7 for SEVEN

7 for (1)

Hellooo Loves!

It’s been stop and go on the blog lately. Between travel, work and school, sometimes all I have time for are little notes in my journal. And I am grateful for those notes because they help feed my soul. They satisfy my need to write things other than emails for work and notes for school.

So it goes sometimes and such is life. This is a quick 7 for Seven as I take a break from studying:

Travel often. I am grateful that I have been blessed this year with several opportunities to explore places beyond my island home. I spent last weekend in Washington, D.C. and it turned out to be quite an unforgettable one.

Which brings me to kindness from strangers when you least expect it. The D.C. trip didn’t start off all that great. Delays at the airport, despite our plane being early and then delays on the train because of the Amtrak accident resulted in my sister and I missing the 8:30 a.m. bus to New Carrollton, MD from Port Authority. If not for the kindness of Eugene B. a Greyhound employee our trip could have turned out quite differently. Buckets of tears (because of exhaustion…obviously) later and Eugene’s reassurances that we would be on the next bus to D.C. my sister and I boarded the 9:15 a.m. bus. Hallelujah!

He asked. She said, YES! My cousin that is. And it was one of the sweetest proposals I’ve been fortunate enough to be part of. Wedding soon come!

But first, the reason for the trip my cousin’s graduation. I’m so proud of her. It wasn’t an easy road to get here which makes this achievement even more special. Congratulations to Dr. Nicole Devenish, M.D. Anesthesiologist.

Party weekends in D.C. that feel like Trini Carnival. Yep. We celebrated and then some. By Sunday morning my body felt like I was waking up on Ash Wednesday after an intense Carnival itinerary. And just so you know…this was a preview to Carnival next year. I.cannot.wait. It will be fantastic!

Nice hot baths. I’ve only recently discovered the wonder that is a hot bath. Soaking in your favourite bath oil, easing aching muscles…relaxing with a good book until that heavy, languid feeling overpowers you and you know it’s time to get out and head straight for bed. Yeah. That. I’m addicted.

Grilled cheese sandwiches. Because sometimes simple is best!

And there you have it folks, short and sweet. I hope that by paying attention to all the blessings in my life and by sowing the seeds of faith and gratitude, I can truly carry with me and reap the rewards of “positivity + balance + bliss” throughout the days ahead.

Thank you for reading, I appreciate you! This is me blowing some glitter and confetti on you because you’re super blessed to have received the gift of another 86,400 seconds today, to spend any way you desire.

Make those seconds count!

I love hearing from you…what are you grateful today? What made you smile? Feel free to share below!

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7 for SEVEN

7 for (1)

Hellooo Loves! How I have missed you!

Mark Twain once said, “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

That’s exactly what I’ve been up to the last month…I said goodbye to safe harbour, caught some favourable winds in my sails and explored London!!!

I am super excited to share with you all my adventures and please stay tuned for my Loud In London series. But first I’m really happy to be back in the space and to share my 7 for Seven this week:

Saying a BIG YES to adventure and self-discovery. Travel is an almost spiritual experience. Regular routines are annihilated and not just because of the 5-hour time difference (which was a big “tief-head” for me the whole time I was there) it’s about the mystery of the unknown. I have found, especially on this trip that it is in the unfamiliar that we sometimes find ourselves; remembering who we really are, why we’re here – in this time in history, and what we’re actually meant to be doing.

Good books and good coffee. My mother used to say that “nothing happens before it’s time.” The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho has been on my reading list for three years and I just never got around to reading it…that was before London. I found the time to read this life-changing book and it certainly was the best right time for me. IMG_20150427_072144_edit

Really good chocolate. Chocolate is my love language. I own that. And because I do…best believe I could do a whole post entitled: Loud in London The chocolate edition. In fact that is exactly what I will do. But first…just a teaser:
IMG_20150418_105247

Reconnecting with old friends. How do you know when a friendship is real: When neither time, space nor distance can shake the bond. I spent time with friends I haven’t seen in at least 3 years. And it was like no time had passed. I truly am blessed with the very best Cohort of Awesome.

Really, really good coffee. No explanation required!IMG_20150421_053645

My family. In the time I’ve been missing-in-action, I’ve had a death in my family. My uncle died after a short stay at the hospital and when it was all said and done…it is in times of major life experiences such as death you realize that love and family are the only things that matter.

Loud in London. This trip was such a heart-opening, soul-awakening adventure and I am so happy I didn’t approach it with my usual anal self and plan everything down to the last minute. I am grateful I left room for the unexpected because that’s where all the magic happened. I am truly happy and blessed.

Mark Twain was so right! Cheers to this rocking adventure that is life. I hope that by paying attention to all the blessings in my life and by sowing the seeds of faith and gratitude, I can truly carry with me and reap the rewards of “positivity + balance + bliss” throughout the days ahead.

Thank you for reading, I appreciate you! This is me blowing some glitter and confetti on you because you’re super blessed to have received the gift of another 86,400 seconds today, to spend any way you desire.

Make those seconds count!

I love hearing from you…what are you grateful today? What made you smile? Feel free to share below!

____________________________________________________________
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FOLLOW ME there and say HI!!!

Earworm: Say Something

Today has been a mellow day spent reflecting mostly. For me quirks are neither good or bad. They really are what makes us human…oh and I prefer to say idiosyncrasies instead of “quirks”…obviously this is one of mine.

Anyways, one of my other idiosyncrasies is that when I hear a song I like, I play it over and over until I learn all the words by heart or make up my own dance to it or I just get sick of hearing it. Lately, this one by A Great Big World has been on repeat. It sums up my mood perfectly and I already know all the words.

My kinda HAPPY

Tiramisu for lunch!

Tiramisu for lunch!

On the first of January, I was at the beach with my cousin and his wife and the rest of our family. We were all still in celebration mode and we extended our family lime to the North Coast that day. The talk eventually got around to resolutions and my cousin’s wife asked him what his resolutions for 2014 were. His response to her was, “to make you happier.”

I was blown away by that simple statement because it was not only honest but he was right on every level. She is responsible for making herself happy. All he can do is complement that happiness. Now folks, I love these two people together. They have been married for over 17 years and have been together for even longer than that and every time I’m around them I learn something new and positive about relationships.

I wanted to share this since I heard it. Today’s daily prompt is all about sharing what makes you happy. And that story makes me happy.

Also Tiramisu. Tiramisu makes me happy. And well Tiramisu for lunch makes me over-the-moon-sprinkling-glitter-on-the-world happy!

This time next year…

Credit:

Building the future.
Credit: Ariosvaldo Gonzáfoles


Excellence can be obtained if you care more than others think is wise, risk more than others think is safe, dream more than others think is practical, expect more than others think is possible. – Unknown

Today’s daily prompt asks us to look towards the future. This time next year, I want my blog to be the place where I:

    Published 195+ posts. I only published 95 in 2013. I commit to writing 100+ more posts in 2014.
    Guest posted on 2 blogs I love to read. That means I have to write something so fantastically epic that someone will publish it on their blog. TWICE!!! *fingers aaand toes crossed*
    Wrote so well the Freshly Pressed gods smiled on me. *my secret dream of dreams that I sprinkle glitter on every time I think about it {{sigh}}}*
    Increased my views. On my best blogging day I had 246 views. In 2014 I will write so much epic shit that number will double…triple if I’m really really good.
    Most importantly created a space that is a true expression of me. I shared the good, the bad and the badass and people still came back for more.

…only 363 more days to go!