Where We Belong...

This quote is perfection.

In all of our travels, adventures, and experiences,

 we have come to realize where we truly belong.

This is why I love traveling and exploring so much.
It never fails to put everything into perspective
and always allows you to appreciate the life you're living.

We will never stop adventuring.

"Always take the scenic route..."

"Always take the scenic route..."

Last Saturday, we were on our way to dinner and decided to make a detour to the beach to catch the sunset.  There is something so powerful about sunsets.  They never fail to make me sloooow down from the daily hustle and bustle and stop to appreciate this life I live.  I never want to take sunsets for granted.  I never want to be too busy to stop and take in one of these beautiful sights.  Sometimes I feel like I actually need them... to readjust my mind and put things into perspective.  I want to see as many sunsets as possible, especially while living in California where we can appreciate them from these gorgeous beaches.  Here's to many, many more sunsets ...and sunrises, too!

Happy Wednesday!*

There's No Better Time Than Now...

There's a lot of good talk going on in our house lately.  Lots of exciting, exhilarating, inspiring talk.  We are brainstorming plans to make 2013 our best year yet.  We tend to fantasize a lot and talk often about our big silly dreams.  But this year... this year, no more daydreaming, no more regretting we didn't do something.  This year, we are going to be doers.  There's no better time than now.  And I can't wait to see how it all plays out.

 *******

"Twenty year from now,

you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do

than by the ones you did do.

So throw off the bowlines.

Sail away from the safe harbor.

Catch the trade winds in your sails.

Explore.  Dream.  Discover."

*******

"Promise Me."

Back when I was planning my wedding in 2009, I was obsessed with wedding blogs.  I remember coming across a post on one wedding blog (which doesn't even exist anymore) that really made me stop and think.  I copied the text in the post and saved it because I thought it was really important advice.  Somehow I came across this saved post again recently.  As I was rereading it today, now over 2 years into our own marriage, I find it more relevant than ever.

Here's the blog post I saved back in 2009 from that wedding blog:

*******

Last night, I ran into a professor I have crossed paths with over the years at the university I work with.  He is a quirky, thoughtful, poem-emailing literature professor, probably in his mid-sixties, who lets long pauses happen in the middle of conversations.  I don't see him very often, but have been given very weighty topics to think about every time I do.  The last time I saw him was over a year ago.  I was walking with some co-workers to get lunch, and he was walking in the opposite direction, and I waved, and he called out, jokingly, "Why don't you get married and change your last name so I can finally pronounce it?"  (Like I said, quirky.)  To which my response was to hold up my left hand, since I had gotten engaged only a week earlier.  His eyes got very wide, and he gave me a congratulatory hug, and then told me that his wife had passed away from a long battle with cancer... a week earlier.  When I asked him why he was already back at work, he said he didn't know what else to do.  And then he looked at me very seriously and said:

"My best marriage advice for you is to never, ever put off what you want to do.  No matter how good the excuses seem, or how little money you have, or how practical it would be to wait - don't wait.  Travel, move, experience new things together, and do them right away.  Don't ever put these things off.  Promise me."

*******

Time really does fly and you need to stop and put things into perspective every once and a while or else years might pass by before you know it.  I'd like to think that Brett and I do a good job of living our lives the way we want to and doing things that make us happy.  This is just a really good reminder to make sure we continue to live that way together and taking advantage of every opportunity that comes our way.  No regrets.

"I'd Pick More Daisies..."

"If I had my life to live over, I'd try to make more mistakes next time.  I would relax.  I would limber up.  I'd be sillier than I have been on this trip.  I know of a very few things I would take seriously.  I would be less hygienic.  I would take more chances.  I would take more trips.  I would climb more mountains, swim more rivers, and watch more sunsets.  I would burn more gasoline and eat more ice cream and less beans.  I would have actual troubles and fewer imaginary ones.  You see, I'm one of those people who lives sensibly and sanely hour after hour, day after day.  Oh, I've had my moments, and if I had my life to live over, I'd have more of them.  In fact, I'd have nothing else.  Just moments.  Just moments, one after another, instead of living so many years ahead each day.  I've been one of those people who never goes anywhere without a thermometer, hot water bottle, rain coat, and parachute.  If I had my life to live over, I'd go places and do things and travel lighter than I have.  If I had my life to live over, I would start barefoot earlier in the spring and stay that way later in the fall.  I would play hooky more.  I wouldn't make such good grades, except by accident.  I'd ride more merry-go-rounds.  I'd pick more daisies."  ~Nadine Stair, age 85

I was in need of some perspective & inspiration this morning.

