Portland

We spent St. Patty's day (and the night before) in Portland, Maine. Friday night we headed to the State Theater to see The Head and the Heart. They put on an amazing show! The State Theater is such a cool venue... very old, lots of character, and five bars inside.  We sang at the top of our lungs and clapped our little hearts out.  We also hit up Otto and Enzo for late night pizza! Saturday morning we ventured out in search of a good coffee shop.... to find Bard Coffee - yum! We treated ourselves to some lattes with coffee art and live music. We spent the remainder of Saturday wandering around exploring Portland, day drinking, and hitting some local hot spots (i.e. East End Cupcakes) Portland sort of has this small town by the water charm, much like San Francisco. We fell in love.

February break

So vacation is coming to an end and I can't help but absolutely dread waking up tomorrow morning. It will be dark. It will be cold. I will probably cry a little in the shower because I will be so tired I won't know what's going on. I had a great vacation! It was not relaxing at all, but it was filled with great friends and good times. I have to run and work on lesson plans, so I leave you with a few pieces of my break... 

Have a great week!

xo.

days like today

I laid in bed this morning thinking, I am awake, but I could roll over and pull up the covers and sleep for a few more hours. But that never happens. Once I wake up, and my mind starts going... it doesn't stop. And by nature, I am a planner and a list maker, so my list starts to build in my mind of all the things I need to take care of today.  I ended up texting with a friend and we met at Target and walked around talking and laughing... holding up ridiculous lingerie, people watching and such.  We went out to lunch (which wasn't that good) but I had so much fun just laughing, talking, not rushing to be anywhere or do anything. 

I think that's why I wanted to write this post. We all need to do more of that. I sometimes feel that life is one big race and we are all trying to finish first. But why? We need to live in each of these moments, because once they pass.. they are gone forever. "Enjoy the little things" has been my mantra for years now (hence the name of my blog), cause it's those little things that matter most. Unplanned lunch with a friend, an afternoon drive, the feeling the sun on your face, holding hands, planning a trip, or that look that means "love" without even having to say it. 

I encourage you (as I try to encourage myself) each day to take in all the moments around you, despite life's crazy and sometimes chaotic way. We learn from these moments, we grow from these moments..... we ARE these moments.

Happy week friends!

Music to my ears

I have been hearing amazing songs lately.. whether they are on videos I watch, on tv shows, or little blurps in commercials.  Mike laughs at me because I constantly get these jingles stuck in my head. I have heard so many songs lately that have made me say "I need this!" Most times it is something new, but the iphone has the best app for this. The app is called Shazam. I totally recommend getting it! All you have to do is open it up and press "Shazam!" and it identifies the song and the artist for you. It's so great. It also provides a little link that connects directly to your itunes in case you want to download on the spot! Anywho, here is what I've been digging lately:

 LP
Must listen: Into the Wild

Florence & the Machine

Must Listen: Cosmic Love

The Jezebels

Must listen: Easy to Love

Naked & Famous
Must listen: Young Blood

images from google

Feel free to shoot me some new tunes, bands or share your thoughts!

Happy listening! 

xo

my mantra

images from Pinterest

Happy weekend! 

Enjoy all the little moments! 

little pieces

Lately.....

 Read.

 Eat.

 Love.

 Snug.

 Sush.

 Friend.

 Latte.

 Best.

 Collect.

 Surprise.

 New.

 Bubbles.

Smoothie.

Grey skies

Feeling totally uninspired lately... with taking pictures, with blogging... 

If you have some words of motivation, I would love if you sent them this way! 

xo

food for thought

One option is to struggle to be heard whenever you're in the room... 

Another is to be the sort of person who is missed when you're not.

The first involves making noise. The second involves making a difference.

- Seth Godin




Happy Tuesday!

happy 2012!

{image from etsy}

"Every new beginning comes from some other beginnings end."

I love new beginnings. I know it's a little cliche, but I really love the feeling of starting anew, making a list of new things I want to do/try, and making a note of the things I want to achieve in the new year. This year, I am not going to set any crazy goals... I feel like sometimes setting certain goals can set you up for failure. All I want is to continue to incorporate positive things (actions, people, etc) into my life and be the best version of myself that I can be. 

I also think it's important to look back over the past year and remember all the great things about it, however big or small. For me those things were: becoming an auntie, getting my Master's degree, a new job that fulfills me more than I could have imagined, and being a part of my friend Amanda's wedding :) Of course, we all have tough times and "bumps" in the road, but it's important to remember the good things!

And I will share with you a few things I want from 2012......

1. Travel within (and if I'm lucky-outside) the U.S.

2. Read more books

3. Incorporate exercise into my schedule

4. Take my vitamins!

5. Give myself time in the mornings before work

6.  Buy a house or condo!

7. Indulge in my crafty side

8. Spend more time outdoors

9. Spend time with good friends, keep in touch

10. Turn the negative into positive!

What are your ideas & goals for 2012?