Mind.

I've decided to make 2011 a year of wellness which leads to the journey of improving my mind, body and soul. Here is step one of the plan.

 

Mind.

 

Something I've discovered about myself is I love to learn. One of my favorite parts of living in D.C. was that I could always go and check out a museum or explore. Even with my job at the Senate, I would attend all sorts of briefings and take field trips to random places like Andrews Air Force Base or the Federal Reserve. Living in D.C. allowed me to fully experience current events and witness history as it was happening.

 

Andrews Air Force Base

Re-fueling a jet mid-air

The Capitol on inauguration day.

 

I love to read and hear about other people's life stories and adventures. I love to learn about foreign countries, the people who live in them and how I can help. I love to learn about leadership and politics. The best leaders are those who read and are constantly learning. Which is why I've decided I want to make more time for reading. I want to make sure I don't grow complacent, so I am going to strive to read at least one new book a month. And of course I'll throw in some fashion and interior design magazines so I can attempt to keep myself "current" as my mom says. It's good to be a well rounded reader, right?

Here are some links to a few books I want to read:

•  Red Letters 
•  Three Cups of Tea 
•  Game Change
•  Decision Point
• The Revolution 
• The Accidental Billionaires 

 

And here are some of my favorite magazine subscriptions:

 

•  In Style 
•  House Beautiful   
• Veranda

If you have any other suggestions, please send them my way!

A Day in Thomasville.

This year I wanted to do something special to celebrate my birthday. Since my birthday is on a Wednesday this year, Stuart and I decided to start celebrating a little early this weekend with a daytrip to Thomasville. Now don't be fooled, Thomasville is nowhere near far from Tallahassee. It's only 40 minutes from our house and it's one of those small towns I think I have driven through once or twice but have never actually paid a visit. I am so glad we decided to spend the afternoon there. It was a breath of fresh air to my foodie soul. Nothing makes me happier than finding new restaurants, cafes and bakeries.

First we had lunch at Jonah's. This may seem like a surprising choice, because I actually don't like seafood [gasp, I know!]. We decided to try it because everyone has raved about it, PLUS it was in Southern Living, so why not? We are happy to report it definitely lived up to the hype! For any fellow seafood haters out there - I had the Fire Roasted Chicken Sandwich and it was amazing.

Then we worked our way up and down Broad Street to check out all the little boutiques there. One of our favorites was this local book store. It described everything we planned to do that day. Read. Relax. Explore.

We stopped at Sweet Grass Dairy Cheese Shop where they had a wine and cheese tasting. I loved how rustic it was in there. It almost reminded me of being in Napa Valley. So crazy considering I was only 40 mins from Tallahassee! They had tons of breads and olive oils for tasting as well. This place made my heart smile in a big way.

At the end of the day we stopped at Grassroots Coffee for some warm drinks, relaxation and reading. I love this place because they roast their own coffee right there in downtown Thomasville, plus their whole mantra is "Drink Fresh. Drink Local." which I love.

Stuart also bought me these bracelets for my Birthday. They were a pretty good steal I figured I could not live without so he was gracious enough to give me an early present.

We wrapped up our day with a walk around the lake at Southwood. I love my neighborhood. Talk about the perfect day.

Can't wait to celebrate the real deal on Wednesday. I have a feeling 25 is going to be a great year.

New Beginnings.

Over the last week I've heard many people announce their new years resolutions and hopes to make 2011 a year of change. I've also learned of a scientific study that said many people get mental gratification just by talking about our goals without actually doing the work.

So in an attempt to avoid another new year resolution failure, I've decided that rather than setting an unattainable goal and announcing it before the world, I am going to spend this year focusing on the things that used to make me happy. Somehow in the midst of "growing up" these things have been placed on the back burner while I've tried to figure out where life is taking me, and while I am nowhere closer to figuring that out, I am realizing I need to re-focus on the little things such as:


Reading: Once upon a time there was a day that I could not fall asleep without reading a good book. Now that I am no longer being forced to read boring text books, I want to start reading things I enjoy again.

Writing: Growing up I could always write so freely and it was such a great way to express myself. But between writing term papers and learning to write in business mode I've lost that. In the real world I've been taught to be concise when I write and now I don't even remember how to do otherwise. That's where I'm hoping blogging will come into the picture.

