#14 Keep on climbing…
Rock climbing is amazing! The amount of soreness I have is quite fantastic, and the bruises are multiplying by the day. I am primarily focusing on indoor rock climbing right now and have a long way to go before I can get back to outdoor mountain climbing. However, I have a great group of people that I climb with that are much more experienced than I. Having them help me along the journey will help me to expand my horizons at a much quicker pace and will keep reminding me of the reason I am working hard toward getting back on the side of a mountain!
Have a fantastic week!
“The best climber in the world is the one who’s having the most fun.” - Alex Lowe
#7 There’s no place like home…
This past weekend, I went back to Miami University for Homecoming. It was absolutely fantastic! My dad came to town, as he is also an alum, and we were able to catch a great hockey game and an AMAZING football game. I was also able to see some great friends from throughout the years and fully enjoyed re-living college, if just for a few nights.
Every time I go to Miami, I am constantly reminded about how lucky I am to have experienced four years of life in this wonderful place. I feel re-energized and cannot WAIT to see my house-mates next weekend in ATL!
“To get here, you have to want to get here. But once you’re here, you never want to leave” - Dr. Phillip Shriver
#11 Becoming a Southern Belle…
As promised, a quick discussion on the first new state of the year… my trip to Austin, TX. Sean and I spent a bit of time debating about which state we wanted to go to in order to accomplish this goal, but TX sounded perfect right off the bat! It had everything we both love… amazing live music for me, baseball for him, and an amazing natural spring that anyone would love.
This trip was absolutely wonderful! This picture shows the main street that leads directly up to the State Capital. We randomly happened upon a UT baseball game, which was absolutely insane. Folks were tailgating by around 10 AM for the game and, boy, do they love their baseball! No worries, Texas won. We went out in a few different areas of the city, each on a different night. Strangely enough, my favorite bar happened to be owned by Bachelor Brad. Brad and Emily were hanging out together at the back of the bar where Sean and I were playing beer pong… meaning that we all became best friends… obvs. The natural spring was gorgeous, but FREEZING cold. It definitely made me crave more outdoor, natural activities when I got home, which I absolutely consider to be a gift.
After a few days of exploring this wonderful city, all that I wanted to do was travel to the next city in the state. Texas is such a huge state, that I feel that every city must have incredible differences. I can’t wait to get back there to explore some more!
“Be pretty if you can, be witty if you must, but be gracious if it kills you.” - Elsie de Wolfe
#11 Welcome to Atlanta where the playa’s play…
Alright, so I’m finally coming off my my excitement from Italy. Yes, about a month since I’ve gotten back and I’m just now coming off of the happiness and joy that came out of that week of travel with new friends and family. Fantastic! But that means that it’s time to move on to my next journey! In writing this, I have realized that I did not write a post on my trip to TX earlier in the year, which means that you will see that topic in the very near future, but this time I’ll be talking about my upcoming trip to ATLANTA!
I’ve flown through Atlanta, GA a few times, but I’ve never actually stopped into the city. Which is kind of depressing, based on the fact that one of my best friends in the entire world lives there! Early in November, I will be making the short trek once again, and this time to meet up with some of my favorite people from my Frosh year of college. Yes, OK, it started off as a Cosmo reunion (the house I lived in in college), but this is becoming so much more! And it’s coming right at the exact moment when I need it most! Right as the Fall is beginning, thus I am missing Miami more than ever, and right before the stressful holiday season that always feels slightly more rushed than it should!
I can’t wait, y’all! Have a fantastic week… & for those of you at Crossroads, keep up your Strong Challenge work! I hope that your Play week has been as relaxing and fulfilling as I have found mine to be :o)
“I get by with a little help from my friends.” - John Lennon
#12 Happiness loves company…
Italy. Seriously. Amazing.
I am sitting here next to two of my friends that I met in Italy, which perfectly describes my experience. I have made wonderful new friends that I always want to stay in contact with, I have learned new things about the world, and I have experienced new things that will allow me to see the world in a new light. This has perfectly accomplished what I set out to do in seeing two new places outside of the country that I have never seen before. I hope to continue to experience new things and feel that this has helped to open my eyes to be able to see things within the world better than I had ever anticipated.
