Sep 30, 2012

SONGS + FLOWERS

SUN. Sept 30, 2012
Last Spring, my college roommate Hannah received these beautiful tulips from our friend. They looked wonderful in our plastic-straw-holder-turned-vase, so of course I had to snap a few photos. I've always loved tulips. I have always thought of them as classic, clean, crisp and "springy". Once upon a time a past high school boyfriend bought me some. But sadly, have not received any since. Oh someone, please buy me some tulips! They are definitely in my top five favorite kinds of flowers. I used to say I hated receiving flowers because they were a waste and belonged with Mother Nature, not in my home.

I was such a liar.

You know when you hear 2.5 seconds of a song and know you are going to just love it? Well, it happened with this song. I have been waiting for a musical moment like this. When I heard the song "Bloom" by the newly-discovered band The Paper Kites, it make me think of passing these tulips everyday in our kitchen and watching them bloom in our little mountain home. The photos I took of them were tucked away in an album labeled "March 29, 2012" on my computer so naturally I forgot they existed! This perfect little song made me remember those perfect little flowers and for that, I accuse fate.

The model in the photo is my beautiful college roommate Kaleigh. I have a weird obsession with taking photos of her hands, although her face is quite breathtaking, too.

Sep 28, 2012

ON TRAVELING

FRI. Sept 28 2012
listening to: Mumford & Sons, Babel


Have you read this article yet? Converge Magazine wrote an article about traveling young and the author could not have put it in better words. Oh...you haven't read it? Well, go read the article and then come back to my blog.

Done? Good. Let's continue.

"You won’t always be young. And life won’t always be just about you. So travel, young person. Experience the world for all its worth. Become a person of culture, adventure, and compassion. While you still can."


"This is my calling! My life! I don’t want what you have. I will always be an adventurer.”

Adventure.
We all crave it. We read about it in novels, close our eyes and wish for it but didn't you know it is right in front of you? It's on that plane/train/bus ticket you have yet to purchase, in the pages of your passport, stuck between the tires of your car and right in the palm of your hand. It's that road trip you have planned on taking but just "never had a good weekend" and that international trip you just "couldn't afford". It happens when you escape your world for a little bit to discover another. It's what you get when you travel.

It is easy to find a comfortable place and stay in it. There's nothing wrong with that, but I urge you all to get out of your comfort zone even if it's just the next county over. Traveling doesn't have to cost you thousands. It is exploring the unknown. I love nothing more than visiting a new city, checking out the local places and discovering what makes the heart beat in that particular town. I think every place has a little something to offer in the world. Whether it's a quick trip to Atlanta or a month-long trip to the Philippines (I recently did both), it changes you. It challenges you to be lost in the unknown and start from scratch because only when you're lost do you find yourself.

When asked the question, "What is one thing you would love to do right now?" many people reply "Travel". If I could drop all responsibilities and had an infinite amount of money that is all I would do! Wouldn't you? Most of us want it, we crave it, we desire it, we cling to those two week vacations from work. Make sure you travel as soon as you can because one day you may not have that luxury anymore. 

Travel my dear friends.
Enjoy your life, spend a little bit of your earnings and reach out because the world really is in arms reach. You may find yourself falling in love - with a place, a person, an idea and a new perspective. Traveling refreshes you, energizes you, changes you, moves you, and makes you a better person. A person who is cultured, who understands the world around them, who breaks barriers and begins the little steps of linking us all together. We all live in this crazy world together and really should get to know one another. There's something great in all of us and traveling can help us discover that.

The feelings I get when I travel are indescribable. I wish I could capture the moments when I rode an elephant, saw the Madrid skyline, experienced the night markets in The Philippines and Thailand, ziplined through the Costa Rican mountains or swam near waterfalls with more than my camera and my stories. I wish I could describe those sensations, the scents and make you feel the wind or how the water felt, but it is merely impossible. You must experience it for yourself.

Next time you are stuck between "What should I do with my life?" or "What should I do this weekend?"...travel dearest friends. It would be an absolute shame for this beautiful world to go unseen, for cultures to be unknown and for people to stay strangers.

And this is why I travel.

Sep 18, 2012

NEEDING SPACE FROM MY OWN SPACE

TUES. Sept 18 2012
  
First and foremost, I apologize for my "little hiatus" that turned into a full blown break up...well at least it felt like it. I just needed to step out for some fresh air and much needed space. You know? The cyber life needed to be put on hold so I could catch up with my real one. So many beautiful things have happened these past few months and I can't wait to relive those journeys with you all on the blog, but for now here's a little insight on this "much needed space".

I initially started this blog to create my own space, yet here I am needing space from my own space.

What?

Interesting concept, I know, but I wanted the 25th hour to be about finding that extra time to do those things you love, to see the people you love, to catch up, to find that extra moment for inspiration and to really focus on what matters in life. You can even quote me from my blog explanation here. Well, I took a sip of my own advice and that is exactly what I did. I found my 25th hour this summer by traveling the world, breathing, sleeping in, not rushing, not planning, enjoying every single moment, getting a little "lost" and placing my life into God's hands.

I got a little worried when I discovered I couldn't hide behind my college schedule anymore, focusing on my GPA and how this would make me look on my resume. School was really what I threw myself into and as rewarding as that is (i.e. graduating), there were things that needed tending to. Honestly it was hard to wrap my head about anything past the year 2012. I just always knew that this was the year I would graduate and have my life all figured out. I did to a point, but then I changed gears and I let myself wander a little bit and explore different options then heading straight into work. Remember, all who wander are not lost.

If you knew me for any part of the last eight years of my life, you would know how dedicated I am to my work and to my studies... so why am I not throwing myself whole heartedly into a career? I actually am, but just in a way that isn't textbook after graduation. Don't blame the economy on this one because I didn't even try applying for a "big girl" position. I think my head finally listened to my heart on this one and told me, "Don't grow up too fast, but keep growing."

So here I am, growing.
Growing in a way I never truly gave myself a chance to experience.
The future is a little hazy, but I couldn't be more thankful about the present.

photo. Taken by my sister Megan in Iriga City, Philippines summer 2012.