When Life Hands You Lemons

It's been nearly a year since I posted to my blog, and frankly it was a long one. After the move to Las Vegas, I lost myself and lost my passion for life. I started graduate school last Fall, and frankly I think it was only because I wasn't sure what else I wanted to do with my life. After graduating from Slippery Rock University, I freaked and thought, 'Well, I can waste a little more time avoiding reality by going to graduate school,' but alas, that was a bad decision.

So after a grueling first year of graduate school, where I barely made a dent in my writing because I was more stressed than not, I decided to drop out of graduate school and attempt to find my passion in life again which means in less than a week I am headed back to Girl Scout Camp!

In the mean time, there were some fun parts of my past year that I get to update you on.

My best friend got married last Fall!

Wrexx was adopted into the family!

I tried my hand at being artistic.

New Year's was a hoot back in Wisconsin.

I learned how to change a tire in a -40 degree winter snow storm.

At least it was pretty out.

I spent time reminiscing the past while walking on the beach back in Wisconsin over the Winter.

I saw the Jabbawockeez perform at the Luxor.

Ashley came to visit!

My friend, and considered my little sister forever, moved in.

I played soccer for the first time in a while and made my team's only goal!

And best of all, I found a new passion in crossfit that allowed me to kick my own butt into shape while silently competing with everyone else, and having the best support system ever at Crossfit Mountain's Edge in Las Vegas, NV.

So it was a crazy year of new experiences and searching for passion in life. My parents also came to visit, as well as my best friend Katie from Pennsylvania. I got a bomb job at Mandalay Bay for a bit, but left so I can go to camp. My newest hope that I'll find myself at camp again and move forward in a career that I can always be passionate about. The search for adventure and life happenings is on! 

Look forward to a way more exciting post at the end of the summer from my escapades at camp and in the northern part of the Tahoe forest near Sierra City, CA. It's going to be a swell time of leading young girls in their own summer adventures of canoeing, hiking, camping, and eating s'mores. And in my own time, I get to hike, rock climb, paddle board, and so much more while being inspired by the great outdoors to relax and write. I can't wait to get to know my new camp director, and she has high hopes for my future in the camp world as I do. 

See you in August! Peace out, Girl Scout.

"Adventure is out there." Go find it!

The One and Only,

Carly K.

Date at a Wildlife Park

My fiance and I went to the Living Treasures Animal Park in New Castle, PA for a date today. It was surprising worth the money of $10 a piece. I think we were expecting something of a children's zoo, which I guess it was, but you can feed pretty much every animal that is there except for the big cats.

The adventure starts off viewing some flamingos, cranes, and a sloth. Then it's off to the races to feed as many animals as possible.

My fiance, Chris, feeding some baby reindeer

The alligator pond had food that you could toss to them, these suckers are quick on the jump!

Feeding a baby zebra!

The cute small aviary is full of parakeets and cockatiels that you can feed

Don't be afraid to pet the kangaroos, they love a good scratch; they also don't mind being fed by hand

Although you can't feed the leapord, this guy was cute and really fun to watch

Like I said, definitely a nice deal for this small place. They also sell giant buckets of feed and bags of carrots for $3.50 to feed the animals. One bucket of feed lasted my fiance and I through the entire park, plus some spare quarters for feed for the alligators and a kudamundi -- which was awesome since I've never seen one before.

The park also has buffalo, a big lion, giraffes, emus, ostriches, muntjac deer, and so much more that serve to entertain the child inside, or real children.

"Adventure is out there." Go find it!

The One and Only,
Carly K.

"Life's like a movie, write your own ending. Keep believing, keep pretending."

Here's a little background biography so you can get to know who I am and whose adventures you're reading about. I guess the first is that the title of this post is from Jim Henson, creator of Kermit the Frog, and it is my mantra.

My Family
I grew up with three older brothers, all of which I love dearly no matter the amount of times they farted on my face while growing up, popped off my Barbie doll's heads, and blamed me for them flushing Tinker Toys down the toilet (which were the best toys ever). But they have all inspired me to be who I am today and I am very thankful for them.

I grew up with two loving parents, where the only thing we disagreed on a regular basis was when and how clean my room should have been. We still don't agree, but at least now when I go home and blow my room up with the stuff from my suitcases, they just roll their eyes and shut my door.

I also grew up with two grandmas and a grandpa. My grandpa died when I was eleven, but he taught me that even if you are having a bad day, the rest of the world doesn't need to know. My grandmas have also shaped who I have become, my one grandma is all sass and can kick anyone's ass, now she has a cane and I am terrified. My other grandma is the sweetest woman on the planet with a deep love of chocolate. I like to think I'm a combination of the two, sassy but sweet, just like my mom.

My Education
I graduated from high school in 2009 in a suburb of Milwaukee.

I am going to graduate this May 2013 from Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania with a Bachelor's of Science degree in Creative Writing and a minor in Film and Media Studies.

I will go on to start my studies this Fall at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas where I will pursue a Master's of the Fine Arts degree in Screenwriting.

The Here and Now
I have been engaged for a year to my fiance, Chris. He moved out last Fall to be with me while I finish my studies and he plans to move with me to Las Vegas for my schooling. He is a mechanical engineer, he is pretty bright but very much a klutz. I had to drive him to the E.R. for a splinter he got while brushing sawdust off of a deck... he had to be admitted into the hospital for a few days and undergo hand surgery because the splinter was so big. And just a couple days ago he dropped a 45-pound plate from the gym on his toe. He stuck a needle through it today and it's been bleeding/draining since. I think he's going to lose a toenail.

Although he may not be perfect when it comes to life skills, he's my best friend and I love him. We plan to get married in the Fall of 2015.

And this is my life! I cannot wait to move with my fiance to Las Vegas and start a new adventure in our life.


"Adventure is out there." Go find it!

The One and Only,
Carly K.