Florida Finale: Line Dancing Adventure

| July 7, 2016 |

One chapter closed, and another opened. Florida changed me. I realized I can achieve all I desire, and life is incredibly colorful – filled with love, passion, enthusiasm, and beautiful people/places.

This is the most unbelievable video – capturing the spirit of South Florida, and the colorful lives we choose to create. We are products of our thoughts, beliefs, and desires – here, my collaborator/best friend and I @tallymarkprod created a magical representation of the NEED to fight for our dreams and fearlessly pursue what we deeply desire. There’s NOTHING to wait for. Let go of fear and regret; instead choose love, compassion, gratitude, and PASSION. Do or die, let’s give it a try – it’s all or nothing. When our hearts and souls are part of our mission, we can be HOTTER THAN THE SUN – we are burning with PASSION and DESIRE; we are ENTHUSIASTIC and COLORFUL in our pursuit of the life we’ve always imagined.

The Video: Watch Now (And Later!)

Introduction: Why Line Dancing?

This video follows my bestie and I on our Floridan east-coast adventure, hitting all my favorite spots I discovered living the salt life. It sounded like a silly idea, but @bradenvsmith challenged us to ACTUALLY do it. Why line dancing, you ask? I know it seems random. But. Florida introduced me to line dancing @RoundUpDavie and I became semi-obsessed. The dance you’ll see in this video is usually danced to “Timber” by Pitbull (feat. Ke$ha), and it’s actually the first line dance I ever learned. The song choice was all @tallymarkproduction ‘s idea, and it happened to fit perfectly with the dance and our message.

The Places.

Talia’s mom moved to Merritt Island a few months ago – a mere 2.5 hours from Talia’s new home in Boca Raton. The three of us moved from the tri-state area (having all been from Long Island, NY originally) to Florida to chase the sun. Since I was planning to leave South Florida, it was comforting to know my best friend would be close to her mother.

A beach in Boca Raton by my favorite place to hammock for sunset views with Talia. The woodsy area in the beginning of the video is directly across from this beach with bright-orange coral shining through the water.

The Boca Inlet was exhilarating! Dancing on the rocks with wind swirling around me and boats driving by gave me incredible energy.

This is the Deerfield Beach pier! I’ve been here many times for Spikeball Tournaments, beach volleyball swimming after SCUBA diving, eating at JB’s, or Independence Day shenanigans. I really LOVE this beach! *This was edited after original posting because I had a momentary brain fart, and somehow labeled this as Dania Beach. Silly Kristen.*

I definitely spent the most time in Fort Lauderdale. I’ve run up and down A1A (photographed here), played countless games of beach volleyball, and wandered around Las Olas Boulevard, 2nd Avenue (especially Dicey Riley’s), and/or Flagler Village during nights out.

It only felt appropriate to dance in front of Elbo Room on A1A in Fort Lauderdale, a 1939 beach bar with constant live music. Passer-bys were definitely fun to interact with!

The first and northernmost key, Key Largo, is a mere 1.5 hours from where I was living! This random sign along the road happened to perfectly capture the Florida Keys and South Florida! The Latin American culture, coffee, palm trees, and swirls of bright colors were way too perfect. We HAD to pull over to film.

The next key, Islamorada, happens to be home to my favorite Florida brewed beer! I love Islamorada Beer Co.’s Sandbar Sunday – perfect for beach sippin’ on a sunny Florida day.

This is a secret jumping bridge I won’t divulge the exact location of. However, the amount of memories at this bridge and Sugarloaf Key are overwhelming. It’s where I spent an unforgettable weekend with Talia and Suzette, filled with adventure and blood-rushing emotions. I forged a strong relationship with someone special on this key after having my breath taken away during the most  picturesque skydive at Skydive Key West (yes, that’s you Braden!).

Bahia Honda State Park was where I spent my 26th birthday weekend. It was our base during skydiving, camping, and other adventures that may have included a little adrenaline, skinny dipping, and laughs. This was also where I spent my LAST weekend in South Florida, though it may have been a little too hot for camping in July (oops).

Do you want to have the best burrito of your LIFE? Then find Garbo’s in Key West! Very sadly, Garbo’s was under transition to a new and improved food truck during my last weekend in Florida, so I couldn’t again indulge in the Korean Beef Burrito, but it certainly still deserved to be hallmarked.

The famous bridge in the Florida Keys! The Seven Mile Bridge was another blood-rushing dancing venue, and an incredible finale for all my favorite locations in South Florida.

Disclaimer.

Okay, so I didn’t get to ALL my favorite spots in South Florida during the 24-hour time limit. However, I’m pretty impressed by all the areas Talia and I were able to revisit, and I felt entirely fulfilled. I loved running to all the locations and busting out in my happy dance alongside my adventure buddy!

The Significance.

Let’s dive deep into the water
We’ll find pearls
Won’t cost a dollar
Yeah don’t you know
It’s now or never[x3]

It’s time to put our hearts on the line and take a chance. Through reading with Brené Brown’s Daring Greatly, I am learning the undeniable power of vulnerability by letting ourselves be seen, and engaging in life with wholehearted courage. Taking this leap of faith and having our heart on the line, even when it feels a bit (or VERY) uncomfortable, we can connect to our best selves. We shouldn’t hesitate because of fear, judgment, or self-criticism. Now is the time. It’s now or never.

Yeah I’m feeling lucky this time
Do or die let’s give it a try

Everything has started aligning beautifully. Maybe it’s a little luck, but it took courage to get here. I could’ve stayed comfortable in Florida or New York, not wanting to go through the process of learning a new place with no familiar faces. But I decided to give it a try and begin working as a travel Physical Therapist. I also could’ve let go of my feelings, and let him stay in the past, but I took a leap of faith and opened my heart to love.

We’re on fire
So tell me what you’re waiting for

Fiery passion. When we find our passion, it lights a fire within us. We should never let that fire dwindle. “Find something you’re passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it.”

We’re burning up hot, yea
Hotter than the sun

Just as the sun has the power to heat the Earth from up to 94.5 million miles away, our passion and enthusiasm can burn with parallel strength. It shines from within us, and into the hearts of all those we encounter.

Let’s raise hell
On this mother
Dream big in every color

We are limitless. Our lives can be as colorful as we wish them to be. Sometimes we give ourselves unnecessary limitations. Aim high because what we believe we achieve. Believe you deserve heartfelt joy, satisfaction at work, a loving relationship, and you shall receive it.

Take a little faith
We’ve got no time to hesitate
I believe we will make
Something we can celebrate

We are gifted one life on Earth (well, our soul may rebirth in multiple forms if you’re into reincarnation). Later in life, most people regret what they DID NOT do, rather than what they DID (whether they were successful or not). I believe we can create a life to celebrate. Sometimes, it’s the little joys that build up to grandeur satisfaction. Sometimes, it’s big life changes like starting a new job or moving to a new location. Every shift – no matter how big or small – is significant.

We create the magic in our lives. I fully believe that our acceptance of the Universe’s gifts, combined with our courage to pursue our callings, will lead us to fulfillment – something to celebrate.

I have been blessed to have incredibly beautiful people in my life. People who support me without judgment, and love me for EXACTLY who I am. Because I know who I am and who I want to be, I can connect without fear with these incredible people. I’m not afraid to let myself be seen, and to be vulnerable. I am not afraid to say what I think, nor am I afraid to pursue what I desire.

The strength my collaborator and dearest friend @TallymarkProd has given me is indescribable. We continue to live parallel lives from the time we met in 2007. We both made the transition from New York to South Florida, and both believe in the power of magical creationism. Talia’s vision of “Everything we can imagine is real” is also engrained in my spirit. Together, we have certainly created something we can celebrate.

In Essence.

We shall NOT wait to fight for our dreams.
We shall NOT succumb to fear, judgment, or regret.
We shall instead:
Connect with those who light our passions, support our dreams, and lift us higher.
Live a colorful life, filled with freedom, love, and gratitude.

It’s now or never.
So tell me, what you waiting for?