It starts...
Smile. It confuses people.
Girls just wanna have fun - Cyndi Lauper
A girl with a dream…
As a young girl, I knew that I wanted to travel the world. My parents were in the Army and my Mom had incredible stories from Germany, New York, and so many more. I later discovered that I was actually created during a power outage at an Army base in South Korea.
Growing up in "corn-fed" farm country in the middle of nowhere Michigan, travel was not something I was exposed to often save for photos from the internet and television. I created ideas of worlds far off based on the books and stories from my childhood, often dreaming of lavish settings in sleek clothes by blue waters. You know, like just about EVERY travel commercial you see?
I also had a passion for dolphins. Imagine that. Sleek. Water. Travel. These loves sparked my dreams of Florida. I had been as a child and remember the waves, the sun, the sand. A dolphin show brought me joy. The idea of being a marine animal trainer sprouted. I had no idea how I was going to get there but I was going.
Twice during my high school career, I went to Florida with family and friends. All the new stores, the clothes, changes in atmosphere, Universal, Disney; so much excitement! Florida was THE place for me. I started attending a private college in Michigan, I start a Biology course track. Marine animal trainers need to understand Biology, right? Wrong. I go on a trip to Florida once more my freshman year and have an opportunity to talk to a trainer after a show. They actually prefer a Psychology degree! WHAT?!?! WhY? Understanding how to train tricks and commands plays a much larger role than Biology.
It was around this time that I also discovered therapeutic riding. This is where children with special needs ride horses to improve a wide variety of mental, physical, and emotional skills. Oh look! More Psychology! Coming in to my second year of college, I added Psychology to my course track. Dual majors. Go me. I take time to do a few internships locally to learn about horses and children with special needs. During my senior year, I decide I want to go out of state for an internship. I search HARD. After emailing 75 different facilities and only receiving 2 responses, a woman in Rose City, Texas offered me an opportunity. I got to spend the summer in Texas and my love for travel grew. I knew I wanted to stay in Texas, instead of living in Michigan.
Post graduation I started a career, got married, and worked every day figuring out how I was going to get back south. With the money we received from wedding gifts, we decided to go for the big move. Texas, here we come!! My dreams started coming true. Being worldly, cultured, and brave was just starting to blossom. A tiny seed planted.
Fast forward 2 years and I'm being crushed by divorce, debt, and discontent in my life. Everything was crumbling. All I wanted to do was run. Depression was taking hold and I needed an escape. Living in southeast Texas, Bolivar Beach was close and I found myself there often. Water, sun, beach, are we surprised? The road trip brought peace, the waves brought healing, and the atmosphere brought friends. I met so many incredible people. My kind disposition attracts glorious people and I am infinitely blessed.
I met a man who encouraged me to move to Louisiana with him. Living in my third state! More dreams and blessings. More fun and adventures. After a year, that relationship ended; I moved back to Texas. I found myself alone and heartbroken all over again. Twice in two years I was thrown out on my own by a man. I vowed that I would never fall prey to that again. I would stand on my own and create the life I dreamed of. I would find a job that paid me to travel. I would learn and grow my finances. I would see the world. I. Will. Thrive.
By the grace of God, I learned about Turnarounds. A Turnaround is where an oil/gas/chemical refinery will shut down a unit of production for inspection, repairs, and/or maintenance. If you are fortunate enough to get on with a contractor company, you can travel all over the country and even go overseas! Long days, long trips, big money... YES!!!! I worked hard on learning and creating connections to the industry. They brought me on a tentative basis, as I had limited training. My first Turnaround was in the town in Texas I had lived before. I worked 12 hour days, only getting one day off every two weeks. I was single, no kids, nothing to hold me back. I loved every second of it. The pay was more than I ever imagined possible. I was meeting incredible people from all over the country. I had the potential to go ANYWHERE. My dream career developed before my eyes.
That is how my journey begins, September of 2018. I will be going back and capturing all the moments from my incredible travels throughout my career. Even if you don't know what you're doing, keep going and do it anyways. You never know where the road may lead.