Travels
Queen of Trades; Travel and Photography

We are hitting the slopes in Wolf Creek here in a few days. I'm excited to get back out in the powder and work on my skills as a snowboarder. 

Last year when we were at Wolf Creek I was able to stay up on a board for the whole run and even do the blues over there. it was wonderful and for the first time, I didn't feel too scared to try boarding. I felt pretty strong and found out that I am better on a twin board than I am on a regular board. For me, that was an interesting thing to learn and changed the whole game for me. Being able to switch from one side to another whenever I needed to was a way for me to keep upright. It's apparently not as common for people to be able to use a twin board which I found interesting and a little exciting in its own way. 

 

My least favorite part is the journey out there. Unlike last year I'm not in the area and I will be coming back home instead of traveling to a new location/area after we are done. I'm excited to get back on the board and give it a go and of course, to have an espresso at the top of the mountain with Dad. 

So here we come Wolf Creek. We will be shredding the slopes here soon. 

 

View this entry with comments (opens new window)
 


Recently I did a test for my new job. The test was to see if it would work in the van with the new setup I have for it. The answer came to a solid yes. I can work from anywhere again and it excites me to think that I will be back on the road enjoying the freedom to explore whenever and wherever while still being able to make money and afford this amazing life that we live. I want to go back to Vegas and explore more of the areas out there. I want to climb, hike, and get out in the amazing Red Rocks area. I also want to go visit nearby states and head back to Utah. 

Utah has been one my favorite states to visit and every time I go there I love it more and more. It has so many wonderful trails and it doesn't take long to get in complete isolation. It's perfect for those of us who just want peace and quiet. When we get back I know I will be ready to sit out by the fire and watch as the sky comes to life before my very eyes. Will it be as bright as it once was before we polluted our planet with so much light? No, but it will be enough for me to still enjoy the sky while we still see it. 

In another life, I could have chased the stars and been happy that way. Traveling all around the world to take pictures in remote places of the stars sounds like a wild and crazy dream. But for now will take my quiet time with the sky in the desert. With this job, this will offer me the opportunity to make more money while I am on the road and have the weekends off. This is a win-win in my case because then I get to go outside and not stress about times dropping on Saturday or Sunday just to make an extra buck. This job may be the door I needed to open up more chances to change my life. And man am I taking it by the balls and running with it. 

View this entry with comments (opens new window)
 

I hope everyone had a great new year and a great start to 2024. 

  2024 is going to be an interesting year and I have this feeling that it will be filled with interesting change. So far it has been a good start. I have officially settled into my new job and have set goals for what I want to do for the year. From now until September I will be doing a small amount of traveling and spending time with my father and my boyfriend. When September rolls around I will be doing my fourth half marathon and it will be the Smokey Mountain Half. Its in early September and if anyone is interested in joining in please sign up and come out with me on this beautiful course. If not cheer for me. It will be an interesting one. 

While I am preparing for that race I have small trips planned out. Going to Colorado to SNowboard here soon, going to P.A to visit my boyfriend's family and enjoy the sites, WIll be going to Nashville to enjoy a Passenger concert, Hiking in Glacier National Park to celebrate two years with my man, and so many other adventures. We will even be starting the planning for Peru, Scotland, and Ireland. Not all in one trip but two separate ones. I also have a new plan for my artwork now that my life has slowed down a bit when it comes to my jobs. My schedule is not longer so hectic and is manageable which I'm really excited about. The opportunities are endless and im ready to jump in fully. 

With this new job, I can now relax a little bit and move forward with what's needed. There are a lot of goals to achieve and I can't wait to see what comes my way this year. 

 

-----------

 

 

View this entry with comments (opens new window)
 

One of my favorite things about being out in the van is the ability to step out my door and suddenly be immersed by nature. It's refreshing after a long day of working away to just step back and take in the fresh air. When Lylah and I were on the road we often would pack the van up and go for a hike. Spend a few hours in the air enjoying the scenery and getting some movement in. She loved to run ahead and sniff the trail while I slowly made my way towards our "destination". For us it was peaceful. It was a step away from the real world and all its troubles. It was a chance to breathe in the air and live this life that we were given. 

 

For me its always a reset to the day. I never thought that I would be traveling as much as I do, seeing the world, and enjoying my life in the way I am today. Thirteen years ago I would have thought I'd be married and have a kid or two. I pictured what every woman probably thinks of at least once in their life. A picture-perfect home with a boy and a girl running around and the love of their life by their side. I thought that I wanted that and in a few years time my mind switched completely. I decided I didn't want to go to college, get married or even have kids. I just wanted to live my life and enjoy it. I wanted to be free (in whatever capacity I could have) and finally break out of the mold that everyone falls into. At 18 I started traveling to new places, staying at campsites, and just trying to get a sense of this world I was in. Slowly I traveled more and more. I took Spice with me to a few places, showed her little bits of the world, and eventually graduated to traveling overseas a little bit and mixed in trips with my father to see wonderful places together. Before COVID started I bought my Van, adopted Lylah and,  now I travel a lot in the U.S. I did my first 8 months in the van and I took a year off of Van life to get everything situated with my job. Now I'm here again looking at another 8 month's tour in the van. Looking at all the possibilities. 

 

It's funny how you can change an image of your life in such a short time. I went from a very shy, reserved, and mold-ready human to a wild, adventurous, and curious human. I'm not great with people and I can be a quiet human but I love the taste of adventure. I love being out and enjoying our world while it's here and I'm so happy to have landed where I am. Every day I got to step out of my van and see a new place, was a day that I treasure with all my heart and I can't wait to do that again and share more of those moments with those I love. 

 

View this entry with comments (opens new window)
 

2023-12-14 09:17 by Sarah Denninger
in Life Stories , 11 references
 

Were finally at a slowdown. 

Thank god. The last month or so has been a wild ride and has been super tough to navigate. Currently, I am working two jobs and I am trying to finish one job so I can keep the other. But it's been hard with the contract I signed for this new job. It also has been tough to get used to the tech side of this new job. Basically, I am tech support for QB which is good in that it pays more and I can work from anywhere but the bad news is that I have limited hours I can work. So it's been tough. I am waiting to see if I can move my contract with them now that I am getting more comfortable.

The plan is to go back to one job by Late January which is enough time to get some extra cash with both jobs, Quit the job I no longer want, and be comfortable in my new job. Honestly, I can't wait to have one job. It's a lot to go back and forth with both of these clients that I am working with. It's putting unnecessary stress on me and it just makes me dread the day ahead most of the time. When I quit the Job I no longer want then I can go back to doing more crafty things and finally experiment with artwork again and get back on the road with Lylah. 

I'm looking forward to going back to Vegas area, Exploring more of the wonderful state of Utah, Seeing more of Idaho in the spring, and finally making my way up towards Alaska. I have big plans and I can't wait to do them all. Gimli is in for a time of his life. 

---------------

For now, here is a piece of artwork that I hope someone will want to take off my hands. 

 

 

View this entry with comments (opens new window)
 

Main Navigation
See the full topic list

Visit my Online Art Gallery!

Make a Donation To a Beautiful Van-Traveling Artist (buy her some gas!)
Full-Text Search & Archives
Archive Access


View my Facebook Page!
View my Channel on Youtube!

Buy Mounted Prints!
Legal Disclaimer

The content on this site is provided without any warranty, express or implied. All opinions expressed on this site are those of the author and may contain errors or omissions.

All material on this site is Copyrighted by its respective authors; all rights reserved. Please contact us for permission to reprint or re-use.