And this hit the spot.

Live in the Sunshine...

This quote is perfection.

That is all.

(ps - only 3.5 more days until vacation!)

So Stop Waiting...

"For a long time it seemed to me that life was about to begin - real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time to still be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life. This perspective has helped me to see that there is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way. So, treasure every moment that you have. And treasure it more because you shared it with someone special, special enough to spend your time and remember that time waits for no one...

So stop waiting until you finish school, until you go back to school, until you lose ten pounds, until you gain ten pounds, until you have kids, until your kids leave the house, until you start work, until you retire, until you get married, until you get divorced, until Friday night, until Sunday morning, until you get a new car or home, until your car or home is paid off, until spring, until summer, until fall, until winter, until you are off welfare, until the first or fifteenth, until your song comes on, until you've had a drink, until you've sobered up, until you die, until you are born again to decide that there is no better time than right now to be happy. Happiness is a journey, not a destination."  -Alfred D. Souza

 

*******

There has been a lot of dreaming, brainstorming, and planning going on in our little household as of late.  It's exciting and invigorating.  I've never felt so inspired and ready to take positive steps into our future and be a doer.  And lately, little quotes have been catching my eye that are just urging me in the right direction.  This quote above has especially stood out to me.  I posted this quote on my blog a couple years ago, but it has never been more relevant than it is right now.

 

{Photo by me - Santa Monica Sunset - September 2011 - When our real dreaming began...}

A Doer

I feel like we are all dreamers...

but how many of us are actually doers?

I want to be a doer.

{Quote courtesy of the lovely Camilla}

Follow Your Heart

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.

Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking.

Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice.

And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.

They somehow already know what you truly want to become.

Everything else is secondary.”

 

--Steve Jobs (1955 - 2011)

Be Grateful

"I want to have adventures with you..."

Just a fun flashback to our honeymoon...

Can you tell I've got traveling on my mind?

Luckily only 27 more days until warm, summery, island bliss

with my favorite travel partner, the husband.

Cheers to a happy weekend!

  

{Photo: By me (self-timer) on our honeymoon in Yosemite - August 2010}

"Be Happy."

A little happiness inspiration for your Saturday.

I just really, really love this.

<3

Always Take the Scenic Route

Today it is rainy, cold, and cloudy outside.

It's been this way all week.

So I think I'll sit here and dream about...

the beach

and

the boardwalk

and

the warm sun

and

the clear sky

and

the peaceful weather.

And hopefully that will be enough to get me through these last bits of Winter...

Spring and Summer, I am so ready for you.

{Photo of the Rehoboth Beach boardwalk taken by me - Summer 2007}

I Love the Morning Time...

 

{Photo of Rehoboth Beach, DE - December 2009, Taken by me}

Dreaming of Our Next Adventure...

“Travel…

is more than the seeing of sights;

it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent,

in the ideas of living.”

{Photo I took of my husband on our honeymoon right outside of Yosemite in California}

{August 2010}

Good Morning!

How do YOU feel today?

Post this on your blog & link back letting me know!

I hope you feel all good things!

Go here to get the original unmarked photo for you to fill out!

{photo credit}

good morning

“You’ve got to get up every morning

with a smile on your face
and show the world all the love in your heart.”

"Nothing is worth more than this day."

"I can see the orange haze on the horizon
as the morning exhales a yawn
and seems to be ready to rise."

“When you arise in the morning,
think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive –
to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.”

***

good morning, everyone*

i hope you are all having a great morning and start to your week. i'm sipping on some new coffee we picked up yesterday: starbucks natural fusions caramel. it's really tasty and is succeeding in making my monday morning a lot better. :) i can't decide how i feel about this daylight savings thing... i'm used to getting in to work before the sun rises. and this morning, it was actually getting light out while i was walking in, which was nice. but it gets darker so much earlier at night now, and that, i am not a fan of...

i had a really nice, relaxing weekend. friday night, brett and i went on a nice little date to lawrenceville for thai and live music. we saw "the bridge" and they were really awesome. then the rest of the weekend, we literally just relaxed and it was soo nice. we didn't have any house guests, no plans, no obligations... it was a nice change from what we're used to on the weekends of craziness. this coming weekend will not be very relaxing, but that's okay because we are seeing the black crowes 3 nights in a row and i.am.excited! as for this week, not much going on... just counting the days till the weekend. :)

have a great monday!*

dear life

getting my hair cut tonight & i cannot wait!!

ralph

"Write it on your heart that every day is the best day of the year."
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

yay 2 months