a decade of my life is gone, this is what stands out...

I've been reading in on JenRem's Blog and she's pretty amazing, you should go read up if you don't already...  Thanks to Kateigh for leading me to her!

I sent over my last decade list to her, but also decided to post it on my own little blog for your viewing pleasure.  This is my summation of my last decade in my own little bubble.

♥ fell in love for the first time.

♥ graduated high school & earned my associates degree.

♥ learned to play tennis at tryouts, and went to Nationals with my college team.

♥ beat up a man for picking on my little sister.

♥ had my heart broken for the first time, but not the last.

♥ ran up thousands in credit card debt and then paid it all off.

♥ had a summer romance with a boy I met on a train to NYC.

♥ learned enough about cars to not get ripped off by a mechanic.

♥ gave a second chance, then walked away from a toxic relationship forever.

♥ realized that I have a fear of committment, and I'm okay with it for now.

♥ worked as a babysitter, a tutor, a wench, a pharmacy & photolab technician, a waitress, a fairy (no joke, wings and all), a receptionist, a records specialist at a college , a cashier in a tattoo/piercing parlor, a maid, a mad scientist (I taught rocket science to 5 year olds), a lifeguard (and saved a life) and an insurance broker.

♥ got four tattoos.

♥ became really good friends with my mom.

♥ my hair has been purple, blonde, black, red, permed, straight, short, and back to normal.

♥ let my stubborn self stay out of touch with my sister, my Dad, and two of my best friends.

♥ got over myself, was honest with each of them, and we are stronger for it.

♥ lived in four different abodes, wound up back with my Dad, and I'm okay with it for now.

♥ fell in love... with shoes

♥ made new friends, and kept the old (one is silver and the other is gold)

♥ lost my grandfather, two great uncles, two aunts, a cousin, a grandmother and a godmother.

♥ gained a brother in law, a nephew and a niece.

♥ hit rock bottom, picked myself back up.

♥ left a career after five and a half years.

♥ started a blog.

♥ watched one of my best friends marry her best friend.

♥ signed up to go to Tanzania for 12 weeks to volunteer.

♥ decided to choose faith over fear.

Reminiscing.....

"Where there is love, there is life."

~Gandhi


Just to finish out the last day of my dear Meg being single.


A few photos of Meg, Jac & I...



Surrounded my family....



Just the three of us girls...



And at Brigantine one summer..



At a cousins birthday partyyyy..



Christmas Day...



Seafood Fest.

More to come tomorrow after the wedding!

Carrie Goes to Kilimanjaro

I decided that I would volunteer for global community service. Alone.

This is my story.

I first heard about Cross-Cultural Solutions from my sister, Jackie. We had started talking about volunteering abroad with the organization almost 3 years ago. We had checked our schedules with our best friend, Allisen, and as it turned out, we never had the same availability.

Allisen is an early education teacher and after finishing her Masters (congrats Al!), was starting her career. Which means - summers are pretty much the only time for vacations.

Jackie is a (basically) self-taught a-MAZ-ing photographer. I might be partial, just because she's my sister, but you can check out her work here, and I'm sure you'll agree. Her main focus right now is weddings, and guess when wedding season is - yeah, summers.

I, on the other hand, am a licensed insurance broker for a small (but very busy) agency. I've been there for 5 years (as of 09/23/2009). My job is constantly hectic and can be very time-consuming. I've worked close to 50 hour weeks for nearly 4 out of 5 years. I've earned 4 weeks of vacation each year and there really is no "good" time to take time off.

This brings me to Seafood Fest 2009. This is an annual summer party at my Aunt Terri's house. This is where I had a nice long chat with Allisen, Jackie & Lisa (I'm still not 100% on how exactly we're related, but she's my Dad's cousin, and awesome). After my good-long "talking to," I decided that I needed to make some changes in my life. I have to stop waiting for someone to do the things that I want to do and just do them myself. I don't want to be "the best friend" in my own life story, I want to be the main character. I want my own stories. I can't be afraid to be alone in my next steps. I know that my family & friends will always support me in everything that I do.

On the ride home from Seafood Fest '09, I got an e-mail from Cross-Cultural Solutions. I have been getting e-mails on a Semi-Annual basis since originally checking into this program with Allisen & Jackie 3 years ago. I clicked into the website and started looking into it again. This time, thinking only of myself. This program offers various lengths of time volunteering in many different areas. After looking at all of the areas available, I chose Kilimanjaro. I decided that I would volunteer for global community service. Alone.

This is my story.