"I want to have fun. It's a beautiful life. You learn, you win, you lose, but you get up." Nas

Life is beautiful. 

I cannot say that enough. With every second--with every breath-- I am thankful for my life. I have been blessed beyond belief, truly. Sometimes a certain song, or a quote in a movie, a beautiful sunset, or an act of kindness just touches my soul and reminds me that I am certainly lucky to be alive. 

I don't want to waste one moment!

I've taken it upon myself to spend as much time with friends and family as possible before the move. I spent the day with my mom and aunt. We had a blast. While venturing around, I learned something new abut myself: without hesitation, I press my face against the car glass like a child every time I pass across the New River Gorge. There's something about being up there. On top of the world. 

I also noticed that when together, my mom and aunt have this child-like presence. They laugh carry on; they have fun and they don't care who's watching. 

And lastly, I noticed Rigby-- no matter how long I leave him locked in the bathroom while away (don't worry, I leave food, water, toys, his bed, bone, etc)-- he still greets me with the happiest, puppy-like expression. No grudges. 

So why don't we live everyday like that? Children obviously know where it's at. They get up early to play the day away, they have no worries, they don't let the opinions or wrong doing of other's get in their way, they are not prone to thoughts of inequality, race, or gender, they just live. 

After a while we will start to love others who have wronged us, because life is too short to have hat in out hearts. We'll learn patience, for good things happen to those who wait. All-in-all happiness is where we find it rarely where we seek it. 

Signing off for now to look at the stars, 

-Tabitha

“A man travels the world over in search of what he needs and returns home to find it.” George Moore

I was born and raised in a little town in the mountains of central West Virginia. It's a beautiful place full of opportunities for outdoor recreation: hiking, kayaking, hunting, fishing, and a ton more.  Though, I didn't always think this: 
I used to HATE where I lived. There isn't much to do apart from outdoor activities here, to be honest. My town-- with roughly 1,000 residents-- had a couple bars, a skating rink, a stop light, a couple stores, and a gas station. Mind you, I had yet to take up any interest in anything outdoors (that didn't come until I was in my last year of high school).
I always thought that somehow, somewhere fate messed up. I thought that I was supposed to live in New York City, or somewhere similar. That wasn't the case. I just felt like I was supposed to do something big.

Luckily, the adventure bug bit me. Like I said before, I started hiking my senior year of high school. It happened sort of randomly, actually. It had been a terrible winter and I just wanted fresh air, so I laced up my boots and hit the trails. Making it to the top of that mountain was so liberating. It was the feeling I had been missing all along. 

I didn't lose my big time dreams, though. I attended college for fashion design the following fall. The college thing was okay.. but I loved the new environment. I was 30 minutes from Morgantown (home of WVU- a huge party school), walking distance from tons of stuff, hiking galore, and there were malls within 15 miles each direction. This was the change of pace I needed. I loved going to the acoustic sets at local coffee shops, trying food from little cafes, hitting up bars for rock shows, etc. I slowly started falling in love with my state.  

I will miss my home, truly. But I need to follow adventure. Who knows? Maybe I'll be back someday. Maybe, I realize West Virginia is where I belong. Or maybe, I'll fall in love with Portland the same way I fell in love with my home state. 

To ease my feelings of homesickness, I've decided to make a West Virginia bucket list of some old and some new things I want to accomplish in the year until my departure.

1. White water raft the New River
2. See shows at Mountain Stage- Charleston and Morgantown
3. Eat my fill of Black Bear Burrito in Morgantown, Tudor's, Secret Sandwich Society in Fayetteville, and Joe n Throw in Fairmont before I leave. 
4. Have tea at the Greenbrier 
5. Go to an Appalachian Power game in Charleston
6. Go to a WVU game and sing my heart out to Country Roads
7. Do the catwalk under New River Gorge
8. Check out the cool bookstore I used to visit as a kid in Pocahontas County
9. Hike at sunrise
10. Camping trip with friends (and marshmallows) 
11. Have a beer at: 123 Pleasant St. (my favorite bar) in Morgantown, Big Timber Brewing Co. in Elkins, SSS in Fayetteville, Joe N Throw in Fairmont, and Wheeling Brewing Co in Wheeling after my 21st birthday.
12. Hike to the tallest point in WV, Spruce Knob
13. Visit the Festival of Lights in Wheeling at Oglebay
14. Visit the Roadkill Cook-Off and other local fairs and festivals
15. See the World's Largest Tea Cup
16. Get a WV tattoo 

tattoo sketch

I'm sure my list will grow the closer I get to moving, but I think this is a good start! 

Montani Semper Liberi

-Tabitha

"I think it's my adventure, my trip, my journey, and I guess my attitude is, let the chips fall where they may." Leonard Nimoy

A few days ago, my friend Jenna contacted me with a question: "Would you move cross-country with me?"  Without hesitation, I said, "YES!"

Jenna and I don't have a super long history, in fact we met a little over a year ago-- but we immediately hit it off. We were both entering our freshman year at a small college in northern West Virginia. There were several events planned for the first weekend on campus; one of which was an ice breaker game where all of the freshmen were placed in a large room on campus and separated by birth month. Of course I joined the other nervous January babies, and a tall blonde girl with a lip piercing stood beside me. It was odd meeting someone near the same height as me, for I typically towered over everyone at 6'1" tall. We introduced ourselves and were soon separated again. 
As the event continued, we were again facing each other. Though this time we were supposed to form a trust circle by sitting on the person behind us. I promised her I wouldn't actually sit on her, and she did the same. 
I skipped several events that evening, but decided to attend the movie on the lawn with a boy I had met earlier that day. While looking for a place to sit, I felt a tug on the bottom of my pants. It was the girl with the lip piercing and blonde hair. She invited us to join her and her friend from home, and she offered me gold fish crackers and cookies & cream Hershey's chocolate-- my favorite. Since then, we've had a great friendship. We were there for each other for everything from boys, and late night snacks to 3:00am trips to the library and family matters. We were inseparable.  

Though we parted ways physically when we both didn't attend college the next year, we've remained close, and that's where this journey begins. 

Jenna & I

Also joining us, is my rugged yet refined pup--Rigby. He's been my partner in crime, hiking buddy, and bed hog since I recently moved back home. He's a fiery Aussie with blue eyes and the most adventurous puppy spirit. Not to mention, he's super attached to me: I can't even go to the bathroom without his little paws reaching under the door and his blood-curling howl filling my ears.

Rigby on a recent hike

I look forward to sharing my new journey with you all, but for now this mountain mama is signing off!

-Tabitha