The End, or Begining.....

First of all, yes, the Challenge is over and I did complete it! Or well, most of it. I (stupidly) took a job that last week of the challenge that took over my life and was the hardest dang thing I've done. I ran the half marathon but did not do the triathlon as I had to be in Ennis, TX for that crazy job. I learned many valuable lessons, like the word "no" that I will go into more details about in a later post. In the meantime I will be posting photos of my last weekly adventures in New Orleans and Dallas.

Weekly Adventure: Enchanted Rock

When I'm traveling out of this glorious state (or country for that matter) people will inevitably find out I'm from Texas, usually because I've dropped "y'all" into a conversation. The first question they ask, after telling me how they feel about George W. Bush and telling me where to stick it is, "do you ride a horse?" After politely telling them that I am from an actual city, where we have real cars, paved roads AND stop lights, I try to describe the variety of landscape we have here in Texas that does not include horses. For the record, I hate horseback riding. It’s not that I hate horses; it’s just that I don't trust them. They are bigger and stronger than me AND smarter, why the hell would I put myself on their back and at their mercy? That’s just asking for trouble if you ask me. I’ll pet them, while avoiding eye contact, feed them a carrot and then go play with an animal my own size. Something that does not have the power to break both my arms, legs and back, like a goldfish. But I digress…

One of the many things I love about my home state besides rattlesnakes, Republicans and Houston is the wide variety of landscape. Granted, sometimes you have to drive 10 hours clear across the state to get there, but still, Texas has it all. We may not have the most amazing mountain views (I’m talking to you Colorado) or the most pristine beaches (Florida has got to be good for something; otherwise no one under 65 would ever venture there.) Texas has a little taste of it all, a smorgasbord if you will, of mountains, deserts, plains, rolling hills, big cities, small towns, coastline (367 miles of it to be exact), numerous rivers, lakes, streams, bayous (Hi Beaumont!) and many other things that give this state it’s larger than life reputation. Or maybe that is just the people. Either way, there is more to Texas than just horses and the people who rode in on them. 

Last week, I finally ventured to one of these spots that make the landscape here unique: Enchanted Rock. Enchanted Rock is a state park with a giant pink granite dome (and other rock formations) peeking out of the tree covered hills.  It’s located in the heart of the hill country 20 miles north of Fredericksburg and two hours west of Austin. It's an easy day trip away which is why the place gets so packed on the weekends apparently. And cheap too, entrance fee is $6 per person for day trippers. My friend and I (both being gainfully funemployed) drove up on a Thursday afternoon so we could avoid the crowds and climb the rock during “magic hour” (the last couple hours of light before the sun sets). It was a warm, sunny and gorgeous spring afternoon. After wandering around a bit trying to find the right trail, we headed up to the summit which is a steep hike but totally doable, especially if you actually stay on the marked trails the whole time. There are multiple trails in the area, we just took the main one up to the top. We took a “creative” way down and had to climb over a few boulders, but that made it that much more fun.  Plus, we really had to something to earn the beers we stopped for in Fredericksburg before heading back home.  The view on top of the rock was incredible and the pictures really don't do it justice, but they are still quite perty if you ask me.

 

Trying to find the summit trail

On our way up the rock

View from top of rock, there are people on that other one too

Shawn on the edge of the world

Prickly pear on the summit

Magic hour

Shawn is really strong

As am I

Colorful moss on a boulder

The boulders we climbed down

Deer on the summit at sunset

Sunset

Money Monday$: Crazy Thought of the Day & What to Do Next

So I've paid off over half my debt in a year, and have $21K left to go. How long will it take me to pay it off? Well, that depends on what I do next. I am on track to pay off my car in the next 3-4 months and would love to knock out the credit card before the end of the year as well, which I think I can do. In an ideal world I would pay off the student loan and be totally debt free by the time I turn 30 at the end of the year. BUT there are a few key components to my life that need to be sorted out first...like getting a job or finding a "career" or just saying screw it and taking off on another adventure.

