I have spent the last few weeks thinking about my life a lot, thanks to one small change that has had a pretty big impact. When I follow the lines of what has been impacted, this blog is what had to give a little.

I love writing and sharing my travel stories, but sitting here isn’t living life. Life is what’s going on outside, and when I can take a chance to be a part of it, I don’t turn that down. I remember specifically the point in college when I realized how the important things can shift around, depending on the importance (and influence) of everything else.

This has made me more spontaneous and it has made me more appreciative. Even with all of these changes, I’m still the same person inside, because I still haven’t found something big enough to justify skipping class and I don’t take sick days and I still pretty much follow the rules. When the time comes for me to break one of those, I’ll do it.

I am again in the midst of planning a trip, and this is also taking up another good chuck of my time. The logistics of this are such that not much can be planned that far ahead because I would like to leave much to chance and to desire.

I will be traveling the Pacific Coast Highway from San Francisco to Portland later this month. The redwoods, the ocean, the sea stacks, the kitschy tourist attractions in the Avenue of the Giants, and the beginning and ending cities are the main sights to be seen along the way. I am quite excited, but it is coming quite soon and I am not ready. I have so many books from the library that I could read, but I don’t have too high of hopes for getting through too many of them. The land will be lovely, and that’s all that matters.

Here’s my 24 books and six maps. Yes, I’m crazy, but I do love to read about my destinations and look at maps.