Per usual I am watching the cursor come and go, wondering which keys I should be hitting. I’ve been thinking about it all day but if I knew what I was going to write that would kind of take the fun out of it, for me at least. For the past 7 or months I’ve been writing in my journal ballpoints of good things that happened to me that particular day. It used to be just 4 or maybe 5 things but I’ve been encouraged to write 10 things I’m thankful for everyday. Sometimes it could just be that I found a quarter or even a penny on the ground (pennies are still money people!) or sometimes it’s a really sweet surprising gesture from a friend or customer at work. Today for example I’m thankful for the Teena Marie station on Pandora. Yesterday one of my coworkers bought me a cookie, my friend Amy came to visit me at work, and I got to christen a car with the name Dametria, because every car should have a name. I am also very thankful my friend Claudia let me borrow her gps for my trip! I keep seeing cardinals which is very symbolic and getting a lot more sleep, also the Headspace app works, maybe its all in my head *elbow nudge* get it?! Because it’s for meditation so its in your head and…yeah. Where am I going with this…. oh yes I now practice the very fine art of acknowledging even the smallest things throughout the day that make me smile and chuckle because I feel like now that I do that I’ll have even more things to smile and chuckle about. Except for the guy who stopped his car when I was walking in my neighborhood earlier today asking if I needed a ride, no thanks! Midnight blue nails.
spiritual
My Rocky Road to Inspiration
I’ve never been much of a nature girl wooo! (Rick Flair reference anyone? Nature Boy?……*crickets*moving on) but i love natural beauty. I had never even heard of Rocky Mountain National Park until a coworker suggested i go. I love suggestions when i travel, some of the best places I’ve been to have been recommendations.
The ride was almost as beautiful as the destination.
It was National Park Service 98th birthday so we got in free!
Greetings
this rock is forming into a mighty fine stone
While Eileen went to go meditate i took a measly wimpy 2 mile hike to Alberta Falls, i don’t remember walking downhill so much on my way there because the way back felt like i was climbing a mountain. I did happen to run into some adorable animals and everyone i passed greeted me with a smile that tickled my heart.
The hike to Bear Lake was equally as beautiful! I even found some art deep in the woods!
Bear Lake
The clear water has bacteria in it because of animal feces so humans can’t drink it.
I sat on a rock at this lake (ridiculous i know) for a long time and i was really thankful i brought my journal with me. I’m often frustrated because there is always something I’m longing for. I know i am fortunate but my heart has infinite desire when it comes to traveling and always will. Before this trip for some reason i felt like i couldn’t write, i had so much in my head and in my heart that i felt like i was going to burst but for some reason i just wouldn’t write. It was the first time i had experienced some sort of creative blockage. I love going on trips but I thought it was kind of corny that i would go on a trip and voila i can write again but it happened. I was in awe sitting there, the sun shining , dragonflies buzzing, mountains looming, i don’t think Ive ever written surrounded by so much natural beauty before. I felt a surge of purpose, the sun was so bright i should of should of worn shades but to hell with being comfortable, i needed to see everything before me, my future. On our way back to Boulder we stopped in the adorable town of Estes Park to eat some comfort food and play a mean game of Pac Man. Two weeks before this trip i had no idea where i was going, all i knew was that my high school reunion was cancelled and i knew didn’t want to go home. Eileen had serendipitously taken the same days off work and we decided to visit to ‘Colorful Colorado’. An amazing place to share an experience, bask in natural beauty, and sigh your heart out…..all while using a fake name that you keep forgetting when introducing yourself, sigh! Good Times Colorado, good times.
Lone Star State of Mind Part 1
In the year or so that I’ve lived in Austin Ive had so much fun and done so many things that i never have before because there is SO much fun to be had here but i keep hearing about all these cool places outside of Austin that are not only fun but also really beautiful. A few weeks ago me and my friend Lauren aka Lo went on a little road trip to the Hill Country to see what really is deep in the heart of Texas.
1st stop on a road trip is always rocking down to Electric Ave
Bluebonnets are the Texas State Flower and just like everything else about this state Texans are very proud of them and on our little trip i saw them for the very first time!
Driving, gossiping, and exploring can sure make a girl hungry so where else do we decide to dine but the Grand Central Cafe otherwise known as the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre house! Yes ladies and gentleman, you too can wine and dine in the very same house that Leatherface and his family once called home, how cozy is that?!
