I recently took a trip to Las Vegas, Nevada. I completely went out of my comfort zone in so many ways. I only had $100 for the entire week. I stayed with someone I barely knew. Whom I became very close to. I flew for the first time, and alone at that. I knew going on this vacation would be an eye opening experience, but I honestly had no idea just how much. I have been wanting to go out to Sedona to visit the vortex's and feel the energy they hold. I tried not to have any expectations of something powerful happening to me as I surrounded myself by them. I'm very glad I went into this with no expectations and allowing myself to enjoy every minute of everyday. My first full day there, I experienced the Las Vegas strip which was incredible. The people, the amazing architecture, the lights, the food, and the entire ambiance of the city. On friday, I picked up my teenage girls and headed out to Sedona. It was a four hour drive but was very entertaining with them in the backseat. They are full of energy and quite the characters. We got into Sedona late so I had no idea how beautiful it was until I woke up in the morning. When I walked outside I was awe struck!. The view was absolutely incredible. Deep Red Mountains surrounded us in the valley. The weather was perfect. We decided to go out to Cathedral Rock and hike. When we started our hike it said 2.5 miles..not sure if we took a wrong turn but it ended up being a 4 hour hike. Halfway through the canyon we ran into a hiker that was very familiar with the area and said if we kept going it would be well worth it. So we trudged on. It was very hot and dry in the desert heat but I had been waiting over 10 years to venture here and was not stopping. When we finally reached the top of the mountain the view was so amazing I'm at a loss for words. The colors of the mountains, different shades and the trees was surrounding us. I could have stayed up there forever..If only I had more water!! Needless to say we only brought one bottle each which later realized that was a HUGE mistake. By the time we reached the bottom of the canyon I was damn near crawling back to the car. My mouth had never been so dry in my entire life. My skin felt like an alligator. On our way back to the hotel I started to get a headache, and my 13 year old already had one throughout our hike. We stopped for Alot of water :) Soon as we got into the hotel I crashed on the bed and began to feel sick. I unfortunately got heat stroke and was very dehydrated. I think I lost another 5 pounds, which I so can't afford. My friend, went and bought me some fruit cause I couldn't keep any liquids down and I ate a full bag of grapes. I woke up feeling much better, thank god! I wasn't able to see a sunset in Sedona but I experienced a sunrise :) We walked around the city and went into one of the many Art Galleries Sedona has to offer. I was blown away with the beautiful artwork made out of recycled material. I met an interesting woman named Ritza there. She had a very interesting life story to tell, and took to me in an odd but very comforting way. She felt compelled to give me her address and information and said if I was ever on a journey and needed a place to stay to give her a call. I felt a connection with her that is hard to describe. I feel like we meet people for a reason and plan to stay in contact with her. Who knows, maybe someday I will find myself on a journey back to Arizona and need a place to crash. So we left around noon to head back to Vegas. I felt kinda sad to leave. I definitely could have spent more time there. I had a great weekend with a new friend and my little girls, that aren't so little anymore. I thoroughly enjoyed their company. Last night in Vegas we went to the other side of the strip and then headed to the old strip on Fremont St. My eyes were buggin outta my head there was so much to look at it was a virtual overload. We gambled a little in each Casino and I won a bit which was fun. The slots were so old in one place I got paid in nickles :) During my two visits to the strip I saw a lot of homeless people and felt compelled to take pictures of them. But I didnt just want to take their pictures I wanted to know their stories, of why they were there and what happened to them to put them in that predicament. I then realized that I wanna be a Photo Journalist. I enjoy writing and telling stories and photography. After taking many different classes in college and changing my major a few times I finally realize this is something that really moves me. On my plane ride home I thought I would sleep since it was a 4hr flight. Instead, I ended up having a conversation with the man next to me the entire flight. We talked about everything under the sun and it was very interesting. He lived an amazing life and actually said that I had inspired him to start doing yoga. He also said I should pursue my dream because my pictures were incredible. That made me feel good coming from a complete stranger. I had a 3 hour layover in Chicago then hopped back onto my flight home. I ended up meeting another interesting man who told me he was an engineer and had no degree. He said its about the drive you have. He also said that he was thinking of a career change and talking to me inspired him to go for it. Life is too short not to go after the things you want out of it. So all in all I got exactly what I was in search of through this trip. It was an inner journey where I stepped out of my everyday life and experienced new things and figured out who I really was and not who everyone else thought I was or thinks I am. I got to know me again. When I came home, I felt unsettled. I didn't feel the inner calm that I felt when I was out there. I can't place it just yet. I am thankful for this experience and will carry the memories for the rest of my life. Not only did I have a handful of special people touch me in a way that helped me, but I also touched them in some way. That is what life is about. Inspiring others to look within their-selves and not holding them back or putting doubts in their heads about who they are or what they inspire to be. Now, my journey begins.....
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