The "Happy" Jar of 2016

Anticipative. If you're anything like me, you'll be happy 2016 is over. This has been a tough year for all of us, and I feel like I've had my fair share of unhappiness. Nevertheless, for the third year in a row I've managed to find things that made me happy throughout the last twelve months, and have kept up my habit of writing each moment of happiness on little slips of colored paper and sticking them in a glass jar, so that any time I have a particularly bad day I can go over to my jar and remind myself that there is brightness in the dark. This could be a post where I describe all of the bad shit that has happened this year, but instead I'm going to tell you about some of the things that made that little happy bubble well up in my chest and force a smile onto my face.

This year has been the year of animals. From bringing in new animals into my own house to working with new and amazing animals at my jobs, I don't think a day goes by where I don't at least look at an animal, and usually I have my hands on an animal or two (or a lot more) throughout the day. I've also had the chance to work with a wide variety of exotic animals, not just domestics, which is pretty freakin' cool.

Of course, I wouldn't be me if I didn't travel this year. I'm actually currently finishing up my last trip of the year, so I don't know exactly how far or how long I've travelled, but rest assured that it's a lot. I think this blog reflects that!

I started travelling with Callie this year! I've taken her on a couple of vacations here and there, but this year I really kicked it up and started taking her frequently. She's an amazing little adventure buddy, and I am so happy she enjoys travelling just as much as I do. I also backpacked for the first time this year, and managed to backpack a handful of times throughout the spring and summer months. I hope to do a whole lot more in 2017.

I was able to tick several bucket list items off of my list this year, and visiting the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Univeral Studios, Orlando was one of them! I seriously almost cried when I walked into Diagon Alley for the first time, and Jared and I spent all day wandering around the park. It was amazing, incredible, and a dream come true!

Even better than the Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Jared proposed! Instead of almost crying, I did cry. You can read the whole story here, but in short, it was perfect and my fiance is amazing. He proposed with my wand while in Ollivander's Wand Shop at Harry Potter World. I mean, can it get any better than that?

Some of my happy moments from this year are down right hysterical. I mean, how many people can say they've had a goose just hanging out in their bathroom?? Yes, we put him there on purpose because we were tending to some wounds over a weekend. No, we didn't keep him. I *might* have wanted to, though.

I've been in East Texas for almost two years and it took me until just recently to see alligators! They are definitely out there but aren't as easy to see or as abundant as you would think, at least not where I live. I had to travel south and almost to the coast to see the giant reptiles in the wild, and I would totally do it again.

This one is very bittersweet. I lost my little love, Meeka, at the end of July and had a very difficult time grieving. When I was finally okay enough to do so without losing my shit, I made myself a photo book full of pictures of her, so I would always have her. It took a while for the book to be printed and shipped, but I was so happy when I finally got it. It now sits in a place of prominence in our living room. 

The majority of my adventures are planned out at least a week in advance, but when I had a three day weekend and couldn't go to my original destination I made a snap decision to go to Nebraska and visit my family. And I didn't tell anybody I was coming. You should have seen the look on my mom's face.

I broke my personal best distance record again this year (that's 20.42 miles, for those of you who can't read my handwriting)! I am even more happy about this distance, because Callie was right there during the entire hike as well. Hiking season in Texas has just begun, and I can't wait to get out there in the new year.

I am usually a positive person and am choosing to try to remember 2016 for the good things and not the bad, but I can't deny that the bad has affected me, either. With that in  mind, I will be up at midnight tonight to ring in the new year just like many others across the country, so here's to kicking 2016 to the curb and welcoming 2017 with open arms and an open mind.

A Snapshot and The Scoop: Go For It

Back in October Callie and I made a short weekend trip to Petit Jean State Park where I planned to hike and camp for two days. When I travel to a park I like to drive all of the roads and pull over at all of the shorter trails and overlooks, just to orient myself with the area. The Cedar Falls Overlook was one such place, where we walked down a smooth boardwalk to the edge of a cliff that overlooks Cedar Canyon and Cedar Falls. You can barely see the trickle of water that is Cedar Falls during autumn, and I overheard several people talking about hiking down to the bottom of the canyon in order to see the falls better. I knew right then that it was something I wanted to do, in fact, I had seen little specks of people at the base of the falls as I stood on the overlook. Not even an hour later, Callie and I were on our way down!

Leave me a comment below and tell me about a time where you saw something and just knew you had to go for it.