This place isn’t anywhere near as cheesy as i wanted it to be but it does come equipped with a cute waiter and good southern comfort food!
The neighborhood behind the Massacre House (i don’t care about the real name of the restuarant is it’ll always be the Massacre House anytime i refer to it) was so serene and beautiful that we had to take a walk on what i’m pretty sure is private property
was there once a tree house up there? so cute!
anyone remember that cartoon where the baby duck keeps repeating “water do gown the hooole”?? oh im the only one, okay nevermind moving along….
not quite a much of a dendrophiliac as Denise Fleming but i do love and appreciate the beauty of nature
Me and Lauren stumbled upon even more natural beauty at Longhorn Cavern State Park, not to sound so much like the 80’s valley girl that i totally am but it was really cool you guys!
the cavern stays around 68 degrees so in other words this literally is the coolest place to be in the summer in TX
On our way back to Austin i could not help but pull over multiple time because there is so much beauty and character when you’re driving not on an interstate but on a road and in this case a Farm to Market or Ranch Road.
I’ve only seen these kind of signs in the southern states, i dig them
…..and this little gem! Such a cute building? house? brothel? whatever it is i appreciate it!
I hope Texans don’t take this the wrong way but i almost forgot i was in Texas, this truly is a big beautiful state full of so many things that surprise me all the time, BUT don’t let the southern hospitality fool you, they are always quick to remind you…..
Fish in the water
Cliche? yes. Proverbial? duh. Relatable? always. Am i diving in or just getting my feet wet? Im not naturally an impulsive person so making rash decisions doesn’t only not sit well with me it also backfires, because well, i know better and the universe knows better and the universe knows i know better. Ive always heard the phrase “fish out of water” feeling out of place, lost, not knowing what to do, something i have always related to but what about a fish in the water? Just because you can drive doesn’t mean you’re never going to get lost, and just because a fish can swim doesn’t mean it cant sink. Even in your seemingly natural habitat you still may not have any sense of direction. Its a doozy and not a lot of humans like to talk about it because they all want to seem like they have their proverbial shit together but in reality they’re all full of proverbial shit. Tis the season, tis the season to get lost, and say “Wow i cant believe i said that, went there, ate that, did that (or him)” and just simply have an experience. I used to think that in order to do what i wanted to do i had to have all my proverbial ducks in line, i thought i needed a certain dollar amount of money, or i had to wait until this specific date but now i know that i can do anything. The most important thing i need with me when im fulfilling my daydreams is simply the will to do it.
Having boobs doesn’t hurt either.
Girl meets town, universe, herself
“Who can turn the world on with her smile, who can take a nothing day and suddenly make it all seem worthwhile”. Lately I’ve been throwing my proverbial beret in the air Mary Tyler Moore-style and just doing it, going for it, and checking it out. I’ve always fancied myself to be a ‘girl about town’ but when you don’t grow up in a bustling metropolis its hard to keep the excitement going. Moving to a city that lots of people move to I’m always meeting new people and the first few sentences are always verbatim “Where are you from?” “How long have you been in Austin?” and “What brought you here”. My answers “DE, 1 year, and I came to visit and i loved it”. Now you probably don’t know what DE stands for, it means Delaware, the first state to sign the constitution, the home of V.P. Joe Biden, the land of tax-free shopping. It’s that tiny little speck in between PA,NJ, and MD on the east coast right on the Atlantic Ocean. Whenever i explain this to people it’s followed up with a blank stare, then a pause but then comes the inevitable moment, the moment i wish i could get paid for predicting, ……the “Wayne’s World” reference. I’ve never seen the movie, but i sure have seen and heard of this scene many many times.
There is absolutely no place like home and in a lot of ways that was it. There are so many awesome major cities near my hometown but i needed something totally new, unfamiliar, scary, bizarre and awesome.
Lone Star State of Mind
Whatever circumstances happen in life that light a fire under your ass is the minute you are living in a different realm in the same universe, a chance for you to see that you can do whatever you want and its the best, scariest, loneliest, unconventional, absurd, most beautiful thing. Please don’t ignore it, don’t be scared to get out there and do something by yourself, for yourself.Who knows whats going to happen and who cares? “Wild horses run unbridled or their spirit dies”.
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