Runaway to the Sea - Leap Day in Hilton Head Island

This past February I kept getting strong intuitive messages that I needed to ride a bike by the sea.
Not exactly sure how, when or where this would happen, but the messages would not subside.

Being a human, I kept playing the brain/heart tug of war.

Heart:
Ohhh cruising on a beach comber in the bright sun while waves crash against your tires would be SO NICE!

Brain:
It's too expensive, you shouldn't waste your PTO, pay off your debt first, DON'T GO.

Well, the last weekend of February rolls around, and guess who won.

And as usual it was pure magic.

We decided to drive down to beautiful Hilton Head Island to bring this daydream to life.
What a quiet, whimsical, hidden gem...

This island is the land of retirees. Loaded with golf courses and stunning retirement homes, it's a great place to go for some peace & quiet.

It also has THE BEST bike trails of any place I've ever been.

We stayed at the Oceanside Marriott Resort - the same place we stayed for our One Year Anniversary. (See the link for the full story) -- If you've been a long time follower of this blog, you might remember our last visit to this hotel was not a very fun one. But we decided to give it another try since it was off season and we loved how easy it was to rent bikes on site. That and the oceanfront views can't be beat!

When we arrived and checked in I briefly mentioned our last stay and the hotel manager immediately said you know what? Since you're giving us a second chance, here's $100 credit towards anything you want.
(!!!!!!)

And in that moment all of my brain stressing out about not being able to afford this little getaway vanished.
That $100 credit paid for our bikes, meals, everything.

Everything always works out.
A mantra I will forever sware by.

So not only is Hilton Head great for bike riding, but the beaches are out of this world. I see at least one dolphin every time I visit the lowcountry. Every time!

We woke up before the sun on Leap Day so we could watch the sunrise while riding our bikes down the beach. And wouldn't you know it, a dolphin decided to swim directly next to me, so close to the shore I could have walked out there and touched him.

Not a bad way to spend a day that only comes around every few years.




_____________________________

If you ever plan a trip to Hilton Head Island and want some ideas for fun things to do and great places to eat, let me know! And of course I'm going to recommend staying at the Oceanfront Marriott. They really are the best. Multiple pools, hammocks, bars, an awesome spa... and right on the ocean. Heaven.

As for eats, we found a really great gluten free cafe called Watusi. You can eat outside in the sun and the food was delicious! It was my first time eating a 'sandwich' in so long since going gluten free. The bread was gluten free but you would never know....that good.

Oh and the coffee was strong ;)

Nicholas.

We just fostered a kitten named Nicholas for 2 weeks.
It was quite the whirlwind experience, and nothing like what I expected.
So before my memories of him drift away with the winds of time, I wanted to write them down. 

This is the story of Nicholas.

One day when I was a little girl I asked my mom about my name.

Why is my first name Stephanie?
Your great grandmother's name is Stephana. We wanted to name you after her.
Ok - well why is my middle name Nicole?
And the story began....

When my mom was pregnant with me, it never crossed her mind to find out the gender until she gave birth.


When she was pregnant with my older brother she just knew it was a boy. Call it motherly instinct but she was positive about her prediction and named him Ben before he was even born.

So when she got pregnant with me shortly after, she again chose to not find out the sex.
And again, she was convinced it was a boy. She was confident that sometime in December she would give birth to a curly brown haired boy and name him Nicholas.

All throughout her pregnancy with me, she would talk to her belly and refer to it as Nicholas.

So when I was born you can imagine the shock and surprise when it was a brown haired girl!
What's neat is my mom actually had a tape recorder on during my birth. I listened to it once and although you cannot see her face, you can hear the pure shock in her voice:

"Doctor: aaand... it's a GIRL!!
Mom: Oh!? Oh!... Oh wow...she...she looks just like me! SHE looks like ME!"

Pleasantly surprised but not wanting to let go of the idea of Nicholas she held for 9 months, she made my middle name Nicole.

It was because of this story that growing up my mother always told me that I would have a Nicholas in my life. Husband, best friend, child....somehow she knew a Nicholas would show up in my life and leave a lasting imprint on my heart.

__________________




My whole life I have loved animals. I resonate with them on such a deep level.
I've always wanted to volunteer at shelters but the overwhelming sensation of grief, sadness and anger that crashes into me every time I walk into a shelter kept me away.

