...and it begins...

I can vividly recall the exact moment in 5th grade when, which perhaps was the first time, I decided I wanted to grow up and fully "live".

It was during an assembly, sitting in the first row of the uncomfortable wood bleachers in a packed gym. I must have been 9 or 10 and spoke little English. I had been in the States for less than a year and a translator assisted me with the monumental language barriers through out the day.

I understood bits and pieces of what the presenter; a tall, handsome and well built man narrated, nevertheless, his presence and demeanor were effectively communicated. Words were definitely lost in translation, but the impact he left in me was not. 

While consciously his message of being someone, inspiring others, being good to oneself, and the cliché living every day to the fullest was not always  present, I believe it constantly, unconsciously remained in the back of my mind. 

Now, at the age of 27, it has become apparent that his message resonated and evolved. It became essential to who I am. 

I am a "do it all." I am the "I love to have fun!" I am the "laugh til you're crying" and the "don't stop and give up!" I am the "lover of memories, a moment and a good time." I am a fool and a thinker and a smart-ass most times. 

So it is with pleasure, gratitude and humbleness that I begin to write...