Surprise Yourself

 

Have you ever felt completely stagnant? That you've reached a point where you feel as though you're standing still, going nowhere? 

 

Time to shake things up and veer off the usual path with the same old routines. Give your mind a shake up. Submerse yourself in unchartered territory. Get uncomfortable. Try something that you vowed you'd never, ever do. Close the laptop, turn off the phone. Seek out inspiration.

 

That's where I was before planning this trip. A weekend of getting out in nature, sleeping under the stars, roasting marshmallows over the fire, the whole lot. It was an experience that I never had growing up, and I fully convinced myself that I hated it. So, naturally, it felt like the perfect thing to agree to, since leaping out of my comfort zone is top of mind as of late.

 

In the days leading up to the trip, that nagging, fearful inner voice kept popping up. The closer we got to hopping in the car, the louder that voice got. A three-day camping trip? Hiking for two days in a row? No modern day luxuries? I can't do it. I won't be able to. Fears crept in. The fear that I'd absolutely hate camping. The bugs! The threat of bears! Being "dirty". The fear that I'd let my friends down and hobble the entire hike. You name it, it went through my mind.

 

I was defeated before I even began. Except, I didn't make any excuses, I make a commitment. I was doing this. It was happening. Even if I hated it. Even if I had to hobble. I had to give it my all.

 

There I was: The breathtaking 'scapes. The ever-changing terrain. Walking kilometer after kilometer, not knowing what we'd witness next. The element of surprise when what's before your eyes surpasses your greatest expectations. The feeling of accomplishment when you've just hiked your butt up a rock-mountain, and landed at the top. Huffin' and puffin' and all. The adrenaline that keeps you going. That, and singing endless Disney songs. Hakuna Matata

 

Getting out in nature has a way of speaking straight to your spirit. It leaves you feeling strong, energized, inspired, wise, and true. It brings you home to... yourself. Your wisest, most intuitive, authentic self. The energy the can be felt by disconnecting and getting away from the hustle and bustle of life is pure magic. 

 

 ze crew

Then, just when you feel as though you're on top of the world, the sun sets and the moon rises. The milky way lights up like you've never seen before, bursts of fire sprinkled across the sky. You are gently reminded how small you really are. In that moment, you become enveloped by the beauty before you. Mind-blowing. Electric. Inspiring. The kind of knock-you-off-your-feet beauty that only the wilderness could provide.

You have two choices: stay on your current path or veer off and surprise yourself. Take a chance, a leap of faith, make the commitment, stick with it, power through.

Always choose to surprise yourself.

Before you go, fill me in: When's the last time you surprised yourself? What did you learn from it?

twitter - instagram - pinterest - bloglovin' - facebook - email

From The Fair

Spending time at the fair always reminds me of when I was a kid. Running around full of excitement, eyes wide taking in all the sights, salivating as you pass by the food stands that are so bad for you, but oh-so-good. It's the kind of excitement that can hardly be contained.

Growing up, we had our own town fair, and we'd go every. single. year. I always looked forward to that time of year. It meant a day spent with some of your most favourite people, going from ride-to-ride (multiple times), and tummy aches from overwhelming amounts of cotton candy.

And this time was no different. Except for the fact that we were in Toronto, and that small town fair was now bigger than anything I'd imagined. It was my first time going so I didn't know what to expect. I hummed and hawed over the decision on whether or not we should even go, and I'm so glad we did.

Because I immediately went back to that time, and I was a kid again. We stuffed our bellies full of corn dogs, and pizza, and snow cones, and itty bitty doughnuts. We went on the swings, that spun around and around, and Sebastian realized that he's not as young as he once was. (I've been nominated to go on all the rides with our future children while he looks on from a distance:)

We hopped on a lift that stretched over the whole length of the fair, getting the perfect bird's eye view of our surroundings, and we danced. And people laughed. And we kept dancing.

As the night crept up on us, our eyes were full of flashing lights as far as we could see. And, of course, the experience wasn't complete without a sunset Ferris Wheel ride, and the ultimate adrenaline rush after the Mega Drop, where my stomach most definitely flew up into my throat.

We biked home with our bellies stuffed, and our hearts full. It was just another Tuesday night. :)

What are some of your favourite memories as a kid?

P.S. I hope you all have an incredible long weekend! I can't believe it's already here!

The Creek

I remember the first time I went there. We walked along the trails and through the forest searching for it. We felt so close, and stopped by the creek to just stare at how beautiful it was, anxious to get where we wanted to go. As we walked along the small pathways, we heard splashing, and people yelling from a distance.

“That has to be it! It’s just over this way!”

We made our way down until the path widened. We could see the clearing up ahead. The sun was beating down on us, without a cloud in the sky, and the water was so tempting. Until at last, we made it. To Sharon’s Creek. The hidden gem tucked away in the forest.

I had lived a short car ride from the creek all my life, never knowing it existed. And upon first discovering it, my first impulse was to tell everyone about how beautiful it is. How they needed to go. And how exhilarating it is. And then my second impulse was to keep it a secret. Because when you’re there, it feels like it’s yours and nobody else’s.

Before we know it, summer will come to an end. It always seems to go by in a flash and all of a sudden, we’re spending our days reminiscing about our favourite summer memories – hanging out at the beach, the warm winds hitting your face during bike rides, campfires at the cottage, summer songs – and we knew that we wanted to remember Sharon’s Creek. And so we did. We made our way down those pathways, trying to remember how to get there. It had been nearly two years, after all. 

And when we stumbled upon that little clearing, and looked down at that water, it felt like ours all over again. We stood there for a moment, looking up at the rope that hung high up in the tree, and knew there was only one way into the water. Only one way to feel refreshed from the summer heat. I carefully made my way down to the platform, noticing how much the land had eroded with time, grabbed onto the rope as if my life depended on it. Because, let’s be honest here, it really did. I ignored the butterflies in my stomach, and swung my body into the water.

And then I did again, and again.



Cottage Life

It's official! The first day of summer has come at last. Cheers to a gorgeous summer filled with sunshine, patios, sangria, swimming, laughter, and sand, where sand should never be.

To start off the season right I thought I'd share a little home video with you today!

This was taken last summer at our friend's cottage. It's full of sweet views, hilarious tubing crashes, and me laughing hysterically.

Enjoy. xo

P.S. I can't wait to tell you all about our trip!!! We arrive home tomorrow! 

Top 10 Things For Summer

hi there, I'm allison from note to self . So excited to do a little guest post for paper notes!

A little bit about me: I'm majoring in graphic design, I live in the tiniest (but cutest) little town in southeastern Idaho, I listen to way too much Radiohead, and I have a huge weakness for hedgehogs (it's kind of ridiculous). I'm currently obsessing over summer... here's my top ten I can't wait for:

***

Thank you so much, Allison! And with less than a week away until the official day of summer... I can't wait!!! Make sure to visit Allison for more fabulous reads like this one over at her blog. You'll be hooked. (And it probably helps that we have the same name and all:)

What are your top things for summer?

P.S. If you've missed any of the guest posts this week, don't worry! They can all be found here. Tune in next week for even more fabulous posts - you won't want to miss it!