It's a brand new year!

Every new year people make resolutions to change aspects of themselves they believe are negative. A majority of people revert back to how they were before and feel like failures. This year I challenge you to a new resolution. I challenge you to just be yourself.
- Aisha Elderwyn

I saw this quote and wanted to share it because I think it rings true. This year my new year's resolution will be to ignore that negative little voice in my head that says if only. If only I was skinnier, if only I was funnier, if only I didn't have my dad's chin(lol), if only I was more than I am now I would be whole. I am the way I am, and you are the way you are, and that is beautiful!

Where in the world to go....

I've been giving a lot of thought as to where I want to plan my next trip. Going to Paris this last spring was an amazing experience and I have to say that I'm eager to go somewhere far away and new(to me) again. The problem I'm having is narrowing it down!! Portugal, Italy, Spain, Ireland, Prague, London, Greece...there are so many places I want to go, I just can't pick one. If anyone out there has any suggestions, let me know! In the meantime, here are some photos of the gorgeous Eiffel Tower, with a flower or two thrown in!

Christmas Wishlist

all these wonderful goodies are from.......drumroll please.....Anthropologie and the shoes from Nordstrom!

Landslide

Took my love and I took it down
Climbed a mountain and I turned around
And I saw my reflection in the snow covered hills
Well, the landslide brought me down

Oh, mirror in the sky, what is love?
Can the child within my heart rise above?
Can I sail through the changing ocean tides?
Can I handle the seasons of my life?






Well, I've been afraid of changin'
'Cause I've built my life around you
But time makes bolder, children get older
I'm getting older too, well

Well, I've been afraid of changin'
'Cause I've built my life around you
But time makes bolder, children get older
I'm getting older too, well, I'm getting older too

So take this love and take it down
Yeah, and if you climb a mountain and you turn around
And if you see my reflection in the snow covered hills
Well, the landslide brought down

And if you see my reflection in the snow covered hills
Well maybe, well maybe, well maybe
The landslide will bring you down

Oh Anthropologie why must you tempt me so. Your ridiculously cute clothes are wreaking havoc on my little wallet. Loving the dress and boots below. Must resist!

Yummy Fall Goodness is Everywhere ~ Soon all the Leaves will be Gone ~ Oh Sigh

Lazy Weekends are the best, aren't they?

Gravity

Listen here



Something always brings me back to you.
It never takes too long.
No matter what I say or do I'll still feel you here 'til the moment I'm gone.

You hold me without touch.
You keep me without chains.
I never wanted anything so much than to drown in your love and not feel your rain.

Set me free, leave me be. I don't want to fall another moment into your gravity.
Here I am and I stand so tall, just the way I'm supposed to be.
But you're on to me and all over me.

You loved me 'cause I'm fragile.
When I thought that I was strong.
But you touch me for a little while and all my fragile strength is gone.

Set me free, leave me be. I don't want to fall another moment into your gravity.
Here I am and I stand so tall, just the way I'm supposed to be.
But you're on to me and all over me.

I live here on my knees as I try to make you see that you're everything I think I need here on the ground.
But you're neither friend nor foe though I can't seem to let you go.
The one thing that I still know is that you're keeping me down

Those who say dreams are just dreams, say that words end when you can't hear them

Boo!

Joy in looking and comprehending is nature's most beautiful gift.
~Albert Einstein

We are the leaves of one branch, the drops of one sea, the flowers of one garden.

I've been feeling restless recently. Restless for change I think. I've lived in the Bay Area my whole life; grew up here, went to school here, live here, work here(obviously), I've always been here. I'm longing for something new and different, not sure what though or what the point of writing this down is, lol!

One thing that I do know is, the Bay Area is extremely beautiful and offers so much to do. It was "beach day" this weekend, so I grabbed my little bro and his dog Marley and we headed to Half Moon Bay. Here are some pics from the day.....important to note, my brother does not have a double chin, he's just pushing his head back. He would want me to note this as it does look like he has a HUGE double chin...not that there's anything wrong with that!

Harvest Moon

“The moon, like a flower

In heaven's high bower,

With silent delight

Sits and smiles on the night.”

~William Blake

Just a shout out to my way cute shoes I got at Ross for $10!!!

Seasons Change

It's that time of year again. I absolutely love it, don't you? Pumpkins, hot apple cider, caramel apples, the smell of wood burning fires, rain, falling leaves, scarves, reading a book all nestled in warm blanket, these are the things I love the most!

I came across this quote and it really moved me. I thought I would share...

“Remember to be gentle with yourself and others. We are all children of chance and none can say why some fields will blossom while others lay brown beneath the August sun. Care for those around you. Look past your differences. Their dreams are no less than yours, their choices no more easily made. And give, give in any way you can, of whatever you posses. To give is to love. To withhold is to wither. Care less for your harvest than for how it is shared and your life will have meaning and your heart will have peace.” ~Kent Nerburn

"There is only one page left to write on. I will fill it with words of only one syllable. I love. I have loved. I will love."

From "The Time Traveler's Wife" by Audrey Niffenegger

Oh sighhhh, have you seen the previews for this movie yet? I read and absolutely loved this book recently and am very excited that they are making a movie out of it, plus it looks like its going to be pretty good. If you are looking for a good weekend read, pick it up, you won't be disappointed.

I'm pimping my wares!

Completely shameless plug....I've added some prints to my Etsy shop. I'm super excited so tell all your friends!! If they are looking for some pretty, pretty photos to decorate their walls with...come look at my shop. I only have a few up now, but hope to add some more soon!

