We took about an hour and half to log in to free WiFi at a little restaurant in Dominical. (We did buy some food and coffee… we’re not total mooches) The girls were able to get a few school lessons completed. If you didn’t already know that about us, our girls attend an online school based in Atlanta. As long as we can connect to the internet, they can still do their work and attend school from anywhere in the world. On the days we aren’t connected we can simply take those as vacation days. They get 35 vacation days a year. That includes Thanksgiving, Christmas and spring breaks plolys five more days. If we decide to take vacation at different times than designated, no pro. The can just do a few more days when everyone else is taking their breaks. It’s something that definitely works for us and one of the main reasons we have chosen alternative education for our children.

We then drove only a few miles down the road to Poza Azul. Which is a waterfall in an area called Dominicalito. To get to it you have to cross a river, however there is no bridge to drive across, so we did what any Tico would do… drive right through it. A little nerve wracking, but we made it just fine.

We could hear the waterfall just up a little ways and in less than a quarter mile we were there. There was there sign at the top of a huge set of steps that leads down to the falls and the swimming hole at the bottom.

The girls rushed ahead of us, eager to get in and swim. Before too long, they decide to build little towers of rocks staked up and play a game of throwing rocks at it to see who could knock the stack down with the best throw. They laughed and giggled for an hour playing their new game. We took lots of pictures and video of our time at the falls.

After walking back up the steps to our car, everyone had built up quite an appetite. So we made an assembly line in the car to make everyone peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. The day before we went to the supermarket and purchased bread, peanut butter and jelly along with snacks and fresh fruit for when we are traveling in the car. They tasted so good!

Later in the evening, we had accepted a dinner invitation with some friends that we first met here about seven years ago. They are from California originally and have lived here for several years, though they are currently living in the states and only here for a visit. So the timing was really kind if amazing that we were here at the same time. They have built a beautiful condominium complex on several acres in the mountains. It was really neat to be back after so many years and sew physically what was only described to us years ago.

We look forward to keeping up with them more in the future.

Tomorrow we drive away from the coast into the mountains to our next stop to visit the Arenal volcano.

The one main thing Ava wanted to do on this trip was to go ziplining. That was an easy enough request. I have been twice before and it was always a fun adventure. A few weeks ago I made the reservations online for a Saturday morning at 8am. Figuring that would be before the afternoon rains would arrive.

I was still able to rise with the sun and have an hour of quiet reflection time before waking Sean and the girls.

We ate granola bars and drank water as we drove south to the Osa Canopy Tour Office. I signed away waivers for all of our lives and paid for the adventure. This was the same company that we used when I went six years ago. So, yeah, just old hat for me.

We were reading the posters for the adventure. 9 cables, 2 repelling stations, and 2 suspension bridges and a Tarzan swing. I didn’t remember hanging bridges from before, but no worries they just added a few things to make the trip more value added. You have to keep up with the competition everywhere ya know.

We jumped onto the bench seats in the back of an open bed truck and headed down the highway turning off onto a dirt and rocky road. Bumping and jostling us back and forth. Thinking about how thankful I was to have used the restroom before getting into the truck.

About 30 minutes later after one of the most breathtakingly stunning drives I have ever been on, we were at the top of a rainforest mountain with beauty at every turn.

Our guides suited us up with harnesses and helmets as they gave us the safety talk and what to expect. Minutes later we each took turns zipping across from the first platform to the top of a tree high in the rainforest canopy.

The zipline is exhilarating as you “fly” over huge spans of space with green. Technically as the rider you don’t have too much to do other than site a certain way crossing at your ankles and enjoy the ride. The last fifteen feet you follow instructions to slow down so you don’t slam into the guides as they help unhook you from the cable. The girls were doing great and we were all excited to get to the next one. These cables are hundreds of feet in the air with nothing between you and the jungle below. Views included waterfalls, rivers, a little village, a three toed sloth….really just amazing. We were repelling down a tree, just trusting the equipment and our guides that do this every day for a living. It didn’t take much to talk us into rappelling upside down as the guides earned our trust.

