Time for sangria on the Mediterranean

It's that time for a vacation so we're heading off to the Netherlands and Spain for some relaxation. Although I think that relaxation is an understatement. We're fitting in a wedding, a high school reunion, three birthday celebrations, a journey to Barcelona to visit the amazing Crystal and Laura and to enjoy wine, food and of course: el sol sin la parte superior en la playa! ;)

I'm looking forward to heading off again although it's a short trip. Time has flown since it's already been a year since my world travel adventure. So much has happened that it feels like it's been years since I've been traveling. The whole journey became so life changing that it still surprises me with how it's made me view life. I'm really not going to go into details because some of it is personal nor do I want to bore you with all the details. I will say that I love having the separation of work and pleasure. That my career shouldn't be what drives me in life and that it's important to try new things, whether it be new foods (my mad cooking skills increase daily), new clothes (this is a biggie for me because I despise shopping), new adventures (cave rappelling is really fun) or new journeys (planning for the future).

I wish that American's were given more vacation time, I just don't think that ten days is sufficient for anyone. I either need to go back to school or move to Europe, wink.

• candlelit boat ride through Amsterdam's canals

• Barcelona's coastal art