My Sanctuary and Some Pinterest Inspiration

In the past few days, we made some minor changes to our office. Both of our diplomas now hang on the wall next to the desk, and we relocated the router to decrease the messy pile of cords at our feet. There's still some work to do, but this room is coming along nicely. It's definitely my new favorite room!

{ the bedroom is pretty cozy too, but I spend more time in the office }

 

Some day we'll have a house where we can paint walls and really make the space our own, but until then the office will do! I'll just continue pinning inspiring images to my Pinterest boards so that the creative juices keep flowing. Watching every episode of 'Secrets from a Stylist' doesn't hurt either. I love Emily Henderson's style, and she always tackles each space with such enthusiasm and excitement. When we finally do get to buy a house, I'll be armed with plenty of inspiration and creative ideas!

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Latest Pinterest Loves:

Source: stylebyemilyhenderson.com via Ashley on Pinterest

Source: stylebyemilyhenderson.com via Ashley on Pinterest

Source: elledecor.com via Ashley on Pinterest

Oh Pinterest, you never cease to help me gather my thoughts and ideas.
Thank you!

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One more more thing. Have you read about this Pinterest challenge that Young House Love is hosting with a few other fellow bloggers?! It almost makes me want to go all DIY crazy on our tiny apartment.

I already used Pinterest as 'pinspiration' (as they're calling it over on YHL) for my DIY jewelry organizers. { which you can read about HERE. } Who knows what might happen with a little more browsing the internet. I just might find the inspiration I need to build us a life-size house out of marshmallows or something!

Surprise!

It's a Saturday blog post.

I haven't done one of these in a while.

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Hopefully {you all} had a great week. I really wish that it sounded natural for me to use the word {y'all}, but it just doesn't come naturally. Oh how I love the word y'all. A little part of me still wishes I had retained that Texas accent from when I was 3 years old. My mom said it was worse than hers and my father's when we moved to Michigan. Seriously why did they not video record that?! Not that I'm bitter or anything...

Okay back on track here. I wanted to share this Albert Einstein quote with you: 

This quote hit me really hard last night at dinner, because I feel like I've been a bit of a "Negative Nancy" since we moved out of our place and my husband went off to ground school in another state. Sometimes I get too focused on things that are tough in life, when I really need to look at everything as a blessing or a miracle. Not just some things. Everything! You know that little saying "everything happens for a reason"? Well, it really does. You might even realize it years down the road, but things typically work out for the good. Things might not be the way you want them to be right now, but that doesn't mean that life isn't a miracle every. single. day. I mean, you are alive today, right? Do you have any idea how complicated the human body and its functions are? I'm no scientist, but I know that there are so many things that need to work together in order for us to be alive. Think about it. What is it that makes you take a breath of air? Do you even know? You can't just stop breathing. If you hold your breath, you will gasp for air in a matter of minutes. (If you even last that long). Life is such a miracle, but we take it for granted most days. We wake up, drive to work, go home, maybe cook dinner, chat with family, go to sleep... and then we do it all over again the next day. But you know what? There is so much more to life than just "the grind" of each day. Life alone, just waking up each day, is such a miracle! We get a new chance, and opportunity, each morning to wake up and take advantage of the day's miracles. Why does it seem difficult to function in that way some days? What's getting in the way? Fear? Worries? Jealousy? Anger? Stress? I really want to focus on living each day as if it, and everything in it, is a miracle. No more of this moping around thinking that life is so tough. Suck it up! Sometimes life is tough, but it's so worth it if we just live it as a miracle.

I agree that there are only two ways to live life. One as though nothing is a miracle. The other as though everything is a miracle! We don't get to choose the miracles. They just are. The different personalities of people. Miracle. The different colors of our skin. Miracle! Different interests and strengths of people. Miracle. The fact that there is so much unknown in the world... miracle! No one person has it all figured out. Life is amazing, and every single bit of it is a miracle.

Components of Happy

If there is a quote that helps to explain happiness, then this is one of them.

Many people say that actions speak louder than words, but I think words speak pretty loudly if you use the right ones. Your thoughts are kept from others, that is, unless you share them with others. Your actions stem from your thoughts and the things that you say, so to me, actions don't always speak louder. People who impress me the most probably (since I'm not in their heads) start with positive thoughts, and that leads to kind words, and eventually their thoughts morph into their actions. Our thoughts, words, and actions are all connected. We must be careful what we think... because thoughts could lead you places you never meant them to lead you.

