Statue of Liberty

September 11, 2001 - Terrorists attack New York City's World Trade Center Buildings, and United States Pentagon, and likely The White House (but this 4th plane never made it to Washington). Eighteen months later, the United States would enter a "war against terror" and spend several trillion dollars over the next decade trying to establish democracy in Iraq and surrounding regions...so we think. I was 13 years old and had just woken up to get ready for school.

November 4th, 2008 - Barack Obama becomes the first African American President of the United States winning 365 Electoral Votes and 53% of popular votes. At the age of 20, this is my first time voting. It is also the year my generation received a wakeup call on multiple levels--our opinions count, this world is a mess, we must try to fix it.

The 2008 Financial Crisis - Major decisions, transactions, and financial panic took place throughout the year. Banks failed, the United States government took ownership of major organizations while providing support to the infrastructure of the nation's economy. In many ways we escaped complete disaster, but suddenly we lived in complete uncertainty. Will companies be able to pay employees? Where did all the money go? Who is responsible and what the hell happened!?! As a 20 year old college junior, I was studying finance and economics at the University of Oregon.

While each year was full of its own unique political, economical, and geological challenges, these are significant historic events over the past decade which shaped my education, understanding, and outlook for the future. These events will undoubtedly become chapters in the next generation’s textbooks, but it will be the many small events in between which are individually shared and understood through tweets read at the Library of Congress.

Disneyland Sleeping Beauty Castle

Traveling is like an addiction. You work hard, save your money, then splurge on beautiful destinations, luxury hotels, and fine dining. Add in some entertainment if you have any budget left and make it one of the best weeks of your life. Then you show up for work the next Monday, still recovering from jet lag and wishing your office cubicle had a beach chair, cocktail bar, and 4 inches of water to rest your feet in.

I will admit I am just 22 and the only thing I have ever paid for while on a vacation is the souvenirs I bring home. At age 5 I traveled to Disneyland and was splashed by orcas at Seaworld. When I was 9 years old, my family traveled to Hawaii. I visited Pearl Harbor with my dad and got stung by, what I could only guess was, a jelly fish while swimming on the north side of the island. We attended a wedding near San Francisco that same year and another one in Cincinnati, OH in 2004. During my senior year of high school, I traveled away without my parents for the first time. With a group of students from my marketing class and DECA chapter, I attended the 2006 Sports & Entertainment Marketing Conference in Orlando, FL. I had the opportunity to spend several days at Universal and an afternoon at Disneyworld. Being one of just 600 students from across the country to attend, I felt pretty special and took every opportunity to learn from the experience and professional speakers.

Putting it all in writing, I realize how fortunate I have been to gain all these wonderful experiences growing up. That was not even the end of it. In 2007, my family celebrated some major milestones with a cruise through the Caribbean. We stopped in The Bahamas, Jamaica, Grand Cayman, and Mexico. I could write separate stories about each location because they would be quite lengthy. Instead I will save those for conversation. The 2008 summer was my first trip to Las Vegas. Sadly, being just 20 years old I could do no more than watch the casino floor, and listen from outside to the bands play in various clubs and bars. We did not attend any shows, although the next time I go there I am definitely going to see something outrageously cool. Despite this minor set back, I still experienced the high class retail fashion stores, the miniature replicas of famous landmarks, and the escort representatives handing business cards every block. My favorite thing to do was quite simple actually. I swam and lounged by the pool for an entire afternoon one day.

Finally, my most recent travel experience was in 2009 with my girlfriend and her mother to visit family in New York. We flew in to Albany; I am hoping to experience the excitement of NYC someday soon. We stayed in a very old house on the edge of a beautiful lake and I enjoyed each minute of this getaway. It was nice to meet so many new people who were also excited about meeting me.

All of this was just the background of my travel experiences. The real question is what my dream vacation would be like. The answer is really very simple. A dream vacation is going somewhere you have never been before, and experiencing the location in a unique way with someone you love. Do your best to absorb the culture, admire the architecture, snap some photos for a scrapbook, and enjoy the way time becomes stretched as you live each day to the fullest.