Addicted.

(La Plaza Mayor Salamanca, Spain)

"The world is a book and those that do not travel read only one page"

- St. Augustine       

So there's this addiction I have...it's this little (expensive) thing called t r a v e l i n g. It started in 8th grade when we had a study abroad presentation in one of my classes. I sat there amazed by all the incredible pictures of other countries and thought to myself, I will do that someday. And I did. Last year I went to school in Salamanca, Spain for 3 months and it was the most exciting/wonderful thing I've ever done. There is something so interesting to me about other languages and cultures. I want to see it all, experience it all. It's been about a year since I left for Spain and I'm feeling that urge again, to go, go, go. Not because I don't like or appreciate where I live, because I do. I believe traveling is the best way to appreciate what you have. It's the best way to open your eyes to the world and begin to understand it better. I want to plan something for this summer, now the only question is, where next?!

You have got to discover you.

"I learned you have to trust yourself. Be what you are, and do what you ought to do, the way you ought to do it. You have got to discover You, what you do, and trust it." -Barbara Streisand

I've been thinking about this a lot lately. I have this little blue notebook that I write quotes in. I've probably had it for about 6 years and when I hear or read something I like, I write it down. I was reading through it recently, thinking about this "Discovering You" quote and I found a few others I like too:

"You don't have to sit on top of a mountain to discover what's right for you. You always know in your heart what you need to do. But you have to ask yourself if you're willing to make choices. Put yourself in a position where you're making choices about your life, rather than letting people make those choices for you. That's what balance is all about." - Liz Dolan

"Stop second guessing yourself. Trust yourself. Trust that you have made the right choice."

The past 6 months have been a little rough for me. Somewhere I fell into a rut. A self conscious, worried, anxious, tearful rut. I can't say what it was exactly that caused it. But it was hard. Honestly, there wasn't one big my-life-is-crumbling-down-around-me event. My life is not hard by any means. It was more of a cascade of little events that just really got me down. And there were so many times when I thought to myself, what is wrong with me? This isn't me. But something has changed. I spent last weekend at home, talked to someone I needed to talk to, went skiing with my family, and decided I'm done. Done worrying and done feeling anxious. Worrying doesn't do you any good. I've been so hung up on, am I doing the right thing? Am I where I should be right now in my life? But you have to trust yourself and take control of your life. Do the things that make you happy. Be with the people who make you smile. Set goals and work hard to make those goals happen. Help other people and let go of wanting to know how everything is going to turn out. I finally feel like I can breathe easy and that is such a relief.

Like New

So I've been thinking about blogging again for awhile. I've started a lot of new things this year and thought why not? I've always been a journal writer and I already spend too much time on my computer, so why not make it somewhat productive? :) I am addicted to love reading other people's blogs...I tend to overanalyze (everything) and its funny to read about other people doing the same and going through the same things I am. Only I'm not the best at putting all the thoughts bouncing around in my head into words, so I like coming across a quote and realizing its exactly what I was thinking or feeling. So here's a little corner of the universe where I can write about my crazy little life, things I'm thinking, quotes that I love, and pictures that can show it better than I can say it.

(this picture was taken with my phone in my front yard after a little summer rain)