Journal This

"People who keep journals have life twice."   [Jessamyn West]

I almost ALWAYS keep a journal while traveling and they are amazingly awesome to read through years later.  It is not an embellishment when I say it is like reliving the entire experience, every detail!

These photos were taken at a cozy shop in Venice packed to the brim with coloful journals.  All the leather journals are handmade and simply sumptious!  I came home with two!

Happy Friday (and 4th of July weekend)!

Fresh Start

"We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are." 

 [Anais Nin]

My birthday is on Sunday so this weekend is filled with fun (after I work tomorrow, boo!) with friends and family!  I am so excited my best friend from Los Angeles is coming up for the weekend!!!  I am very much looking forward to relaxing and having good times and I'll be sure to have plenty of photos to prove it.

Happy Friday!

[Photos by me, Rome, 2007.]

Unlock Your Soul

I took this picture in Venice - thought the words looked neat against the bright wall.

Another looooong week has passed (and, unfortunately I have to work tomorrow so my week isn't over yet!).  Tax season is really kicking my butt right around now - total lack of sleep doesn't help matters!  I am very much looking forward to April 18th so I can have my life back.

Happy Friday!

Change Your World

"Change your thoughts and you change your world." 

 [Norman Vincent Peale]



Photo taken in Varenna, Italy (on Lake Como) in 2005.

Venice, Italy [Honeymoon Part Ten]

Venice was our last stop on our honeymoon and I can't even begin to describe how amazing it was in autumn.  The fog was rolling in at all angles, the air was crisp and fresh against our faces, the narrow streets were tourist-free, the sun trying to break through the mist creating a glow, and the colorful leaves on the trees in all their glory.  It sounds cliche to have Venice at the top of my "favorite places" list - especially considering all we saw on our honeymoon - but we really felt nothing but love and excitement for this city.  Maybe it was because we had beeen here before a few years prior on a backpacking trip through Europe.  This time we weren't feeling the pressure to see "everything" and so I enjoyed it ALL, every detail, every sound, every delight!

We had time to meander the streets, window shop, and relax at cafes.  Our only goal:  get lost!  I loved EVERY SECOND.

Ravenna, Italy [Honeymoon Part Nine]

Ravenna was such a gift.  I had no expectations of this city and I was delighted!  It was an especially crisp fall day with newly fallen leaves and a chilly breeze.  We meandered through the streets just enjoying the shops, churches, piazzas, and cafes.  Fun fact:  Dante Alighieri is buried in Ravenna (I had no idea)!  My humanities professor would be proud. 

I truly enjoyed all the great details we discovered on our stroll... wrought iron fencing, door knobs, old wooden doors, stone walls... What a fabulous city!

We're Going To... Italy!

Today is a perfect day for a jaunt to Italy.  All you have to do is sit back, relax, and enjoy your stay.


Welcome to L'Albereta in Lombardy, Italy.

Word

"If at first you don't succeed, TRY TRY AGAIN - then quit.  There's no use being a damned fool about it."

[WC Fields]

[Florence, Italy.  June 2007]