take me there :: swakop

Since I’ve been thinking about a year ago lately, I thought I would take you to where I was a year ago :: Swakopmund, Namibia. highly, highly recommend that if you ever get the chance to go, go. it’s this little seaside town that borders the desert with all kinds of random german influences. I laid out on the beach, sipped sundowners while watching the kite boarders in the sunset, went to the local museum, ate camembert and chutney on the patio, watched volleyball games from the picnic tables, sang karaoke with the locals, went four wheeling on the dunes, took springbok shots with the crew, at mexican food and pizza, went sand dune surfing, drank lots of cider, went shopping a lot and took so many pictures. there is so much to do in this little town. it’s simple and the perfect getaway. there were mostly south africans and europeans on vacation there and I would completely and totally go back in a heartbeat. everyone is so friendly and welcoming. I hope I do get to experience it all again one day.

"shining light from our own position may not illuminate 
or conquer the entire world 
but it can be a guiding friend to others in need."

{unknown}

spring has not sprung

So not to sound like everyone else but to sound exactly like everyone else in nyc - when is spring going to get here? it snowed last week and the weekend before and they are saying still more potential snow this season. why oh why - aren't we all ready for summer or at least warmer days? yes, yes we are. sunshine really does make all the difference in the world and we are ready to get some. bring it spring - where are you, we are waiting with arms wide open to welcome you. spring brings the blooming of new ideas and I am ready. we need to shed the winter sweaters and shake off those blues. it's time to warm our bones and wear bikinis as we please. no more boots, no more socks - give me flip flops and short sleeve suits. the only place I want to feel cold, is in my office because you know that it's too hot outside, so they crank down the ac inside. and then I want to go bike riding on quiet roads along the water and sun tanning in central park. dust of those picnic baskets and get ready to find the city's best baguette - I know I am and I can't wait.

"I never want you to be anything but completely happy."

{ashley}
GONE WITH THE WIND

a year ago today

I've been away so long, it seems. it feels so. a lot is happening. changes going on and coming up. and I've been looking back. thinking about how my last year that was. today a year ago I boarded a plane to africa for two months, with some exact plans but not at all planned. advice coming soon :: the things I'd do different and the things I'd keep the same. it was nice to travel solo but it would've been nicer to eventually meet up with someone I knew. someone that knew me. it's great meeting new people but by nature, I'm quiet and shy and somewhat of a homebody... I know, not what most people would think but it's true. maybe we have more in common than you think.  I appreciate my own space. so meeting so many new people, all the while searching for something within myself got a little tiring. I was ready for the unknown but with the familiar by my side. it totally makes sense to me. I love experiencing new things but not always with new people. but I know that's where we get stories and other adventures, so I embrace it. now I'm ready for adventures with people I know. people who know me.

{just a little jet lag on my face but so happy :: looking back, I can see how much I needed this change in my life}

Go Out Into This World and Be Something

~

Do Things That Make You Happy

365 what 365 huh

Earlier this year or rather the end of last year, I told myself that I was going to attempt a 365 project, something I've never tried before. And here we are. It's March 1st, and I just can't anymore or really I don't want to anymore. My head isn't in the right place. Maybe my thoughts aren't in the right place. My life isn't in the right place. For that commitment. It sounds silly, I know. And it is funny though because it sounds simple {take a photo everyday of yourself and post it, that's what I was going to do} but it takes effort to remember and keep up with it and after the whirlwind that was my last year, I'm just not ready for it… yet. I read about the idea from Elsie on A Beautiful Mess - adore her - love them. And I like her idea this year, where she is posting pretty much just any photo a day of her home life versus it being a self portrait. That sounds more appealing and maybe I'll try for that next year but for now… here is a little of what I did capture of myself this year.

It was a bit insightful looking back through these simple moments and I can think back to the emotion or the day I was having and almost feel that time. It was fun for a couple months but photographing yourself. everyday. and for a full year? right now? 

No, thank you… not right now.

"love yourself first and everything else falls into line. 

you really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world."

{lucille ball}

take me there :: warm weather in the air

As if I haven't said it enough already, I am so ready for warmer weather. Looking back through some pictures I took in Camuy, Puerto Rico this past fall and remembering this moment right before an afternoon downpour. We quickly ducked into El Fogon de la Abuela Restaurant and watched the storm pass. Anyone that lives south of Georgia understands those afternoon storms. Sometimes they happen in South Carolina or North Carolina but not like in South Florida {and occasionally in the islands}. There's a downpour of summer rain around 3pm, almost without fail, everyday. The smell right before the rain hits is one of my most favorite things in the world. And the storm usually lasts just the perfect amount of time for an afternoon nap and then it's gone as if we never even knew what the rains were. Oh, how I love that feeling. I am so ready for those summer afternoons. Are there any feelings that you just can't live without?

"some people feel the rain, others just get wet."

{roger miller}