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December 31, 2009

2010: New Year, Even More Adventures Ahead

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53683931-1I’m not a fan of New Year Resolutions. Though I love New Beginnings. For me, it’s a time of reflection, a time to take a long hard look at what/who is weighing me down, and what/who is lifting me up.  But most of all it is a time, though not the only time throughout the year, where I can really appreciate all of the people that have made this year one of growth, learning, and happiness for me.

My husband, with whom I celebrated another year of marriage and companionship, is by far on the top of my list of people to be grateful for. He’s the reason you even know me. He is my strongest supporter, my dearest friend, and really just an all around awesome guy. He and my kids have made this year a really, really fun one.

Oh man, my kids. Ok. Well. Love them. A lot. The 12 year old flourished this year. Somehow managed to be taller than me. The 3 and 4 year old. Pure terror. Yup. Others say that they are not. But they are. They have however, also gotten smarter, more articulate. This year they both learned to go potty and drink successfully out of normal cups and glasses and have learned to not run around like wild monkeys at restaurants. Happy and healthy, they make for awesome tax deductions and great stories, and quite a fun and interesting life.

My friends…wow. How blessed am I to have made such amazing new friendships this year. What’s even more amazing is that a lot of those friendships are with girls/women/chicks…and to boot, other Moms. Because honestly, I have not always been the mom/chick/women/girl’s friend type of person…but maybe, now, I kinda sorta am…or better yet, maybe there are way more cooler moms/chicks/women/girl’s out there than I ever noticed before…and they want to be friends with me…which makes me feel special. And the dads/guys/dudes…well, for some amazing reason, they’re all hot…and funny, and smart, and down to earth…which means that at any given moment, I could be surrounded by a bunch of really hot dads/guys/dudes…kinda like in  high school. What girl doesn’t like that deal?

My blog. Wow. Biggie. Still amazed that people read it…and super flattered that they keep coming back for more. Thanks. Really. It’s an awesome ride and I am glad you are joining me on it. To all who read it, connect with me through it, and want to work with me because of it: Thank you! You have really made this year surreal and incredible for us!

Last, but certainly not least, my home, my town, NYC. What can I say that I haven’t already?  I love you. You make me feel the most grounded I’ve ever been in my life. I love everything about you…even when I don’t. People are always asking me why and how a family as large as mine doesn’t just move to the burbs, where life promises to be easier and better and less expensive…and yeah, it’s tempting at times. But you are who I am…and where I belong.

So here it is, another new year.  I hope that you find content in who you have been and the life you lead enough to not want to change too much next year, but I also wish you happiness, health, and much success in the many things you’ve yet to accomplish. May any unaccomplished dreams, or developed new ones find their way into your reality this year and may your days be full of Adventures!

Happy New Year Everyone!

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Carol Cain

Brooklyn native Carol is happiest when on an adventure, whether close to home or farther away. She is a small business owner and travel writer. In addition to creating Girl Gone Travel, she is the Founder and Principal of Brave World Media, a social media marketing, communications, and branding agency. She's mom to three wonderful sons and wife to a handsome Irish/Scot. She lives, works, and plays in the beautiful Finger Lakes region of NY.

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9 Comments
  • Nanette
    December 31, 2009

    I love NYC! Your blog really captures all that the city is about. Wishing you and you family all the happiness and success you can hold.

    Reply
    • Carol
      Nanette
      December 31, 2009

      Thank you Nannette! I wish you the same! Much love–Carol

      Reply
  • Mateo
    December 31, 2009

    Happy New Year, to you and yours. I've enjoyed following you not only on twitter but here on your blog, and having had the chance to meet only help prove you are a great person. See you in 2010 my web 2.0 sis

    Reply
    • Carol
      Mateo
      December 31, 2009

      Happy New Year Bro! Besos!

      Reply
  • Melisa with one S
    January 2, 2010

    Great post! I wish you and your family a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2010!

    Love you long time, girl! 🙂

    Reply
    • Carol
      Melisa with one S
      January 2, 2010

      Me too girl! xoxox Happy New Year!

      Reply
  • hicksgirl93
    January 2, 2010

    What a wonderful post. So very refreshing to read about a woman totally in love with her husband, children and hometown. You go girl!

    Reply
  • Sugar Jones
    January 5, 2010

    I got to meet your city in 2009. It's amazing!! What I wouldn't do to live there. Except for when it's freezing cold. I'm too much of a weather wimp. But still. It's a freaking awesome city.

    Reply
  • bluetulip
    January 9, 2010

    Happy New Year to you…great site you have here..

    Do you have contact email?

    cheers

    bluetulip

    Reply

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About me

Hi! I'm Carol! I am an award-winning travel blogger, a keynote speaker, and the Principal and owner of Brave World Media, a social media marketing, communications, and branding agency. I a wife to a handsome Irish/Scot and a mom to 3 sons. Welcome to my blog where I share stories of my travels and professional public relations insights and advice. Thank you for reading and for your support!

Carol Cain

Contact

  • caincarol@gmail.com

Follow @girlgonetravel

My recent post inspired many people who kindly rea My recent post inspired many people who kindly reached out to me for words of wisdom and guidance on how “they, too,” can get their lives more together.

Here’s what I will say: for more than a year now, I have experienced disappointment with work I was committed to and the overall devaluation of what so many of us creatives do, and it started impacting the passion I had for my work, which, as a creative, can be a massive death sentence. I found myself soft quitting, quitting-quitting, having contracts end that I was eager to let go of, and others that I didn’t think I wanted to let go - but that in the end resulted in an incredible boost to my emotional and mental health. 

For so many, our prof success has so long defined us. It defines how ppl receive us, esp as Black and brown ppl, especially as women, how society values us, and, to some extent, how we view ourselves. But that was breaking me. I was working harder, longer, and more intensely without significant reward or recognition. Not just in one job, but in so much.

To overcome this, I sought something completely disconnected from my current work but still requiring focus, commitment, and skill. 

And slowly, I started finding myself again. Being selective means fewer selections, which means less money. It is, in the end, a choice. One that comes with its struggles. 

I absolutely admire the people with whom I partner today. My family is figuring out the money thing; we found the loss of joy too great to ever sacrifice again. Today, I am proud to work with some real kick-ass people. It’s reinvigorated my creativity. And I absolutely LOVE owning a mobile cafe. Not because it’s a massive money maker (it’s not), but because of the people I meet every time we serve. Running two businesses is not for the faint of heart, but I am so incredibly fulfilled.

I don’t do sad well. But I have experienced it all. And very much so recently. And my recent post is me on the other side of it. And I wanted all of you inspired by it to know I have been going through it. So if you are still where I was, let the glimpse behind my curtain be what keeps you going. Even the night ends at sunrise.
Sunset glow in the nooks of our little home. I lov Sunset glow in the nooks of our little home. I love it here so much. 🥰

I’m embracing new life experiences and opportunities with excitement and anticipation. I was stuck for so long, convinced it’s where I needed to be, but change, it turns out, has been exactly what I have needed…though I will admit I have been nervous about it. 

All this to say, sometimes we get stuck in situations that have long stopped making us happy, maybe because it’s easier to stay, or you’ve convinced yourself it’s where you should be, and it can be hard to walk away, especially if you’ve invested so much of yourself in the process. Ugh. The shit we tolerate when we stop listening to the little voice yelling at us that it’s time to MOVE ON. And sometimes, we don’t. Sometimes we have to be pushed. 

But, if the opportunity to break free comes, even if inconvenient, TAKE IT.  RUN. Because, as a wise teenager once said, YOLO. 

Trust in the fact that you’re pretty f❤️cking awesome, and things have a way of working themselves out. Trust that life is more interesting with the bumps along the way and that your final destination isn’t at the bottom, even if you might find yourself there for a moment. 

It’s a fun ride not because it’s always easy, but because of how much cooler things are when you’ve overcome the hard bits.
My wildflower field is reminding me of an importan My wildflower field is reminding me of an important trait: patience. So much in my life right now feels out of my control. I am experiencing a massive shift and uneasiness, and things I want to happen are so slow and feel like they are not happening at all. It is very unsettling and frustrating. 

But this was also my garden. The blooms weren’t blooming. It felt like they were never going to come. Like it would skip us this year. And I was sad at the thought that for reasons outside of my control, regardless of everything we did to tend to this garden, we would just not get the results we’d hope for. 

But this morning, I woke up, and there they were. The first few flowers. Colorful and bright, with bumblebees dancing around them. And when I looked closer, I saw so many more buds waiting to burst open. 

It all needed time. Not the time I gave them, or expected, but what was necessary. 

And so things may not happen as we wish they would, when we wish they could, but they will. We just have to be patient and trust the process. Easier said than done, I know. But, at least I have a beautiful flowering garden to admire while I wait.
Today was about beautiful baby niece, family, and Today was about beautiful baby niece, family, and cute ducks all named “Ducky”. 👧🏻🐣🍨

📍The Spotted Duck, Penn Yan, NY
Life gets so busy and stressful sometimes that I f Life gets so busy and stressful sometimes that I forget I have so much to heal my soul and relax me right at my finger tips…

I get what it is to be from the big city and not being able to imagine a life so beautiful anywhere else. It certainly was me. 

And then, I came to the Finger Lakes…and the rest is history. 

#fingerlakesregion #newyork
Sometimes you just gotta walk it off. Lucky me, I Sometimes you just gotta walk it off. Lucky me, I get to do so here. 

#fingerlakes #newyork

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