Things I did on my sabbatical

Here are the things I did on my sabbatical. It's been the most amazing ride and I am very thankful for the time. Most of the things that I did are things that I will continue to do going forward (dance, painting, volunteering) and for that, I can consider myself a changed person!


Items with * are from my bucket list


Things I have never done that I did during the 5 weeks:

1. Taken Dance Lessons*
2. Swam with Dolphins
3. Zip Lining
4. Drove a Jet Ski on the Ocean
5. Rode on a Donkey
6. Swam to an untouched natural hot spring
7. Traveled to Greece*, London, and Mexico*
8. Experienced a serious protest & affected by tear gas - Don't want to do that again
9. Ran 13.1 Miles*
10. Painted on Canvas*
11. Been to an All-inclusive hotel (being spoiled is so much fun! I had no idea!
12. Walked to the top of a Volcano
13. Went Geo-Caching*
14. Wrecked our new BMW...it wasn't my fault, but that did not make it hurt any less

Things I have done and wanted to do again:

1. Horseback Riding*
2. Parasailing
3. Visited one of the Seven Wonders* (Chichen-Itza (we saw the Coliseum and Taj Mahal, so this is our third of the seven - I cannot believe Acropolis/Parthenon is not one of the seven wonders!))
4. Read a great book
5. Volunteered for animals (Alley Cat Advocates)*
6. Learned some new words in other languages*
7. Learned a song on the piano* (I have learned songs in the past, but only by sound, not by notes)
8. Had a chance to be a good wife, making Sam breakfast before seeing him off to work and making sure the house was kept and dinner was cooked... not bad!

Things on my bucket list that I did not do:

1. Karaoke (maybe one day... Marty, Steve, or Stefanie may make sure of it I fear)
2. Crazy Haircut (I am not ready to lose my hair.)
3. Watch all movies directed by Clint Eastwood (even though I watched like 9 movies... there are just too many)
4. Hot Air Balloon*  - I had it scheduled, but they canceled due to the heat. Should do it Saturday!

Dance Lessons - Contemporary

Like many, I love to dance. I love to dance at clubs, but I also find myself dancing at home, just freestyle to some hip hop or techno music. It's such a great release! I have never learned how to dance formally and am in awe of some dancers that I see at clubs or on TV.

So, I contacted Jennifer's Academy of Dance where they were happy to give personal dance lessons for whichever style I was interested in. Kristen became my instructor and immediately began teaching me choreography that we danced to her cut version of James Morrison's "If you don't want to love me" a song that I love!

I just had my third lesson on Thursday and though Kristen has shown me about 50% of the choreography, I still have a lot of practice to stay on point (or as she says, "in the pocket"). 

It has been a great experience and I am so grateful that I found a place that can help make my dreams a reality. I have talked about dance lessons for years and always backed out/procrastinated for fear of getting weird looks or judgment about a girl in her mid-twenties with no experience wanting formal training. Well, the exact opposite happened and not only am I learning a very fun routine, but I am getting an amazing workout! Aside from the pain and the bruises, it's amazing!

Since my sabbatical is ending, I decided to show a very small clip of my third lesson. 

Playing Piano

I have always loved piano. And, even though I type really weird (one of those 4-finger typers) and my fingers get twisted sometimes when communicating to my mom and family with Sign language, I still thought  I could learn one song on the piano. I love it so much, so why not!

Horseback riding

So, I wanted to ride a horse. I love horses. They are so powerful and have an erie calmness about them. So, why did I choose to ride a horse in Mexico when I live in the Derby City? I am not really sure... But I did it and was very pleased.

My horses name was Dingo and Stef's horses name was Century. Stef's horse had more attitude and pretty much did what he wanted. I think Javier, our guide spent most of his time yelling, "Stefooonie" over and over, trying to get her to take control of a crazy horse. She was a champ though and it was a lot of fun! He called me "La-U-Ra", emphasizing the "U", which I thought was very cute!

I was very surprised at how loose they let us in the jungle, especially because our horses misbehaved a lot, trying to go in the wrong direction to steal some food. It was up to us to get them in the water and on the right trail. Very cool!

