Zzzz

I am tired.  And in dire need of some rest and rejuvenation as well as lots of sleep.  Zzzz.  Don't you just feel like laying out a blanket and taking a nap here?  Zzzz.  I sure do.

I might just do that.  I'm officially on vacation for two weeks (except for the three days that I'm at a conference) and I couldn't be more excited.  I'm going to use these two weeks to rest, rejuvenate, have fun, enjoy every second with my husband, take my dog to the beach a lot, go fishing and canoeing, make a scrapbook for my grandpa's birthday, get back to doing yoga, take long bike rides, read a few books, go on photo shoots and take naps.  Yeah! 

I hope that all of you participating in the A to Z Challenge get some rest, too.  Way to go everyone!

*I'm participating in the 2013 A to Z Challenge. Every day in April (except for Sundays) I will be posting according to a letter of the Alphabet. To read more about my theme, click here.

You Know Me

You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. 

You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. 

You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all of my ways.
Psalm 139: 1-3

Sitting in Sand

I think that it is pretty awesome that God knows us so well and still loves us.  He loves us despite our neuroses and our fears and our weaknesses.  When I mess up, I know that He will not forsake me, that He will forgive me.  He knows my deepest thoughts - even those thoughts that are so undefined that I can't voice them.

Here are a few things that God knows about me and, now, so do you:

• I am terrified of not being able to support myself when I grow old.  This fear is almost paralyzing at times.
• Yesterday, I shot a 12-gauge shotgun for the first time.  Only twice - that was enough.  Everyone in those zombie apocalypse movies makes it look so easy.  It wasn't.  Shooting that gun scared me more than I imagined it would.  I'm pretty disappointed in myself.
• I am completely conflicted about having a baby.  One day I think that I'd love to and another day, I feel like maybe I'm not supposed to.  I just don't know what to do and I feel like I'm running out of time.
• I blame working an exhausting full-time job for keeping me from finishing the writing and photography projects that I have going on.  Though, the truth is that I am a procrastinator.  Big time.  I keep myself from those things that I don't accomplish and I totally hate this about myself.
• I turned 36 last week and I just do not feel like I am where a 36 year old woman should be.  I do not have things figured out like I thought I would.  I'm beginning to wonder if I ever will.

I absolutely love that God knows me - the real me.  Reminding myself of this helps when I feel like I'm losing my sense of self.  This is a truth that I ground myself in.  It is a rock.  He is my rock. 

*I'm participating in the 2013 A to Z Challenge. Every day in April (except for Sundays) I will be posting according to a letter of the Alphabet. To read more about my theme, click here.

Xenodocheionology

xen·o·do·chei·on·ol·o·gy

noun \ˌzenədəˌkīəˈnäləjē\

 

: the lore of hotels and inns

The Sofia Hotel

In my other life, I would own a hotel.  I love them.  Nice ones.  Not the ones that are grungy and so dirty you can't walk around barefoot.  I love really nice hotels.  I never stayed at the Sofia Hotel in San Diego but I did have coffee in their lobby during my lunch break when I had jury duty.  It was great.

One of my favorite hotel memories is when my husband and I stayed at the Le Merigot in Santa Monica.  We walked into the hotel, on a red carpet and the door man (who was wearing a long-tailed tuxedo and top hat) opened the door for us and our scruffy dog, Floyd.  Floyd walked into that hotel like he owned it.  People stared but we didn't care.  Our dog deserves the best.  If you are ever in Santa Monica, I would highly recommend this hotel.

When I was living in California my husband tried talking me into going to Vegas but I just didn't want to go.  Nothing about the place appealed to me.  In the 2007 firestorm, we were sort of forced to evacuate San Diego because the air quality was so bad.  We drove east and ended up in Las Vegas. 

It was not what I expected.  I had a blast and I think the main reason was because I spent 10 hours going in and out of really amazing hotels.  I love everything about them:  the vacation-like feel you get as soon as you walk in, the beautiful furniture and art, sparkling clean rooms and how everything you could ever want is in one place.    
  

*I'm participating in the 2013 A to Z Challenge. Every day in April (except for Sundays) I will be posting according to a letter of the Alphabet. To read more about my theme, click here.

Waiting at the Dock

The Lord sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and exalts.

1 Samuel 2:7

 

Docked

 

Sometimes, I feel like I am waiting.  Waiting for the next chapter of my life.  Waiting to be better compensated for my hard work.  Waiting to grow my family.  Waiting for my dreams to come true.  Waiting for. . .

 

I think that we could always finish this sentence.  There's always something more, something else.  We're human after all.  We are driven, ambitious, always racing to the finish line.  It is not in our nature to be still.

 

Waiting at the dock isn't so bad, though.  This is when we get our bearings.  It's a time for rest and recuperation.  This is when we stretch and get our equilibrium.  Waiting is a necessary part of life.  It is when we become humble.  It is a time in our lives when we learn lessons that allow us to empathize with others.  Times of waiting make it possible for us to foster creativity and embrace uncertainty.  We can practice being still and quiet and reflective.   

 

 

*I'm participating in the 2013 A to Z Challenge. Every day in April (except for Sundays) I will be posting according to a letter of the Alphabet. To read more about my theme, click here.





Vintage Reflections

I find old things very interesting.  When I'm somewhere that is rich in history, I try to envision what it would be like to live during a different time.  Since I live in the nation's oldest city, this happens quite often.  The photo below is of different handles that were used in a steam room at the Alcazar Hotel (currently known as the Lightner Museum).  Hotel guests would pay anything from 50 cents to a couple of dollars for use of the health spa.  This hotel also housed the world's largest indoor swimming pool at the time.  Click here for more information about the history of the hotel.

Vintage Alcazar Hotel Handles

 

It was built in 1887 in the Spanish Renaissance style.  The health spa included a Turkish Bath, a steam room, a cold plunge, a massage room, a gym and a lounging room.  Now, the indoor pool is lined with antique shops and a really awesome eatery called the Alcazar Cafe.  I still love visiting this place as it is really easy to lose yourself in the details, beautiful architecture and ghost-like memories of past times that still linger throughout. 

 

Old things.  Vintage things.  They remind me of how we have both grown and regressed as a society.  I'm reminded of how important our history is - the bad and the good.  When I walk through the hallways at the old Alcazar Hotel, I think about drinking tea and playing croquet.  Maybe taking a dip in the pool and going for a horse-drawn carriage ride through the cobblestone streets in St. Augustine (even though they still do this today).  It'd just be different back then without cars and scooters passing by. 

 

Enjoying history is a wonderful way to be reflective and in the moment.  I wish that everyone took advantage of these types of wonders in our own backyards.  They are great places to go with family and friends or even by ourselves to journal, capture moments with our cameras or just savor our nation's history.

 

 

*I'm participating in the 2013 A to Z Challenge. Every day in April (except for Sundays) I will be posting according to a letter of the Alphabet. To read more about my theme, click here.