"I Go To Seek A Great Perhaps"

"Francois Rabelais. He was this poet. And his last words were, 'I Go To Seek A Great Perhaps.' That's why I'm going. So I don't have to wait until I die to start seeking a Great Perhaps" 
                  -John Green, Looking for Alaska

    Well, here we are. My first official blog post! Although I love writing, my sister Layne has set the bar pretty high when it comes to these things, as those of you who followed her posts about both Dad's and Mom's battles with cancer can attest to. However, I am hoping to do my blog justice in my own way by bringing some good 'ol humor (aka sarcasm), eloquently detailing my travels in hopes of spreading travel envy, and, last but not least, posting some pretty epic pictures. 

     Which brings me to why I'm here: similar to the poet Francois Rabelais, I, Kristen Leigh Alexander, am going to travel the world in hopes of finding my "Great Perhaps." Upon hearing about my trip, people have asked me why (or how) I could give up teaching, something I am beyond passionate about, for an entire year. To be honest, it's never something I thought I would have the courage to do; and yet, I'm not the same person I was or who I envisioned myself to be. Although I have a plethora of support behind me (#squadgoals) my inner circle is now down the 2 most important people a girl can have, and that makes me feel...well, lost. 

       All of my belongings are now in storage, and my fur-babies Khal and Daisy are being taken care of for the next 6 months by the absolute cutest family-- the Russnaks! Shelly, Jay, Sebastian, and Hensley are already doing an amazing job taking care of the dogs, as 
well as giving me daily updates and pictures of their fun adventures together! 

Hensley giving treats!

New best friends

Worn out after a long day of swimming

     I miss them a ton, of course, but know they are in good hands :)

I spent the last week in South Carolina with my boyfriend, Will, and his family at their house on Kiawah Island, aka the most beautiful place! The island is a golf lover's dream (thinking of you, daddy)--amazing courses on such a pretty back drop. The 2012 PGA Championship took place here, as will the 2021 PGA Championship. There's not a single street light on the island so at night you're able to see so many stars! It makes it so peaceful and extra special.  Here's a picture of the house! (I'm obsessed)  

               The entire island is covered in trees like this...basically the opposite of Arizona. This is the street their house is on and i LOVE it 

   I was lucky enough to convice Will to take us to Boone Hall Plantation, which is about 30 minutes outside of Charleston. I'm such a history nerd, and after reading (yes, reading) Gone With the Wind for the first time, I became enamored with plantations and this particular one was on the top of my bucket list. 

Mile long driveway up to the main property--lined by pecan trees and spanish moss. The pictures don't do it justice...these trees are MASSIVE.

It is the oldest working plantation to date in the US, and still has many of the original foundations in tact, such as the slave shacks: 

  

This is the actual house itself. GORGEOUS. It is also featured as Allie's family's summer home in "The Notebook" AND where Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively got married in 2012. 

                                             

     This is on the side of the plantation--peaceful and beautiful spot overlooking the water :)
                 
The next day I tried--let me rephrase--dominated at my first go of CRABBING! Obviously I had never been before, so Will had to show me how to get set up. And by that, I really mean he did it all so I could take pictures. Thanks, babe! 

                                                       Step 1: Pick a good spot        

                                           Step 2: Have boyfriend deal with raw chicken

                                        Step 3: Tie chicken to bottom of net! 

Step 4: Put your net in the water and wait *patiently*, but while taking note of....

NOT EVEN JOKING, this gator was coming after us like we were Chubbs from Happy Gilmore. He even came so close and took the bait out of Will's basket! 

                                He started far away (this is with a ton of zoom) but soon...

                                  This is with 0 zoom! He was really just a few feet away. Ah!

After about ten minutes of waiting, I CAUGHT A CRAB! I was so excited because let's be honest I lack all basic skills when it comes to just about anything. I texted Layne to tell her and she replied, "...were you trying to catch a fish?"  *rolls eyes*

                                  Look at this guy! I should be on Deadliest Catch or something. 

Even though "he's so tiny" and "there's not even enough meat to cook him" and "he's too small to be eaten" are the replies Will gave me to my *epic* catch, I know he secretly was just jealous because he didn't catch anything. So then I let us put him back in his home! No death for you today, my friend! 

The next few days were so relaxing. Will's parents are from Kentucky, and his mom is an amazing cook/baker...aka, I got spoiled--especially with her homemade peach cobbler (my mouth is watering just thinking about it). We also got to go out on the boat! 

                           It's named Southern Accent because they're from Kentucky..so cute! 

                                                           

     Made it back from South Carolina to Dallas for a few days before heading to New York. Will lives about 2 miles away from where the shootings happened the other night and still cannot believe how much violence surrounds us. Many of you have told me to have fun but most importantly be careful while I am abroad, and I pinky promise I will try my best to stay out of harm's way! I sit here now at the gate waiting for my flight to take me abroad. It seems surreal that I'm finally at this point after months and months of planning--emotions are starting to kick it. Excitment, sadness, fear, anxiety, hopefulness, but most of all, I am feeling grateful for this opportunity.  

First country up is England...I hope you're ready to be reunited with me, Brits! 

   I'll post again within the next few days--if you look to the right on the screen, there's a spot where you can input your email and get notified when I post a new entry! 

Bye, America!