Seize the moment...

Ryan and I have been fortunate enough to have experienced many adventures together.  Even though  he frequently travels for work, it makes our times together that much more memorable.  Ryan is amazing at getting me to test my limits, and try new things.  I love his adventure side.  I never want to look back on life and ask myself, "What if....", or say, "I wish I would have...." With Ryan, I don't have to worry about that, I have my adventure partner, and what an adventure we have had thus far....

Recently, Ryan and I were discussing some future travel plans.  We were thinking about trips that we want to take while it is still the two of us (I am NOT pregnant).  As we listed off places we would love to visit, we also talked about things (adventures) we want to achieve.  I mentioned the idea of a "Bucket List" but I really hate the term.  It's not like we are kicking the bucket anytime soon, I want it to be a list of things we have achieved in our lives.  Ryan came up with "Seize the moment" list.  PERFECT!  It will be our "list" of opportunities we did not let pass us by, we seized the moment, and experienced everything that was offered.  This rings especially true for our travels.  We have the opportunity to travel to such an extensive variety of destinations, and I never want to travel somewhere and sit, I want to experience what that country, city, destination has to offer.  I want to look back on our years and say, "I can't believe I did that...." or "That was such an amazing experience...."  I want to live life fully.

Here is our "list" of moments we have seized thus far:

*Skydiving (Texas)

*Riding a camel (Egypt)

*Riding an elephant (Thailand)

*Riding/owning a motorcycle (Indiana/Texas)

*Tasting Black Pudding (never to be repeated) (Scotland)

*Hot Air Balloon Ride (Egypt)

*Scuba Diving (I never made it out of the pool, but at least I gave it a try.  Ryan is now certified!) (Egypt and French Polynesia)

*Exploring underground, cave river (Mexico)

*White Water Rafting (still not sure I will ever try it again) (Costa Rica)

*Boat ride among all the big ships along the Panama Canal (Panama)

*Snowboarding (my first attempt. Ryan is a pro) (Utah)

*Climbing in a pyramid (Egypt)

*All the countries we have visited, filling our Passports.

*Riding World's Fastest Roller coaster (Abu Dhabi)

*Going to the top of the World's Tallest Building (Dubai)

*Rock Climbing (nothing extensive, but I did have to wear the gear, so it counts) (Bora Bora)

*Swimming with sharks (Ryan did this, I walked among them in shallow water) (Rangiroa)

*LIVING IN RUSSIA (a gift (adventure) that keeps on giving the whole year) (name that movie!) :)

I am sure I forgot things, but ultimately, and most importantly, it is not complete.  We have many opportunities (some we know of, some we don't) in our future.

With that said, I will not begin to discuss our future travel plans, though I am so excited for what next year's travels will bring.  I know, I know, it's only September, soon to be October, and we are already thinking about next year.  Next year (fingers crossed) will be an incredible opportunity to add "seize the moment" experiences to our list.  We already have one trip planned, I will not share that with you yet (Mom, I know you already figured it out and have expressed your concerns).  Just be warned, we have a few "big" adventures up our sleeve.  :)

Even when Ryan is away, and I miss him dearly, I can reflect on our experiences together, or daydream about future experiences, and it makes our time apart less lonely.  Because I know, when we are together, there is no stopping this adventure pair.  I love every moment spent together, and I am so excited to see what future "seize the moment" opportunities come our way.

What is life if we simply live to survive each day?  

What happens when we begin to truly live?  

Regardless of magnitude, seize each moment, 

embrace the enjoyable and conquer the difficult.  

Create a life you have not only survived, but lived......fully.