celebrate the small things | April 24

What a week it's been!  A truly marvelous one with lots and lots to celebrate!

1) my cosmos flower bloomed!  I'm especially proud of this because it's the first flower I've ever grown from a seed :)

2) my baby white winged dove is learning to fly!  it's amazing, and so fun, to watch.
(for those of you that know, yes, there were two baby doves - but we had a pretty bad storm here last weekend - hail and all - during which both babies fell from the nest... only one survived).

3) Will's aunt Amy came to visit!
Always sooooo much fun!

4) Will's mother came to visit!
I totally loved playing tour guide and drove her (a real first) around to some of my fave places in Austin: County Line on the Lake/ the Oasis and dessert at Chey Zee's. Will was out of town so it was great to have a real girl's day!

5) i've saved the biggest and best 'til last; and for added suspense I'll start by saying that it's taken many months and many denied applications ... but I've finally got a job back in the finance industry (what I was doing before writing... yeah yeah contradictory I know!  I guess I'm blessed to be both right and left brain-abled or maybe I'm not at all, since writing hasn't worked out... anyway), I feel silly for fretting over those other total loser jobs!  This might be the job of my dreams.  It's for a super-chilled company that specializes in business lending and other finanical services to small businesses so I'm stoked not to work with individuals!  But it also stands out because it encourages personal growth, hones individual skill sets and has some of the nicest, happiest employees I've seen anywhere.
Added bonuses include:
- peeps my age
- close to home in a brilliant wooded area that feels more like a country retreat than an office
- catered lunches EVERYDAY
- super laid back dress code
 - 7.5 hr work days

Yep, I reckon I've hit the jackpot.  I hope every one else has had a week as brilliant as mine :)
Right now I'm off to celebrate and make this weekend count since I start work on Monday!

Tuesday Tunes {the rediscovery of Trance}

I suppose it was natural progression that after last week's featured tune and exposure to several electronic shows at SXSW - I've rediscovered my love of Trance.  This couldn't have come at a better time actually, because with the purchase of my Mini - I've found a new sense of freedom in just hopping in, zoning out to the music and letting it put in me in a delightful state of, well... trance.

Everything seems possible and life seems in divine, perfect order when I'm seated behind the wheel and a song like Burn The Sun begins to play.

Or My Heaven:

Or Kingdom of dreams: (somewhere in the middle is my fave part)

Or Goodbye.

Some people meditate in complete silence.  As for me, I need this kind of music to reach those hidden places within.  That is my happy place.

midweek afternoon walks

Is there anything more heavenly, rejuvenating or relaxing than a walk through nature after a stifling day in the office?  I've been skipping out of work earlier and earlier this week, putting leashes on the puppies and heading down to the neighbourhood pond - where spring is well and truly underway.  I've been enjoying sights like these all week:

My favourite thing, no question, about Texas is spring.  Not only are the wildflowers ridiculously breathtaking - but wild berries grow all around, often in the oddest places!  Nowhere else have I seen raspberries, blueberries and mulberries growing so matter-of-factly and, well, blatantly!  In road islands, sidewalks, forest trails, unsuspecting garden bed and children's playgrounds!  Here is a small sample of what the neighbourhood pond currently looks like:

And the forest trail around the pond:

Tuesday Tunes {King by Years & Years}

Well hi!  I survived and I'm back from my week working SXSW!  It was a blur consisting mainly of bands, rappers, crowds, exhaustion, Schlotzsky's boxes and broken sleep... But boy, was it fun!  

Aside from making several, awesome, new friends; I discovered a bunch of new music and today I'd like to share one of my fave new discoveries - a British, electronic band called Years and Years.  These guys were incredibly sweet (they waited in my queue one night) and oh! so talented.  

This song is called King but I highly recommend checking out some others if you enjoy it, since I had a hard time choosing just one!

celebrate the small things | Mar 6

Hello to everyone celebrating today!  I can't wait to share in your joy with you!  As for me, I'm celebrating several huge things: a blissful anniversary cruise around the Caribbean and checking off several bucket list items along the way!

If you've peeked at my blog recently, you'll see I'm all about said cruise!  So much happened and it was everything I wanted our anniversary to be: romantic, adventurous, spontaneous, magical: perfect in every way!  Besides the plethora of on-board entertainment and sheer awesomeness of the ship that kept us super busy every day; we also had no internet or mobile phone connection for the entire week!  Although this meant that I couldn't share things as they happened - and now have to play catch up with about 500 photos - I'm glad we didn't have connectivity, because without the distractions of FaceBook, Instagram or Will's never-ending work emails, we really had a chance to unplug from the rest of the world and reconnect with each other. What wife doesn't want that?

