Showing posts with label Photography. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Photography. Show all posts

Friday, October 25, 2013

Reflections in Nature


I had a good laugh at myself as I was uploading these photos, as it's clear there's a theme surrounding Between Dreams this week. We kick-started the week by celebrating how far we've come, we've recognized our past (and created space from it), and I touched upon my own reflective state during my sort of "life update" in The Love List. Yep, it's all about reflection.

It was just three short weeks ago that I shared our adventures from Silver Peak, promising to give you a glimpse of the magnificent views of the canoe ride after the hike, and here we are.

Sometimes there simply are no words to accompany the sights. Just silence and a striking amazement at how truly vast and spectacular our world is. And while we're heading inwards towards our own reflection, nature is there with you, side-by-side, breathing the same experience.


A quick Q before you head out: Are there any themes currently popping up in your life? Little nudges that've been calling your name lately? I'd love for you to share in the comments! xx

Friday, October 04, 2013

Adventures Up Silver Peak


Last week I mentioned how invaluable (and utterly awesome) it is to take a leap and surprise yourself.

For me, that meant leaving my ego behind, abandoning 'the norm', and jumping head first into nature - lacing up my shoes and hiking trails by day followed up by packing on the layers, cozying up at the campfire, and sleeping under the stars. To my surprise (and to the shock of my parents/ friends/ husband), I loved it.

In fact, I loved it so much that we went ahead, packed up our camping gear, and headed out for round 2.

Except this time, we wanted to crank the intense dial right up and go harder, longer, and more epic. (Bring it on, I say!)

3K canoe ride to the trail, 6K hike up Silver Peak, through paths that, let's be honest, just looked like a maze of rocks. Every step mattered. Up inclines and back down again, weaving our way through the path. Every move was calculated. We huffed and puffed, but when we reached the top? We felt accomplished. Energized. Alive. Free. The fresh air filled our lungs as we etched the beauty of the landscape into our minds, making sure it would never fade before making the 9K journey back down again.


(And as a fellow 6 year old hiker exclaimed, "THERE'S BLUEBERRIES! THESE ARE THE BEST BLUEBERRIES EVER! THE HIKE WAS WORTH IT JUST FOR THESE!" They were damn good blueberries.)

Take me back.

Replaying this trip (which was a month ago now!) gives me some serious Summer nostalgia, what about you? What do you miss most about Summer? 

P.S. The canoe trip back was unreal, I'll definitely be sharing those photos with you next week. They are magic.


Friday, September 27, 2013

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?

Friday, June 07, 2013

Beauty of a Sunset


There's something so invigorating about starting the day with the sunrise, don't you think? As we're about to head into the night, close off the work week, and head into the weekend, I'd like you just to take a few moments and turn off your mind.

Raise your arms in the air, and stretch towards the ceiling. Reeeeach.

As your lower your arms back down, roll your shoulders back, straighten your spine, and release any tension that's built up in your body.

Take a deep inhale for the count of 1... 2... 3...

As you begin to exhale... release any stresses, worries, or concerns on your mind, for 1... 2... 3...

Inhale 1... 2... 3... feel yourself getting lighter

Exhale 1... 2... 3...

Continue doing this breathing exercise as you scroll through and gaze at the sunset.


"All the masterpieces of art contain both light and shadow. A happy life is not one filled with only sunshine, but one which uses both light and shadow to produce beauty." | Billy Graham

Have a beautiful weekend xx

Dominican Sunrise


Buenos dias! 

Most days while Sebastian and I were honeymooning in the Dominican, we had no schedule to keep, and not a care in the world. We'd wake up, turn to each other, and ask, "What do you want to do today?" Then smile back and reply, "Anything or nothing at all." 

It was a beautiful, beautiful thing.

On this particular day, we had a photoshoot to get ready for bright and early (I'll be sharing those next week!) and I was full of all sorts of excitement, nerves, and butterflies. Naturally, my eyes shot open at the wonderful hour of 5am. For the life of me, I couldn't go back to sleep. I forced my head to stay on that pillow with my eyes shut tight, trying to turn off my over-active mind. Nada.

I crawled out of bed and paced around the room, not knowing what to do with myself. I opened our balcony door, looking up at the stars. Then finally thought, "If I'm up before the sun, I might as well go greet it at the beach."

Not knowing whether I should sneak out, or wake Sebastian up and whisper to him that I'd be leaving, I imagined him waking up, confused and disoriented, thinking I'd been abducted out of our suite.

I got myself and my camera gear ready, finally letting him know that I woke up at a ridiculous hour, the sun would be up at any moment, and I was determined to get out and witness it for myself. And well... that man would just not let me go alone. He forced himself out of bed, half-asleep, and eyes barely open to come with me, whispering under his breath how crazy I was that I'd just magically woken up at five-in-the-morning.

At this point, it was a race against time as we ran through the hallways and down the pathway that led up to the beach, not wanting to miss a thing.

Until, there we were. Toes in the sand. The bright orange glow against the ocean forming on the horizon. The clouds becoming more and more defined as the light hit their shape, looking as if they were straight out of a painting. Like cotton candy floating in the sky. The calm of the ocean waves so strikingly serene, I had to remind myself to soak it all in. To remember every detail of the overwhelming beauty that was before my very eyes. The orange glow became more and more intense, as the sun finally revealed itself to the day. The sun's rays spread themselves out across the sky, feeling the warmth on my body. Until there I was, staring at the morning sky with the beach beneath my feet, feeling so incredibly small in this world, yet unbelievably enlivened and powerful all at once. I was humbled.

The day had begun.

rockin' my pj's

Have a beautiful day, love. Stop by later tonight for the sunset :) xx

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