I’ve come to realize that my descriptions of trips are always the same, a long sentence of everything that we did. Instead, I’m just going to say it was a great trip, and let the pictures speak for themselves.
The Last, Oh, 4 Months?
Someone has been a bit behind on the whole blogging front, but a lot has been happening, so here is a handy lil catch up on things around here.
Christmas was nice as usual, and included visits from family and friends, a fun night out downtown and all of our traditions that make the season so special.
New Year’s Eve was spent with good friends at a hotel party in Denver. And reiterated my belief that getting ready with the girls is usually more fun than the actual event.
In mid-January my mom and I went to Vegas for her surprise Christmas gift. Our main event was seeing the Rod Stewart concert at Caesar’s, which was amazing, but we also fit in shopping and a lot of chatting over food and drinks. It was too cold to do our usual Vegas activity, the pool, but it just means we’ll have to go back soon!
In February my cousin Mary and I went on our annual trip to visit our cousin Dan. We had a great time in Winston-Salem, NC and got to see Wake win and spend a lot of time together.
Over President’s Day weekend I went back to LA for a sorority sister’s wedding and to see some friends. It was a great trip. I got to catch up with a lot of people I haven’t seen recently, ate at most of my favorite restaurants and even got to have a little beach time.
In March Megan came for a visit and we spent the weekend in Steamboat Springs. Great skiing and a really fun town.
The Boston Marathon Tragedy
We keep having these tragedies. These awful, terrible occurrences that stop everyone in their tracks, scare us and make us reconsider everything.
This one hit especially close to home for me. Not just because someone I was very close to was there, and not just because I would have been there myself, like right there, were it not for recent occurrences, but because of the unique circumstances surrounding this event. Unlike the September 11th attacks, which were terrifying because they occurred on a normal day when people were in their routine of going to work and school and it was so unexpected; this tragedy was especially sad because of the extraordinary circumstances.
I’ve had the pleasure of being in Boston for six Boston Marathon’s and Patriot’s Days. And it is always a wonderful and special day there. Throughout the city, residents and visitors take their children to the baseball game, to local museums and walk along the water enjoying the holiday that is unique to their state. On Boylston St., spectators line the sidewalks to watch their loved ones or strangers cross the finish line, and the entire city just feels good and happy. It’s an event that represents, in my opinion, some of the best human qualities: determination, training, dedication and going after a goal that for many of us would be nearly impossible. Just being around this energy makes you feel motivated and excited about life’s possibilities, or at least it always did for me. The atmosphere at the finish line is truly intoxicating. So, to hear that such a catastrophic event happened there, when people are tracking their runners on their phone, checking each passing face to see if it’s the person they are there for, and mentally planning how to best celebrate the accomplishment, is so heartbreaking.
Of course, I speak from the perspective of a spectator, which is what I was for the years I was there. I can only imagine how violated and unsure a Boston Marathon veteran who has participated in the marathon and been a part of the exuberance I’ve witnessed feels.
I hope that all of those of us who were so struck by this event and who still have it at the forefront of our thoughts days later, can use it as a wakeup call to live every day with purpose and importance and to cherish every moment.
2012 finishers
Crowd in 2011
2011 finish line
Church in 2009
With my friend Kelsey, who went to school in Boston, in 2010
You can see my posts about my trips to Boston here and here. (I can’t believe I didn’t blog more about my visits.)
Seattle
In mid-October, my friend Megan and I took a trip to Seattle. We’d been wanting to plan an adventure, and decided on a city that neither of us had been to. It turned out to be the perfect place for a Friday evening to Sunday afternoon trip, though an extra day there would also have been well spent. On Friday we went to Purple with our sorority sister Crissy. I highly recommend this place to anyone who lives in or visits Seattle. It is a fun and happening with great food and a really neat interior.
We fit in pretty much all of the requisite touristy stuff, a visit to Pike Place Market, a trip to the top of the Space Needle, and a ferry ride across the Sound to Bainbridge Island.
Been Awhile
It seems like I’ve been doing a lot of these posts recently, where I won’t post for a few weeks (or months) and then all of a sudden, I’m back! The past few months have been full of changes and lots of reevaluation. In fact, I made one of the biggest decisions of my life, and have since been dealing with the consequences, mostly good, but of course some bad and sad.