Then we came to the first suspension bridge. By the time I got to the platform, the girls were already across. Hmmmm…I didn’t like the looks of doing this. But no worries, everyone else was already across. Kyleigh had been a little fearful of some of the platforms but she just jumped right in, usually the first one across. She said the anticipation was more frightening than actually doing it. I was so proud of her to just jump in and do it.

I watched as the girls pranced across the bridge at quick pace, similar to a six year old playing hopscotch, selecting where to place their next step, but hopping from board to board in almost a rhythmic pattern. The bridge was swinging and bouncing as all three of them were on it at the same time. I stepped on and followed suit, although at a little slower pace. I just did it one step at a time. The six inch planks were and separated by about eight inches of space between each board. Plenty of space for my foot to slip and fall through. We were still tethered in with a safety cable, so if I slipped and fell I wouldn’t plunge to the bottom of the gorge to my death, but I would be dangling until I could be rescued. Sweating was dripping from my face…although that might have been tears, as in my mind, this was one of the most mentally terrifying things I have ever physically done. Safely making it to the other side, I let out a sigh of relief and really tried not to think about the poster that I saw in the office.. the part that said TWO suspension bridges.

We continued on with more ziplines and another huge rappelling station. This tree was about a 250 ft drop from the platform to the ground. Once again, hanging upside down, completely putting trust in the equipment and our guides. It was then time for what I dreaded most. The second suspension bridge. Only this one the boards were 2 ½ inches wide by 3 feet long. They were laid out from end to end length wise. Each swinging independently of each other as they were suspended over a jungle revine. There were cables to hold onto to my left and my right. Believe me, I had a death grip on both of them. The boards were not new strong boards from the local lumber yard. These were older weathered boards, crooked and slippery with the dampness of the rainforest as green algae and mold grew on them. I let everyone go ahead of me, except Sean and our exceptional guide, Chris. Stayed behind me to coach me along. When the others were crossing, they were screwing around laughing, bouncing and shaking the boards. Before I took my first step, I began to sweat profusely, but I did control my breathing. Deep, slow and full breaths. Kind of like what I learned in Lamaze birthing classes many years ago. I even had flashbacks of giving birth to each of my kids as my self-talk mantra repeated “you can do this, you can do this” Again, I knew I wouldn’t die walking across this bridge, or if I did fall off, I wouldn’t hit the bottom and break multiple bones because I was tethered into a safety cable line. But just the thought of dangling from the bridge waiting to be rescued was more than I could even imagine. It was very different than the ziplining or the rappelling portion of the tour because with those you do with 90% of trust in the equipment and the guides and not your own abilities. But with this, only myself can take each step and traverse my body from one side of the revine to the other. In my mind I went back to when I was nine years old taking gymnastics at the community recreation center, walking on the balance beam. Heck, back then I was even doing cartwheels on it. I knew I could do this. It really is just putting one foot in front of the other. Chris began to talk to me to keep me distracted from the worry. That helped me more than he could ever know. Well maybe he dies because I’m sure I have not been the first person to freak out on these tours. He really did know what to do to keep me calm and my fears at bay. He asked me questions about my family and where we lived. He encouraged me when I had reached the halfway milestone point. The rest of the tour group waited on the other side. I thanked them all for being so patient. Chris then reminded me that I could now take walking suspension bridges off of my bucket list. Which I have promptly done. We then ended the tour with delicious fresh cut fruit and a Tarzan swing, before traversing down the mountain and back to the office.

How many times do we have a fear in our life that we really didn’t know was there till you are faced with it and have no choice but to tackle it one step at a time? Even though it may require our own power and effort to take us through it, don’t ignore the encouraging voice talking you through it each step of the way. Receiving encouraging words from others is just as if not more important than the self will power to overcome the mountain of fear you are facing.