That whole "practice what you preach" thing really goes into effect here. If you find yourself giving people great advice, but not taking it, then I think this applies. I am definitely working on this. Something that bothers me, is when I realize that I've just done something that I said I would not do. I hope that my thinking, saying, and doing will be one in the same!

Wouldn't it be great to only think good & positive thoughts throughout the day? Sometimes it is hard to do, but imagine if you did.

Say No to Gossip

Just a few nights ago, I read something in a book that really made me think. The text from the book read, "Gossip is sharing dishonoring information with someone who is not a part of the problem or the solution." This is such an important thing to think about in our daily lives.

look for the good in others...

instead of reasons to dislike them

I have never been a fan of gossip. If you're doing it around me, chances that I have nothing to contribute or get up and walk away are high. There are very few, if any actually, times I can think of where gossip does any good. Since it does no good, that means there is no reason to do it. Gossip does happen, but we need to be aware of the consequences. Speaking negatively of someone else only drives people apart, it does not bring us together. So why do it?

The Golden Rule states that you should "treat others the way that you would like to be treated", and with that in mind I know for sure that I don't want others to gossip about me. Keeping that in the back of my mind at all times, it always makes me think twice before opening my mouth about someone else. If I am not a part of the problem or the solution, then I will keep this mouth shut. Gossip does a great job dividing people, and I cannot think of any cases where gossip helps the situation. It is one thing to gossip, and it is another thing to ask someone for advice, on how to deal with a situation, without dishonoring the person you are asking about in that case. Always keep in mind that you will treat others the way you would like to be treated.

will you decide to try and give kindness...

 instead of judgement?

Treating others the way that you would like to be treated also goes hand in hand with not saying anything at all if you have nothing nice to say. I am definitely far from perfect, but I know areas where I would like to improve and better myself.

Here's to a week of positive thinking and only kind words to/about each other. (:

The Power of Blogs (and Words)

com·mu·ni·ty: n.

a unified body of individuals

for example: bloggers

Recently I read a few blogs that got me to thinking. They all mentioned something about how they had received nasty/mean/rude comments on their blog at one point or another. That got me to thinking that the blog world really is not too different than the real one that we live in on a daily basis. The sad fact is that in life you will face people who are mean, judgmental, and rude. Why do people think it's any more acceptable to 'hate on' people through the internet than to do it to their face in real life? We should all treat our blogs just like we would behave in life, because the only difference I see between the internet and life is that one makes things accessible more quickly than the other. We must still use discretion and kindness, because our words reach more people and more quickly than if we just open our mouths to a select few. There is such a great power in blogs to reach great numbers and share uplifting words and kindness. Let's be a community that is kind to all people. It really should be all about building each other up, not tearing each other down. Just like every day life.

It is amazing how the blog world is such a great community, and I love how people use it to provide wonderful creativity, support, inspiration, and safety to those who read and write it all. It is not too far off from a real life community of people who act as a support system that can help hold people up when they're feeling down. On any given day I can log into my blog and browse all of my favorite blogs and find words that uplift and make me smile. Every once in a while you read a post that 'sounds' defeated, and that happens in life too. People have bad days once in a while, and that's okay. Others are there for moments like that. Let's use the power of blogs for good and not bad. We have the ability to cheer people up and make a person's day using just the words that we write or speak. There is a never ending supply of love, encouragement, inspiration, creativity, and joy out there. We just need to tap in to it!

I want to share a trailer from this documentary called 'I Am' that I would love to see.
(From about 1:50 and on, this video is very relevant to this blog post)

Have a wonderful week!

Unexpected Delivery

Yesterday morning I was sitting at the computer blogging/tweeting/reading, and there was a knock on the door. Nate was at work, so I knew it wasn't him. Then I heard a voice call out "UPS!". My first thought was "what the...?" and then I remembered that I just had a birthday, so maybe the package was for me... or not? I also laughed at myself for thinking that it could be the dress that I had just ordered online. Silly Ashley... dresses don't deliver that fast! (I cannot wait to get the dress though). After the internal conversation, I realized that the package was indeed for me. It had my name on it, so I signed for the delivery and wondered who it was from.

