amsterdam

had planned on staying only 2 nights in this beautiful city - but it simply would not have been enough! kendall and i arrived bright and early tuesday morning weighed down with all of our luggage in the middle of rush hour @ centraal station. good times. there is something almost magical about this part of the world. people are laid back, the streets are cobblestone and there are endless canals, the buildings are gorgeous, the shopping plentiful and the food and beer are superb and just beg to be sampled.
staying @ consious vondelpark which is a new, green hotel right on the tram line. here our suitcases have exploded and we are able to deal with the jet lag or rather the not sleeping on the plane (seriously, i used to be so good at this not sure what is going on now). we have done a canal tour, toured the anne frank haus, sipped lattes, celebrated kendall's birthday and tried to absorb as much of the culture and surroundings as we possibly could. speaking of...going to get going - want to fit as much in today as we can.
the gingers move on to near the rhine river in germany tomorrow afternoon to collide worlds with travel friends. what a trip so far...xo

stuff and travel itinerary

Why do I have such a hard time getting rid of stuff? Whether it be digital photos that are already downloaded, text messages, ticket stubs and all sorts of paper - I tend to hold on tight for as long as possible. I don't know what I expect to do with this stuff or why it is all so meaningful to me and difficult to just hit delete...but it is. Current state: I have over 30,000 emails in my inbox (ridiculous) , my text messages are 99% full (of what?) and I just spent the past 30 minutes going through to try to determine which photos I can live without seeing on my camera screen. I seriously have problems! The paper hoarding - or whatever you want to call it - is over the top. I am sure there are boxes of receipts, cards, mementos in most drawers that I have and that just seem to multiply endlessly.

Tomorrow at this time, Kendall and I will be trying to catch some shut eye on the plane in preparation for the start of our European holiday. I am tickled pink that we get this time together. I love that I have had the past year to come and go as I please and take advantage of opportunities like that. I am beyond blessed for the two sets of parents that I have: Dad for pouring over hotels for hours and trying to figure out the best ones for us, Joanne for always encouraging me to take the next trip and helping me pack, Kevin for making this trip happen and Mom for all of her support and running around.

The agenda looks like this: Amsterdam our first two nights, train to Cologne to stay for three nights with Markus, spending a few nights at a hostel in Brussels, and end our time together in Paris. From there Ken will go on to meet her French host family in Dijon and I will chunnel over to the UK. I hope to write and reflect and soak every delicious minute up.

"Some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle or end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best out of it without knowing without knowing what is going to happen next, delicious ambiguity." Gilda Redner

vertigo and the power of an email

I am not sure when it started...maybe sometime in the past 2 years or so...but vertigo certainly does take its toll on me. Usually it is some inopportune time like when I am griping on for dear life descending on the escalator at Dupont Circle metro (one of the longest I have ever encountered!) or when I am walking down the steep, skinny, make-shift steps of an ancient ruin in the jungles of Cambodia. In any case, it sinks its teeth into me and makes me feel like I am going to tumble at any moment. Weird, right?

Lately, I have been reminded of how even the briefest email can trigger all types of emotions. Whether it is from someone that you met when least expected to and one of the only things that you had in common was the English language - and even that was debatable, or it was from someone that you hadn't heard from in eons...it can be a very strong and emotion-provoking medium.

Took Kendall to get her visa yesterday so it looks like it is all a go! We are leaving in 5 short days and I have even started packing a little bit which is way ahead of the game as far as I am concerned.

Still need to figure out which direction my life is going to go once I return to the states ...time for another trip? Time to get serious about finding a job that I love? Time to visit some friends in other parts of the country that I haven't seen in a while? Time to go through stuff and try to clear the clutter that doesn't seem to be going away on its own...options and the unknown can be a beautiful thing.

"Sometimes you are aware when your great moments are happening, and sometimes they rise from the past. Perhaps it is the same with people."

good friends

Spent the past few days on the eastern shore with great friends that I don't get to see enough of but love our relationship and popping into their world for a bit whenever I can.