Words from 5 other languages

So, the 5 languages I chose are:

1. French
2. Italian
3. Spanish
4. German
5. Portuguese

I have been to Italy, France, and Mexico, so you would think I would/should know something for those languages and for Spanish and Italian, I do (I was awful at French) But, I decided that it would be good to brush up on all of them for good measure.


I chose a few expressions I find myself needing to use when in a foreign country. I think, if you can get these down as a tourist, you should be pretty much good to go. I had to do some research for German and French, since they have different words depending on the context. However, I think this is a great starting point for me to practice. 


Hello

1. French - bonjour
2. Italian - ciao
3. Spanish - hola
4. German - Guten Tag
5. Portuguese - Olá

Thank you

1. French - merci
2. Italian - grazie
3. Spanish - gracias
4. German - Danke
5. Portuguese - Obrigado

You Are Welcome

1. French - pas de quoi
2. Italian - prego
3. Spanish - de nada
4. German - Bitte sehr
5. Portuguese - Seja bem-vindo

Excuse Me

1. French- excusez-moi
2. Italian - scusi or permesso 
3. Spanish - Perdóneme
4. German - Verzeihung bitte
5. Portuguese - Desculpe

Please

1. French -  s'il vous plaît
2. Italian -  per favore
3. Spanish - por favor
4. German - Bitte 
5. Portuguese - por favor

Where is the Bathroom/Toilet?

1. French - Où sont les toilettes?
2. Italian - Dov'è il toilette?
3. Spanish - ¿Dónde está el baño?
4. German - Wo ist die Toilette?
5. Portuguese - Onde é o banheiro?

Sorry, I do not speak <Language>

1. French - Désolé, je ne parle pas français
2. Italian - Ci dispiace, non parlo italiano
3. Spanish - Lo sentimos, no hablo español
4. German - Sorry, weiß ich nicht Deutsch sprechen
5. Portuguese - Desculpe, eu não falo Português

How Much Money is this?

1. French - Combien d'argent est-ce?
2. Italian - Quanto denaro è questo?
3. Spanish - ¿Cuánto dinero es esto?
4. German - Wie viel Geld ist das?
5. Portuguese - Quanto dinheiro é isso?

Here's to knowing just a few more expressions in other languages. Let's hope I can remember them!

Running My Mini-marathon

Okay, I did it. I ran 13.1 miles today.

I just got back from Mexico on Saturday night, slept and ate pizza all day on Sunday, stayed up till 2 AM and woke up at 10:30 and thought, "What will I do today?"

I still did not feel my best and really could have stayed on the couch for another day. I have really no idea whether I was truly awake and coherent when I made the decision to go to the gym and run my 13 miles on the treadmill. All I know is that it was hot outside and I wanted to run.

So, I went to the gym... The thing about the treadmill is, well, it's really boring. And the whole time you have no choice but to keep looking at the miles: .5 mile, 1 mile, 2 miles, 3 miles......  and boy, they don't always come quickly.

When running outside, you can at least get distracted by your surroundings, but on a treadmill, you look at the same things. So, usually I am only on the treadmill for 3 miles or so, but today I decided that I HAD to run 13 miles and I HAD to do it in the gym.

Though, I had to take a bathroom and water/stretching break, I pretty much ran consistently for the 13.1 miles. My legs were in so much pain. My body was not at all prepared for that run. After 7 miles, my knees started to hurt and after 9 miles, my ankles and calves started to hurt. My energy and will-power were good, but my strength was not.

But, I kept pushing through and somehow made it happen. But, I have to admit that my legs hurt so much!!! So, Sarah Moore, Amanda Wright, Roger Huff, and all you other friends out there who would totally kill me in a run, my hat is off to you!! You rock!!

Cancun Mexico, 2011

Check out the video of the Cancun 2011 couples trip. It was a Blast!

Just some of the things we experienced:

1. Parasailing
2. Swimming with Dolphins
3. Toured Chichen Itza (one of the seven wonders)
4. Zip Lining through the Jungle
5. Horseback riding / Speed Boat
6. Tanning & Swimming
7. Dancing
8. Drinking & Eating a lot! For Free!
9. Exploring Cancun & Shopping
10. Hanging with great people