Growing up, anything that remotely resembled fortune-telling, consulting with spiritual mediums, or manipulating one’s fate basically meant dooming yourself to demon possession and/or Hell itself. I believe we called it “opening the door to the occult.” Biblical examples of swift and sudden punishment or death were referenced to show how uniquely dangerous this sort of activity was. Movies like The Excorcist further demonstrated the unfortunate consequences of dabbling in the occult, however innocent the individual or her intent. So naturally – even though my early Christian beliefs have moderated over the years – I viewed even the most mundane activities of this nature with suspicion and a bit of fear. Continue reading
Life & Love
The Earth Laughs in Flowers
I first visited the Cosmos Fields in Okinawa 2 years ago, and I had a great time frolicking in the sea of pink as Chuck humored me with a couple of cute photos. But I would be lying if I didn’t admit to having more photo-shoot oriented fun when I took my friend Sally to see them for the first time.
The Daily Cute
🐘💛🐘💛
The Daily Inspo
Happy 2017!
This year, I am excited to make my blog more dynamic again. It used to serve as an outlet for any number of different topics or issues on which I could pontificate and ruminate. Since moving to Okinawa, it’s been largely a travelogue.
Not that there is anything wrong with that, of course! I have lots of travel posts to catch up on, in fact. I’ve had many international adventures since Singapore, and will soon share my experiences in Bali, Paris, London, and New Zealand. But, I do miss writing about other things, too – however interesting or mundane. And I don’t like that my writing has gotten rusty.
Now that I have completed my Master’s degree (woohoo!), I should have more time to write again. To reflect. To read for pleasure. To explore new things. To prepare for our next big move, as our time in Okinawa draws to a close…
I am looking forward to sharing what 2017 has to offer, especially since I have no idea what to expect in this transitional time. I am a little nervous, but I also can’t wait ❤
Annie, I need you…
Annie Bean was the cat that everyone liked, even if they typically didn’t like cats. And when I say everyone, I mean that fairly literally. Many people close to me passed through Annie’s life at one point or another, making note of any number of various traits: her laid back demeanor, her pleasantly plump figure, or her sassy self-assuredness, juxtaposed with her surprisingly social and tolerant approach to strangers. The fact that Annie was so known, liked, and even loved has made her memory that much stronger and the comfort that much greater in her untimely passing.
The Daily Happy
An Easter Update
It’s hard to believe that Chuck and I will hit our 2-year mark in Okinawa in just a couple of weeks. One year left sounds like both a lot of time, and no time at all. Much has been done, and yet there is still so much to do!
I didn’t mean for this blog to turn into a travelogue, in which I only update when I go somewhere exciting. Even if no one ever reads it, I want to look back on it myself and remember all the adventures I had, big and small. So, here’s a quick re-cap of what we’ve been up to since our Thai Holiday, in reverse chronological order.
My Favorite Holiday
Seriously, Halloween is my favorite. There’s no other time you can dress up and be silly and act ridiculous for no good reason. Plus, who doesn’t love a good spook? Not that I’ve ever dressed as anything “scary” in my whole life, but I enjoy the haunted house/forest/corn maze thing, whenever I have the time to go on such an excursion or plan such a party.
This year, I did not have the time for an excursion, but we did have a party planned. There was also a second, unexpected party that required a last-minute costume #2… because I never duplicate costumes 🙂 Please excuse the poor-quality cell phone pictures!
Celebrating 5 Years
Every now and again, Chuck and I get so caught up in the separate things we have going on in our lives, that we start to lose touch with each other. This calls for what I have dubbed a “reset”, when we share openly and honestly over a glass of wine (or scotch, in his case.) We talk about what has preoccupied us individually, and then what we miss in each other. I hope this is something we can maintain over the years, because it goes without saying that communication is vitally important in a healthy relationship.
This particular exchange was well-timed because it was mere days before we celebrated five years of marriage.
Our reset made for a truly enjoyable, distraction-free October 8th. I think we both felt relaxed and in-touch with each other. We don’t typically exchange gifts on our anniversary (opting for a trip somewhere, instead), but – unbeknownst to each other – we both ended up purchasing items that we had been wanting for a while – an XBOX One for him, and a Kerrie Hess painting for her.
We enjoyed a romantic and satisfying dinner at Soupcon, a favorite local Okinawan cafe, before wrapping up a last day of work and jetting off to Kyoto!
I think it’s been our best anniversary so far… and I know there will be many, many more to come 🙂
Wildflowers & Whimsy 