My BFF and I often have conversations that start with “Here was my craziest thought today….” and boy do we have a lot. Right now, the crazy thoughts in my head sounds something like this:

“You’ve just made some extra money in Oklahoma, what are you going to do? Take a trip to Costa Rica and learn how to surf, obviously! Wait, no, you should just go to the Bahamas and lie on the beach and drink fruity rum drinks! No, no, no, you are on the Ramsey get the hell out of debt plan and need to pay down on your car, then your credit card and finally your student loan. Then 6 months of living expenses and start an IRA. Oh don’t forget about life insurance somewhere in there too. Screw paying off the car, sell it! Pay off the loan, pocket the extra money and go to Costa Rica, then the Bahamas and maybe Asia! Now, now Kate, you should really settle down and get a real job, maybe find a career. You know, figure out your life. Get some actual reliable insurance and a 401K. Most of the people around you are settling down and having babies, aren’t you ever going to do the same? COSTA RICA!!! Go teach English in Thailand! Bike across Cambodia! Get a job. You made some extra money, but not THAT much. Calm the **** down, continue the 100 Day challenge and keep writing, thinking and dreaming. You’ll figure something out.  COSTA RICA!! Oooooh, didn’t you want to buy yourself a fancy new road bike?”

It’s amazing that I ever get anything done. If any of you ever wonder why I seem to change my mind/life/plans “on a whim” it is actually because I’ve been mulling it over for days, weeks or even months but haven’t verbalized it to anyone. Much of my time is spent analyzing the crazy thoughts and debating the best option for me at the time. Who? Where? What? How much will it cost? What do I have to sacrifice? What do I have to gain? What do you want to do? What should you do? Who is telling you that you should?  Who can I talk to about this? What does my BFF think? What is my ultimate goal? Do I have a goal? Will this bring me closer to all the fame and fortune that I am clearly seeking? 

Okay, that last one was a joke but most of the other questions are applied to the variety of situations I find myself in and options that I come up with.  Ultimately, I aim to make the best decision with the information I have at the time (and the money I have, or lack there of). I bought the Airstream because I was using it quite a bit while traveling for work at the time and not living in my apartment which I was paying good money for. When it turned out that I had steady work in Austin and was not on the road anymore, I sold it. Don’t get me wrong, I love the crazy thoughts that run through my mind. Many fun, interesting and good experiences have come from them, but they can be frustrating as hell to sort through to get to the good stuff.  

I’ve got an idea for the career direction I want to go in (I think, maybe, well, we'll see) but it involves some training and education, an internship or two, lots of experience and completely switching gears from the one I’ve been running on for the past three years. Film work is definitely hard, but it would be the easy thing for me to keep doing. I know film; I am comfortable with it and am confident in my abilities as an assistant production coordinator. 12 hour days? Unpredictable schedule? Random tasks? Coordinating crazy travel? Arranging meals for lots of people at different times? Dealing with a wide variety of personalities and egos? Sure, I can and will do it all but I don’t really want to any more.  It does not fulfill me. I am capable and good at my job (or so people tell me) but it is not good for me in the long run. The more film jobs I do, the further away I get from finding a career that fulfills me and allows me to fill the rest of my life with things (and people) that I love. Why would I stay in film? For the money (and the people, I do get to work with friends), but that isn't enough anymore. When I chase money, I am not chasing my dreams, even though they aren't clearly defined just yet, I know for a fact that my dream is not to work in film. So what is my dream? Question of the day my friends! I've been trying to figure it out during this 100 Day Challenge while still trying to pay down on my debts and not dip too far into my savings. On a recent day when I was particularly annoyed with my current "job" situation, I got this email from TUT (otherwise known as The Universe):

First, choose from the options that thrill you.

Then, choose the ones that also teach you.

And from these, Kate, choose the scariest.

Butterflies in your tummy are good,
    The Universe

Damn that universe! Always has something worthwhile, appropriate and timely to say. As soon as I narrow down my options I'll let you know, but in the meantime I'll be throwing all my nickels and dimes at my debt while trying to have a little fun and learn a thing or two in the process.

Peace, love and debt free dreams,
Po$$