Inside of the box, I found this sweet note. Let me tell you; it made my day! Jen, if you're reading this... thank you again. What a nice surprise to get an unexpected gift delivered to your door. :)

It was even wrapped so beautifully. I am a sucker for nicely wrapped gifts. I hated to tear away the ribbon and paper, but I had to know what was waiting in there for me! So I ripped that package open and found these inside:

It is a good morning when you realize that some one's thinking about you. I hope to make more of an effort to let people know that they matter to me... and that I am thinking of them even if I don't always show it. Sometimes it's the little things that can brighten a day.

I hope everyone reading this has a very 'Good Morning'.  :)

Gratitude Journal

This year I am on a mission to become a more happy and healthy person. Not to mention, I just want to become a better person... each and every day. Yeah, there will probably be setbacks every once in a while, but that is inevitable. Life holds ups and downs, but I want to change how I deal with them. That means practicing gratitude every day and complaining less.

my gratitude journal

I read Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy, by Sarah Ban Breathnach, every night before I go to bed. Last month there was an entry that talked about the importance of practicing gratitude, and she introduced the gratitude journal. I started one that day, and I've been writing in it ever since.

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow."
-Melody Beattie

Start With Yourself

This is probably not the most focused blog I've ever written, but I'm sharing it anyways. I have a lot running through my mind at the moment... so that's probably how this blog is going to 'sound'. Bear with me.

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After watching the State of the Union (let's call it the SU for short) address this week, I couldn't help but feel at least a little hopeful at a few of the things that Obama said. I'm not one to get really involved in politics, because, quite honestly, I find the division of people into two very different groupings (Repubs vs. Dems) to be incredibly discouraging. However, there were glimmers of good (like there are in pretty much everything) in some of the things that our president spoke of in his speech. I hope maybe you picked up on something that sounded good to you too!

In the SU address, I heard a common thread of holding ourselves accountable. (Or am I crazy? Did anyone else hear that?) He talked about how parents have to do their jobs in order for teachers to better be able to do their jobs, and he also mentioned some incredibly amazing people and what they have done to stay relevant, and even thrive, in this turbulent (hey, there's an aviation reference) economy. Honestly, some of what he said in the SU made me want to be a better person. (Not that I didn't want to be a good person before, but this served as a reminder) I think that if everyone tried to be a little bit better at something that it would make a huge impact on the world. (maybe I'm crazy optimistic, but I like it that way!) I feel like in order to make a difference, I need to start with myself. Honestly if you aren't happy with yourself... why would you be happy with anyone or anything else?! Instead of complaining about what politicians are doing wrong (I mean hey they're human too... aka not perfect), I hope to see what is going right instead. We really are accountable for our own happiness and success in life. When we get it ourselves, then we can share it with others.

I really hope to do my best to give to this world. Whether it be to give my gifts (which I'm working on figuring out), my time, anything really. The SU address really shook me up a bit, and it made me realize that I have this life to live... and if I don't live it, then it's my fault. It's not the governments fault... or my parents fault... or my friends fault. Hold yourself accountable to be the best person that you can, and don't let anyone tell you differently. If I know anything, it's that happiness is super important... and it starts here.

I love this quote!

... it also scares me.

What Inspires You?

Today I feel that it's necessary to think about things that inspire me, because I could use a bit of a boost.

So here goes:

LOVE

It's amazingly inspiring to feel loved. The kind of love that is unconditional and makes you want to be a better person kind of love. I believe that everyone deserves to be loved like that. So to me, love in one of the most inspiring things out there. Love someone today!

I love this quote from Moulin Rouge, "The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return."

THOUGHTFUL INTERIORS

source: Traditional Home

There's something about an interior that is creative and comfortable that makes me a little weak in the knees. I love walking into a space and it makes me feel 'at home' immediately. When an interior makes me feel safe and comfortable, while letting my mind relax at the same time, I just want to stay there forever! There's something special about an interior that has spaces for everyone to gather yet also has spaces for people to get away and relax. When I was younger, I always imagined my dream house with little hideaways and all my favorite things. Thoughtful interiors that reflect your life and the way you live are inspiring to me!