A Snapshot and The Scoop: Ocean Adventures

Callie's first trip to the ocean was a huge success! At the end of October I took Callie on a day trip to the gulf coast where we searched for and found alligators at Brazos Bend State Park, then headed up the coast right alonside the gulf until reaching Galveston Island State Park. Once there, we walked along the beach until we were away from a majority of the crowd, where I finally let my dog off leash, and she went wild. She loved  the ocean! So many smells and sounds and movement. She chased the waves then ran back up the beach as they came in behind her, she brought me shells and seaweed, and she wanted nothing more than for me to throw whatever I could into the water for her to fetch. We played on the beach for over an hour, and she never seemed to tire. I never tired of taking pictures of her either. This little dog has so much energy and is always on the go, and just makes me so happy. I can't wait for our next adventure!

Leave me a comment below and tell me about a time you took your adventure buddy to the ocean. Did you have fun? Did they?

A Snapshot and The Scoop: Bear Cave

Though the name of this cave indicates otherwise, there are no bears in Petit Jean State Park. At least, there haven't been bears for a very long time. A series of sandstone monoliths that are cracked and weathered to form passages and dead ends open to the sky, Bear Cave isn't really a cave either, though the passages do tuck in near the base so that it seems that there is a roof of rock over your head. The only thing I can really compare them to is The Joints in Canyonlands National Park, UT, where giant sandstone blocks cracked and weathered to form narrow slot-like canyons with sandy bottoms. Callie and I wandered through every crack and crevice, poked around in every dark hole, and climbed up the rocks (the ones Callie could climb, which is surprising). Even with no bears and no true caves, Bear Cave was pretty awesome to explore!
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Leave me a comment below and let me know if you've ever explored a place similar to this. Where is it?

A Snapshot and The Scoop: Up For Anything

Petit Jean State Park is a gorgeous park located in the Ouichita Mountains of central  Arkansas, and as such is a great place for a hike with your dog. Callie, my up-for-anything adventure companion kept pace with me on every trail we hiked, from a steep 200ft drop into a canyon to an easy boardwalk overlook. This dog just loves to go on walks, and I think she loves camping and adventuring just as much as I do.

Leave me a comment below and tell me about your favorite adventure companion!

A Snapshot and The Scoop: Turtle Rocks

My recent trip to Petit Jean State Park included several miles of hiking, and on several of the trails I came across groupings of these strange looking rocks. Comprised of soft sandstone, then raised, weathered, eroded, and cracked, mounds of this dark grey and tan rock look like the shell of turtles or tortoises, and signs near the grouping do indeed name them "Turtle Rocks." It was fun to wander among them, searching for the largest "turtle" in the group, though climbing on the mounds is discouraged due to the risk of erosion. Callie and I spent some time exploring before moving on down the trails.

Leave me a comment below and let me know if you can see the "turtle" namesake!

A Snapshot and The Scoop: An Alcove in Arkansas

My short adventure at Petit Jean State Park in Arkansas included a brief hike down to Rock House Cave, an alcove reminiscent of the sandstone alcoves that makes Mesa Verde National Park so special. This small alcove in Arkansas didn't house any adobe structurues, but it had its fair share of petroglyphs painted on the ceiling. It was dim in the cave, and you had to be looking in order to see the faint orange paint, but once you knew they were there you could see the ancient paintings everywhere. With the aid of a flashlight I searched the rocks above my head, picking out several deer, a humanoid figure, and many wavy lines. It was super neat to be so close to the petroglyphs, and refreshing to not find any graffiti or trash in the area. People really can appreciate their past, and it was good to see proof of that.

Leave me a comment below and tell me about a place you've been to where people respect their past, instead of trying to trash it.

A Snapshot and The Scoop: An Overlook

At the beginning of October I took off for a weekend in central Arkansas and paid a visit to Petit Jean State Park. After leaving the interstate I turned onto a curvy, winding mountain road, though one that flattened out as I approached the Arkansas River. That is, however, until I started to climb up this bluff. The road switchbacked tightly on top of itself and before I knew it, the road spit me out along the top of a narrow ridge, and the first entrance to the state park practically begged to be explored. Turning down the little road, it didn't take long to reach the small parking lot for the overlook and a picnic area. I leashed Callie and got out to check it out. The photo above shows you the view that greeted me on that warm autumn day. The story of Petit Jean is inscribed on a plaque near the edge of the overlook, and the legend states that she was buried somewhere on that bluff overlooking the river below. True or not, you can't deny that it is a beautiful place to rest.

Leave me a comment below and let me know if you've ever visited Petit Jean State Park. Did you stop at this overlook?