The Ultimate Yes

Love looks like this

My vacation is soon coming to a close and it seems like now would be appropriate to share what this holiday really was all about for me.  It was about love.  Love of family.  Love of friends. Love of traveling and seeing new places.   Love of a different country and culture.  Love of my husband, James.  Love of self. Love of life.  And that's really what we're here to do on this planet for the short time we're on it,  don't you think?    Have a look at love from a California-born girl who feels like she could have been a Kiwi.

Love looks like...two people posing for a silly photograph in a Nelson, New Zealand city park.

Love looks like...beautiful vistas that take your breath away.

Love looks like...a child dressed-up like a princess sipping a cold milkshake. 

Love looks like...a gorgeous rata tree in full bloom.

Love looks like...two friends who have known each other for years having a grand ol' time together.

Love looks like...dozens of strangers dancing together on a hot sunny day.

Love looks like...a woman appreciating the simple fact that she's alive and she's living her life fully every day she gets to be here.

YES!

   

Every Day Delights and Desserts

My husband grew up having dessert pretty much every night after dinner.  I'm so happy some things never change.  His Mom still bakes yummy treats almost every day so I've been tempted indulging after dinner (and sometimes after lunch too) to cater to my sweet cravings.  This was the lovely little cake Irene made on Valentine's Day which didn't have any leftovers the next day.  When I was a kid, dessert never lasted longer than a day in my house either.  It still doesn't.

After I consumed my share of Cupid-celebrating cake, I went on a decent run along a lovely path that parallels the MaiTai river and found myself happy to be running in the rain.  That's not usually the case when it comes to me exercising in less than ideal weather conditions, but yesterday was different.  Despite the gray skies and liquid sunshine, the outside temperature was warm.  So when the rain started, I welcomed the water which wasn't my own sweat.  And then there were other things I noticed besides the cool drops of moisture on my body.

I noticed the sounds the river made as it trickled over rocks.  I noticed the various bird calls and how loud the cicadas were even when I had my headphones on and the music was blaring.  I noticed the other folks on the trail and said "Gidday" as we passed one another.  There was one man in particular who has stayed on my mind ever since I saw him and he'll be making an appearance in my newsletter next Monday.  It was a profound moment and I look forward to sharing it with you. 

I wrote a post on my other blog earlier and made mention of some of the fun things I'll be doing this weekend.  Check out more of my Kiwi Adventures and you'll see why I believe playing is such an important part of living life fully. 

Where in your life will you say "Yes!" to play today?

The Luckiest Girl Alive

How could you not feel lucky if you had the chance to walk on a beautiful beach like this one?

My holiday in New Zealand is going by way too quick.  It may feel as though I've slowed down while I've been on vacation, but time certainly hasn't.  Tomorrow will be a week since my husband and I arrived at the top of the South Island and I haven't even begun to tell the stories I want to tell. Sigh...

I promised myself I would not make a "To Do" list (which would have included the item: BLOG EVERY DAY!) while I'm here so instead I created two surprising bits of writing that were much more heart-felt and left me inspired.  Tomorrow's Valentine's Day and a poem that flowed out of me onto the card I bought for my husband is one of my two creations I'd like to share with you and it's entitled, "The Luckiest Girl Alive".

She fell...

not from a great height

but into the arms

of a man who would show her

how grand love could be.

She saw...

not with her eyes

but with her heart

a truth she'd been hiding

for a long time within.

She listened...

not through sounds heard

but through written words

of what was possible and pure

made real because of her.

She felt...

not with her hands

but with her soul

deep commitment and passion

burst forth because of him.

She knew...

not from books

but from being

the "yes" they each said

was the day "us" made complete sense.

She loved...

not from fear or falsehoods

but from joy of what's true

letting go, no holding back

this is what it means to live.

She lived...

not to get

but to give

honor, cherish and adore

from that day forward, forever more.

May you feel like you're the luckiest woman or man alive today and may you let those you love know how much you do.  Happy Valentine's Day, Everyone! 

Summertime Greetings from the South Pacific

I've been in New Zealand for five days now and I find myself falling in love with this country all over again.  I am incredibly blessed in that this visit marks my fifth trip here in a little more than three years.  Not only did I marry a Kiwi who tries to come home as often as he can, I married a generous man who wants to share his life and his love of travel with me.  Yippee and yessiree!

It's more than just the beautiful and diverse topography and the ever-so friendly and laid-back people that make me swoon.  What makes my heart pound hard is how I feel when I'm here.  Granted, I'm on vacation, but still I find I'm more mellow and relaxed when I'm on this side of the Pacific Ocean rather than the one I'm normally accustomed to walking on.  My day to day worries aren't so tightly wound up around my head and my attention span doesn't seem to drift as easily and randomly as it does when I'm back home in Oregon.  There's tremendous freedom in being away from your regular routines, personal possessions and safe surroundings. 

Pausing to reflect on what I've just said...

Funny how it takes six thousand miles to give me a new perspective on what's right in front of me all the time. It doesn't matter where I am in the world...I am always at choice regarding how I want to feel. I brought several books with me on this trip and it doesn't surprise me in the least bit that I chose this book.

Fast forward from self-introspection to sharing New Zealand adventures so far...

After arriving safely in Nelson (my husband's home town located at the top of the South Island) early last Thursday morning (we left the States on Tuesday, crossed over the International Date Line and skipped Wednesday altogether), I slept 17 hours and awoke acclimated to the new time zone and vastly different season.  Yes, it's summertime here in the South Pacific and that makes this sunshine-lovin' gal very, very  happy. Wearing shorts and sunscreen in February is a beautiful thing.  Ah...but one mustn't forget the bug spray as the dreaded sand flies will take a liking to your warm-blooded body and should any of your skin be showing, they'll find it quite tasty.  I won't show you a picture of the nasty welts I'm dealing with at the moment, but suffice it to say I won't ever go natural hot-spring soaking in a bikini in the New Zealand wilderness without being lathered up plenty.  Think chicken pox plus poison oak plus mosquitoe bite and you've got somewhat of an idea how maddening the itching from their bites are.  It's been a major scratch-fest since Saturday afternoon.  It may sound horrid, but don't you dare let the sand flies scare you off from coming to New Zealand.  You'd miss out on places like the ones I visited this past weekend:

• Hanmer Springs
• Lyttelton Harbor
• The Kaikoura Coast
• Akaroa      

I have much more to share story-wise and photograph-wise, but will wait until tomorrow when I have access to high-speed internet.  James and I are happy to have computer access at his folks' house, but the snail-pace speed can send one into hair-pulling, pirate-swearing fits.  I'm all for slowing down and relaxing, but dial-up service just might cause me to go nutters.  Letting go is one thing...staying connected is quite another.  Don't you agree?  Nighty-Monday night from New Zealand.