Anyone who knows the McNally’s knows that we love to travel, and we love to travel to Costa Rica…and we love to travel to Costa Rica as cheap as we can! Airbnb and Spirit airlines has made that even more possible for us for our upcoming trip later this month. Our last two trips there were with just Sean and myself. This time we are taking our three girls (Baylie 18, Kyleigh 15 and Ava 12). To start our frugal trip, we found affordable airfare through Spirit Airlines for $168 per person. This is flying out of Orlando, so we do have to drive a little further, but we will stay with Sean’s mom the nights before and after our flights. Still worth it for the heafty savings from the average $500-600 ticket price from Savannah to San Jose, Costa Rica.

We have some very gracious friends, that earlier this year, have moved from Tybee Island to Uvita, Costa Rica. When they moved they said “Hey, come visit us!”…and like I tell anyone who extends an offer for us to visit, I always say…”don’t say it if you don’t mean it, because we WILL take you up on it!”  Our first few nights we will be based in Uvita at “Casa de Farrell” as we visit the southern Pacific coastal beaches and a zipline tour.

I found a little cabin on Airbnb that is located in the mountain rainforest on 185 acres. There are waterfalls on the property that our host will give us a hiking tour to visit so that we may swim in the river and enjoy cooling off in the falls. Our stay includes breakfast and ecotours. For the five of us the total fee is $55 a night.

Next stop on our itenerary is El Castillo which is near Arenal Volcano. In the six trips that I have made to Costa Rica, I still have not yet visited Arenal. So this was a priority on my list. I found a two apartment house with gorgeous view of the volcano for $110 a night tht also includes breakfast. We plan on doing self guided tours of the hanging bridges near Arenal. I first saw this one on Airbnb for $158 a night, but was able to book it cheaper on booking.com. So it does pay to look around a bit.

Our last night we figured we would stay a little closer to the airport so we won’t have any problems flying out on time. Again, thanks to Airbnb I found an adorable little cabin on top of a mountain within an hour drive of the airport. $55 a night, including breakfast for all of us. With over 29 glowing five star reviews…I am excited about staying here!

In addition to my regular photography work, I have a few partnerships and collaborations with other companies in the works. I will eventually do a separate blog post on each of them.

I hope this blog post will be an encouragement to you. If you are in the midst of starting over, or just contemplating it. Hard work and determination do eventually pay off.

Five years ago, we decided to sell everything we own, pack up four of our five kids, and move to a three mile long island where we knew no one. We literally hit life’s reset button and started over.

The challenge has been real as I was coming from my growing portrait business in Virginia. I had hundreds of happy customers that would return to my studio for their family’s memories. I had poured my heart and soul into building my studio and growing my business. I did this with as much, if not more passion than the craft of photography itself. Many people thought we were crazy to just up and leave what we had built.

The year we began downsizing and planning our move. I had been traveling to several cities across the country with a group of far more successful and talented photographers than myself. We were teaching photography and marketing to others that were willing to learn skills to grow and hone their craft.

I was climbing to height of my career as well as overcoming personal fears of public speaking, shyness and other insecurities.

Even though I loved growing my business, our family needed a change. There were mornings that we struggled to get out of bed. We were losing passion and connection with each other as our whole world revolved around creating enough business to continue living and maintaining our huge house and studio.

After months of soul searching and being brutally honest with each other, we decided to start fresh and move to a new location. A Google map, and a few fun YouTube videos, led us to the Savannah area where we visited only two times for a total of seven days before signing a three month rental contract to move here. We didn’t know what challenges lay ahead, but we had a new commitment to each other that we were in it together.

We spent our first year on Tybee meeting people, making connections and finding where we fit. We started to pick up a few jobs here and there as we networked in Savannah and Tybee.  Each year since then our circles of connections and business has increased as people learn about our work ethic and commitment to follow through with our promises.

Living at the beach, one hundred yards from the ocean, we hear the waves crash at night when the windows are open. The simplicity and beauty of this alone brings a peace to my heart. I feel joy when I wake up every day now and I have a positive expectation of what the day will bring, whether work or play, it’s all a pleasure to experience. Somehow we have found a balance in blending work and play together in our life.

In the process of changing our lives, we made a choice to live simply. Our little apartment does not lend itself to accumulating a bunch of stuff. Purging our belongings is an ongoing item on  our weekly to-do list.  Is it challenging to have five people in a two bedroom apartment? Yes, at times. But I think even the kids agree the challenge is worth the benefits we each experience living in such a special place as Tybee.

From the beauty that surrounds us to the community that never stops giving, the McNally’s call ourselves blessed to wake up each day as we feel the sand beneath our feet during work and play.

As self-employed business owners, we continue to make connections and partnerships as we push ahead growing our business and expanding our interests and things we love doing. From entrepreneurial ventures, to expression of art and music, work and finances continue to come in from multiple streams every week. It hasn’t just fallen in our laps. It is a result of hard work and tough decisions that keep us moving ahead in the direction of our dreams.

If you have or are considering a big life change, then I encourage you to count the costs, evaluate what’s most important in your life, and then do whatever it takes to make it happen. We only have so many days on this earth and our next breath is never a guarantee.

Five years ago, Sean and I found ourselves in a place we didn’t want to be. We made a decision (together) to make a wholesale change in the direction of our lives. We counted the costs and decided what was immovable and unchangeable. For us, keeping our marriage strong and intact and raising our family to stay close was a priority. Everything else was open for discussion.

We decided to move to a new location and start over. We didn’t know where we were going to move to, but with faith and determination we set out to make a new life for our family. Finding Tybee was as random as throwing a dart at a map. There were plenty of prayers and pleading to God hoping He’d meet us in the other side. Once we made the decision to move 500 miles away we unloaded all of our material possessions.  Things were then lighter and easier to maneuver, even with four kids still at home.

After making the move and downsizing to a small manageable household, our utilities and rent are now a fraction of what they used to be. We assessed our skill sets and got to work, taking in whatever jobs we could to pay the bills.

Are you where you thought you’d be? Many times we start out in a path only to find ourselves in a place where we never thought we’d end up. Maybe you are in a career that you hate waking up to every day. If you find yourself feeling stuck in a place that you don’t want to be, it’s not too late to make a turn and head down another direction. Maybe it’s a lack of money and finances, or maybe it’s the security of a well paying job that you “just can’t leave or give up”. No matter which side of the equation you are on, it’s not too late to change your situation.

If it’s lack of money, then ask yourself, “What have I got to lose?”

If it is not wanting to let go the security of abundance of finances then you are in a great place to start planning. Set your sights on what you want, and make the appropriate changes to invest time and money into your new venture. Whether it is going to school, starting a business, creating art, making music, or a career change…it’s not too late.

Believe me, I understand If you are married or have children, this can make changing your life’s course more difficult, but those dependants can also give you the motivation to turn the rudder of your life’s boat to a new and fresh direction. I feel I am qualified to write this post honestly, as I’ve walked through it myself.

Is it easy? No. But then anything of great value isn’t easy.

During the first year, I still wasn’t sure how things were gonna work out. But now that we have a few years under us, each year gets better. Are we “there” yet? Well, that all depends on what you mean by “there”. We don’t have a fat bank account, we drive old cars that thankfully Sean has been able to work on himself. We both are able to make a living doing what we love while living in on an island that is a little slice of paradise as we figure out the big picture. I get inspiration every day for new ways to grow our businesses and to evolve into the next versions of ourselves. So by those standards, I can say I am happy to be where we are, and that five years ago we took inventory of our life and began to change the direction in which we were headed.

Surrounded by some of my closest friends, we wiggled our toes in the sand for a glorious beach day. Feeling the salt air stick to our skin and hair as the cool breeze wrapped around us we just enjoyed the moment, and the opportunity to be.

About an hour into our basking, a little boy came up to us. His hair was wet and he shivered as the breeze had a slight chill in it. He tried hard to keep from crying, but obviously was a bit shaken. His voice quivered as he asked if we could help him find his Mommy. We all immediately hopped out of of our beach chairs and started looking for who would be his mommy. He said she was wearing a black swimsuit and sunglasses. Do you know how many women are on the beach on any given day wearing a black swimsuit and sunglasses??

We located ocean rescue and took him to them as we continued to search for Mommy. Only a few minutes passed till we found the one woman in a black bathing suit with sunglasses, frantically looking for her missing little guy. We could all only imagine the thousands of worrisome scenarios that were going through her mind. It was a happy moment for both of them (and all of us) as they were reunited.

It made me think about us as we each wander through our lives. The little boy was never that far from his Mommy, but it can be so easy to get lost in the crowd and lose site of who we are looking to follow and stick close to. He just needed a little help and to not be afraid to ask. How many times have we lost site of our purpose by the thousands of distractions that surround us. Some of those distractions can even appear to look similar to our purpose, dressed up to look just like it, but still not be the real thing. It can be so easy to get caught up in the sights, sounds and smells around us that the next thing you know is you’re lost and surrounded by everything you are not looking for.

Sometimes we have to stop, evaluate our situation, maybe even seek help or ask someone near to help us to get back on track and reunited with our purpose. When that moment happens, we know right away, that everything is going to be OK.

Visiting Costa Rica always changes my perspective on many day to day things when I return to the States and our life here.  A while ago I wrote a blog post titled “Walking Around the World in Flip Flops” in that post I referred back to one of our first visits to Costa Rica about a decade ago. That visit set the stage and planted the seeds for what eventually became a major shift in how we decided to view and live life.

Most of our conversations in Costa Rica last week were centered around how to continue simplifying our life so that we can take advantage of opportunities as they arrive. Keeping our living expenses low and not having a lot of things to take care of it makes it easier to live more spontaneous and seize the day and the joy that it offers. Every time I visit Costa Rica, I want to go home and purge my belongings.

Our heads are filled with new business ideas, and old ones that have been on the back burner for a while. We are both feeling a surge to resurrect some ideas that have gotten dusty over the past couple years. It’s amazing how a few days in a treehouse in the jungle can renew and refresh our thought life.

Looking back and thinking about our conversation with Jordy the other day. (Jordy is a nineteen year old Costa Rican surf instructor that we have become friends with) Here is a guy that “gets it”. He said, “I have a car, because I need a car to get to work. I have a phone, because I need to have a way for my customers to reach me. Beyond having a place to live and eat, what else do I need?”  he also told us about how he is questioned extensively by immigration officials when he visits the United States. They want to make sure he is not trying to stay here. He tells them “believe me, I have everything I need in my country, a job I love, surfing and teaching, my needs are met, why would I want to leave that?” He said he has American friends that are always striving for a newer car, house, phone, or fill in the blank… And he does not understand the draw to such things. How satisfying it must be to live with such contentment. 

I am taking some time this week to trim out some things in my life. Removing the unnecessary clutter that distracts me from my real life goals.  I am going through every area of my life and trimming out what takes away from the joy of my life. Streamlining my days with only the necessary workflow, will give me more time with my family and friends. If something can be done in three steps, but it is currently taking me six steps, then I am changing it.

For instance, the past three years I have been receiving and sending emails from three different devices (phone, computer and laptop). This means when I have to find an email that was sent, I have to search every device. Sean (my wonderful husband, who is so patient with anything technical) set up a new email program syncing all of my devices together. Now I can pinpoint an email in seconds rather that several minutes or even hours if it was really buried.

From simplifying the apps on my phone, to my job’s workflow, to purging my closet, choosing only the work I enjoy, going only to meetings and events that I really want to be at. We all have these choices in our lives everyday. Only you can decide how you spend your time and energy.

As I am going through every area and item in my life, I ask myself “Does this add to or subtract from the joy and peace that I desire, does it bring contentment?” If it doesn’t add to it then I am changing it.

An example I can share is in my photography and workflow. For years and years I carried several camera bodies and lenses with me to every job I shot. Because that’s what photographers are supposed to do, right? Have the latest and greatest gear, and tons of it. I had a 3,000 square foot studio filled with props, chairs and sofas. Backdrops in every color, print and pattern imaginable. When we decided to trade all of that in for a natural studio at the beach, I still kept all that camera gear and lugged it onto the beach for portrait sessions and weddings. However, beach shooting is far different from a clean enclosed studio environment. Sand and salt from just living at the ocean will etch itself into the sensor and mirror inside the camera. This will cause spots in the images that have to be removed one at a time by hand in Photoshop. For every hour of shooting, there were 3-4 hours of sitting at the computer cleaning images. I found the solution last year when I simplified my gear. I no longer carry the 15-20 pound gear bag filled with thousands of dollars of Canon bodies and lenses. I have opted for newer technology in a small, lesser known brand, fully enclosed camera, that salt and sand cannot enter. Most people, even trained professional photographers could not tell that these images were not shot with a sacred Canon or Nikon. I had to think about my ultimate goal, and that is to tell my clients’ stories, but I don’t feel that should make me a slave to my computer. My goal was not to impress other photographers with the gear I was shooting with. I began to focus (pun intended) on telling the stories of my clients, not the technical aspects that so often entangles many photographers.

Where do you find contentment? Is it in material belongings, job satisfaction, relationships, family, community, self esteem, location, spirituality, artistic or other self expression? I think it is a blend of the above but the more I build into my life from the later part of the list,  material possessions is not as great of a need or desire in my life.

Can you remove a distraction from your life today? It might be as simple as removing apps from your phone, organizing your closet or getting rid of clutter. It could be saying “No” to pointless meetings, people that boss you around, or driving your kids to fifteen various events every week. Ask yourself, if it adds or subtracts to your joy and contentment and you’ll know what to do.

Today is March Fourth. The only day of the year that is a command…to March Forth.

For many people this is just another day…but not for the McNally clan. This is a holiday to be celebrated with exuberance!

Years and years ago, this family celebration holiday was created by my mother-in-law (though we say mother-in-love) Kathy. When she was in her early twenties, she received her acceptance letter from nursing school. The letter was dated March 4. Kathy took this as a literal word to move ahead in this direction of her life.

Years passed and when Kathy and Jim’s grandclan had grown to more than a gaggle, it was time to create a celebration for the holiday. At the time, the whole family lived within a few miles of each other.

We started having an annual family dinner with menus that included items such as foot long hot dogs, shoestring potatoes, toe-mato and let-us March forth salad. Dessert was cookies cut into the shape of little foot prints.

The family would gather and marching band music was playing through the house. Kathy would lead the grandkids through the house marching for the entirety of the tune.

We would then move onto the next phase of the celebration…presenting the highly coveted golden boot award. Kathy had taken a combat boot and spray painted it gold. Twenty crisp one dollar bills were stuffed inside. She would pull out notes from the previous year. These notes each contained a personal goal that each of us had written one year ago. Depending everyone’s age our goals list included things like; starting a new business, learning a foreign language, potty training, learning to read, keeping a bedroom clean, etc… kind of like a new year’s resolution, but one that you will have to be held accountable for.

After the list of past goals was read aloud, we would each cast a vote for who we though should win the golden boot award based on their performance of attaining their goal. This was always the pomp and circumstance ceremony of the last winner passing on the boot to the new recipient. There were a couple of rules that conveyed with the golden boot, you had to display it prominently in your home for the whole year, and tell the story of celebrating March Forth to any one who asked. Many years this boot sat proudly on our fireplace mantle.

We would then state our new goal for the year as it was recorded in Grammy’s notebook to hold us accountable to it.

After dinner, Kathy would have each of the grandkids stand on the table and she would trace their feet in pencil. Later, she would embroider the outline of their foot into the table cloth. Showing the kids growth from year to year.

One year. Our family’s celebration appeared in the Disney publication, Family Fun magazine.

Here’s a fun little story to add… About ten years ago, I was traveling  through the Denver airport on business, when I came across a whole crew of gypsy-like characters….obviously a band of some sort. One was wearing a t-shirt that said “March Fourth Marching Band”.  After a hurried conversation, I learned that this non-conventional marching band from Portland Oregon celebrated our holiday too. We quickly became online friends and have followed and kept in touch with the band over the years. I still listen to their music regularly, one of the best workout playlists! During one of their national tours, they even performed at the Kennedy Center. Obviously a show we would not miss. Ava was age two at the time, one of the stilt-walkers (I did say, unconventional) put her on stage with the rest of the band. If you dig hard enough, you can find that video somewhere in the archives of the Kennedy center website.

Our celebrations continued while the family was geographically close. Now, we are separated by miles up and down the east coast, but it does not change the spirit of the day for the McNallys. March Fourth will always be a family holiday for our whole crew. Holding special memories for us all and encouraging each of us to March Forth on our journeys and better our lives in a year’s time.

I invite you to join in our McNally family tradition today. Set a new goal, tell someone about it, post it on Facebook, tag me in it… and I’ll hold you accountable to it next year,  I may even have a revised golden boot award for the most deserving recipient!

Simple Definition of visionary
adjective  vi·sion·ary \ˈvi-zhə-ˌner-ē\
: having or showing clear ideas about what should happen or be done in the future

Travel plans, business ideas, websites, creative photo shoots, products that need to be invented, you name it… I think about it. Not just think, but I dream and obsess over it. My kids have an ongoing joke in our house about me and my ideas. They can’t just enjoy creating one little craft or hobby without me turning it into a business idea and telling them how to sell it.

Hundreds of ideas go through my head, everyday, all at the same time. Every once in a while I will slow down long enough to pick one and execute it.

The first thing I do is grab my notebook, sketch out what I want to see. Then surf the internet for ideas or to see if its been done before. Next step, I dive right in.

Usually I am so excited to get it started, I jump right into it without planning how to get it finished. Well actually I do even map out a plan to finish it, but in my head, its already done. I see the finished product before I even start.

I have read that the endorphins that are released in your brain when planning a vacation create more happiness than when you are actually experiencing the trip in real time. Anticipation makes you happier than the reality of the experience. Think of it like Christmas eve as opposed to Christmas day.

For the sake of this blog post, with no further scientific research, I am going to assume for a few moments, that this same premise applies to other areas of planning and anticipation. My writing, mapping, planning, window shopping, internet surfing and sketching is more fulfilling than executing the actual plans.

For example, a few weeks ago after we got new-to-us furniture, I was inspired to spruce up our apartment. I went to Home Depot, loaded my shopping cart with paint brushes, masking tape, and a nice new aqua paint for the bathroom as well as a clean bright white to freshen up our ancient kitchen cabinets.

After two days of cleaning, prepping and painting, I was done. But, I was not finished. I still have plans to spray paint the pull knobs for the kitchen cabinets. Have I done it yet? No. It is now two weeks later and they are piled in a bucket waiting to be prepped and sprayed the deep ocean jewel turquoise I picked out.

I ask myself, am I that much of a procrastinator? It’s not like its gonna be a hard strenuous job to spray paint twenty four pull knobs. Or is it because in my head I have already achieved satisfaction as I see it completed in my imagination. In my head, it’s done and I’m already on to my next project.

Maybe by just identifying this problem, I will be motivated enough to get the darn knobs painted so I can move on with a clear head and actualize the rest of my to do list.

Do you have unfinished business, that you see completed in your imagination? What steps can you take this week to identify why it is undone and check it off your list?

