Tuesday, August 17, 2010

You Wanna Do What Where?!



Yes, you know (or should know) what this is. Africa.


I take it not many people even think about this place when planning a trip outside the United States. In fact I was supposed to have been gone in August. =( but I let my nerves get the best of me and I wussed out. I still have plenty of chances to do the program I wanted though! Maybe next year.

I am uber uber obsessed with a blog I found on Facebook called Twenty-something travel. I read a guest posting about a safari like trip through four countries over 20 days. I dung until I found the website and I found a four day trip through Kruger State Park. Fits in my budget and I'll see what I want to see. The accommodations aren't 5 star hotels or anything but I can stand non-air conditioning, getting dirty and well being hot.

This means I have to start planning it out NOW with passport (already need one for my cruise), shots I need and just dates, locations, maps, budgets, weather planning, wardrobe, airline guidelines, all that good stuff.

Now it's time to convince the boyfriend. ^__^

Monday, August 16, 2010

Chicago In Fotos

During the dates of the 11th-14th my S.O. and I ventured to Chicago. (I'm counting the driving and some advice... DON'T drve, take a plane)

The drive was long... very long. Got caught in a terrible storm in Ohio in the middle of the night. But after the storm, the skies were clear and while pulled over, John nudges me and says look up. So I do and the view is unbelievable. I see stars in areas where I didn't know they existed. It was frightening as well, and during the drive I would roll down the windows, look up and shriek... (because that's what I do).

We arrived at my friend's hotel around 4:30ish. This is what you see (River North location)





After we drove to our hotel location (about 1 mile south), we explored that part of Millennium park and Solider field. The air show was going on at that time. It was pretty cool to see jets flying over the city... but then the perspective of fight jets flying over the city meant to people during times of war. Oh how things change!

Below is me with Buckingham Fountain running like a goober.












Here is a great view from the Alder Planetarium.


The Field Museum and Planetarium were neat... if you didn't know much about astronomy or animals, history, etc. Though walking through the different cultures and their histories were eye-opening. My favorite part was of course the dinosaurs.. though I wish they had more skeletons!










Lastly, here is a view of the city at night... we watched a storm come in, the wind was fierce and we got caught in it. Though we enjoyed it, ended up flocking in fountains and the park. The next and last day we visited the Art Institute of Chicago. Amazing big place!




Overall it was a great trip! But now I'm becoming impatient for my next one which will be either Thousand Islands in Upstate NY, San Fran or Colorado Springs.

Monday, August 9, 2010

So they say..

We are always learning... those few words couldn't be truer. There's always lessons to be learned, trades to be taught, things to be explored.

During these few years, I have to admit I have learned alot about myself, others and just life in general. Some are things I have read, others are horrible lessons learned [and still learning mind you].

1.Not everyone wants to be your friend.
~I've experienced this time and time again. It doesn't matter WHO you are or what you do, who you know, etc. Not everyone will want to form a friendship with you. The best thing to do is just accept it, move on and be thankful for the true friends you have.

2.Things do get better
~It doesn't matter what you're going through now, things change; always. Heartbreak, jobloss, friendloss, or just 'hard times" will change for the better. Yes it does suck, really suck but once you've hit rock bottom, you can only move up from there -that is if you want to-.

3.Someone always has it WORSE than you
~Most of the little things you complain about shouldn't be complains at all.

*Water not hot enough? -Some people don't have clean water period-
*Didn't get exactly what you wanted for your birthday? -Some people live on less than $2.00 a day-
*You're impatient to update your Iphone? -Some people have no technology whatsoever-
*Your favorite food is out of store? -Some people go hungry each day-

I could go on and on with this but basically, most people think theyre life is so much harder than it actually is. Chill and be thankful you have such a blessed life to begin with.

4.The best things in life are free
~Ever sit outside on a nice day or just enjoy the sights around you? Some of the most relaxing times have been when I just laid outside and enjoy the nature around me. To me it seems pointless to waste away watching tv, I rather be outside.

5.Negativity breeds negativity
~Nothing is more consuming more than negative thoughts. If you always see the negative side, that's all you will look for.

6.There's opportunity in everything
~Sometimes it takes a little searching.

7.Be the change you wish to see in the world
~I do my best to live this everyday. Even if it is a small act, it can go along way. Of course one can get discouraged asking themselves "why am I doing this if no one else is?" The answer is simple, the impact you make on the world is bigger than yourself. You are helping more than you know.

8.Everything works out
~Even if it's not in your favor, it always goes the way it is intended. Always. It may take some time to realize it but just look at the bigger picture. Ask yourself "What am I doing now since such and such has happened?" If a relationship didn't work out, think about what that person is doing and also yourself because this event occurred.

9.Don't wait on doing something
~When will 'someday' arrive for you? The answer is it will never because that someday will soon turn into next year, 5 years.. etc. If you want to do something -anything- today is the best day to start on it.

10.Open up.
~Preventing people from seeing the real you can only harm you in the long run. There could be so many amazing people that you could meet &form close bonds with. Of course it doesn't mean to open yourself up to everyone [see previous], it just means if you have a good person in your life that you constantly push away, stop. See what happens when you "let" them in.

11.Take chances
~I would rather get hurt from a chance I took then to live with a regret later. Of course this could sound silly, but it works for me and I never have to wonder "what if?" (Of course I still do with some things) What is the worse thing that could happen if you did? Think about how it could change your life.

12.Help those in need
~Whether it be a donation or volunteering. Nothing can be more satisfying than helping others. The world needs more humanity.

13.Let loose
~Stop being uptight. Run in the rain or simply dance when feel the need to. It's great to let your silliness out. Everyone has it.

14.Forgive and let anger go
~These go hand in hand. It's a freeing feeling and can only help you. It takes energy, time and effort to hate, to hold onto resentments. Let them go. (Working on this myself)

I'll add more later.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

| |Asking the Girl in the Mirror to Change Her Ways| |

{Sometimes, people really do feel like they don't want to exist, like they want to curl up in a ball and hide from everyone else. They feel like life is caving in on them and they want to just go somewhere else and not feel anything at all. And I don't think there's anything wrong with that. And if you don't know how it feels to feel this way, then you have no place to judge anyone who does.}


It's an odd world out there.... are you prepared?


"A few times in my life, I’ve had moments of absolute clarity. When for a few brief seconds the silence drowns out the noise and I can feel rather than think… And things seem so sharp and the world seems so fresh. I can never make these moments last. I cling to them, but like everything, they fade. I have lived for these moments. They pull me back to the present, and I realize that everything is exactly the way it was meant to be." -A Single Man

"Writing is a form of therapy. Sometimes I wonder how all those who do not write, compose or paint can manage to escape the madness, the melancholia, the panic fear which is inherent in the human situation." -Graham Greene



"The only cure for grief is action"G.H. Lewis




Don't ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive. ~Attributed to Howard Thurman


Think occasionally of the suffering of which you spare yourself the sight. ~Albert Schweitzer


I may not be there yet, but I'm closer than I was yesterday. ~Author Unknown



Love is a symbol of eternity. It wipes out all sense of time, destroying all memory of a beginning and all fear of an end. ~Author Unknown

Let go, it's harder holding on....


take a {{breath}} & make it BIG



~In this great future, you can't forget your past.. along the {{way}}