Snow Therapy...

I am heading up to Mammoth Mountain to enjoy some much needed snow therapy! Remember that anything can be therapeutic if it helps you relax and live in the moment. I am going to focus on activating all of my senses in order to help ground myself during this weekend getaway (ex. watching the snow fall, smelling the pine trees, hearing the fire crackling in the fireplace, feeling the pain in my calves after a day of snowboarding, and tasting all of my mother-in-law's amazing meals).

Here are some pictures from our Mammoth trip in 2009:

Have a fabulous weekend!!!

♥ Monday Mood Modifier ♥

Take a moment and fantasize about what your dream home would look like. Let your imagination go and don't hold back! I look at various home decor and design websites for inspirations daily, but by chance I came across my dream home today while I was watching Oprah. Too bad it is probably millions of dollars :(

Celine Dion's palatial mansion in Florida is to DIE for!!! I am in love with how light and open it is. The most unbelievable entertainer's backyard and living room. I would dream to be able to have a resort style home to accommodate all my friends and family (oh and a chef, housekeeper and a few nannies for the multiple children I want would be fabulous too) :).

Here are some photos of this beauty:

(Photos via oprah.com)

Happy Monday!!!

Gem of the Jungle

I am taking you on an adventure to one of the most beautiful yet dangerous places that I have ever been. The tantalizing turquoise water, lush green jungle, picturesque waterfalls and wild rope swings entice travelers to brave this dangerous region in order to soak up the natural beauty of Agua Azul. Agua Azul lies in the southernmost part of Mexico in the somewhat dangerous region of Chiapas. During my 7 month journey through Mexico and Central America I dragged Chad away from the world class waves on the coast to this gem in the jungle. After "paying off, talking and buying" our way through multiple roadblocks and hours on the road we were able to soak up the beauty of this region.

Here is a brief description of Agua Azul from my travel blog at the time:

"Day 28 was our last full day in Mexico. We spent half the day at Agua Azul which is a limestone river with a bunch of waterfalls and swimming holes. As the name implies, this was the most incredible colored water I have ever seen. For those of you that have seen the water in Switzerland, this is the same thing but in the jungle. Although the place was a bit touristy we were able to get away from the crowds by hiking to the top of the highest waterfall. There were two rope swings at the top which dropped you into a deep aquamarine swimming hole. It was absolutely picturesque! The day got even better when I was mistaken for a model. OK, that's a bit of a lie, but a 60 year old man asked if he could take a picture with me in my bathing suit. His wife took the picture and Chad stood off to the side laughing. Chad is now convinced this happens to me all the time :). Who cares that he was sixty, right?"

Click  here  if you are interested in reading more from our 7 month adventure.

I dare you to take this journey :)...

(Imgaes via traveltalkteach)

Happy Saturday!

♥ My LOVE of Photos ♥

So I followed my own advice and took a much needed break from the internet in order to LIVE my life rather than blog about it :). This proved to be really relaxing and provided me with much more time to spend with friends and family. I enjoyed a leisurely Valentines with my husband savoring the tastes of the extravagant meal he cooked (grilled shrimp, filet mignon, sweet potato fries, grilled jalapenos, salad and homemade sourdough bread) yummy!!! Spent an evening with my sister, sister-in-law and my little niece who is all smiles and FARTs :) (poor thing has some stomach issues), an evening with two really dear friends, a lunch with my in-laws and some much needed R & R in the jacuzzi with my husband :). Now I am facing this dissertation again and trying to stay focused!

During my time away from the internet I decided to hang some pictures on our wall. Sticking with the theme of using pictures from our travels, I found this task extremely challenging in terms of picking just the right photos (this is when I wish I was not that perfectionist Virgo). A whole day later I completed the task and I am pleased with the results :). Here are some pictures of the photo walls...