Throughout all of it, I missed blogging and the creative outlet it has provided me, but I just couldn’t bring myself to put fingers to keyboard and share my thoughts. I still don’t know how long it will take for me to open up about the breakup and write about it, but for now, I’m looking forward to being back and sharing lots of other experiences that occurred over the same period of time.
Identity
Oh, the blog. I’ve struggled with exactly what I’ve wanted this blog to be, content wise. At first, I thought it would be a travel and interior design blog, but then I started posting on a wide variety of things. Next I thought it might be a lifestyle blog, like so many out there (I’m sure you could quickly name 5 or 10), but lately I’ve been realizing I want it to be what it is, unlabeled. That means there will be times of lots of posting, and sporadic posting, posts on recipes, trips, dreams, hardships, design, books, family, everything.
I would guess that blogs that stick to specific topics are most appealing, as readers know exactly what they are going to get, but there is also something about the randomness. Thinking of my favorite blogs, they don’t have an outfit post on Monday, tutorial on Tuesday, etc. The writer lets it flow and mixes it up.
So that’s what you can expect to see here, the unexpected.
5 U.S. Cities to Visit
I’ve been to a fair amount of places in the U.S., but there are still a few cities I’ve never visited that I would like to. I’m hoping that in the next few years I will be able to check some of these off.
San Francisco
Everyone I know loves San Francisco. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever heard anything bad about it. I love the idea of a booming metropolis right along the water, and I think I would fall in love with the cable cars, different neighborhoods and of course views of the bay. This is also on my 30 Before 30 list, so hopefully I will be visiting soon!
Seattle
I’ve always heard great things about the Pacific Northwest, and loved Vancouver when I visited in Fall 2010. With lots of well known spots, like Pike Place Market, the Space Needle and all of the places you can visit via the ferries, I think this would be a perfect spot for a weekend visit. (Update since I originally started writing this post: I am visiting Seattle this weekend!)
Portland
I’ve heard that Portland is a food lovers paradise. Enough said.
Newport
After watching the old movie “High Society” when I was younger, I’ve always wanted to visit Newport. With the sailboats dotting the ocean, a nice beach and beautiful homes and museums to tour, it seems like a great spot to visit in the summer.
Santa Fe
I love the Southwest. With lots of family in Arizona, I’ve spent a lot of time in both Phoenix and Tucson, and love the art, jewelry and history. Santa Fe has perhaps “more” of all of these things. Ranked 3rd in the U.S. for museums, behind New York and Boston (wow!!), there is a lot to see and learn there. In my mind a perfect trip would also include an afternoon at one of the gorgeous spas in the area, as well as delicious southwestern food!
Do you have any U.S. cities you’ve been wanting to visit?
(images via wikipedia, seattle.gov, tripadvisor.com, cityofnewport.com, wikipedia)
Are You Still There?
I am! And amazingly, so are many of you! I have been surprised the past few weeks to find people still checking in, despite my glaring absenteeism. This post is a bit of a brain (and camera) dump, but there will be some new posts this week!
Was sad to say goodbye to summer white on Labor Day
Quick LA trip had to include some walk and beach time at Manhattan Beach
And of course had to grab some In N Out
This dog… no words
Getting really into football this season! #blueandorange
What have you been up to?
Weekend Plans
A 3-day weekend- yay!
I have few specific plans, but a lot I’d like to get done this weekend, such as reading more than one page in my book, starting this 5k training plan in preparation for my first 5k in October, a night in Colorado Springs and baking a very special and time consuming treat for my marathon runner.
What are you up to this weekend?
image via Southern Sophistication
Minimalist Centerpieces
I’m a total wedding fanatic, though I don’t think I’ve posted much on the subject in the past. I don’t believe there is one aspect of a wedding (cake, food, DJ, decor, etc.) that makes a wedding, but floral design is definitely very important. And with flowers I’ve always believed more is more.
Until I went to a wedding in May.
This wedding was at one of the most beautiful venues I’ve been to, the Sanctuary. With sweeping mountain views, greenery everywhere and distant city lights after dark, it’s an absolutely stunning location. It took until I was sitting at the table during dinner and I was able to see the guests across from me that I realized the centerpieces were a single rose in a basic glass vase. And it was beautiful! And smart. Rather than putting giant, elaborate centerpieces up, the couple let the venue and it’s huge windows speak for itself.
Unfortunately I didn’t think to snap a pic of the centerpieces at this wedding, but here are some other similar looks that will let the view shine.
Images via: dighomedesign, Allen Woods, delish, easy wedding centerpieces