Flash forward to 2011. I got my first 'real job' out of college working for a large business.
I walk into my first 'real meeting' excited like Yeah! I did it! Got my business degree now I get to talk business with experienced people. Sweet.

But as I sat down in this board room a lump grew in my throat.
Maybe I'm nervous?
No, I feel prepared.

hmm....

Then about 5 minutes into the meeting my mind wandered away from the topic at hand and it hit me like a ton of bricks.
Here I am in this fancy room all nice and warm, sheltered from the elements outside.

Abundance of food and clean water at my fingertips.
Talking about how we can maximize profit for an already multi billion dollar business...

All the while there are animals being tortured, homeless, neglected...all over the damn place. Probably right  down the road. And here I was doing absolutely nothing about it. 

My eyes swelled up and I was immediately questioning every choice I made in the past 5 years.

 This is not how my heart dreams of spending my days.

Ever since that day I've made more of an effort to spend my free time educating people on the importance of spay/neuter, adopting instead of shopping, and I even worked with the Humane Society of the United States on a Meatless Monday project urging school systems all over the country to not serve meat on Mondays.

And now here I am. 27 and living in the South, a part of the country notorious for animal abuse and over crowded high kill shelters. I promised myself that when I buy a house with land, it will be packed with rescue cats and dogs. I hold that word... just watch.

But again, I start to feel like there's more I can do.
Right now.
And I need to just do it.

So after Christmas I took a class at my local shelter on becoming a foster parent to homeless cats and dogs.
I work from home so I thought it would be perfect.

I had no idea that a few days after my class I would receive my first case. I thought these things took time!

When I arrived at the shelter the following Monday night to pick him up, I knew I was fostering a kitten but had no idea how many or who I would be receiving. As I walked in and told the lady I was a foster parent here to pick up a kitten she walked me into the kitten room - cages full of kittens crying and reaching their paws out through the cage. She wasn't sure which one I would be taking and she couldn't reach the shelter manager to ask her because her phone died. So I reached out to her on Facebook and within seconds a message popped up:

You will be taking home Nicholas!

This boy.
Stealin' hearts and rippin' farts.


As soon as he arrived at our apartment he was ready to play with every object in sight and snuggle on our laps when he wore himself out.

Although our 2 full grown cats were hesitant (and pissed) about him at first, it wasn't long before he won their hearts over and became one of the tribe.

I never thought that I would get so attached to an animal in just two short weeks.
I went into this understanding that it was strictly business.
Especially since I knew that at the end of my time with him, Nicholas would be going to his forever home to live his life happily ever after.

But the love we humans have for animals runs so deep.

Love is the basis of everything. Of life. And there are many types...
The love we have for our parents is one type. The love we have for our boyfriends, girlfriends, spouses is another. And the love we have for our children is completely different than those two.
All strong, passionate, and different in their own way.

But then there's the love we have for our 4 legged friends.

So strong that it can crack the hardest heart and let light shine through.
Or break your heart so deeply that you avoid animals all together out of fear of ever feeling that type of overwhelming grief again.

But it's so blissfully beautiful.
How unconditionally they love you back.
I mean, it's a love where you know they will never intentionally or accidentally hurt you or break your heart. It's the purest form of love out there....

Nicholas snuggled up close with me every night.

He ate popcorn and watched movies with me. He made me laugh so many times at how wild he would get to the point of chasing his own tail.

I hurt my back from sitting so still in my office chair while holding his fuzzy little sleeping body, head nuzzled in my neck, just so I wouldn't wake him up.

And it became a morning routine to open the dishwasher all the way as I was cleaning dishes after breakfast just so he could climb in and explore.
Every time.


One of the sweetest things about my time with Nicholas was witnessing his first look into the outside world. I perched him up on the ledge of the window and watched him go still as he felt the warm beam of bright morning sun. Then open his eyes to watch in complete astonishment a flock of birds fly overhead.

 Having lived in a cage with no windows for his whole 8 weeks of life, this was really moving to watch.
Not sure who enjoyed it more: Me or Nicholas
:)

So you can imagine the pain that overtook me this morning when we had to return him to the shelter. As I held him tight and gave him one last kiss on the whiskers, I felt my heart break into a million pieces and blanket the ground around my feet. This was my boy.

