Viva Las Desert : personal

You might remember my incredibly awesome jumping in the desert image from two months ago. If you don't, you can see it here: nevada 2012

I traveled to Nevada in early May to rediscover the reasons why I was about to quit my full-time job approximately two weeks later. Plain and simple. I had been questioning this decision quite a bit and luckily, I had this trip scheduled to see Maria. Well, it wasn't luck actually. It was probably one of the biggest blessings of my life.

Maria and I met in 2009 when I was just a kid who'd never really been away from home, was playing school for the last 17 years and didn't have much real life experience. It was at the Maine Workshops, under the beautiful and fabulous direction of Cig Harvey, that all of that changed. For the better. Maria took me under her wing. Maybe it was my dimples that convinced her or maybe it was the deer-in-the-headlights look that was often stuck on my face. I'm not really sure. But I thank God that she did. I went from a kid with a big dream to a girl with a plan that week [more on this soon!].

Flash forward three years and I'm about to make the biggest decision of my life. And I'm scared. I'm nervous. I'm questioning EVERYTHING. I feel like a lone person in a huge vast desert without a clue.

So I hop on a plane and go to the actual desert. To the home of this woman who knew me way back when and has served as more than a mentor to me. She's one of my dearest friends. She's my advocate as much as I am hers. She keeps me accountable to doing the work I've set out to do. She challenges me and makes me think. She's pretty much amazing :)

So we adventured. We sat by the pool and worked on our tans [I believe whole-heartedly that I was starting to develop that hopeless feeling that comes when there isn't sunshine for days... and thankfully, I was cured by the ever-present, ever-HOT Nevada sunshine]. We ate so many fresh fruits and vegetables. We spent hours gazing at Cig's first book. We took the girls, Mesa and Una, on daily walks. We told each other how awesome we looked in bathing suits. We sat by Lake Mead and ate trail mix. We ran early in the morning. And we took photos. Lots of photos.

I left Nevada with everything I had hoped to leave with and more. I left with a heart so full it felt like it was bursting with ideas and creativity and hope and love. Love for my family that I missed dearly, hope for this step I was about to take and really, nothing else mattered. I was stepping into an unknown place but with the knowledge that there were dozens upon dozens of people in my life just like Maria who were rooting me on. Team Syd all the way! T-shirts will be available soon ;)

I might never be able to repay this woman for teaching me and guiding me in an unspoken way that week. But I did promise to come visit again soon. The desert is constantly calling my name...

ps. A big huge thank you to Meg for meeting me and introducing me to the sinfully good Lollicup. I've been dreaming about it ever since! See you at WPPI in March, friend! Keep trusting the process and stay in touch :)

xoxo,
syd.
sydnee@sydneebickett.com
612.293.9096