Coloring my Life at The Color Run

Back in May this year -- details here -- I did my first Color Run in Queens, NY. And it was too much fun - just getting colored powder thrown all over you and getting happy for no particular reason should be a must on everyone's life to do list. Every single person is smiling and giddy and in that moment, having the time of their life. Some people run, some people walk and I skipped a lot.

My first run then inspired me to fly out to Utah, gather the girls in my family {where they live - so I'm not that crazy for following the run} and do another one with them. Even my Mom joined in {she is not a runner & definitely thought I said rum} and we had a blast. I highly recommend this party run to everyone - it isn't called "the happiest 5k on the planet" for no reason! Zumba in the morning - Run, Play & Get Colored - After Party with a DJ - jumping around like mad women {there are guys who do the run as well} to sick beats aka Calvin Harris and the like and throwing around our own colored powder packs for the group color toss. They give these out at the finish line and continue to throw them out from the stage. I can't say it enough -- So. Much. Fun. Now go get motivated and do one! They are everywhere.

Oh and there are bubbles and kaleidoscopes and kind bars.

 

Need I say more?

 

 

 

"life is a blank canvas, and you need to throw all the paint on it you can."

 

{danny kaye}

 

take me there :: swakop

Since I’ve been thinking about a year ago lately, I thought I would take you to where I was a year ago :: Swakopmund, Namibia. highly, highly recommend that if you ever get the chance to go, go. it’s this little seaside town that borders the desert with all kinds of random german influences. I laid out on the beach, sipped sundowners while watching the kite boarders in the sunset, went to the local museum, ate camembert and chutney on the patio, watched volleyball games from the picnic tables, sang karaoke with the locals, went four wheeling on the dunes, took springbok shots with the crew, at mexican food and pizza, went sand dune surfing, drank lots of cider, went shopping a lot and took so many pictures. there is so much to do in this little town. it’s simple and the perfect getaway. there were mostly south africans and europeans on vacation there and I would completely and totally go back in a heartbeat. everyone is so friendly and welcoming. I hope I do get to experience it all again one day.

"shining light from our own position may not illuminate 
or conquer the entire world 
but it can be a guiding friend to others in need."

{unknown}

a year ago today

I've been away so long, it seems. it feels so. a lot is happening. changes going on and coming up. and I've been looking back. thinking about how my last year that was. today a year ago I boarded a plane to africa for two months, with some exact plans but not at all planned. advice coming soon :: the things I'd do different and the things I'd keep the same. it was nice to travel solo but it would've been nicer to eventually meet up with someone I knew. someone that knew me. it's great meeting new people but by nature, I'm quiet and shy and somewhat of a homebody... I know, not what most people would think but it's true. maybe we have more in common than you think.  I appreciate my own space. so meeting so many new people, all the while searching for something within myself got a little tiring. I was ready for the unknown but with the familiar by my side. it totally makes sense to me. I love experiencing new things but not always with new people. but I know that's where we get stories and other adventures, so I embrace it. now I'm ready for adventures with people I know. people who know me.

{just a little jet lag on my face but so happy :: looking back, I can see how much I needed this change in my life}

Go Out Into This World and Be Something

~

Do Things That Make You Happy

take me there :: warm weather in the air

As if I haven't said it enough already, I am so ready for warmer weather. Looking back through some pictures I took in Camuy, Puerto Rico this past fall and remembering this moment right before an afternoon downpour. We quickly ducked into El Fogon de la Abuela Restaurant and watched the storm pass. Anyone that lives south of Georgia understands those afternoon storms. Sometimes they happen in South Carolina or North Carolina but not like in South Florida {and occasionally in the islands}. There's a downpour of summer rain around 3pm, almost without fail, everyday. The smell right before the rain hits is one of my most favorite things in the world. And the storm usually lasts just the perfect amount of time for an afternoon nap and then it's gone as if we never even knew what the rains were. Oh, how I love that feeling. I am so ready for those summer afternoons. Are there any feelings that you just can't live without?

"some people feel the rain, others just get wet."

{roger miller}

take me there :: mardi gras

Last year I had the opportunity to experience Mardi Gras for the first time. Fat Tuesday New Orleans style. It was beyond awesome. Wishing I was there again but instead here's to looking back at last year. Do you guys celebrate Fat Tuesday?  

"THROW ME SOMETHING MISTER!"

“mardi gras, baby. mardi gras. 

time when all manner of weird shit cuts loose and parties down.” 