I chose rectangular matted photos from recent trips to Greece, Hawaii and Costa Rica for the stairs:

I have an affinity for square and round photos (but didn't find any large round frames so I went with the square for the hallway). Photos are from Mexico, Croatia and Greece:

Rhino has adopted our bathtub and is quite obsessed with it so I thought it was fitting to put one of my favorite photos of him above his new bed :)...this photo was from when we lived in Costa Rica and Rhino was in love with coconuts. He couldn't resist hopping into the photo ♥:

I chose to hang the photo sequence of our first time seeing each other on the day of our wedding right by the shower so that every time we hop in the shower we are reminded of our love for one another (corny but I couldn't resist, ha!):

This one is a work in progress...these clearly are pictures from my most recent trip to Peru. I plan to add three horizontal 4 by 6 prints above and 3 below of other photos to complete the look. In the meantime I enjoy looking at these two 8 by 10's:

These 8 by 10 photos of Trunk Bay on the Island of St. John are hanging in our downstairs guest bathroom:

(Photo's via traveltalkteach)

Happy Friday!!!

I ♥ Cruising!!!

Need a budget friendly vacation....take a CRUISE!!!

I know I know...the idea of parading like a herd of cattle through a giant city on water may not seem like the most relaxing vacation, but I promise that IT IS especially with the right group of people. Cruising is not just for old people anymore :)! I have done my share of the backpacker adventures as well as the high class resort travel and in my opinion cruising is a nice blend of both.  It is my vacation of choice for large groups/families and the prices CAN'T be beat!!! I have had the pleasure of traveling via cruise ship through Alaska, The Mediterranean, the Eastern Caribbean and the Western Caribbean. All four were a great combination of party, adventure and relaxation. My lowest priced cruise was a 7 day New Years Eve cruise through the Western Caribbean (Cozumel, Belize and Honduras) for the LOW price of $500. Where else can you find a vacation that includes food, accommodation, entertainment and transportation for less than $75 a day (and this is including a fun New Years Eve celebration)???

This article just came out talking about my preferred cruise consolidator website, vacationstogo.com, and their 75% off list price deals. I have booked all of my cruises through this website and their deals really are this good!

http://www.howlifeworks.com/a/a/?cid=8088yu_news_z&AG_ID=166

Here are a couple of photos from my most recent cruise to the Eastern Caribbean...

Happy Sunday!!!

Beach in Hawaii...

"Beach in Hawaii" Ziggy Marley

When I hear this song I go back to...

A trip to "Casa de Relaxo", a friends beautiful home in Palm Springs, where my brother-in-law rocked out to this song. It puts a smile on my face because I honestly don't think I have ever seen him this happy (except for in the following picture sequence from our wedding) ha!

(Photos via Bluewave Photography)

I can't help but smile when I look at this photo sequence. It not only brings me back to this special day but it makes me want to go rock out to "The Hero's" band again!!! As you can clearly tell from these photo's I was having a GLORIOUS time :)

Happy Saturday!!!

Z Gallerie...My New Gem

The house decor buying escapade is supposed to be over and done with considering money is running low and I have a new area that needs my attention....DISSERTATION :(. However, a short dissertating (dissertation writing) break, took me from my home post at Panera to Z Gallerie. I don't think I have ever been into a Z Gallerie for fear that it was too expensive, but I was pleasantly surprised by the manageable prices.

I was greeted by the following items from the brand new Spring collection as I entered the store. This decor spoke to me because I have been trying to add hints of teal (and settling for aquamarine because teal has been hard to find) to my otherwise bland brown/tan/cream color scheme in my living room. Here are some of the items I was drawn to...

(Photos via zgallerie.com)

Although I spent a good hour wandering around envisioning future rooms I could create with these beauties I only left the store with the last three items. I teamed the fishbowl vase with the faux coral and added a starfish for the final touch on my coffee table. I am quite pleased with the result (pictures to come)!

Thanks Z Gallerie for providing me with some much needed retail therapy in the middle of dissertating!

Happy Friday!!!