Cinque Terre On Canvas

In wracking our brains for a present to give my parents this Christmas, my sister and I wanted to go with something sentimental for obvious reasons. We both came to the conclusion that a photo from our trip to Italy, where my Dad is originally from, printed on canvas would be perfect. Now, to choose a photo.. and from which city...

I decided that before I even start looking through all the photos from the trip, which could easily lead to distraction and endless hours spent looking through countless amounts of photos, its best I pick a city first. I chose Cinque Terre. It was a hard tie to break between Rome and Cinque Terre, but I think the peaceful beachy villages won my parents over the most plus the nautical theme pairs well with the style in their home, not to mention they live on the water.

So the narrowing down began. I was careful not to over pick or overwhelm myself with photos to edit for final choosing, which is a common mistake I make, something I especially can't afford to deal with as Christmas is drawing close and I am running out of time to submit my order. I started with hundreds, narrowed down to 15, then finally to the 3 featured here. It was hard, but a decision had to be made.

In uploading and cropping the image for final submission I realized how fun and easy this gift really is as well as how meaningful it can be. It can get a little pricey, but Living Social features deals all the time for discounted canvas prints. I'm excited to see the final product and the look on their face when they receive it. I think they will both be very happy to have something from our first trip to Europe to hang on their walls.

Girly Moment Alert!

Ever hear a song that just makes you stop what you're doing and focus on the feelings it evokes? A few songs on my current playlist do this to me, but one in particular I feel the need to share. This song I have loved for quite a while now, and every time I hear it, it makes me melt. It's the kind of love song you imagine dancing to with a special someone in a particularly special moment on a very special day. I'm a sucker for sentimentality, so I know you can't just plan on a song like this for that special day, but I can't help but hope for one that makes me feel just the way this one does. This song is just so beautifully sung, it's simplicity is full of emotion, and it pulls at your heartstrings in all the right ways.

Sleeping At Last "Turning Page"

Reflection and Growth

Dating.

Your 20s.

Finding yourself, knowing yourself, owning what you believe.

Knowing and understanding the qualities you value and want in another.

Finding those qualities.

Opening myself back up to the dating scene has been a bit uncomfortable, to say the least, after shunning it for quite sometime.

I've spent the good part of the last 3 years trying to "find" myself, placing a lot of energy in understanding and developing a good sense of the person I hope to become, something I used to believe I had a firm grasp on relative to a lot of my peers, but somehow lost security in during some of the more emotional and trying events of my early 20s. As I've started to enter my late 20s, I've begun to realize "finding" myself is less something I can simply check off a To-Do list and more something that continually happens through time and exploration. I understand now that it's something that, at times, I may feel more secure in than others, but will be constantly evolving throughout my life. I can seek comfort in the fact that holding true to my key values, those that have remained constant, while maintaining a level of curiosity about life and a desire to continuously grow and better myself is all I really need and will make for a smoother road to success.

I stumbled on this blog today. Although reading both sides is informative, I found more insight reading The 11 Differences Between Dating a Girl vs a Woman which gave me the opportunity to reflect back on myself the values that have held true for as long as I can remember, ones I've let slip, and ones I may not have paid attention to before, but see the positive in being aware of them.

Reflection and growth.