So the past saturday I turned 29!! I know 29, only one year until I am 30, I simply cannot believe it. I find birthdays are a bit like New Years, you look back, reflect, celebrate all the things you have done and make note of the things you still want to do.
 |
| That's me! With my little man, at Loch Ness, Scotland and having a pint in Prague |
It's also a great time to be grateful for all the wonderful people you have in your life, especially with it being such an up and down month with losing out on a house we really wanted, the car dying and seemly never going to be revived among other things This however does not dampen our lust for life and lots of exciting travel plans for next year (a mammoth road trip is in the works).
So far in my life I regret very little and I am glad about the life I have lived, having travelled to so many wonderful places and having had the chance to live in South Africa, France, Amsterdam, Edinburgh, Cornwall and now Wales - I feel that spending long durations in other countries and other cultures has taught me a lot and has only reaffirmed my liberal and open minded thinking.
 |
| Old man in Bratislava |
The biggest adventure of my life so far though has to be becoming a mother and starting a family, it's a trip filled with ups and downs but is always worth it and is really life changing and brings a love into your life you never had before, by far the most fantastic thing I have ever done.
 |
| Us |
The last big trip I did before having Mr A, started in 2007 and lasted for about 2.5 years, I left the UK with around £600 and by being travel savvy, couch surfing, sharing meals and working while travelling I managed to meet some amazing people and go to some beautiful places such as Zagreb, Bratislava, Prague, Vienna, Zurich, Venice, Budapest and Milan and name a few, as well as living in a remote West Coast village in Scotland (with only 300 inhabitants).
 |
| A photo I took of a woman on a bench in Zagreb |
While I was living and working in the South of France, a fellow traveller and friend gave me his copy of Vagabonding - a great book about longterm travel and has some amazing tips, inspiration and truly one of the most useful and creative travel books I have read. I really wanted to do a giveaway for one of my readers to win the book (worth $15) and some ad space (worth $24). I am also running a 35% ad discount for the next two weeks as a b-day gift - the code is Birthday
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Oh wow, what a great question ... I'm not sure I know the answer to this!! Let's see ... currently, I'm proud that I've made a successful transition from features reporter to marketing. Despite the skill sets being super similar, it's pretty tough to make that career leap.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to win this book and ad space. I just did a post about my first year in Europe and I am looking back at all the countries I've been this year and reflecting. I don't take any of it for granted and I can't wait to see what this new year in Europe brings!
ReplyDeleteMakes me want to start traveling again! I've been overseas about 6 times but not in years about 8 years. Thanks for sharing, book looks awesome! New follower:)
ReplyDeletexo
Andrea
Interesting question. Doing a parachute jump maybe?
ReplyDeleteI am post proud of giving birth to my daughter. She is by far my greatest accomplishment and she brings me so much joy.
ReplyDeleteHAPPY BIRTHDAY! I am most proud of...well, tonight it's the corn fritters I made for dinner :)
ReplyDeleteHope you had a lovely birthday. I am always thankful for just being here when so many people have not made it this far. It is truly a blessing and a gift I cherish.
ReplyDeleteStarting a guidance program for at-risk youth
ReplyDeleteI'd love to win the book! New Twitter follower:) I am not sure what I am most proud of right now, probably getting my PhD but also of starting our blog as its something we've wanted to do for a long time.
ReplyDeleteRight now, gosh, I have the courage to blog full time. It's so hard, but so worth it. Having the courage to brand out and do that is what I'm most proud of (for now).
ReplyDeleteStarting a successful animal rescue organization!!!
ReplyDeleteShares Save Lives :)
Happy birthday and thanks for the great giveaway!
ReplyDeleteI'd say getting married and living abroad for a year. :)
Happy belated birthday! You're incredibly lucky to have had such amazing travel experiences so far. I'm only 23, but I'm hoping to get a lot of traveling in too!
ReplyDeleteOh and just saw the giveaway details-- The thing I'm most proud of doing is probably my recent decision to quit my job to move to Scotland and travel. It was difficult giving up a steady job with a great pay to go overseas and take a risk, but I've been a million times happier and look forward to finding a job in the future that I'm happy with. Traveling and learning more about other cultures and myself is critical to that!
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I think just starting my blog. It took a lot of courage and I'm really impressed that I've kept it up and it is where it is today only 6 months after starting it
ReplyDeletebecoming a mum
ReplyDeleteThe one thing I am most proud of doing in my life is creating and raising two beautiful girls! It's hard at times and simply brilliant at others! All in all it is so definitely worth it!
ReplyDeleteOh well, I'm obviously most proud of creating two wonderful little people but if we were looking at something a little less obvious - the next thing I'm most proud of - is supporting, paying and getting myself through university - hardest personal challenge I've ever done, supporting myself meant I came very close to having to give up because I couldn't afford it! But with a lot of hard work instead of drinking, I got there :) I can say my degree is truly and solely mine.
ReplyDeleteEmma x (@beachpebble)
I did start a reply but not sure what happened so apologies if I appear twice ... Besides my children, I'm most proud of getting myself through university - I almost had to give up because I couldn't afford it, financially supporting yourself through a degree is near impossible! But I got there and I'm proud to have achieved my degree x
ReplyDeleteEmma (@beachpebble)
Creating a wonderful family with my partner and son!
ReplyDelete