The way the tears rolled down my cheeks as I waved goodbye to his little face looking  back at mine behind the bars of a cat carrier, you would think I was at a funeral.

I don't know what this sweet boy's future holds. But I can only hope it involves lots of unconditional love and plenty of dishwashers to climb into. It would make my life to see him touch grass for the first time.

While my heart aches that I cannot keep him forever, Nicholas has been a blessing in disguise.
The shelter loved my photos of him so much, that they actually invited me to come on board as their photographer!

I started this past weekend and absolutely love every part of it. While I still get hit with heavy energy every time I walk into the shelter, as soon as I get behind the camera I'm able to let it go.
I'm doing this work to help these animals look their best and find forever homes.
Using art to make a difference. I would have never thought I would be that lucky.


And as I watched Mitch pull away to bring Nicholas to his next chapter of life, I called my mom to cry.
She said:
I always knew there'd be a Nicholas in your life....

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Before I sign off here, there's one more interesting twist to this story.

If you're an avid reader of this online diary of mine, you might remember that this past June I wrote about my 2 year anniversary trip out in the Blue Ridge Mountains.


And you might remember this moment....

Happy: "So, what did you write?"
Me: "Change the world and Save Animals"
Happy: "Give it 6-8 months and you'll be on your way."


7 months later:

27 in Heaven

Hi.
I'm 27.

And life really, truly feels like heaven....

I spent my birthday weekend in the Florida Keys.
I've got some kind of spiritual, past-life connection to that place.
It's such a strong draw - I don't think there's a way to put it into words.

And if you are thinking about visiting, one of my most popular posts 'Things to do in Key West' can be found HERE

I dream of living down there and spending my days rescuing turtles or photographing beautiful places and faces. I want to spend my evenings sitting on the beach singing to acoustic guitar with friends while drinking wine. Most of all I just want to be engulfed in that carefree Keys energy....

I pulled up to my favorite park, Bahia Honda, late in the evening one rainy night and began my sob story of why the park ranger should let me in for sunset photos even though they were supposed to close in a few minutes. His response? 

'pffff don't worry about it, just go in and have fun. We'll close whenever.'

I flashed him the biggest smile, and off I went.

You guys I'm 27. Twenty-Seven.
Saying it out loud makes it really hit home. But even though my youth is slowly slipping through my fingers, I feel so good. Physically and mentally healthier than I've ever been in my life.

I grow, change and evolve SO much every year.
I always get very introspective & reflective around the new year thinking: How will I ever top all of the adventures I went on this past year!?

Then things happen.
Sometimes planned, most of the time out of the blue.

My old soul comes out to play a lot and I love to think of things like, if you would have told me back in October - just two months ago! - that I would be turning 27 in Key West with a fresh coconut in hand.... I would've never believed you. Yeah right. No way. That's too good to be true.
I don't have the money. It's busy season at work, I won't have the time.

But then.......

 

So with that said, I want to share some invaluable life lessons I've picked up and thrown in my glass during my 26th trip around the sun.

Think less, do more.
Stop thinking of all the reasons why you can't or why it won't work and JUST DO IT.
Most difficult yet best piece of advice I've learned this year.

We may think we know everyone well given our connection through social media. 

But truly, you have no idea. There is always so much more behind the photos, the posts, the political rants...

Changing your diet can change your life.
I mean truly, it can. I have used food to heal a number of ailments throughout my 26th year of life and I can't harp about it enough. If you're dealing with a health issue and want to know of natural ways you can heal, email me. Obviously I'm no physician but there's no harm in having a little chat...

Going off of that, once you stop focusing on dieting to 'look good' and changing your diet to 'feel good'....only then will you be able to shed weight and keep it off.

Judging does absolutely nothing for you.  Nothing.
Besides create hatred and hostility inside yourself. As humans, it is hard for us to not jump to conclusions about someone based on their physical appearance, or the photos/things they share on social media. I do it every day but I'm quick to remind myself that Nope, that's not who they really are. Meet up with them at a quiet coffee shop or at a bar over some coconut rum and the stories you hear will make you question everything you thought to be true. If the conversation goes well you'll find there's a reason, a pivotal moment in that person's life, that makes them act, look, or be a certain way. Actually, once you really grasp this concept, you can live your days in peace with little work. It will be hard for any negativity to break down your walls.

