A Picture Says a Thousand Words...

Saw this image on my friend Steph's blog today and it stopped me dead in my tracks...

A lot of craziness (both good and bad) have been occurring in my life over the past six months. And just when I thought I was finally starting to figure things out; I was thrown for another loop! I'm choosing to see this as an opportunity to slow down and really think about what I want in life. Realize that it truly does "all happen for a reason" and stop focusing at finding that light at the end of the tunnel and figuring it all out, but instead paying attention to all the beauty and life that lives inside the tunnel and see what it has to teach me along the journey.

Image from notebook doodles.

Thanksgiving Day Recap in Photos

Andy and I hosted Mom and Dad for Thanksgiving this year! Here were some photos from our day together.

I know I'm a little behind...but stay tuned for Christmas photos and "holiday" cards that will be going in the mail this week. Yup, you guessed it...they were originally Christmas cards, then they became New Year's cards, now they are "holiday" cards. Andy suggested I just hold off until next year, but I refuse to give up the good fight of crossing everything left off my holiday to-do list. Hehehe!

And Another Year Begins...

Well, it's been an awfully looooong time since I've posted anything and that is just not acceptable. Even if I can only post a quick thought or quote of the day...or just post a quick snapshot from the week or a song lyric that stuck with me for the day.

Andy even asked me if he can join in on the postings or if we can start another blog about our adventures together; which I thought was a fun idea, but reminded me even MORE that I need to get back to updating my own blog first.

Soooo, to ease back into things a quick list of "goals" for the new year, since I've never really been one for "resolutions," and my word of the year inspired by Ali Edwards:

1. Get back on track with my running and complete at least three 5Ks

2. Complete the two-week triathlon with my Mom in February

3. Give people the benefit of the doubt more and try to see things from their point of view before forming my own opinion (work and personal)

4. Forgive

5. Make time for ME

6. Be easier on myself

7. Reconnect with friends and try harder to stay in touch

8. Create a budget and stick too it

9. Visit Dunkin' Donuts less often :)

10. Find my creativity again

And in honor of the "one little word" concept, my word for 2010 is GRATITUDE. This past year has included a lot of emotions and feelings...excitement, happiness, pain, sadness, loss, anger, regret, love, strength and many more. Over the past few months, I have taken a step back and forced myself to find the good in life and hold onto the things I appreciate the most...family, friends, health, happiness and the overall belief that things do get better; that life does go on; and that YOU are indeed in charge of your own happiness and the window that frames how you view your little world. I'm ready to say goodbye to 2009 and look forward to all the happiness I will create in 2010. The future's so bright...we've got to wear shades!

Back in Action!

Okay, sooo sorry for the latest delay in vacation photo updates. However, this time it was TOTALLY not my fault. My computer went on the fritz and refused to start, so it had to go in for some repairs. Now that I have it back, you are returned to your regular viewing of additional vacation pictures. (Stay tuned for pics of the new apartment in the next few weeks too!!! One week until the move).

Our first Maui sunrise...so beautiful, so calming:






















We stayed with Alexis and Steven (Andy's sister and her husband) and we were lucky enough to visit while they were house sitting for their friend Tony. So this was the beautiful place we got to call home for the time we were out there:

















Lexi and Steven were also nice enough to let us borrow their car while we were out there, so we didn't even need to rent one! And BONUS, it even came with a cute furry tour guide. No, not Andy...the little stuffed orangutan:






















There are random wild chickens all over the island. Andy really got a kick out of them and I think he seriously wanted to try and catch one while we were there. He settled for seeing a kid on a skateboard who had caught one and was holding it, while skateboarding, and had it on a leash. It was one of the funniest things we'd seen in a long time!






















Here is Scruffy, one of Tony's dogs. I absolutely fell in love with him while we were out there and tried to convince everyone that Tony wouldn't really mind if I just took him home with us. Sadly they disagreed with me and I had to leave him behind:

Airplane, Arrival and Awesomeness!!!

Yup, Awesomeness...it's a word, so don't even question it. Kapeesh? (also a word).

Here are your pics for today...Random plane paparazzi annoyance by yours truly, followed by our arrival in Maui (Saturday, Feb.21) and our first palm tree spotting at the airport! I think we looked pretty good after approx 15 hours of travel that day, right? It was here at the airport that we were also greeted by Andy's sister Alexis (Lexi) and her husband Steven, who adorned us with some beautiful leis and then swept us off to our first Hawaiian sunset and dinner at LuLu's, a fun little open deck restaurant in Kihei. You can see that we made friends quickly during our first tiki encounter too!

And We Were OFF!

I have sooooo many pictures to sort through and even more fun stories to share, but this can tide you over for now. Here we were embarking on our Hawaiian paradise adventure! These were taken on our departure from Logan airport and our layover in San Francisco, California. The trip was absolutely magical and I can't wait to return someday...

Envy...The Green Eyed Monster

YUP, I'm full of envy today. My boyfriend is the proud new owner of the Samsung Instinct touchphone and I'm soooo beyond jealous I can't even tell you. This phone is awesome!!! And of course after playing with it for the afternoon, I'm already figuring out when and how I'll be getting mine! Hehehe. Turns out I can update my plan for only about $10 a month and increase to unlimited internet, picture mail, text and calls. So, so, so excited. Okay, maybe it's a little silly to be jealous of his fun new toy, especially considering that we're leaving for our vacation in Maui Hawaii in less than one week now, but hey...I think we all know I'm a bit spoiled by this point. Happy Valentines Day everyone! Go hug and smooch your smooches too!