sunsets

Sunsets are one of my favorite things. Not only are they beautiful but they are also one of the most meaningful ways I connect with the people I love. I even have a running contest with my dad to see which one of us has the pleasure of enjoying the most  sunset wherever we are at the time. For us, sunsets are a way that we can connect to each other and feel close even when we are physically far away.

Sunsets are a gift that we are given at the end of each day. They offer us a moment of repose and provide us with an opportunity to appreciate the world in a similar way to anyone around the globe. Sharing an appreciation for nature and its innate beauty allows us to transcend cultural barriers and different languages; it isn't particular to a place or group of people, yet it connects us all.

Here is a collection of both sunrises and sunsets that I've captured at some of my favorite places.

Do you have any favorite places where you enjoy sunsets?

harnessing the sun

Recently I rediscovered my love for cities. I mean, they really energize me. More on that tangent another time though.

Fortunately, a design conference provided me with an opportunity to visit Boston for the first time. Well my first time, with the exception of flying into the airport to then drive to a wedding in rural Massachusetts nearly four years ago. And while the wedding was loads of fun, this time I was able to stay in Boston proper a little longer and really take it all in.

The weather on my first day was BEAUTIFUL and such a warm welcome for this southern girl who prefers moderate temperatures with a baseline of 70, plus or minus five degrees. I don’t ask for much, really... With every step I took, the sky and I both beamed with sunshine. I wanted to spend every minute outside breathing the fresh air and people watching to my heart’s content.

Can you recall how great you feel on the first sunny day of spring when all of the flowers are in bloom and you think to yourself, how could life ever be tough? Well, that is the sort of bliss I experienced on Monday.

If traveling has taught me anything, it’s to make the most of the weather forecast. This makes sense, doesn’t it? On rainy days visit museums and on sunny days get out and explore. Intending to live by this lesson, I launched a mobile weather app to check out the seven day forecast. Quickly I realized that this sunny day I was thrilled to have might be the only one during my stay. In that moment, I grew determined to squeeze the very last drop of goodness out of the day by spending as much time as possible outside. I observed outside. I ate outside. I read outside. I ran outside. You get the point. I literally stayed outside until the sun set and then some.

As predicted, the weather the following day was cold, windy and the sun was nowhere to be found. Instantly, I felt grateful that I chose to enjoy the previous day to the extent I did. This made me think even more. If my awareness of the impending bad weather allows me to fully appreciate the good weather, then is it possible to harness the sun on pretty days to keep us feeling good on the not-so-pretty days? To some extent, I think the answer is yes. We can’t literally bottle up the sun and dispense it on those overcast and dreary days. However, when we make the choice to fully appreciate the pretty days, it fills our cup. It energizes our spirit. It fuels our soul. It allows us to harness the sun for the inevitable, dreary days ahead.

Of course this idea translates to our lives on a grander scale as well. If we can whole-heartedly appreciate our over-the-moon, life is good days then we’ll have a positive reservoir ready for dispensing on the why me, life is so tough days too. Food for thought.

restful adventure

While the phrase "restful adventure" may sound like an oxymoron, that's exactly how I would describe this past weekend. It all started on Friday afternoon when my sister and I piled into the car and headed east for the coast to spend time with our family. We had no agenda at all, only to enjoy the scenery, each other's company and the beautiful weather to come.

Both Saturday and Sunday mornings we woke to gorgeous blue skies and a burning desire to seize the day. And, that's exactly what we did.

We ate well, dug our toes into the sand, played horseshoes, flew kites, cruised on bikes and even initiated impromptu dance parties. It was just what I needed. I think it's what we all needed, to be honest. Life is busy and it's tough for us to put aside our to-do lists and have real conversations without any distractions, but taking time for a restful adventure is so worth it.

Here's to your next restful adventure, big or small!

on celebrating

In three weeks my birthday will be here. It's a big one this year. Some might even say it's big enough to call for a celebration. This topic leads me to the reason for this post. We all speak pretty openly about our desire to celebrate life's big events. Some people believe in celebrating all birthdays, big and small, and others believe in celebrating the mile marker birthdays, happening every five to ten years. I actually think it's important to celebrate every birthday, even if it means enjoying your favorite gelato with a friend or creating your own fun. To me - birthdays, and even anniversaries, are more straight forward. You know they're worth celebrating. It's a little easier to say, "Here's to another year. Cheers to us!" but it can take a little more convincing to celebrate other life events.

When we set goals or have high expectations for achieving an accomplishment, we tell ourselves that we'll celebrate big when we finally achieve IT. I did this very thing when I was studying for all seven of the architectural registration exams, a demanding and grueling process. I incentivized myself by envisioning how great and proud I would feel when I finally passed them all, the party where I'd celebrate with all of my friends and family and all of the things I would go and do when I achieved this lifetime goal of mine. I actually celebrated this win with a fancy dinner out with Ben and I really have enjoyed every weekend since, as I haven't had to wake up early and study all day. I made a point to GO and DO, to get outside and to live large. I never did throw an actual party. Friends and family encouraged me to do so and yet, I reasoned that it would take too much planning, cost too much money and inconvenience too many people. The truth is that everyone I know and love would totally have been on board no matter the "cost" but I discounted the idea because I reasoned that it just wasn't worth it. But it is, worth it!

The lesson here is that it's important to celebrate life, all of it, even if it feels silly at the time.

With that said, this afternoon I'm hoping to follow through with celebratory plans for my birthday. I'm excited. I already picked up the Oh Joy! cake topper at Target. Have you had a chance to see the Oh Joy! for Target collection? If not, be sure to check out her 'garden party' post over at Oh Joy! You'll want to throw a party stat.

sunday mornings | 01

One of my favorite ways to spend Sunday mornings - with hot cinnamon rolls and a fresh cup of coffee. A little bit of House of Cards, Season 2 doesn't hurt either.

Happy weekend to you.