With these bitter cold winter days and intense work days it is easy to let you mind drift off to a better place…a warmer place. These days my mind is continually drifting back to Siena, Italy. The weather was amazing, the city was incredibly romantic and the company was even better.
At night my DC and I would wander around the city and discover little local hot spots or joints and each one still vividly stands out in my mind.
Oh to be back there right now….
I honestly think that it never hurts to ask…most times the worst thing that you are going to hear is “no”. But then you will never think “what if”? And if you are really ambitious you don’t take “no” for an answer and find another way to make this desire of yours come true.
I don’t think true happiness comes from living on the safe side, you have to put yourself out there, you have to face the fact that you might get rejected. Of course rejection never makes you feel good but often times you have to realize it is simply not personal and thus you must take from it what you can and move on from the rejection, grow from the rejection.
If I would not have taken a risk 2 years ago and quit my job and started to live a life I really loved and thrived from then I would not be living half the life I am right now. If I would have been too scared to take the plunge, to “ask” for what I wanted then things for me would be totally different…who knows where I would be?
So even when people question certain steps I am taking now, or tell me I should back track or basically don’t encourage me to live my life to the fullest and make things happen for myself I just don’t understand this. I don’t understand these people.
I hope to always be a person who doesn’t live in fear. To be a person who takes steps to continue to grow and has confidence in my decisions.
And so I will continue to ask away and to find a way to make it all happen…make what happen you might ask? Well….basically everything!
xoxo
Isn’t the effect that music can have on you just magical? Sometimes I will hear a song and instantly I am transported somewhere or the song speaks so beautifully to my mood and is better than any conversation to soothe me.
This happened to me tonight. I was reading through a favorite fashion street blog of mine based out of Paris called Easy Fashion. And the most mesmerizing song came on in the back ground and I instantly thought the song was absolute perfection for the photos. I felt like I was in a cafe in Paris watching the world walk by. So that is where I am right now, transfixed by a song and in a thoughtful state.
I have had a lot of thoughts about my next step in life and in exactly what direction I want to take it. I know we don’t always get to choose the direction our life takes us but having some options is always a wonderful thing.
I am learning the older I get the more comfortable I am with allowing time to tell me what I need to know. I am learning to trust my instincts and I am learning what is most important in life like love, happiness and someone/people to share it all with. Because without our loved ones and our health we really have not much of anything at all.
I have thought a lot lately about how the components that make up a truly happy life. These are different for everyone but yet I think the core of them are the same and how they make us feel is the result that we are all searching for.
I have thought a lot about traveling again too. Not that I am just going to go pick up and travel the world (not now at least) but all the joy and happiness it has brought me. Sometimes I wonder just why I love to travel as much as I do and that I could truly make a career out of it. Though travel I have learned that I love the element of change and I detest boredom. I love stretching myself and finding beauty in the differences around me.
I was looking at some pictures and videos of myself and friends from our travels and I am instantly hit with just how much I am glowing from happiness and extreme contentment.
I am so wishy washy with my thoughts because one day I want to settle down and the next I want to travel the world. I don’t think this will ever change to be honest and I don’t think I want it to. This love and desire for the world is what makes me me and gives me an appreciation for life and a desire to live a full and robust life.
I don’t have to wait long for my next travels…in about 3 weeks I am heading back to Amsterdam to see my man and explore the city that I might call home one day. I want to discover this city on my own terms, by walking her streets and discovering what makes her special to me.
I would really like a pair of old school Vintage wayfarers. I am not opposed to buying new ones because the “original” that they sell are practically identical but to have to true original is so much better.
My dad used to wear these glasses back in the 80’s and I have very fond memories of him sporting them…the ultimate in cool. I wish he still had them but they got lost in one of our many moves….major bummer.
I was talking about these glasses last night and my aunt all of a sudden alerts me to the fact that she used to have a pair and she thinks she has them around the house somewhere….now that would be a great score!
