Oh, hi there. So, it seems as though I have grossly neglected my faltering attempt at maintaining a blog for a while now. What can I say, life kinda got in the way. After what has been an interesting first half of the year, I have found myself becoming more and more homesick. My initial excitement of moving to a new place and starting a new life has faded into an increasing longing for my city, my family, my friends, the rain...my comfort zone. I desperately miss greenery, culture, mouth-watering food, Friday crawfish boils, Sunday bar-be-cues, and so much more...so much so that I find myself complaining about everything that Vegas lacks, rather than enjoying what it does have to offer.
Aside from the fact that Vegas and New Orleans are both 24-hour cities that offer a plethora of entertainment and dining options, that's pretty much where the similarities end. I have said for a while that I often feel like a fish out of water out here - literally feeling like it's too dry to breathe, but what I keep forgetting is that was supposed to be part of this "adventure," discovering something completely different, subjecting myself to everything that is outside of my so-called comfort zone - and that's why I have decided to <try> to live my life with a new motto: Carpe Diem!
Of course, I can't expect the desert, or the entire West Coast for that matter, to be anything like New Orleans, and isn't that the beauty of it? Despite my seeming inability to find time to accomplish many of my loft goals (like learning to play the piano, losing 10 pounds, getting to the gym more often, learning a foreign language...you get the point,) I have decided that one thing I am determined to do while living in Las Vegas is to enjoy this region, rather than constantly longing for what I left.
It may come as a shock to some, but Vegas actually does offer a lot more than gambling: rock climbing in Red Rock Canyon, boating and swimming at Lake Mead, Hiking at Mt. Charleston, and much more. On top of that, other options are merely a 3-4 hour drive away.
The most ironic twist to this entire situation is that, prior to relocating to Vegas, my dream vacation was Vegas - even more so that Italy and France (which are my 2nd and 3rd most coveted vacations!) I guess that any place can get old quickly...if you let it! Every time I visit home, I regret all the things that we didn't do to enjoy the city on the days when we laid around feeling lazy, claiming there was nothing to do. There is always something to do - you just have to get out and DO IT! So, Carpe Diem, my friends. I know that I'll return to the city I love some day, but for now, I'm going to make the best of the city that I currently call home.
