FIRST BLOG!

So, first blog, that probably no one will read for at least four months (except you baby). Well, countdown to takeoff began about 3 weeks ago when Nicole and I sat down and seriously began to set a date for when we'd get married. We've only been dating for, oh, you know, 5 years.
That's longer than most people STAY together.
Of course, it hasn't always been easy ... for her. I was young and stupid and we broke up several times because I'd either (a) take off for the other side of the world for several weeks or months (yes, I've done it before) or (b) ... I don't know, I was just stupid at the end of the day.
Anyway, we sat down and things got real. We always knew we'd get married and end up togther, shit we couldn't not stay away from each other. We're not those codependent type people who have to bomb the other one with phone calls and texts and are crazy. Conversley, we're EXTREMELY independent and have been long distance for about 95% of the relationship until just recently I moved to San Antonio, where we both now live, about 70 miles east of Uvalde where we grew up with each other.
Explaining the rest of our relationship and how great it's been and how we met, and grew up with each other, and how I was ugly as hell in 8th grade but she went out with me and was my first girlfriend (for a whole month), getting together after freshmen year of college, and all that is a book. And I'm not talking Dr. Seuss, I'm talking Tolkien.
POINT IS we decided that the best time would be about a year and half from now.
Shit.
That's close.
It's not that I'm not ready or am dreading living with her. No way, she's my best friend and I know we won't agree on everything but we'll be fine. Actually it's just that I want to take this trip. She's been with me long enough to know I start to get the the dancing feet and urge to get up and just go. And I'm not talking about some resort in the Bahamas. Screw that, those are for lameos. I'm talking JUNGLE, I'm talking DIFFERENT, UNEXPLORED, ect. Dangerous, wild, crazy. And sure, yes, I've seen Paris and Rome and loved it. I'm a history buff, comes from being a proud Texas history teachers son (i.e. best mom in the world).
Traveling isn't just great. It's a changing, evolving, learning experiment. I don't really know the best way to put it and it's pointless to try and explain unless you've done it, and not with your family or some crap like that I'm talking YOU, individual, maybe a friend or a few, going somewhere completely different. I fell in love with it when I was just 10 and was lucky enough to go to South Africa and Zimbabwe and hunt there. I've never looked back, through malaria in Malawi, knife fights in Morocco, being a broke bum on the streets of Paris, to running with the bulls in Spain. The world is a grand place and America is so consumed with PC, lawyers suing you, and laws on top of laws that we miss out on some good old wild craziness. We can't help it that we're developed but I think sometimes we're to damn developed.
I've been to Africa 5 times and I keep going back to that dirty craphole because I love it. I love it because it's so RAW. Jesus I love it. The people, completely poor just about the continent over, see clearer than most Americans. It's nothing really knew in a lesson of cultural geography, those who have nothing tend to see what's truly precious. Clean water, edible food and family values. I'm just blabbering now but I can't help it when I get started on the fascinating world we live in and how FEW people know jack about it.
So there it is - This August, I'm taking off to see the rest of it myself, at least as much as I can before I head home and marry the wifey. Don't misunderstand, it's not like this is one last hurrah before I go home and "die" (i.e. marry), Nicole is a traveling buddy who demands to run with the bulls and can't wait to go to the world cup (well, she'll go anyway, but more for the country and parties than the sport). But I can't deny looking at the fact than when I AM married I have more of a responsibility to be around my wife, I can't just leave for several months and live in a hut in India. Moreover, I don't think I'll want to. I'll WANT to stay at home, enjoy that time. And then how much longer before kids? I want to have a whole baseball team! You think I can just hop up and go with a bunch of screamers at the house? Nope. And again, I won't want to. But I WILL regret that I didn't take this trip.
Why not go now? Well because I'm in school and I need to get my finances in order. I went 6 months in Europe, Morocco and Israel before when I was 19 with 500 dollars, and I'm here to tell you that don't last long.
But in the mean time I'll regall the crowd with what's happening to plan it, my life in general, what I'm working on, ect. Take it easy and I'm crashing out.
Audios.