I know this is a little late. But with my summer trip coming up fast I knew I still had to get this done. I am happy to say that 2014 was very similar to 2013. It was filled with very many exciting, happy, and memorable moments.
14
Coach of the Year
This was my first year truly coaching the ski team at Hidden Valley. As I write this I have already finished up my second year. However the 2014 ski season brought a whole new prospective to the ski racing process. When my personal ski racing career ended my senior year of college I believed it was over for good. I never thought I would ever get to experience the racing world the way I had the past years. I was wrong! Coaching gave me a whole new prospective on the field and I was proud and excited in a new way. This made it even better when the team showed their appreciation for my help and named me coach of the year in 2014. Thanks HVRC
13
Crossfit
This was the first year I started cross fit. I was never really big in to working out. I loved to do adventurous things but the whole idea of sweating in a gym was never too appealing to me. My teaching partner Dawn dragged me to Crossfit Supernova to give it a try. I immediately became hooked and went all the time in the spring of 2014.
12
Nightmare/Tomorrowworld
Peace, Love, Unity, and Respect. That is what this is all about at TW. You need to go to experience the true meaning of these festivals. This one once again made my top moments of the year.
I love Halloween. No really I LOVE it! This year I got to experience a music festival outside of Baltimore over Halloween weekend. Not only did I get to experience all of the wonderful music and lights but I got to do it while dressing up. This year I decided to be a clown, zebra, and dark angel all of which I crafted and creating myself!
11
Meeting Up with Tom
I wrote an entire post on this subject earlier. Meeting up with one of my best friends while traveling was an incredible experience. If you missed the post about this you can read it here.
10
Welcome to HW
It is no secret that I was extremely upset when I found out that I was moved from my Mendon home teaching Kindergarten. Not only did I find this out while traveling but it happened at an extremely inconvenient moment. You can read about it here. Luckily, I was still going to be in Kindergarten but at a new school. Here I was in Vietnam in the middle of nowhere and my family has to move all of my stuff. The reason this made my top list is because of a single act of kindness one teacher showed me. I was scared to move and meet all new teachers at the new school. While traveling I opened up my Facebook to see a message from a teacher named Casey at HW. She had written me a very nice message saying how excited she was for me to come to the school and to get to know me. Such a simple message but such a big impact.
9
Bamboo Rafting with my Mom
My mom and I had the best time taking a bamboo raft down a jungle river in Thailand. This moment seemed like we were living straight out of the Jungle Book. The best part is the last five minutes the sky opened and poured on us!
8
Killing a Chicken
Sounds a bit creepy but it was an experience. Learning how to pluck the feathers off a neck of a chicken, cut the throat, and then bleed it out from a 6 year old. Definitely an experience everyone should have in their lifetime.
7
Angkor Watt
Surprisingly the angle Angkor Watt which receives all of the crowds and recognition was not my favorite memory. My favorite memory and best moment here is wandering through the surrounding temples and having them all to ourselves. While hundreds of tourists swarmed the main temple four girlfriends and I were way out in the outskirts of the temple grounds exploring temple after temple in peace and quiet. The day was topped off with a perfect sunset and a tasty drink at the top of a temple.
6
Taj Mahal
Often I see pictures of gorgeous places that do not live up to standards in real life. With national geographic shooting incredible footage it is happening more often that the tv image outdoes the real thing. However, the Taj Mahal can not truly be captured. This breathtaking site was something I will never forget for the rest of my life.
5
Scoob in the Snow
There is no denying that my nephew is the cutest, coolest, most awesome person alive! My first summer of solo travel had me missing his birth. I came home to hold him for the first time and it was one of the most special moments of my entire life. It is hard to believe that he has grown up so much since that. This winter I bought Damon his first pair of skis for Christmas. Although a one and a half year old may not be able to fly down the slopes, it sure was fun to try. More than sharing an experience and sport that I love with my nephew, the most amazing part was making his first snow angel. He was not having the best of days out in the snow and seemed to want to go in and cry. However, I took him on a walk around the house and we started to have a blast. I plopped him down in the snow next to me and we made snow angels. This was his first and it was perfect!!!
4
India
Words will not explain his. This was not a specific moment but a life experience. No one can visit India and not be changed. With a country of so much extreme wealth and extreme poverty you are bound to be disgusted and amazed at the life people are living. India changes people and it definitely changed my view on some things.
3
Riding an Ostrich
I am convinced this one needs no explaining on why it made the list!
There is no denying that my nephew is the cutest, coolest, most awesome person alive! My first summer of solo travel had me missing his birth. I came home to hold him for the first time and it was one of the most special moments of my entire life. It is hard to believe that he has grown up so much since that. This winter I bought Damon his first pair of skis for Christmas. Although a one and a half year old may not be able to fly down the slopes, it sure was fun to try. More than sharing an experience and sport that I love with my nephew, the most amazing part was making his first snow angel. He was not having the best of days out in the snow and seemed to want to go in and cry. However, I took him on a walk around the house and we started to have a blast. I plopped him down in the snow next to me and we made snow angels. This was his first and it was perfect!!!
2
Breaking Down on the Ho Chi Minh
Oh my, breaking down on the Ho Chi Minh trail. Let me clarify because if you have been following then you know this was not a one time event but almost a daily occurrence. This top 9 moment references that lovely night on the West HCM trail when my bike broke as the sun went down. Morgan and I were not sure what to do. We pushed my bike until we could cruise down the hill and eventually found a town in the pitch black of the night. Not only were the people clueless of where they were living on a map but there were no women in sight. Yes, they eventually fixed my bike. Yes, we did drive through the night struggling to stay awake singing Disney songs. Yes, I got chased by scary dogs. And YES, it was one of the best experiences of my life.
1
Laying with a Tiger
Tigers are beautiful, strong, and majestic animals. I have loved them ever since I was a little girl. However, they are terrifying! Never did I think I would have the courage to get in a cage with one. I also never thought I would because of the rumors of some places drugging the animals. My experience here was not only surreal but also educational. I learned a lot about the tigers and how the kingdom was run. The tigers were all treated with the most respect possible and properly taken care of. Hands down this tops the charts for 2014!!
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