Dear explorer,

I've never been much of an explorer, myself. I really like to plan things out and make sure that I know exactly what's going to happen before I get myself into new situations. I usually need a full and detailed itinerary before I go on any sort of trip, and I get very stressed out about details that aren't 100% worked out. Exploring involves an element of the unknown -- there are things out there that you can't plan for, and you have to be able to deal with them as they come. I don't want to put myself into that situation in the first place!

I was around 10 years old when my family went to Disneyland for the first time, and I don't remember this, but apparently I was a little brat the whole time. I didn't want to go on any rides because I was terrified. I think I may have actually cried before going on The Matterhorn Bobsleds because I was so scared. My mom made me talk to an older boy who told me that it really wasn't that scary and that there were three abominable snowmen who would roar very loudly, but after those three abominable snowmen, there was nothing else to be afraid of. This helped me immensely, and I remember counting each snowman and being relieved that I'd been warned about them ahead of time. All-in-all, I was a kid who didn't enjoy new experiences.

Maybe it was your influence, maybe I just grew up and changed a little bit, or maybe it was a little bit of both, but I'm not really like that anymore. I still like to know what I'm getting myself into when I go into new situations, but it's not always a necessity.

When I went to college, I had no idea what to expect, and that was okay. I was excited about the prospect of exploring and learning what college was all about, and I was okay not knowing everything about it beforehand. This was pretty much the beginning of my exploring days.

Now I really enjoy exploring. I love going into Seattle with no plan and just the Maps app on my phone. I love just finding things to do there. With no plan, you find places and do things you otherwise would never have done. I have this dream of just wandering around and finding coffee shops and bookstores and picking my favorites to go back to later.

I had never been on a hike until about a month ago when my friends invited me to hike with them, out of the blue. I'm not gonna lie; I mostly did it for the Instas, but they were some pretty awesome Instas, and I had a really good time.

One of said Instas. Look how great this is. @FranklinFalls, you're gorgeous.

One time, my best friend and I spontaneously took a trip during finals week to Leavenworth, WA with no plan other than to take a look around and visit The Cheesemonger (which was an excellent choice. 10/10 would recommend whiskey cheddar). That was an incredible trip. We stopped for directions and food recommendations at the cutest little coffee shop, so we stopped by later to get coffee when we needed to warm our freezing fingers. We ate some delicious burgers, found a cute little bookstore, and bought wool socks. And none of this was planned.

Low quality photo; high quality day.

Semi-spontaneous Christmas break vacation to Anaheim/Disneyland to visit a friend? I've done that. Spring break trip to Sioux Falls, SD? I'm doing that this year. Random weekend getaway to Portland solely to go to bookstores, cafés, and donut shops? By the time this article publishes, I'll be home from that trip already. Getting a summer job in Chicago, a big city that I haven't been to since I was a wee babe? Done, and super psyched about it.

Speaking of which, the interviewer asked me why I'd want to be in Chicago if I was from Seattle. She said that they have locations in my area, and wanted to know why I wanted to go all the way out to Chicago. I replied that I want to have tons of new experiences and am excited about exploring a new city. I was a little surprised at myself when I answered this because I realized that it was (and is) true. A few years ago, I wouldn't have dreamt of doing anything like this.

I'm becoming a person who isn't too afraid to try new things sometimes. This is opening doors for me that never would have opened before. I want to thank you for your encouragement and for the times you've pushed me to "just go for it." Thanks for the support and the understanding when things seem too unknown or overwhelming. Thank you for the Instagram opportunities. Most of all, thank you for your friendship, which is a lovely little adventure in and of itself.

"Like a ship blown from its mooring by a wind off the sea, like a seed dropped by a skybird in a distant wood, who can say if I've been changed for the better, but because I knew you... I have been changed for good."