{sherrilyn kenyon}

take me there :: island time

First, I want to say I love New York but I loathe the winter. I'm naturally not a cold weather person {though with faux fur I'm learning to like it a little more with each wear}… but the thing about New York is that, not only is it cold, it's often dreary and dark. The days are short and the darkness long. The sun rarely peeps out to say hello and so with that, the Winter Blues stop by and drag you down. It happens every year and then I'm dreaming of some place warm to be that matches the endless sunshine in my soul. 

As some of you know I try to do an island trip every year in the winter/spring but this year with all the 2012 traveling that I just finished up, it's not looking likely. So my ADVICE when those winter blues come creeping up :: look through old warm weather vacation photos, google sunny beaches and dreamy islands. Anything that gives you that happy {I'm drinking rum punch and wearing a bikini.all.day} feeling inside. I don't know… I've even considered cranking up my heat and walking around my living room in a bikini. Nothing wrong with that, right? Right. That's what I like to tell myself and it keeps me sane. Anything to keep my soul warm. More to come soon how to keep warm in the winter but what about you? How do you keep warm in the winter?

my personal warm weather vaca photos above include stops in :: puerto rico, water island and south africa. 
any island that keeps me warm is good enough for me.

:: as jimmy buffett sings ::

"so tell me all your troubles / I'll surely tell you mine /

we'll laugh and smoke and cuss and joke / and have a glass of wine…

I come down to talk to me / when the coast is clear"

take me there :: park city

As I mentioned yesterday I was in Utah recently and this included my first trip to Park City. I loved it. Wish I could've stayed longer. We drove over just to grab some lunch {we ate at Flanagan's} and to enjoy a little day trip of walking around downtown. I hope to go back when more is happening. Now I understand why all the people flock there during season. And I will definitely visit again for a longer vaca in the months or years to come. I'm not much of a skier but there is always a ski lodge with spiked hot chocolate calling my name. Anyone else been to Park City? Any recommendations?

"In Utah, there are no bad things in the water there.

 It's just smooth, really beautiful."

{steve guttenberg} 

just another day in love

In November I flew out to Utah and shot my first wedding. I was nervous, excited and so happy because it was for a family member. My younger cousin who is more like a niece or the baby sister I never had… I was even there to help drive her out to college in Utah a few years ago. Feels like yesterday and now she is a Mrs. 

Photographer perspective though, taking on a wedding day was a lot and I'm not sure if this is something I would want to take on full time but it was fun for the experience and the memories. I'm slowing learning more about editing and remembering that the best editing should be done in your camera meaning when you take the picture. Advice :: Don't take the picture knowing you can crop and adjust contrast, etc. Take the photo as it should be seen, as a final product. I used to do that more on film but now with digital and editing I sometimes forget and think, oh I'll just figure out a way to fix that. Not always the best idea. I'm still learning and reminding myself everyday of these tips. 

Seeing these two together is magical. They represent the simplicity of love; they are so sweet and kind to each other and you can feel them together in a room. It makes you want to know that love. Love forever. 

"When you love someone, 

all your saved-up wishes start coming out."

{elizabeth bowen}

take me there :: st. thomas

St. Thomas is a place for shopping and beaches. The snorkeling is easy and the waters, beyond beautiful. Their jewels sparkle like the sea on a smooth sunny day. A few spots that I checked out during my last visit weren't as typical as I usually do but I'm so glad I did. We tasted Bones, their local rum {note the distillery is only open when cruise ships are in town}, sipped on St. John's Island Summer Ale at Tickles and smoked hookah at the Hubbly Bubbly lounge and by the way, their food is delish. Side Note :: if you like to take drinking vacations {which I do} then you are in luck in St. Thomas :: see the $8.99 price for a bottle of rum? not a special price, that is it all the time… on the other hand mixers like soda will run you about $5 and up. Island priorities, they have some good ones. 

"Searching is half the fun: 

life is much more manageable when thought of 

as a scavenger hunt as opposed to a surprise party."

{jimmy buffett}

take me there :: laguna beach part II

Last week I posted a few photos of my recent trip to Laguna Beach and even though I was only there for a day, I simply fell in love with it. So I wanted to point out a couple specific things I discovered. Like Asada - the best chips and salsa ever - and the Wyland Gallery - so awesome. I loved his work as a child and it was such a highlight to visit this gallery. 

"as long as there is imagination, there's nothing we can't do…"

{wyland}