She searched for her Wayfarers and can’t find them yet ( I am still keeping the faith) but she did come across some BEAUTIFUL tortoise shell Cat Raybans from the 80’s and they are beautiful! The Tort is amazing. And since I work in the sunglasses industry I should know!! Now the photo below is a current pair of the shades and my aunts are so much more stunning.
I might just have to see if I can get my hands on these 
There are tons of fabulous sunnies out there but these 2 selections are timeless and always a great piece to have in your wardrobe.
[vintage wayfarer photo by Steven Uy]
Here are just a couple more shots of my visit in Amsterdam courtesy of my DC. Enjoy! I know I did. Amsterdam is a magical city.
Amsterdam is beautiful at night…the canal just glow
Visions of the Canals from our Canal Cruise…again…just magical
My view along the way…
All ready for NYE!
Fireworks in Amsterdam’s Nieuwmarkt….ontzettend mooi “exceptionally beautiful”!
I have decided this year I would like to take my photography to the next level. This itch began when I started traveling with DC and seeing all the great scenes, people, places that he is able to capture through his photography. I think my DC has a definite talent when it comes to taking photos because he can often take phenomenal shots with his mobile phone or his professional grade camera. I mean just check out his handy work in the photo below…you can’t dispute the talent…can you?
I have had a point and shoot for years and while this is a good option to be able to throw in your clutch for a night out or to travel with if you have limited space it also restricts the amount of great photos you are able to take. After traveling with DC and his great cameras somehow my little ole point and shoot just isn’t cutting it for me anymore. Plus he is a great teacher so with some experimentation of my own and a few tips on technique from him I think I will be off to a mighty fine start!
So I am thinking this will be a good hobby of mine for 2010 and I thought what better way to get this new hobby of mine started than with a new camera…so I want to take it to the next level from a point and shoot to a SLR camera.
Also there will be an addition to our family this year in the form of a little niece or nephew for me and I would love to be able to capture this beautiful little being the best I can. To me pictures are timeless and something you are always thankful for in the end.
Yep, birthday present it is!! I hope! (mom/dad…you reading this??? )
[photograph of Amsterdam by Marc van Woudenberg]
Taking a cue from one of my dear friend’s blog, Men’s Threads, I thought I would give a little preview of the great boots that I bought myself for Christmas.
Now I originally went to OAK NYC (great store here in NYC on Bond) to get these boots for my sister and as soon as I saw them I thought “I Die!”! They are beautiful so I thought, “what the heck? I will try them on too, trying on never hurt anyone:)” and I have to say it was love at first fitting. This boots are sickly comfortable and super hot and the price point can not be beat so I immediately snatched them up for my sister and for myself!
I wore these boots for the first time on NYE and let me just say they did me proud especially since we walked quite a lot that night in Amsterdam. They look great whether you are rocking a short mini dress, skinny jeans or longer fuller leg denim.
I can’t wait to rock them in NYC…perhaps to the gallery opening I am attending this Thursday in SOHO…yes, I think they would do quite nicely.
Over the past couple year I haven’t really had a city I felt that I could call “home”. Chicago although I lived there for 4 years never felt like home to me. The 8 months in Florida never felt like home to me but just a stop along the way.
The closest place that felt like a home to me over the past 2 years has been Italy and I think that is because so many beautiful people opened up their homes to me and made me feel like part of their family but alas I that would only be for 2 weeks or so and then I was on to the next.
So when I moved to NYC in August I was not sure if I would feel at home here but it didn’t take me long to fall in love. There are days I spend wandering the street of this city for hours on end and just can’t get enough. Even the rush I still get when I exit Penn Station after work still sends chills up my spine. Yes, I get annoyed at times with all the people but secretly I love that too.
I have been out of town for the past 2 week traveling to the Midwest and Europe and as soon as I returned I left on a business trip but the sweet sound and sights of NY were not far from my mind. I craved to be back in the city.