“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing!” - Helen Keller
#17 VIVA ITALIA!
I am SO EXCITED to share this news… I’M GOING TO ITALIA IN 2 WEEKS! About a week ago, a friend from work and I were talking and found out that we both had about 20 days of vaca left. So, less than a week later we have now booked a trip to: Milan, Cinque Terre, Naples, Sorrento, Positano, Capri, Ravello, Pompei, and Rome. Eight out of the nine places will be brand new for me! I think that the best part is that I will be travelling around Italia with a good friend and will be able to see two good friends and my mom while there. Enjoying new places in the world is always better when you’re with the ones you love :o)
Hope y’all had a great weekend!
“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” - St. Augustine
#13 The Last Lecture
My goodness, I am still balling my eyes out about this one… but just because of the story-line. Not only that, but I feel inspired… to re-new my love of dreaming, to work harder, to accomplish more, and to be a better person.
In this book, Randy Pausch writes about the lessons he has learned throughout his life and what thoughts may be able to benefit others as they try to achieve their childhood dreams. The reason that he is writing the book is because he has found out that he has pancreatic cancer and has found out that he is to die in a few months. While his writing is directed for use by the general public, he reminds us several times that the real reason he has decided to spend time writing a book is so that his three, young children (the youngest of which is only a few months old) will know who their father is and will understand how much he cared for them.
I HIGHLY recommend reading this book! Not only are his lessons very relevant and useful to our daily lives, but his perspective is able to ground the reader in reminding us of what is really important in life… our family, our true friendships, and our willingness to work hard to accomplish our dreams.
…and as a few side-notes:
-I have booked a trip to Italy in two weeks… here come the two places I’ve never been outside of the country!
-I had a recent golf lesson… I’ll be crossing my fingers on this one!
-I’m thinking about joining a tennis league, I’ll keep you up-to-date…
-Totally off topic,but I was chosen to be in a video for my superman punches today. Looks like my boxing is gettin’ better :o)
Have a fantastic week y’all!
“We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.” - Randy Pausch
I can’t believe that this is only the FIRST documentary I’ve watched this year.
Above is a longer-ish clip from what is potentially the most AMAZING wedding I’ve ever seen. Yes, it may even be on an even playing field with the Royals. Due to my recent obsession with the Royals, that’s really saying something.
What I love more anything in this video is the extreme amount of love that is shown between Coco Rocha and James Conran. They seem to be friends more than anything, and that allow that to rule their relationship. Not only that, but they show an incredible gratefulness to all those in attendance that is rarely seen nowadays. They appreciate and respect the love of their family and friends and show a large amount of gratitude in everyone being able to join in their celebration of love.
“The ultimate lesson all of us have to learn is unconditional love, which includes not only others but ourselves as well.” - Elizabeth Kubler-Ross
#22 Zip-a-dee-do-dah…
Alright, another day, another goal down! This time my goal was to face my fears, which I did by zip lining across 25 acres of IN. I have got to say, it was pretty amazing! Other than the fact that there was broken ankle, a sprained wrist, and about five thousand bug bites in our small group, everything turned out alright!
Every day, I try to do something new, but it is the loss of control that scares me the most. It was great to be able to freely float through the air, but it was very scary knowing that I had very little to no control over what could happen. I recommend jumping out of your comfort zone whenever possible, as it’s only when you’re free to fall that you can also be free to fly.
Have a fantastic rest of the week everybody!
“Instead of worrying about what people will say of you, why not spend time trying to accomplish something they will admire.” - Dale Carnegie
#23 I have an addiction…
Ladies & gents… I have decided that it is now time to introduce you to my most recent addiction: appleTV
I literally watch everything on this little bitty. Movies I want to rent? Done. Shows I need to catch up on? I now know what’s up. New clip on youtube I should check out? If you’ve been over to my house recently, you know where I’m going with this one. If you’re looking for me, I’m either accomplishing one of the things on this list… or I’m posted up on my couch utilizing my new found appleTV-ing skills.
Hope you had a great weekend!
“Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes… the ones who see things differently - they’re not fond of rules… You can quotes them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the one thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things… they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.” - Steve Jobs