Wake up sleepy head I think the sun's a little brighter today

Dave Matthews Bands' newest album is amazing. If you don't have it yet you need to run, beg, borrow or steal(well maybe not steal) and get it. You will not be dissappointed. My favorite song is #6, "Dive In", it captures everything I love about them. The lyrics are truly beautiful and inspiring...



I saw a man on the side of the road,
With a sign that read 'will work for food'.
Tried to look busy, 'til the light turned green.

Now I saw a bear on TV and his friends were all drowning,
‘Cause their homes were turning to water.

A strange, kinda sad, big old bear,
Surely would happily eat me.
He'd tear me to pieces, that bear.

Wake up sleepy head,
I think the sun’s a little brighter today.
Smile, and watch the icicles melt away, and see the water rising,
Summer’s here to stay, and all those summer games will last forever.
Go down to the shore, kick off your shoes, dive in the empty ocean.

Tell me everything will be okay if I just stay on my knees and keep praying.
Believing in something,
Tell me everything is all taken care of,
By those qualified to take care of it all.

Wake up sleepy head,
I think the sun’s a little brighter today.
Smile, and watch the icicles melt away and see the waters rising,
Summer’s here to stay, and that sweet summer breeze will blow forever.
Go down to the shore, kick off your shoes, dive in the empty ocean.

One day, do you think we'll wake up in a world on its way to getting better?
And if so can you tell me,
How?

I have been thinking that lately the blood is increasing,
The tourniquets not keeping hold in spite of our twisting.
Though we would like to believe we are, we are not in control,
Though we would love to believe.

Wake up sleepy head,
I think the sun’s a little brighter today.
Smile, and watch the icicles melt away and see the water rising,
Summer’s here to stay, and those sweet summer girls will dance forever.
Go down to the shore, kick off your shoes, dive in the empty ocean.

Thursday's in Paris

Woofty a week goes by fast, I almost forgot about my promise of a little Paris on Thurdsays!! Before I left for my trip I had seen pictures of a really pretty carousel that was somewhere near the Eiffel Tower. I was hoping it would still be there when I went and in fact it was! This is the only photo I have of it on my home computer, the others are prisoners of my work computer, lol! I'll have to post some more tomorrow, but for now...

Thursday's in Paris

So I have to admit I have been a bit of a slacker when it comes to posting my pictures of Paris. I have so many to go through that it seems overwhelming because my inclination is to do it all at once but for some reason that task seems extremely daunting due to the ridiculous (in a good way) amount of pictures I took! So I have dubbed Thursdays my official Paris posting day!! Today I'm only posting one....but it's a good one I promise! I have to say there is something so magical about the Eiffel Tower, at least for me. The first time my mom and I spied it was while driving in a taxi cab with a crazy French driver on the way to our hotel. I think my mom and I literally shrieked "There it is!" and proceeded to get ridiculously giddy and excited. We were officially in Paris and actually SAW the Eiffel tower, albeit it was for a brief second in a fast moving car, but still...we had arrived! You can only imagine how we felt when we were standing in front of it! Very cool!

We live in a fantasy world, a world of illusion. The great task in life is to find reality. ~ Iris Murdoch

Can you say charming!

Oh how I miss Paris. It has been a week and a half since I've been back and it really feels like a dream. It's amazing how quickly you go back to normal life, mainly, I suppose, because you have no other choice, right? Luckily I took pictures like a madwoman and will have memories that will last a lifetime.

Getting there was no bueno. I drove up to Lincoln Friday night, no sleeping for me, and we left for the airport at 3 in the morning on Saturday. The first flight I had a lovely little girl behind me kicking my chair the entire flight, hence no sleep again for Liz. We got into to Chicago and our 6 hour lay over turned into an 8 hour lay over. Finally we took off around 8pm on Saturday to Paris. I thought all was looking up, soon we would be in Paris, but oh no, 3 hours into the flight the pilot comes on to tell us that one of the engines failed, we were running on the backup generator and they were going to make an emergency landing in Washington. Yikes!! We landed really late Sunday morning (or actually early, I guess). We were shuttled off to a hotel for the night and they were able to rebook the flight....@ 7:30 pm Sunday!! We basically missed a day in Paris, but arrived safe and sound Monday morning. The long trip was worth it because we were now officially American tourists in Paris!!!

We stayed at the Ferrandi Hotel, it was very charming.



I loved walking the streets of Paris, there was so much to look at and the buildings were all so gorgeous.



On our first day we walked everywhere, this was one of the first churches we went into, Saint Sulpice. Construction started in the 1600s. It took over 140 years to build!! It was awe-inspiring!



Little know fact - Organs are scary! To me anyway, it probably has something to do with the creepy sound they make and the one too many scary movies I've watched.



The details were amazing!



The Pantheon, it is home to some famous dead people. Not a bad place to be put to rest.



A gothic church behind the Pantheon dedicated to Saint Genevieve. Stunning!!




More to come soon......

Happy Mother's Day to all you Super Cool Moms out there!!

Au Revoir Paris

I just got back from my first (hopefully not last) trip to Paris. It was amazing!! The history, culture and charm completely lives up to all I had imagined. More to come soon, but for now....a taste!

Happy Easter

I pray for a more friendly, more caring, and more understanding human family on this planet. To all who dislike suffering, who cherish lasting happiness, this is my heartfelt appeal. ~Dalai Lama