An Intro, 2 weeks until departure....

To begin with, I suppose I should dedicate this blog and in doing so, make the commitment to keep up with it and not let it fall by the wayside as so many other things tend to do in my life. It should come as no surprise to anyone reading this that "Seeing Me" is dedicated to my Mom - Sarah C. Bayrd - the ultimate traveler who inspired a passion for travel in both me and my brother, who made us the people we are today, who left us much too early and who we miss daily. 

Why is the title of this blog called "Seeing Me".  For those who read this not familiar with my Mom or her "Bayrd-isms".....she used this term in reference to Movies/Concerts, Restaurants/Food, Places/Sights, Experiences, etc....but often in the "negative".  A prime example...

Anyone: Sarah, why don't we try something different for dinner tonight?  How about Sushi?
Mom:  It'll never "See Me"!!

Scene:  The trailer of some awful Kate Hudson/Ashton Kutcher RomCom....
Mom:  Won't be "Seeing Me"!!

In honor of one of my favorite Bayrdisms, this blog is titled "Seeing Me" referring to all the wonderful places, museums, sights, sounds, tastes, etc. that will most definitely be Seeing Me on this incredible trip - the "squared" part is for my Mom.

This trip I'm about to embark on is one I have dreamed about - yet it has taken me to the age of 33 to make it happen.  Life is comprised of a series of choices - I was reminded of that simple truth yesterday as I organized the copious file folders which kept my mother so organized.  I found one called "Mom's Story".  In it was an interview conducted by a Vanderbilt PhD student completing her research about teaching methods, etc.  In the interview, my Mom speaks about a choice that defined her adult life.  In 1971, she traveled to Europe with 2 close teaching friends - Anne Stuckey and Marcia Bowen (hi, Mrs. Bowen!!!) and upon her return, decided that she wanted to live and teach abroad.  She applied to the Department of Defense and was rewarded with a thick packet in the mail (we all remember the Thick - with a capital "T" - packets arriving from colleges, right?) - and got so excited, hoping to see Germany or some other country in Western Europe as her new teaching home.  Instead.....it was Guam.  Guam?  All she could remember was Guam's significance in World War II....Guam??  It was a great offer and she needed to let the DOD know by the end of the year if she was accepting the position or not.  Well, right around that time - at the beginning of December - she was fixed up on a blind date by her friend Marcia Bowen (again, hi Mrs. Bowen!) with a young man named John W. Bayrd.  My mother writes about the decision as "Guam-John, John-Guam".  My presence in the world 6 years later is proof of the choice she made.  She remained in Franklin, married my dad, produced me and my brother and went on to have one of the most illustrious teaching careers that ever was - this is not an exaggeration.  There were more people at her Memorial Service than many Heads of State...over 800.  Yes, I'm bragging -  but that is because my Mom never would.  Back to choices, though.  She always used that example  - John-Guam/Guam-John - when explaining to "kids" that choices define who we are. 

How does this tie back around to me and what I'm doing now?  I did not do a Study Abroad while in college - a choice, albeit a poor one, and one my Mom NEVER let me forget.  I, then, did not choose to take my Uncle up on his college graduation gift of a round-trip ticket to any European city of my choice (but don't worry, I cashed that gift in 5 years later in 2009!!).  Instead, I CHOSE to move to Portland, Oregon - and I have NEVER regretted that choice.  However, joining the working world, makes one beholden to a company's vacation allotment - and even though Sodexo had a good one, it was hell trying to get the 2 weeks to go to Europe back in 2009.  After November's tragedy, life felt short...for the first time.  And upon evaluation, I realized that my only regret in life is not doing the Study Abroad - so, I hatched this plan to quit my job, get Europe out of my system and erase my only regret.  And here we are...2 weeks from departure.

I cannot promise that I will write this blog faithfully as my Mom would....but I will certainly give it a try.  Especially after the encouragement I received from my beloved friends in Austin (Rachel, Keith, Kyle, Tammany and Christopher) - this has been foisted upon the world because of you all.  Happy Reading!!

More to come soon....