Kindness will bring boat loads of abundance into your life.
Smile at everyone. Show extreme gratitude to everyone you interact with, every day. Baristas. Nurses. Coworkers. Cashiers. We go to the same Starbucks every weekend for our Saturday coffee, so we eventually got to know the store manager. His name is Wayne and he loves when I pretend to act offended by his red cups. HA. Anyway, we were there this past weekend and after I told him I was sad the coffee shop in Miami didn't have my favorite roast, he sent me out with a free bag.
Made my day :)

Manifestation is real and works.
When you notice your frequency (the energy you have inside) shifting to a lower level, such as feeling jealous or angry-- acknowledge it, then immediately do something to raise that vibration! Even if that means isolating yourself. I'm human and I get moody just like anyone else. Some days I don't want to look anyone in the eye. But I've found that when I go out in public and treat everyone I interact with, with kindness and respect...not only do they enjoy it, but it makes me feel a lot better too. I raise my vibration. And a lot of unexpected good things soon come my way...

Our smartphones are a blessing in disguise.
Excellent source of connection for social ties, getting updated on news, etc. But there is aboslutely nothing that can replace throwing your phone away for a night and laying around with someone you love with zero electronics. No phone. No iPad. No TV. Silence. Stare at each other. The conversations and emotional connection that come out of this 'technology isolation' are ground breaking...

Everyone that shows up in your life, has shown up for a reason.
Every single human interaction thrown on your life path was strategically put there to help shape & mold you into the person you are today and the person you are destined to become. Some people will be around for the long haul, others will blow away in the wind... Sometimes it will be immediately clear why that person was thrown on your path, other times, it can take years. Decades.
Trust the process....it will always bring you peace.

"This too, shall pass"
I don't know where it came from, but I would whisper that quote either in my head or under my breath during really rough times. In March I was realllllly sick...like... 104 fever sick. Horrible congestion to the point I could barely breathe, aching all over, it was dreadful. I was laying in bed one night unable to sleep because of this illness, in tears because I felt so awful. I hated that my mom was so far away because not only is she a nurse but she's my angel who makes me feel better with just the touch of her hand. I was just so sick and sad. I stared up at the ceiling fan and kept slowly repeating in my head 'this too shall pass...this too shall pass....'  until I fell asleep and woke up feeling a lot better. Call it what you want, but this mantra really helped me get by. I still use it today and plan on it for life. You can use it for anything...
Because like I said on my birthday last year, nothing lasts forever.

Never grow up.
Don't do it. Like that meme says, it really is a trap. Always play. Always joke around. Always laugh at inappropriate, immature things. Or my favorite-  laugh during really serious, 'grown up' moments...because none of us are getting out of this life alive. The only thing that should matter is love, and that is no flower child hippy speaking. That's coming from a human.

Concern --> Worry --> Anxiety.

Ahh yes. A recently learned life lesson that is going to help me so much throughout life. I have a problem with anxiety, but who the hell doesn't these days. The above quote has helped me tone it down big time.

So listen.
Anxiety is created because at first you were concerned about something. Then you thought too much about it, so you became worried. Then your beautiful, over-thinking brain kept churning and that worry spiraled into full blown anxiety.

Train your mind to stop at Concern.
You can have all the concern in the world for anyone or anything. But do not let it turn into worry otherwise you're destined for anxiety. My brother suffers from epilepsy and being 1,000 miles away it gives me great anxiety that I can not run to his apartment or meet him at the hospital when he has a really bad seizure. But I learned that I can forever be concerned about him because he is my brother, but I cannot let myself worry about him every day. Because even if I was his neighbor, there is nothing I can do to control his seizures. Therefor, the intense worry that caused my anxiety was completely unnecessary.
 So because I love him, I will remain concerned about him.
Nothing more, nothing less.

It's never too late.
To get back on your life path. To get back in touch with who you really are. To change your life.
To get back in touch with someone. To make huge life changes. To take up a new hobby.
To say sorry. To reconcile.
To say I love you...

 


When all else fails, stop and stare at the sky.
Watch planes fly by and daydream. Watch a storm roll through. Stare at the stars. Go somewhere way out in the country to see the milky way. And my god, watch a full moon rise. Life changing...

Most importantly:

TIME AND MUSIC HEAL EVERYTHING.

Signing off from South Carolina with love,
Steph