It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Kimberlee!

Let's talk about one of the best days in my life. 

It started when I met this incredible woman named Maggie. She is truly a badass woman, and she is super nice. She is a pilot and flight instructor. I never anticipated that she would ask me if I'd want to go on a flight, but she did, and of course I said yes.

Flying over my hometown in a tiny plane has been a bucket-list item for me for a while, but I thought it was something I would experience later in life, if ever. I am so lucky. 

I had never even been to our small airport before. We met in the parking lot and I followed her in my car out to her hangar (how cool is that? She has her own hangar!). She helped me into the plane and gave me the rundown on what we'd be doing, and so it began. 

She went through a whole flight checklist and started the engine. She had warned me beforehand that the plane might not start right away because it's old and also might need to warm up. It sounds a little sketchy, but it started right away. Next thing I knew we were on the runway and then in the air.

So many people have told me they would be scared, but I wasn't at all. I was just excited. 

We flew over the mountains and saw a nearby town, and I could not believe how many trees there were everywhere. Thankfully we have had some rain this year, because everything was lush and green. It was incredible. After that, we flew to the coast and saw a lighthouse, and followed the coast up north a bit. The waves were crashing into the bluffs and we tried to spot whales out in the sea (we had no luck).

The weather was perfect, and the coast looked beautiful. I started recognizing places I had been, and it was so cool to see it from that perspective. After the coast we headed back home over the mountains, and I saw one of the most incredible sights I have ever seen. How lucky am I to live in California. Sometimes I forget that. 

What I saw was a familiar town to my left, a smaller town ahead, and my town to the right. In the foreground were mountains and trees, and in the background not one, but two lakes. All of these locations familiar- my home. I hadn't realized how close together everything was. While I could see all of these places ahead, I could turn my head and still see the ocean behind me. I cannot even put into words the feelings I was having. I was in awe. 

After an hour and a half of flying around, we came back. Just before landing, we flew over my house. It was the perfect end for the flight. For the rest of the day I was riding an emotional high. I am so lucky to live this life. I am so thankful to know so many wonderful people like Maggie. I cannot thank her enough for that experience.

You'd think that is where the fun ended, but then I went on a date and got Thai food (yummmm). It was the perfect day from start to finish. Good food, good people, fun adventures. I couldn't ask for anything more. 

The Career Path to Happiness

I have too much to tell you. Where do I even start? Do I write this in parts? I suppose I will start with this- I am doing very well right now. 

I have struggled a lot since I moved back to the US, and I feel like I am finally in a good spot. I am happy. So how did I get here?

I realized somewhat recently that my constant struggle to find happiness was actually the very thing keeping me from being happy. For so long I was trying to figure out my next step in life. Do I go back to Germany? I was happy there. Maybe I will only ever be happy like that in Germany. Maybe I will never be happy here in the US. But if I move back to Germany I will be far from my family, and I will have to deal with my growing health concerns alone. So maybe Germany is not the answer?

I felt torn for so long. I needed to figure out specifically what I wanted in my life. So I came up with a list. 

I need good healthcare. I do not ever want to worry about my coverage. I need a career that does not take up all of my energy, because I do not have as much energy as able-bodied people. I need it to also interest me, and makes me feel like I have a purpose. I need to be able to travel. I have people I love all over the world, and I will not ever be happy if I cannot visit them. I need my own place to live. I need a group of friends my age who I can spend time with regularly. These things are necessary for my happiness. 

I figured out how to check those boxes. I want to be a high school teacher. I will have healthcare, time off, and a good enough salary to travel and eventually get my own place. The goal is to eventually teach Spanish and/or German, but for now I just want to get my foot in the door and start on my credential. 

For the first time in the last two years, I am truly excited about the future. I used to tell people I had xyz planned for my future, but I never really felt confident in those plans. I would be excited but also filled with dread, always questioning if I was making the right decision. I feel no dread about this decision. I feel lighter. 

I'm nervous about it of course, but I am mostly excited for what the future holds. Since I have decided this, I actually started putting in more effort to meet people. I have made a ton of new friends, and it's actually been quite easy. It almost feels like people can sense this new confidence and joy I have, because people have been coming up to me more often too. Also, for a while I was hoping to fill the void I felt with a relationship. It was not happening. It turned out that I had to fill that void myself. I had to find joy within myself. I had to work on what I wanted alone first. 

Now that I am happy with who I am and excited about my own life, I am actually having success dating too. It's kind of amazing how life works. Once I stopped looking, something found me. I'm not going to share too many details right now, but I am letting life happen and am enjoying the ride. I will be sure to update you all as time goes on, both regarding dating and my very exciting future career. 

Until then, lots of love and hugs to everyone.