"If only to say this to you now
I love you still, and I always will"

My adventure in San Francisco has been great so far. This city brings out the best in me. The people are colorful, the landmarks are gorgeous, and the vibe of the city compliments me beautifully.

Every time I go to a conference, somehow, I end up making a new family. Even when I am perfectly content exploring on my own, by the end of the trip, I seem to have collected an entourage of people of all different types and backgrounds, and I feel welcomed and loved by my new companions in ways that astound me considering our short time together.

At my first conference in Breckenridge, I met a passionate, volatile and sarcastic Canadian girl who spends the majority of her time as a strong political activist in her country. For reasons I can't fathom, she latched onto me and brought me into her group of incredibly outgoing and flamboyant friends. We bonded immediately... By the end of the conference, they were asking me to attend their next one so we could all see each other again.

At my second conference in Denver, I was again on my own and wandering the city with wide-eyed excitement. My roommate turned out to be, once again, a fantastically colorful Canadian with a strong mind and heart. Our personalities complimented each other perfectly, and I adored her. We shared some good talks for having only just met.
She was not the only nice surprise of the conference; a very attractive Italian postdoc asked me out to lunch, and I hit it off with him immediately. I met another Italian at a mixer in a museum, and I spent the last night of my trip with the two of them, learning Italian curse words, entertained by their rants, and dancing with them at clubs. When we went back to the hotel, they begged me not to end the night. The postdoc asked me to visit New Orleans with him purely on a whim, raving about what a great adventure companion I make. Once again, I began my adventure alone, and I returned home feeling loved..

The conference in San Francisco is shaping up to be no less. I am rooming with a friend, which has added a new dimension to the adventure, spending most of my time with a traveling companion instead of on my own. I also have a ton of friends already here, and through them we have already made many more. The family has already grown.. And I can't wait to see what adventures lie in wait for our last two days here.

Here's to adventures on the horizon, to friends who have shared the journey and friends we have yet to meet, to getting the most out of every day, to laughing and loving freely, to stepping over boundaries and outside comfort zones to discover the amazing things which lie on the other side.