Lively Liv: {guest post! my sister dylan on "mountains & what they've done to me"}

lets go deep today.

I had the opportunity to study abroad my junior year of college...Rome in the fall, London in the spring. Throughout these two semesters I traveled all over Europe, from Budapest to Stockholm, Vienna to Bruges. Being away from home was definitely hard at times, but the year was unforgettable and extraordinary.

When I came home in December for two weeks between semesters, Liv says I was a different person. And she's right. Looking back I don't even remember the first two days at home because 1) I was deliriously jet-lagged & 2) I just left a semester that imprinted on my soul. It was very depressing.

Living abroad is an amazing learning experience. You really have to go big or go home. I said "yes" to things I would normally say "no" to, tried foods before knowing what it was, & most importantly, dove head first into embracing culture.

moment of clarity

I traveled to Geneva, Switzerland with three close friends the first weekend of November. I had been to Switzerland before but never this city, so I was very excited to experience new territory. The Swissland is a gorgeous country where two of my favorite languages are spoken: French & Italian. French is spoken in Geneva, so my friend Greta & I were able to break out our French {although mine was pretty bad} that we hadn't spoken in quite a while.

We decided to cross the border of Switzerland into France & ride a cable car up to the top of a French "Pre-Alp" {that means it's basically connected to the Swiss Alps, but it's in France not Switzerland}. When we arrived at the top of the cable car, we were about 75% up an alp called La Salève, which is 4,600 ft. high. One of my friends & I decided to hike to the top of the mountain, where we were greeted with a 360 degree view of Geneva & the Swiss Alps. Did you ever have a dream of hiking to the top of a mountain and finding yourself in a pasture of sheep with a breathtaking view? I lived it! It was insane.

It's become a trend of mine to have epiphanies at the tops of mountain. The first time was in 2007 at the top of Mount Yale in Colorado. I hiked for 12 hours & 9,000 ft. later, found my way at the top of a Colorado Rocky Mountain. Seeing nothing but white-capped mountain peaks {in July, mind you}, surrounded by new friends that have seen you at your lowest, {around 6,000 ft. up & dying}, & your highest, {managing to make it up the whole way}, is an indescribable feeling.

And here I was experiencing yet another moment of clarity, realization, or whatever you want to call it. I was sucked into it. "It" meaning wanderlust & wanting to continue to go for the unknown, take chances, and live life {mostly} unrestrained. I stood at the top of La Salève in silence for about 25 minutes--staring down at Lake Geneva & the surrounding city, & looking up at a mountain I'd only read about in watch advertisements {Mont Blanc}. My friend & I only had to look at each other to know what each other was feeling...no words could even begin to do the moment justice.

the lesson

You'll know when you've taken a risk or pushed yourself when you feel a deep burning in your chest screaming exhilaration. Once you have it, you'll keep going back for more. I have something planned in about two weeks that some may deem very "unlike me", but to me it's very "like me". It is definitely a risk, but I already know what it feels like to jump into the unknown & come out an even stronger person. Olivia has promised me another guest post to talk about it...so keep reading!

Below are some pictures from that trip...

mont blanc