Why We Took The Trip of a Lifetime
On Christmas Eve 2013, a wild seed was planted and rapidly sprouted. "Why NOT take a round-the-world sabbatical?"
As we gathered with our families to celebrate the holidays, we exchanged recent travel stories. We had just returned from 10 days in Ireland, Brian's parents had simultaneously traveled to Peru & Ecuador, and Lindsay's parents had cruised the Mediterranean earlier that year.
In Ecuador, Karen and Ron met a young couple (Mat and Megan) from Perth, Australia who were in the middle of a year-long RTW (round-the-world) trip. As we all compared trip experiences, the Aussies' idea captured our fascination... "Why couldn't we do that?"
We were both at a moment of career turning points and considering when to take the entrepreneurial leap, as well as contemplating when to start a family. We've each spent the past few years climbing the corporate ladder at large companies and spending all our spare time engaged with non-profits, business groups, and civic organizations. While those experiences were very rewarding and we feel like we accomplished a lot, that pace of life left little time for reflection.
As we weighed the decision, the answer became clear within 24 hours - we can and should do this! We had already developed a "travel bucket list" in our past moments of extreme wanderlust. Aggregating those destinations into one big trip instead of scattering them out over years or decades of vacations just seemed logical, and much more exhilarating!
In January 2014, we devised a savings plan to make it all possible and started cutting expenses and stockpiling money. After 14 months of planning and saving, we took the big leap and left our jobs. 2015 was an unforgettable year in which we learned so much about ourselves, each other, and the world around us.
Brian studied the urban fabric of diverse cities, learned how to make some wicked cocktails, and cleared his head while figuring out the next steps of his career.
Lindsay used her sabbatical to gain inspiration for her event planning company, Vivant Event Design, through the colors, traditions and lives of people around the world. She also enjoyed taking in God's beautiful creation without distraction.
Upon returning to the States, we decided to take another big adventure. Instead of settling back into our old lives, we moved to Santa Rosa, California in January 2016 to pursue new opportunities in construction and wedding planning, respectively. We are excited to explore the West Coast and see where life's journey takes us next!
As we gathered with our families to celebrate the holidays, we exchanged recent travel stories. We had just returned from 10 days in Ireland, Brian's parents had simultaneously traveled to Peru & Ecuador, and Lindsay's parents had cruised the Mediterranean earlier that year.
In Ecuador, Karen and Ron met a young couple (Mat and Megan) from Perth, Australia who were in the middle of a year-long RTW (round-the-world) trip. As we all compared trip experiences, the Aussies' idea captured our fascination... "Why couldn't we do that?"
We were both at a moment of career turning points and considering when to take the entrepreneurial leap, as well as contemplating when to start a family. We've each spent the past few years climbing the corporate ladder at large companies and spending all our spare time engaged with non-profits, business groups, and civic organizations. While those experiences were very rewarding and we feel like we accomplished a lot, that pace of life left little time for reflection.
As we weighed the decision, the answer became clear within 24 hours - we can and should do this! We had already developed a "travel bucket list" in our past moments of extreme wanderlust. Aggregating those destinations into one big trip instead of scattering them out over years or decades of vacations just seemed logical, and much more exhilarating!
In January 2014, we devised a savings plan to make it all possible and started cutting expenses and stockpiling money. After 14 months of planning and saving, we took the big leap and left our jobs. 2015 was an unforgettable year in which we learned so much about ourselves, each other, and the world around us.
Brian studied the urban fabric of diverse cities, learned how to make some wicked cocktails, and cleared his head while figuring out the next steps of his career.
Lindsay used her sabbatical to gain inspiration for her event planning company, Vivant Event Design, through the colors, traditions and lives of people around the world. She also enjoyed taking in God's beautiful creation without distraction.
Upon returning to the States, we decided to take another big adventure. Instead of settling back into our old lives, we moved to Santa Rosa, California in January 2016 to pursue new opportunities in construction and wedding planning, respectively. We are excited to explore the West Coast and see where life's journey takes us next!
Who We Are
Brian was born and raised in Clearwater, FL. He graduated from the University of Florida and Georgia Tech with degrees in Political Science, Real Estate, and Construction Management. He spent six years as a construction engineer in Tampa building large commercial projects. Brian has been involved in a number of community organizations, but primarily the Tampa Chamber of Commerce. His biggest interests are in public transportation advocacy and urban redevelopment. He has a severe case of wanderlust, a rusty grip on Spanish, and way too much outdoor gear.
Lindsay was born and raised in Palm Harbor, FL and received degrees in journalism and management from the University of Florida. She worked for the food mega-corporation Nestle for seven years all over the state of Florida. Lindsay's passion for serving the community takes its form in leadership roles with the Junior League of Tampa and other organizations that focus on helping children and improving education.
Brian and Lindsay attended high school together in Palm Harbor, but didn't date until they had both finished graduate school and entered the workforce. We re-met at a Christmas party in 2009 and felt instant chemistry. We dated long distance for 2 years - Lindsay in Jacksonville and Brian in Tampa - before getting engaged in 2011 and married in 2012. We love our historic neighborhood of Tampa Heights, the many dear friends we have in Tampa Bay, and our red Labrador, Nashville.
Lindsay was born and raised in Palm Harbor, FL and received degrees in journalism and management from the University of Florida. She worked for the food mega-corporation Nestle for seven years all over the state of Florida. Lindsay's passion for serving the community takes its form in leadership roles with the Junior League of Tampa and other organizations that focus on helping children and improving education.
Brian and Lindsay attended high school together in Palm Harbor, but didn't date until they had both finished graduate school and entered the workforce. We re-met at a Christmas party in 2009 and felt instant chemistry. We dated long distance for 2 years - Lindsay in Jacksonville and Brian in Tampa - before getting engaged in 2011 and married in 2012. We love our historic neighborhood of Tampa Heights, the many dear friends we have in Tampa Bay, and our red Labrador, Nashville.