating, fishing, four wheeling and target shooting, all in one weekend. It was a BLAST.

After a month we were finally off to the west coast, as planned. Two checked bags each and a one-way ticket to Sacramento; we were ready to figure life out! 

Side note- check out that handsome man below with a face you can see!! Bye bye beard...for now. 

Our plans west had a lot to do with our mutual friend Brad. Adam has known Brad since he was 15 years old and I met Brad when I purchased the house next to him in 2009. As you could probably guess, Brad is how we met so we owe a lot to him for that. :)

Brad wanted his vehicle moved from Sacramento back to where he was residing in Oregon. Seeing that we had no real plans, we agreed to fly into Sacramento and do this for him, as it would also provide us a vehicle- perfect! 

Once we arrived in Sacramento, plans changed again. I think I have gotten PRETTY GOOD at going with the flow as I used to get SO incredibly stressed out with planning things and dealing with changes. Brad’s mom needed help moving her things out of a storage unit that was located in Carlsbad California, near San Diego. SO guess where we were headed.

We drove from Sacramento to Carlsbad [about an 8 to 9 hour drive] and helped his mother for the next two days organizing and cleaning out her storage unit.

We then were going to make our way back up to Oregon to bring Brad’s vehicle home. With all of the wild fires happening and the earthquake hitting Northern California, we made the decision to detour to Las Vegas and make our way up to Oregon through Reno.

We spent two nights in Vegas catching up with friends and exploring around areas we may want to live. We spent the second day hiking around Red Rock Canyon and had an AMAZING dinner at India Palace- discounted thanks to Restaurant.com. Ha!

It was a FAST two days but we will be back to Vegas and it may be possibly to live.

We left Vegas and made our way to Ashland, Oregon [13.5 hour drive] where we are now. Saw wild donkeys, rams, and incredible views along the way. 

The plan is to explore around here and the Portland area to see if this may be where we want to settle down.

EMOTIONAL ROLLER COASTER

So bringing us from when we arrived back in the US to now, I couldn’t even begin to explain the emotions that have taken over. In a way, it was just as much of a culture shock coming back home as it was entering a country I have never been to before. During the 6+ months of traveling, I have seen so much and experienced so many different things it’s hard to keep track. But the hardest thing that I have to remember and continue to tell myself is: no one cares about what you just did as much as you do.

Why doesn’t everyone want to go through all 5,000 photos with us? I mean, that answer may be a little obvious but its something you can’t let yourself forget. This was MY journey. I decided to travel for MYSELF because I needed something more. I needed to figure things out. People always talk about leaving, but what about coming home?

There was an article written about this and I couldn’t have said it better myself. It was posted the week we were coming home and it made so much sense. Read it here: The Hardest Part of Traveling No One Talks About.

Here’s a small excerpt:

“…Part of you is screaming don’t you understand how much I have changed? The way your dreams have changed, the way you perceive people differently, the habits you’re happy you lost, the new things that are important to you. You want everyone to recognize this and you want to share and discuss it, but there’s no way to describe the way your spirit evolves when you leave everything you know behind and force yourself to use your brain in a real capacity, not on a written test in school. You know you’re thinking differently because you experience it every second of every day inside your head, but how do you communicate that to others?

You feel angry. You feel lost. You have moments where you feel like it wasn’t worth it because nothing has changed but then you feel like it’s the only thing you’ve done that is important because it changed everything. What is the solution to this side of traveling? It’s like learning a foreign language that no one around you speaks so there is no way to communicate to them how you really feel.” 

It just makes so much sense. You experience so much and just can’t seem to put words to it. But internally, you know what you did, what you saw, and the countless of things you have learned along the way…and to me, that’s enough.

Adding to the emotional roller coaster is the constant reminder from my bank account that I need to GET A JOB. Quite obvious, but it isn’t that easy. With spending hours critiquing my resume and searching for opportunities all around the west coast, I have to remember that although it may take some time, I will not settle for something I’m not excited about.

Being gone for so long you learn to cherish each day and realize that staying stuck in something that makes you unhappy is only the fault of your own- job, life, anything. I will continue to search for opportunities but will not just settle for the reason only to have a job. I want to find something that motivates me. Something that drives me to wake up every morning with the excitement to go to work.

HAVING SAID THAT- for someone who has worked since the age of 14 and almost ALWAYS had 2 jobs at a time, I feel like I’m slightly going crazy. What I said above is true, but not having work is not in my DNA. Before we left in January, I had a full time job Monday-Friday and worked in a fine dining restaurant on Saturdays. I love it. I love to be busy and keeping the restaurant job took me away from sitting behind a desk and allowed face-to-face interaction. There also is nothing like working in a restaurant. You aren’t co-workers, you are a family. I believe that you work 10x harder when the environment you work in is a positive one and the team you work with is a cohesive one.

I hope once I do find the job that settles me somewhere on the west coast that it is a place where positive communication and unity is important. I am eager as I see all different opportunities on the west coast and have faith I will find the perfect fit.

That’s all for now from sunny Oregon. I will be working to update the content and photos on HauserBautz.com with new goodies from the trip.

Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop.