I took Campy on a weekend road trip to my old Kentucky home. If you are new to my blog (thank you for finding me), I was born May 31st, 1982 and I spent the first 22 years of my life in Lexington, KY before moving down south for graduate school.
I get awfully sentimental over people and places. No matter if the experience was positive or negative, if it shared some meaningful time in my life, I have trouble letting go.
Like many of you, I'm still on a rollercoaster of emotions. I've been on the same ride since around mid March. I recogniz that I have a lot to be thankful for during these times and I realize it's a privilege to feel grateful for so much - health, career, home, family, love. But sometimes I can't get out of my own head and this leaves me stressed, overwhelmed, anxious and confused. Let's just say that unless I have a lot on my daily plate to keep me insanely busy, my mental gymnastics will spiral into overdrive.
Another fun fact about myself - I am stimulus hungry. My brain needs a lot of stimulation. They say opposites attract and this couldn't be more true for me and Karel. Karel gets his energy from being alone. He tolerates people in small groups and in small doses. Thankfully, he also tolerates me ;)
Another fun fact about myself - I am stimulus hungry. My brain needs a lot of stimulation. They say opposites attract and this couldn't be more true for me and Karel. Karel gets his energy from being alone. He tolerates people in small groups and in small doses. Thankfully, he also tolerates me ;)
As for myself, I get my energy from being with and around people. Being alone or alone with my own thoughts is incredibly difficult and brings me great stress and anxiety. I receive a lot of happiness from the outside world and I am constantly trying to cultivate interesting activities and seeking out companionship to give my brain the stimulation that it needs.
Our current global health situation has been incredibly hard for us all. You are not immune to the stress and distress that is affecting your community, nation or the world in which you live. The things that brought us joy and freedom have been temporarily removed and we are learning to embrace a new normal as we welcome certain people and things back into our life.
Feeling so overwhelmed with my thoughts and emotions, I needed to gift myself some me time. Even tough my extrovert personality loves being with and around others (something that I miss dearly, especially with the cancellation of all of my races this summer), I seek opportunities that allow me to collect my thoughts.
Travel is my way of "me time." Since most of my travel is for personal reasons (racing), it's something that I greatly look forward to as it makes me feel happy and alive. Travel serves as a recharge to my brain and I always feel more energized (not drained) than when I left.
Earlier last week, I decided to book a quick trip to Lexington, KY. A short weekend away, just me and Campy. Oddly enough, Campy is a great travel partner as he never makes me feel alone. Plus, I love making memories with my 12.5 year old furry BFF. I safely reconnected with people, places and things that I hadn't experienced in a long time. With such a positive, nostalgic view of my past, I tried to keep myself busy as I ran, walked and drove myself around my old Kentucky home. When I found myself bored and tired of my own company, I knew it was time to head back to Greenville, SC.
Here are a few pics from my trip:
On Friday morning, I did an hour workout in my makeshift pool and hit the road around 10:30am for my 5 hour drive up north to Lexington, KY.
While I listened to podcasts, my co-pilot was great company.
We didn't stop throughout the drive so Campy slept the entire trip. So much cuteness.
Our current global health situation has been incredibly hard for us all. You are not immune to the stress and distress that is affecting your community, nation or the world in which you live. The things that brought us joy and freedom have been temporarily removed and we are learning to embrace a new normal as we welcome certain people and things back into our life.
Feeling so overwhelmed with my thoughts and emotions, I needed to gift myself some me time. Even tough my extrovert personality loves being with and around others (something that I miss dearly, especially with the cancellation of all of my races this summer), I seek opportunities that allow me to collect my thoughts.
Travel is my way of "me time." Since most of my travel is for personal reasons (racing), it's something that I greatly look forward to as it makes me feel happy and alive. Travel serves as a recharge to my brain and I always feel more energized (not drained) than when I left.
Earlier last week, I decided to book a quick trip to Lexington, KY. A short weekend away, just me and Campy. Oddly enough, Campy is a great travel partner as he never makes me feel alone. Plus, I love making memories with my 12.5 year old furry BFF. I safely reconnected with people, places and things that I hadn't experienced in a long time. With such a positive, nostalgic view of my past, I tried to keep myself busy as I ran, walked and drove myself around my old Kentucky home. When I found myself bored and tired of my own company, I knew it was time to head back to Greenville, SC.
Here are a few pics from my trip:
On Friday morning, I did an hour workout in my makeshift pool and hit the road around 10:30am for my 5 hour drive up north to Lexington, KY.
While I listened to podcasts, my co-pilot was great company.
We didn't stop throughout the drive so Campy slept the entire trip. So much cuteness.
Exploring an unusually quiet downtown Lexington, KY.
Saturday morning long run (10.3 miles/1:22) on the Legacy Trailhead.
I started my run from my Airbnb in downtown Lex (on E. Maxwell street) and made my way through downtown side streets to the trail.
I ran a similar route on Sunday (8.6 miles/1:11).
Both runs included sight-seeing and picture taking. And a lot of humidity!
It was fun to run around downtown.
And see new and familiar sights.
And so fun to run on flat pavement and not hills!
Transy! Where I went to undergrad and earned a bachelor degree in Exercise Physiology and minor in Psychology.
Triangle Park in downtown.
Visiting my high school friend Shannon (who's a nurse) and her horses on her farm.
Campy was on his best behavior. Just a few tough barks to the horses in the barn.
 |
| What a peaceful backyard! |
During my last trip to Lex, I visited my old house where I spent all of my teenage life. For this trip, I wanted to visit the house where I was born at in 1982. My parents were the original owners of the house and it was the first house they purchased. I drove past the house and with the owners in the front yard, I asked if I could take a picture of the house. After talking to the owners (who were incredibly nice and have lived in the house for 30 years - the 3rd owners of the house), they kindly invited me inside for a socially distant tour. Because I couldn't remember a lot about the house, I decided to Facetime my mom who gave me a memory-filled tour inside the house.
My mom loved sharing stories to the owners about the house. There were so many original things in the house - like the toilets and cabinents! And they even had a piano in the same place where I learned to play piano.
I had so many memories in this backyard!
Funny thing - the house felt SO much bigger when I was little! This was the basement (with the original wall finishings) where I played a lot with my dad. I remembered it to be SO big but in reality, it was just a small finished basement room.
Finishing our morning walk outside my Airbnb. I learned this is a Poplar tree - which has very distinctive leaves. As it name suggests, it's a popular utility wood.
One last long walk around downtown Lexington.
Someone is SO tired from the trip and all of his memory-filled adventures.