Anyway, here are the bucket-list items I can cross off my list, thanks to the cruise:

1. a visit to Mexico (although I didn't get to see anywhere near as much as I'd like!)

The best part was that Will and I rented a scooter and went off on our own, exploring everything we wanted on Cozumel Island.  It was neat to see how the locals live.

2. Mayan Ruins  - we visited not one, not two, but three different sites:
San Gervasio on Cozumel Island in Mexico

Altun-Ha in Belize:

 and Chaccoben in the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

3. learning about the Mayans from an actual Mayan family - this came with a bonus visit to their house and traditional lunch that I hadn't even imagined in my dreams!

4. drinking a pina colada from a coconut on a pristine Caribbean beach

5. snorkeling in the second largest coral reef in the world

6. steak tartare from one of the best French restaurants in New Orleans (before we set sail).  I'd never had raw meat before and it was exquisite! 

7. a real, on-stage, magical illusion show!  This was so much fun and I was amazed that the world renowned duo 'Sander and Alison' were just part of the ships' on-board entertainment!  We got to see two of their acts and I was stunned each time

  

8. attending a real art auction

Needless to say, I've had to pinch myself several times to confirm that this is all real.  I feel so grateful and happy that I'm literally bursting.  I wish the same happiness for every single one of you x.

Our Caribbean Cruise

Now that we've been back on land a few days, our heads have stopped swimming and we've had time to reflect: the Norwegian Cruise Line has sent us an overall impression questionnaire that's put me in rather a nostalgic mood.  With below freezing temperatures back here in Austin and a perpetually overcast sky, Will and I are yearning to be back on board that carefree ship - sipping cocktails while working on our tans... Nothing in the world to worry about... expect for which of the 8 restaurants we would choose for dinner!

As I answered Norwegian's questionnaire (with positives across the board), I realized how much we'd loved our cruise!  It was such a great way to unplug from work and our daily routines.  We had no internet connection almost the whole time, so were kind of forced to be together and really be in each other's company.  Of course, I loved this... but although Will struggled a little with not knowing what was going on at work, in the end he was thankful for the respite and came back refreshed. Some other major highlights were:

* our sweet little room (that turned out bigger than expected)

* our enthusiastic room attendant for whom no task was too much trouble... and the different, adorable towel-animals he left on our bed every day: 

* the helpful, happy, friendly, smiling, dancing staff all over the ship - as far as the eye could see!  Here they are at the Costa Maya port in Mahahual, Mexico, awaiting our return with a red carpet and refreshments:

* dressing up to attend the nightly entertainment in the super grand theater!

(the atrium was also v.grand and showcased nightly entertainment)

* the plethora of activities. 

True to form, I geeked out and immersed myself in education! Namely the art and Chinese medicine -
while Will gambled, lay poolside, or joined new acquaintances for pub trivia!
Here I am with one of my fave works of art from the ship: Without Borders by Peter Max

* deck games 

* the amazing shore visits (that I will blog about separately, later)

* the endless dining options - including the biggest buffet either of us have ever seen.
We were eating allllll the time!  And yet, we didn't even gain a little bit of weight because it was really good, healthy good!  It was brilliant!  By the third day, we had a joke about saving room for 'second and third dinner.'

* those elaborate signature cocktails that changed daily - obviously we had to try them all :)

* and of course, those breathtaking sunsets!

I'm really not sure why people say cruising is for oldies.  Sure, there were plenty of old people on board (the majority if I'm honest), but there's so much to do for peeps our age - and even the teenagers (that all formed a clique by the end) had a blast.  Although our cruise was more about the destinations and shore excursions than the actual ship itself: I'd always pictured cruising to be more like the posh and glamorous portrayal of the Titanic movie, and less like the crotchety, sailing-nursing home I've heard others compare it to... I wasn't disappointed.   

Over the next few days, I'll be blogging about the shore excursions themselves.  There were four in total - Cozumel, Mexico | Belize City, Belize | Roatan Island, Honduras | and Mahahual, Mexico - each unique and exceptionally wonderful!  For now I just wanted to praise the cruise, the program, staff and everything about Norwegian Cruise Line.  Will and I couldn't have asked for a better way to celebrate our marriage.