The Most Beautiful Part of Boston

On the way to Costco the other day, Tim decided it was much too beautiful of a day to be shopping. So we continued on I-95 and went Kayaking on the Charles instead. Best. Decision. Ever. He was absolutely right. The day was MUCH too perfect to be indoors and he chose the perfect place to be. I couldn't believe how pretty it was. We were just off the freeway, only a row of trees separating us, but it felt like we were miles away. We both decided it was, hands down, the most beautiful part of Boston. I wish I would have taken more pictures, but I just couldn't stop looking around and enjoying the beautiful scenery with my own eyes. Here are the few that we did take:

Yes, we both got fried.

And that was kayaking. I Highly recommend it to anyone and everyone.

Eagle!

So when I was in Alaska, we went deep sea fishing. Our guide was feeding a couple eagles by throwing fish up to them which they would either catch in flight or snatch up out of the water. It was amazing. The beautiful birds came within about 5 ft of our boat. Absolutely incredible.

If you look closely in the water, you can see the floating fish he's about to grab.

This is the octopus my brother caught. Our guide said he hadn't seen on in over 20 years. Pretty awesome eh?

Fragile

I just learned of the passing of a high school friend. Although I didn't know her extremely well, the news came hard and hit a little close to home. With the passing of my dad being so recent, anything along those lines has been especially hard to bear. Both deaths were unexpected, one a heart attack and the other a car accident. It should remind us all how short this life truly is. How precious is this time we have. None of us can afford to get caught up in the things of this life. There are so many distractions all around us and each one is just another thing to distract us from our true purpose and goal of drawing closer to Christ. Don't let the world distract you. Stay focused and stay strong. We can never know which day will be our last.

ALASKA

The train ride to the ship

On the way to Glacier Bay

Playin' around with lens flair

FANTASTIC

Bittersweet

Friends. When you let someone into your life and get close to you, you make yourself very vulnerable in their hands. They suddenly have the ability to greatly influence your emotions and mood. It's not necessarily a bad thing, it just shows that they are worth a lot to you. By giving you their attention, being thoughtful and mindful of you, or even simply complimenting you, they can put you in the best mood and truly make your day wonderful. On the other hand, if they are upset, negligent, down, or even if they don't consciously do anything, maybe things just didn't go quite as you planned... you can wind up hurt, mad or offended and that wonderful day? Not so wonderful anymore. We are greatly affected by our friends, but how affected should we be? How do we know when to just let down our sail and let things blow by? It seems to be a delicate balance. On one hand, you don't want to let people walk all over you, but on the other, you don't want to be over dramatic or hypersensitive. I for one tend to have my sails down most of the time. I seem to lean towards the laid back and easy going approach... consequently my toes get stepped on here and there, but I usually don't mind. However, sometimes I am truly bothered or hurt, whether it is for a good reason or not, but I often don't know if I should say anything or if it just isn't worth it. I know I will get over it, so why bring it up? Some look at my behavior and think me a fool. They say I am too soft and I put up with too much. Now, I'm not a push over... I do stand up for myself, but if I see a good, logical way to avoid conflict or tension, I'll usually take it... Even if I am offended or mad. So why is it that we allow ourselves to be so affected by those close to us? Shouldn't we be more forgiving of the ones we care about most? Yes. We should. But then, if you distance yourself and don't allow them to shape your mood, it won't feel nearly as great when they make you happy. If we don't know pain, we can't know joy... right? Right. So the moral of this much too long story is... Those who are closest to you will affect you for better or worse. Get used to it. The end.

P.S. I love all of my friends. They are wonderful. This is not directed at any one person or group of people at all... just something I've thought about a lot over the years.

Food for Thought

Aah, the wisdom of Dove Chocolates. Inside the wrapper of each Dove chocolate there is a little message. Some are true, others are ridiculous, but all are great. So here are a few:

Keep the promises you make to yourself.

There's a time for compromise... it's called "later."

Be mischievous. It feels good.

Go to your special place.

Test your own limits and keep going.

Temptation is fun... giving in is even better.

You're allowed to do nothing.

Wink at someone you drive by today.

You know, you look good in red. (creepy thing: I was wearing red when I got this one)

Watch reruns, they replay your memories.

Do what feels right.

Learn something from everyone you meet.

Make your eyes twinkle. (?)

Smile. People will wonder what you've been up to.

When two hearts race, both win.

And now my favorite:

Listen to your heartbeat and dance.