Happy New Year to all of my loyal readers and new fans!
I’ve been a little quiet lately as I’ve been incredibly busy traveling, freelance writing and just enjoying life. 2013 was an intense year for so many reasons, but here are a few:
1) I survived a devastating hit-and-run accident that resulted in having major ankle surgery and forced me to spend the majority of 5 months in bed.
I’m still working towards full recovery, and as a dancer and busybody I have to admit this experience has been very trying, but I can’t express how grateful I am to be alive and to still have both of my legs.
The very same weekend that I was hit there were three others who were also victims of hit-and-run accidents in Brooklyn who were not as lucky as I was, and lost their lives. My heart grieves for them and their families, and I tear up thinking about how unbelievably lucky I am.
I’ve had so many experiences that have taught me how precious life is, but apart from the tragic death of my childhood best friend nearly 5 years ago, this was one of the biggest wake-up calls imaginable.
2) I quit my corporate job in NYC and moved to Spain!
I’m thrilled to be living in a Spanish-speaking country again, and not only learning about a new culture, but actually living it. Madrid is a perfect home-base for exploring the rest of Europe, and the relaxed lifestyle here is a nice break from the chaos of New York.
3) Despite having spent half of the year dealing with the after effects of the accident, I managed to spend a significant amount of time in Brazil, Spain, Ireland, Romania and France.
I’m hoping to visit many more countries in 2014, but it’s not a bad list considering all that happened.
4) My blog has grown…
…from a tiny hobby blog to a slightly larger site that is actually starting to make enough money to fund some of my travels! I can’t thank Stephen, of A Backpacker’s Tale, enough for all of his support and advice for taking my blog to the next level.
For 2014 I have huge plans for this site and a few other projects that I’m working on, so stay tuned!
The Contest
To kick off 2014 & to thank all of my readers for joining me on this journey, I’m giving away a $250 flight voucher that can be used on Webjet.com.au towards any airfare or hotel purchase in cities all over the world.
You can enter the contest by completing any of the options below, but since the winner is chosen completely at random, your chances increase if you complete more than one!