FOREIGN DESTINATIONS

Cinque Terre, Italy

Read this previous blog about why I love to travel, and you'll get a little understanding for why I am inspired by visiting new places. I also think you can consider almost anywhere that you've never been before a foreign destination, but the language barrier does help with seeing something differently for the first time. I find inspiration in places that I've never been before, because it takes me out of my comfort zone and forces me to learn something new... and that to me is inspiring.

KIND PEOPLE

This might seem like a strange picture to represent 'kind people', because it's just an image of mine and Nate's shoes. This picture reminded me of the older couple who shared a bench with us on the Naples's pier during our honeymoon. We were all waiting for the sun to set, and the older man next to us started talking to Nate about how long him and his wife had been married and talked a little about their family. The fact that he was a stranger yet oozed love and interest about his life and family was amazing. It made us both look forward to just growing older together and sharing this life. So for that... kind people inspire me, because sometimes it's the smallest things that strangers do that can make the biggest impact!

THE BEACH

I find the beach incredible, because it's this amazing place where human inhabited land meets uninhabitable water (at least to humans... unless you're on a ship). It's a little bit of mystery and unknown meets real life on land. The sounds and sights at the beach are soothing, and I could spend all day just silent but watching the water and animals that live near the sea. The beach and everything about it inspire me.

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I think that I could now go on and on with things that inspire me, and the great thing is that I know these things surround me every day. Some days I fail to see inspiration, but it's not for lack of inspiring things in life... sometimes I just forget to open my eyes to it.

Words to Live By

Nate had some stitches taken out today, and I went along for the ride. His doctor's office is basically next door to the University of Denver, and I wanted to take some pictures on the campus while we were in the neighborhood. I just love college campuses. They are always full of such great energy... not to mention the architecture and the inspiration that lives there!

While walking across the DU campus, I spotted this beautiful metal fence complete with wonderful words of inspiration. It was as if it were talking directly to me, because the words were just what I needed to see at that moment.

I feel like the words in this sign are something that I need to do more of, because recently I've been feeling a bit like a failure. I am my own worst enemy.

"If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them."  -Henry David Thoreau

"Some [wo]men see things as they are and say 'why'?
Others dream things that never were and say 'why not'?  -George Bernard Shaw

I would really love to believe this next quote:

"God gives us dreams a size too big so that we can grow in them."  -Unknown 

Nate and I also walked by the Evans Memorial chapel that's on the DU campus. Not too long ago we were married inside of that chapel. Our first anniversary is creeping up on us, and it was fun to see the chapel where our wedding took place and to think that was almost a year ago already!

On our way back to the car, I noticed this sign on the beautiful brick building in front of us. I thought to myself "that is such an odd sign to put on such a beautiful building!". Oh the irony. Hopefully it's not necessary to use it as a fallout shelter after all.

"Fallout Shelter"

Just thought I'd end this blog with a laugh or a smile. :)

Vision

This life's dim windows of the soul. Distorts the heavens from pole to pole. And leads you to believe a lie when you see with, not through, the eye.  -William Blake

( I believe this is a William Blake quote, but when I google searched this quote it seemed that people were crediting it to many different people. If you know this to be different, please let me know. )

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I stumbled upon this quote a while ago, and I'm just now getting around to posting it. The above quote definitely had me thinking about life... but really what hasn't been making me think about life lately?! Some people say I have too much time on my hands, but I think that I'm just learning and growing a bit.

Those who are blind have no eye to see with... but they can still 'see' the world around them. They might have to use other senses in order to see it though. Do they see the world the same way that us with eye sight do? Could you say that their vision might be better than someone with eye sight?

The eyes can deceive. Don't believe everything they see.

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Bellinzona, Switzerland

Castlegrande

Berlin, Germany

Memorial for murdered Jews

Cinque Terre, Italy

hike between the villages

All About the Gifts

Last night I read the daily entry from a book that I read each night, and it caught me a little off guard at first. The reading from last night said that Christmas is all about gifts, and at first I thought "Umm... excuse me what?!". Then I read a little further and understood better why Christmas really is all about gifts.

A small piece of the entry that I read from Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy by Sarah Ban Breathnach reads as follows:

"Oh, yes. Christmas is all about gifts. Nothing but gifts. But such gifts! Gifts tied with heartstrings. Gifts that surprise and delight. Gifts that transform the mundane into the miraculous. Gifts that nurture the souls of both the giver and the given...