First I did something that I have not in a long time. I went shopping. Wasn't really planning on finding anything spectacular but was pleasantly reminder how many great deals are at the outlets and much was too good to pass up. So I picked a few things up for my winter european galavant (leave in 9 days!), bought pajamas for some of my favorite kids and even found a winter coat on sale for under $20 for K - all in maybe an hours time. I stopped by the Keefe's in Easton to spend the afternoon drinking hot tea on their couch and catching up on all that has been going on since the holidays. Swear that they have a busier social calendar than me! Love getting their perspective on things. I made the mistake of following the gps to take the back roads with Rick and Shelly's and knew I was in trouble when it announced that I had arrived at my destination and I was in the middle of no where. Awesome. We had two great and full days together - marveling at Grace who turns two in a week and is just as sweet as can be, jamming to Cee Lo Green and Annie tunes, popping in and out of stores in Rehobeth, eating, drinking coffee, catching up, figuring out the future and soaking each other up. It was hard for me to leave them last night after dinner to drive back to the other side of the bridge. Soon after I got back to DC, Jen came over and we stayed up talking and trip planning until wee hours. She had an interesting proposal that I cannot stop thinking about and it is amazing how truly addicting travel is. I am lucky to have the people in my life that I do whether I went to college with them and they can tell me things that I have forgotten or I have been lucky enough to meet them through my sisters or other friends. they are all beautiful people that add so much joy to my every day.

"The trick of it is to be courageous and bold and make a difference. Not change the world exactly, just the bit around you. Go out there with your double fist, your passion and work hard at...something. Change lives through art maybe. Write beautifully. Cherish your friends, stay true to your principles, live passionately and fully and well. Experience new things. Love and be loved if at all possible. Eat sensibly. Stuff like that."

quote obsession and snow day

I realized recently how much I love quotes. Whether it is something that I come across when reading a book, a certain lyric in a song or what someone says that sticks with me - I just want to compile them all and have them in this endless treasure chest of things that speak to me. Came across "people don't take trips, trips take people" and so believe that to be the case.

I finished my first book* [One Day, highly recommend and quotes to come] on my new kindle! I must admit, it has become somewhat of a staple in my purse. I love being able to have it with me wherever I go and whip it out when and wherever. I read on the D2 bus, at endless coffee shops, in the car, at the store - borderline crazy - I do realize this.

It's been an interesting week. I decided about this time last week that I want to stay in the same ever-changing and muy interesante industry. It was literally as if suddenly a bulb went off and I was like - oh, yes, this is right. I am feeling better about where I am going and what I will be doing career-wise than I have in quite some time.

The first snow fall of the year started tonight. Of course it was way hyped up with counties closing schools early and everyone expecting the snow to fall at any minute. It is pretty to look out and see the trees lined with a sparkling white frost. Its almost as if time freezes for a bit and things just stay quiet and peaceful and just as they are. (That all being said, I hope that it is all gone by tomorrow and doesn't interfere with any plans/traffic/or the roads but that seems highly unlikely) and so I will sit back and relish in the fact that there is no where that I have to be and that these are some of the best days of my life.

"If you hold onto the handle, she said, it's easier to maintain the illusion of self control. But its more fun if you just let the wind carry you"

the start of a new decade...

The new year is here - and with that a new decade. Many possibilities, celebrations, get togethers and a future that I cannot yet imagine awaits.

2011 rang in fairly quietly (or maybe there was a reason that I hardly noticed...) I spent it in Georgetown and headed to Old Town Alexandria on the 1st for Kristen and Bob's football party. Great friends, good food, a plethora of games and cocktails - not a bad way to start the year. The next day I headed up to Baltimore and spent the afternoon marveling at my niece. I got to see Suzy, Bill and Colleen who has gotten so big and is just presh. Afterward, I met up with a certain someone whom I had not seen since the summer of 1996 and had the biggest crush on in high school. We had a great time attempting to summarize the last 12 years - no wait, I am so horrible at math 15 YEARS oh my! - of our lives that have gone in very different directions. I was not ready for the night to end. Hung with K, B and M that night and got to spend some quality time with Makenna when we both should have been sleeping. She loves her some night hours though - as soon as it is dark and quiet, her eyes open big. We were dealing with some French Embassy visa yesterday and today and hopefully it will be in Kendall's hot little hands very soon so we can all take a deep breath. 3 more weeks until we leave for our European adventure! I am having to choose between the lesser of several evils for a lot of these hotels/hostels... forgot how much fun and stressful trip planning can be. I know that it will be great though and can just picture us gingers frolicking in squares and indulging in cafes.

I have been blogging now for two + years. I am doubling my posts from the previous year by the looks of things. Maybe this year I will write even more...

Sometimes I feel too much to a fault. I want to do great things and for everyone to feel loved, be happy, warm, kind to one another. I want to make a difference in big and small ways; to be and spread sunshine.

“Let your light shine. Be a source of strength and courage. Share your wisdom. Radiate love.” – Wilferd Peterson