Yesterday was February 1st, for me that was like my January 1st in terms of a New Year’s fitness resolution. I really did intend to be more active and planned to log in several miles on bikes, kayaks and long walks when we were in Key West. The weather did not cooperate with my good intentions. I am guilty and the first to admit, that the first thing I turn to for comfort, is food in any form. Mostly snacks, and sweets, but no limits on quantity. Combined with very little activity and no self control, somehow once again, my pants have shrunk.

Finishing off month One with week long birthday celebrations and I finally reached a point where enough is enough. It’s time to get serious. Beach days are coming soon, and I am in no way physically ready for them. Mentally, yes…I’m ready to squish my toes into the sand and today.

I finally calibrated and synced my new Garmin Vivofit fitness tracker and dug out my workout clothes from the bottom of my drawers. Last year, they were always on the top, because I practically lived in them.

Sean is ready for a new fitness commitment too. So we laced up our sneakers together and hit the beach for day one of getting physical fitness started in 2016.

Whenever I step onto the beach after a long absence from it, I say to myself, “How can you not be out here everyday?”

There was a light breeze blowing in from the sea that brought with it salt air to greet me with a kiss, quickly reminding me just one of the reasons we moved here.

Walking on the beach provides a different workout than walking on the sidewalk. For a while we chose the soft uneven sand for a little more strenuous hike. We said to each other how walking in the deep soft sand in shoes instead of bare feet felt as close to walking in inches of snow as we want to feel. After a while I had to stop and dump the mounting sand out of my shoes.

Snapshots quickly flash to the front of my brain. Only months ago this same beach was packed with thousands of tourists. Moms and dads that plan and save every penny all year long to claim a little square patch of oceanfront property for a week. Today the beach was not totally empty, as a few families were out beachcombing. Passing an occasional fully clothed child, running in circles or building a sand castle.  Definitely a far cry from the crowd’s that gather during the summer. It’s a shame more people don’t take advantage of the great deals that are available during the winter season.

We passed a surfer, covered head to toe in a black wet suit. He owned every wave that came to him.

For the next mile, we traveled just below the high tide line where the packed sand beneath our soles provided a more stable surface to walk on. We walked under the pier and down to the south end where the Back River flows into the Atlantic Ocean. We stayed on the sand as far as we could, till we reached Alley Three. This is where we come to watch the sunset on countless evenings throughout the year.

The beach stops at Alley Three and we turn right onto the hard blacktop pavement. Continuing around Chatham Avenue that hugs the Back River till we reach the marsh. Every few steps, the tall palms reaching to the clouds frame a picturesque scene. The silent shutter in my head snaps away and my imagination paints canvases with the details of a snow white egret flying low over the brown winter marsh grass.

Soon we are back in the little strip of the Back River neighborhood with rows of cottages and beach houses on either side of us. We stop and talk to Bill, who is walking his dog. We enjoy talking to Bill and his wife Dorothy, every year as they come to Tybee, annual snowbirds escaping the brutal Michigan winters. They are smart people, just saying.

Before ending our walk we go a few blocks north so we can stop at the IGA to gather salad fixins for a healthy lunch. Entering the parking lot from the back of the store, we run into Matt, the butcher. Matt always has a smile on his face and a kind word to welcome us.

After paying for my selection of fresh veggies, we headed back to 14th street, our little piece of paradise. A car pulls up beside us. It’s my friend Diane, who owns a vacation rental company here, called Mermaid Cottages. (If you plan to visit Tybee, you really need to check out these adorable family and pet friendly cottages.) She rolled down her window to tell me that Sean and I looked like a picture of ultimate Tybee living. Walking with the love of my life in one hand and a sack of groceries in the other. The sun continued to shine down on a most glorious day. We made our last turn to complete our circuit, looking at my tracker I see that we reached 3 miles. Not too bad for day one.

Up the stairs to our little bare bones 750 square foot apartment, Sean and I give high fives and say to each other, “another day that doesn’t suck to be us!”