Unconditional Love. Selflessness. Trust. Faith. Forgiveness. Wholeness. Second Chances. Comfort. Joy. Peace. Reassurance. Rejoicing. Generosity. Compassion. Charity. Wonder. Acceptance. Courage."

Quite often the best gifts that you can give to someone are not the material ones. People tend to forget how just a little bit of their time and energy can really turn around the day of a friend in need. We can give so much to people each and every day, but we often forget that we can give gifts like love and our time. Sometimes it is so easy to give, but we forget that it does not take as much energy as we might think. I mean... I still have not shopped on Black Friday... ever. That definitely takes a huge effort on the shopper's part, but so many gifts take little to no effort... don't forget about the free gifts that you can give. Out of all of the gifts I've ever received, I would say that the best ones are usually ones that create memories.

I mean... don't get me wrong, I like getting material gifts as much as the next person, but it's often some one else's time and energy that I appreciate the most. I am going to have to agree that Christmas is all about the gifts! Don't forget to give with your heart... after all that is free.

Practice Thankfulness

I cannot take credit for the idea behind this blog, because that belongs to my husband. Today he asked me if I wrote a blog yesterday and I told him I had not. That made me ask him for blog ideas, and he came up with this blog idea for the holiday season. It might be a little clique, but we don't care. Thank you, Nate :)

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It's often too easy to look at your glass of milk and think "jeez, I already drank half of it and it's all gone now." The trick, which is not always easy, is to focus on the fact that you still have half a glass of milk left! (You know, the whole glass half full, optimistic outlook on life). The really tricky part is getting to the point where you're ecstatic that you have one drop of drink left in the bottom of your glass, and you're going to enjoy it. Practice makes perfect, right?

The holidays are obviously a time when people begin to think about things they're thankful for, but I'd really love to unconsciously do that every single day. That might sound really simple, but I'm not sure that I know of a single person who exhibits thankfulness perfectly... I'm just saying. Also, there's a big difference between being thankful and bragging about what you have in life. I definitely want to work on being thankful every day... I just might have to start a new gratitude journal. Together though, Nate and I both want to work on being happy with what we do have in life. There are a lot of people who probably have it worse.

As easy as it might be for my husband and I to look at our life together and get frustrated, we really want to push through and learn to love what we have. Earlier today, Nate mentioned that at times we both get a little too focused on the following issues: we don't own a house, we have loads of combined student loan debt and credit card debt, we live in a tiny apartment, we don't feel that we can start a family yet, and many other things. At times, those things seem overwhelming and we're not sure how we'll ever get out of debt, own a house, and start a family. However, it's crazy to think that we'll never do those things... because the thing is... we will some day. For now though, we have compiled a list of some things (which are not always things) that we are thankful for.

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Starting out vaguely, we both give thanks for:

* each other

* a roof over our heads

* completing college educations

* food in the refrigerator

* clothing on our backs

* our good health

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Ashley is thankful for:

* a wonderful husband

* loving/supportive parents, family, & friends

* opportunities to live and learn

* a warm place to sleep at night

* friends who I can call when I need them

* having had the chance to live in many places

* having good books to read

* warm cups of coffee and tea

* Nate's job... because he loves it

* music and its healing powers

* coming from an artistic family

* having the most loving parents ever

* nature's beauty

* Burt Lake

* time to reflect and then to grow

* people who make me laugh and smile

* life

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(I have Nate more directly involved in this blog, so this comes from him)

Lastly, because he came up with this blog idea, Nate is thankful for:

* an amazing wife who takes care of me

* a job that I enjoy each and every day

* being close to family and friends

* skiing in the mountains

* having a warm place to live

* a place to rest my feet at home

* a job that allows me freedom

* living in a great country

* people who fight for our rights

* homemade meals

* parents who taught me well

* every blessing in life

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We hope that you'll find things to be thankful for this holiday and each and every day beyond that. Thankfulness is much appreciated, and we're pretty sure that people never get mad when someone thanks them for something. So give thanks! Look for things to be thankful for in life.