For the past 2 year all I have thought about was finding a way to make my home in Europe and while that is still a dream of mine but right now I can’t imagine leaving this magnificent city that can knock you on your ass at times but also teaches you to get right back up and that little ass of yours moving! This city grabs a hold of you…sinks her teeth into you.
Whenever I have visited NYC in the past I have always felt a jolt of energy as I enter the city and I always would try to imagine myself living here…would I like it? Would the energy of the city wear on me? Or wear off? And while I haven’t been here too long my answer to that is absolutely not. This city is brilliant.
I have realized another reason I love living in NYC is that for the first time in my life I am satisfied and happy professionally. To be honest I never really thought this would happen. I was never one of those people growing up who knew what they wanted to do for a living from the age of 2 or had a one track mind in college. Over the past couple years when I was struggling to figure out what I wanted to do career wise I would often read that you should work within an area you are passionate. Well I can name 2 areas I am passionate about…travel and fashion. Hands down. There 2 areas I can live, breath and eat all day everyday and never tire.
And as fate would have it I landed a job in fashion and have never enjoyed work so much. I truly feel as it was meant to be. I am challenged on a daily basis in a way that keeps me wanting and coming back for more. If you have never felt this way before about your job then keep searching because the satisfaction you can get out of doing something you love is incredibly rewarding and makes you feel you have purpose..that you are in your place.
I can’t tell you how great it feels to me to have found my home at least for the time being after years of searching for it. This is not something I take lightly and it is something I am thankful for each and every day. I know what it feels like to be lost and aimlessly traveling at times.
Oh my wanderlust and spirit has not died, absolutely never, but it has transformed into a different kind of lust and one that I am happy to be experiencing. I tend to be the type of person who is always thinking about the “next step” but I think at this time I am going to think about “right now”.
So as I sign off on this post just imagine me belting out the Jay-Z and Alicia Keys song “Empire State of Mind” and meaning every word of it.
I received the most beautiful and best Christmas present this year in Amsterdam. My very own Dutch bike…an omafiets to be exact which means “granny bike” in Dutch.
I knew my DC wanted to get me a bike and I finally knew the day he got her when he sent me a audio-recording over e-mail of the sweet sound of her bell. It was like music to my ears….I had never heard such a beautiful ting…ting….
I knew I had to name her and I knew exactly what her name would be when DC sent me about 11 photos of her titled “I’ve heard of Beauty and the Bike” instantly I knew that must be her name….”Beauty”!! And even better she came with a beautiful red lock that looked like a bow!!
This was really one of the best gifts I have ever been given I must admit. She took me around the merry streets of Amsterdam and was the perfect companion from cafe to cafe.
[photographs by Marc van Woudenberg]
I think it is the little things in life that make life worth living and if you can enjoy these little things then you will live a full life.
The little gestures too…those are very special also. The little things that people do for you that have so much more meaning than if you just take it for face value…for example my DC got me a beautiful bike for Christmas. This in itself is incredibly sweet but his thoughts/motivation was even sweeter. Not only did he want me to have something special but more than that he wanted me to feel special. He wanted to help make his home feel like home to me. He wanted me to enter Amsterdam on my own bike and feel like I have a place in this city of his. And I have to say I feel quite like a Dutchie riding around on my beautiful bike (even though I can be a little wobbly on take off). Just even seeing the joy and delight in my DC’s face when I ride around is enough to put a big smile on my face.
The little things…like being able to spend hours in a cozy cafe with the one you love or being able to blog while your loved one is asleep cuddled up next to you…gives you a warm feeling all over and make you realize there is no where in the world you would rather be than in the exact spot you are in at this exact moment.
The little things…like being able to ring in the New Year with new friends, a new city and a love.
It is these little things that I am enjoying immensely and trying to soak up to the fullest.
Happy New Years to you all..cheers!