Culture: I pretty much live for this. When I was young and living overseas, I always told my family that I wanted to be the girl on the travel channel who explores new cities and reviews hotels, restaurants and other attractions. To be honest this is still what I would love to do, but I couldn't quite figure out what you should major in college to make a career out of it. In Europe, I was surrounded by culture and charm everywhere, and now that I am in America I always try to find fun places to explore. Traveling and exploring makes me happier more than anything else in the world.

This year presents a year of hope and new beginnings. I am always searching for what is to come rather than enjoying the present. So this year I am going to try my best to focus on what's before me and try to make each day great. Here's to finding daily contentment and happiness in 2011.

Best of 2010.

Now that 2010 has come and gone, I've been reflecting on all the exciting changes that have happened in the last year. This year was definitely a year of "firsts" for Stuart and I and we have enjoyed every one of them. Here are some of my favorite highlights from 2010.

My Bachelorette Weekend in Miami with some of the best bridesmaids a girl could ask for.

06.12.10 ~ The day I married my best friend.

Our honeymoon to Maui...

and to Napa Valley...

and to San Francisco.

Our first home.

Celebrating Birthdays in New York City.

The Today Show.

Brooklyn Bridge.

Carriage Ride through Central Park.

Our first Thanksgiving in Tallahassee.

Melissa & Caleb's Wedding.

Our first Christmas in Charlotte.

Looking forward to the new memories to be made in 2011! Happy New Year!

Blue Jay.

The Blue Jay is my affectionate name for my very first car, a 2001 blue Toyota Celica. I got her in 2003 when we first moved back to America. After living overseas for nine years of my life, where public transportation and cross walks are in abundance, the streets and highways of North Carolina were a little upsetting to a 17 year old girl without a license. Needless to say, my first car definitely meant freedom. I have so many fond memories with friends in this car. I took my first solo road trip up and down the east coast after graduation with my friend Diana. I packed up my car with almost my entire dorm room (she fits more than you'd think!) and drove down to Tallahassee for my first year of college. That freshman year, I was one of the few who actually had a car which meant we stuffed a lot of people into my car for a lot of fun times and exciting road trips. In January 2008, we finally retired the good ole blue jay and I so graciously acquired my “grown up car” since I was getting ready to graduate. For the next two years, the blue jay sat in my parent’s garage as my dad even found it hard to get rid of. After all, even HE loved reflecting on the memories of my first car. So I would always make sure she got some love and took her out for a spin when I was home over the holidays... you know just for old times sake!


Well have no fear ladies and gentlemen... the blue jay is back in action!  Stuart and I made the hard, but GOOD financial decision to sell his car while we get on our feet in the world as newlyweds. So in the mean time, we have the blue jay again! Stuart was a little apprehensive about being in such tight quarters, but I think deep down it is starting to grow on him.  Or maybe it’s just the fact that the gas is much cheaper compared to his gas guzzling Armada. Check out the old but new ride!

Do It Big.

Last night was Do It Big 2010. This year was the second time I’ve been to the event although the guys have been putting it on for the past couple of years before I came into the scene.  It is an outreach event for high schools (and middle schools of course!) throughout Tallahassee who all get together for one night to “do it BIG.” How big is “BIG” you ask? Well “Big” means more than 600 kids, a giant cook out, a bouncy slide and Florida State athletes whom all of Tallahassee idolizes. This year’s line-up included Charles Clark, Casey Weldon and Dustin Hopkins, Brad Nester and of course my favorite speaker, Stuart Owens. Here are some photos from last night.

Needless to say, we were all VERY glad Dustin made that kick last night. Let’s re-live it again, just one more time!

Peace that surpasses all understanding

I recently started leading a high school girl's small group at Stuart's church. My heart has become overwhelmed with love for these girls as we meet each week and challenge one another. We are in the midst of reading the book "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan and coincidentally this week's chapter was on how short life is. That we are not guaranteed tomorrow and that the point of life is to point ourselves and others to Christ.


This message could not have been more timely in my life, as my family and I grieve the sudden loss of my aunt to our family. When I heard the news tears began to fall and at that exact moment it started pouring down rain outside. I couldn't help but feel comforted by the thought that God hears my cries and feels my pain. After a time, the rain stopped falling and I felt peace.


It is so easy to become disillusioned with the circumstances of our lives when we compare it to the lives of others around us. But as we enter the presence of God we receive a deeper peace and joy that transcends all understanding.


I'm thankful to know that I have a God who knows and loves me deeply. I am thankful for His promises and am so thankful for the coming of a new heaven and a new earth.

"Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." 

 Revelation 21:3-4