Spooky Stories

Published on by Mariana2 Comments

Happy Halloween single reader!

I love Halloween because it means the holiday season has officially begun. And I always get myself into the spirit by spending way too much time reading scary stories and giving myself nightmares. I have a bit of an overactive imagination and because of that I limit myself by only indulging my morbid curiosities during the month of October. So since I’ve spent the majority of this month sleepless anyway, I figure it’s about time that I share with you some of my spookiest stories. Continue reading “Spooky Stories” →

Unoriginal

Published on by Mariana2 Comments

Man how time flies! I’ve been meaning to write this post and many others for more than a month now. I can’t believe October is almost over. Today will be exactly 2 weeks left of work for me here at beautiful Mesa Verde. Continue reading “Unoriginal” →

This Land

Published on by MarianaLeave a comment

On a recent hike just outside Telluride, a sign at the trailhead greeted me:

“We are each one of us stewards of this land”

I enjoyed the thoughtful reminder, and thought you might too.

Aztec Ruins

Published on by Mariana5 Comments

The GRE is done! Horrah! I’m still waiting on the final scores but I can’t tell you what a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. So when it came time to decide what to do with myself this past weekend only one thought came to my mind: new. I want to go someplace new. Continue reading “Aztec Ruins” →

Total, All Encompassing Fear

Published on by Mariana2 Comments

I have conquered a lot of fears since I moved out west. The move itself was incredibly terrifying – setting myself up 2,000 miles from my nearest friend, in order to teach people about a wilderness of rock I knew nothing about. Since then I have scaled thousand foot cliffs and crossed crevasses too deep to see the bottom. I’ve done yoga on top of an arch and manned a 4-wheel-drive vehicle in the backcountry. I’ve climbed waterfalls, hiked solo, and can name every rock layer in southeast Utah. I’ve learned to smile at strangers and make friends of enemies. I even bought a plane ticket and trekked across Spain on my own. They say the two most common fears amongst our population are fear of public speaking and fear of heights. I surmount both on a daily basis as I give presentations to groups of 40+ while scaling 30 ft. ladders and balancing cliff-side. Continue reading “Total, All Encompassing Fear” →

Attitude

Published on by Mariana3 Comments

Contemplating how happy I am these days brought me to the thought recently that attitude really does make the difference. This is probably not a huge revelation for most, and it wasn’t a totally unique idea to me either. What struck me though, is how easy it is for that thought to fall out of consciousness. Continue reading “Attitude” →

10 Months and 6 Days Later

Published on by Mariana4 Comments

September 22, 2011, in some ways, was the biggest day of my life.

It was the day I got on a plane to Spain. Continue reading “10 Months and 6 Days Later” →

Travel Bug

Published on by Mariana6 Comments

It was around this time last year that I bought my plane ticket to Spain. It’s been eight months since I’ve been back, and lately the Camino has been constantly on my mind. I’m missing it. How could I not? The experience was so incredible. But I know it can never be remade. Even if I walked the trail again, it wouldn’t be remotely the same experience. Continue reading “Travel Bug” →