Rocky Mountain High

I have an architecture degree, but I really love to draw and create more than I love sitting in front of a computer and drafting. I also love the hands on part of architecture where you draw by hand, model, and build. Unfortunately, that seems to be a very very small part of most architecture projects. More often than not, time is spent in front of a computer screen drafting floor plans, details, sections... etc. Then even more time is dedicated to fixing/re-drawing errors or changes to previous mentioned drawings. Not really what I had expected of the architecture profession. My strengths lie much more in hand drawing, sketching, and other outlets for creativity. As a kid I loved colors, clothes, reading, painting and drawing, legos, and building things. I was never ever very much into video games, computers, or technology. That's something that I need to learn to embrace... or do I? The jury is still out on that idea.

One thing I love but have not done enough of in recent times is draw. I feel that I've lost a lot of my technique and skill for drawing since taking a 6 week drawing class in Europe in 2006. Wow, that was quite a while ago... and I haven't really been keeping up with my drawing since then. It's such a low maintenance hobby too! I still have my pencils, sharpener, gummy eraser, and drawing pads.... what is stopping me?! Nothing, really. That would be the correct answer. I would love to draw/sketch more often, because it's one of my favorite things to do.

This summer I went to a guitar festival at Copper with my uncle and cousin. While sitting in a folding chair listening to music, I drew the elevation of a condo building that I thought had some nice architectural qualities. Maybe my lack of inspiration for drawing is partly due to a lack of inspiring architecture... but I digress. It felt nice to hand draw for a little while, although it was a far cry from drawings I created while learning to "see things differently" in Europe. The mountain architecture at Copper did make me feel inspired to draw. It helped to remind me that not all architects are thoughtless and careless with what they design to be built in the environment. I think that something about the small mountain town of Copper took me back to my time spent in Europe. Mountain towns in the Rockies exude a feeling of friendliness toward pedestrian friendly design. I really appreciate how the geography limits construction and development, and the confines of valleys typically make people more thoughtful about what's built in the small space available. Did I mention how I love mountain towns?

I wrote the following while sitting and thinking about my surroundings at Copper Mountain:

There's something about mountain architecture that inspired me. It might have something to do with the inspired designs of the buildings themselves. Each building beckons nature to be a part of it, as if reminding the earth that it is a part of its construction and makeup. Everywhere I look, there are sturdy and strong wood beams. Not to mention the earth tones of most of the condos surrounding the base of the mountains. So many of the buildings blend into the surroundings and lack the obtrusiveness that so many structures today seem to thrive on.

Each building has a gracious number of balconies, suggesting that someone understood the importance of the interior and exterior being equally important. Without outdoor living space, people are discouraged to take in the beauty that surrounds them. Where better to bask in the natural beauty than from a balcony overlooking the Rocky Mountains?

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The sketches below are from the drawing class I took in Switzerland. The top sketch is the covered bridge in Luzern and the lower sketch is at a castle in Bellinzona.

I have a love for artistic and creative outlets. Architecture may not be the best outlet for me, and I'm trying to find the best outlet for my strengths. It's not always easy being unsure of your direction, but I am working on it.

Coastal Inspiration

Inspiration... that is a very broad subject.

**I put this together from things I found at an antique store**

There are so many things that I find inspiring. For example: people, certain places, historical locations, the ocean, a tranquil lake, a beautiful sunset, and the list could go on and on...

I think that the challenge is to find something inspiring each and every day. Choose to surround yourself with things that inspire you on a daily basis.

This picture was taken from the pier in Naples while we were on our honeymoon. Aaaaah...

The lake (or almost any body of water) inspires me, and that probably explains why many things found in our apartment reflect the colors of water. Lots of blue, green, and tan colors surround each day. Not to mention that I collected oodles of seashells while on our honeymoon in Florida. You can find those shells scattered throughout our apartment, and I still have lots of them laying around waiting for a new use. I'm hoping to get some shadow box frames to put together a few things to decorate our place. I loooove to design and create!

I'd like to put together something sort of like this...  :)

I recently bought a book called Gift From the Sea by Jane Morrow Lindbergh, and I can't wait to read it! The author draws inspiration from the sea, and also from her gifts from the sea. Nate doesn't exactly understand my obsession with seashells, but I'm looking forward to my next shelling trip already...

Whether it be a great friendship, beautiful sunset, soothing music, a visit to a far away place, or your home... find something to be inspired by each day.