Last Night I Dreamt of San Pedro

Okay, just one more Belize post. I promise.

We have {yet another} pending snowstorm that is supposed to hit in t-minus four hours. Heaven help us.

So tonight, I'm snuggling in bed and going to be dreaming of San Pedro.

Fun fact, San Pedro on Ambergris Caye is the town that inspired the Madonna song La Isla Bonita. Sadly, most of the days I ventured into the charming town during the daytime it was a little overcast and we had those little pop up rain showers that grace the tropics each day. However, San Pedro was a blast at night and had lots of great restaurants and bars that were unforgettable. 

One thing I really loved about the island was that commercialism was hardly present. No chain restaurants, hotels or tourist traps. People on the island genuinely want to give you a special experience, so the family matriarchs were the ones cooking the local cuisine, if you wanted to go diving or snorkeling, all the dive shops were run by people who had lived their entire lives on the island. It was a breath a fresh air among so many beautiful paradises turned tourist trap.

So feel free to dream away of this little, hidden Central American treasure.

You Better Belize It

The winter blues have hit with a vengeance this week. Again.

And again, I found myself pouring over pictures of tropical islands and palm trees.

What else is a girl to do?

Maybe dream of sundresses, picnics and being able to go outside without twenty layers.

But that's about it.

I digress...

The island Caye Caulker, Belize really captured my heart this summer {if you can't tell by my second post in a row about Belize}. It's certainly not the built-up touristy Meccas such as Cabo and many islands in the Caribbean. Rather, you have to get to this island by a 15 person plane, boat or swimming :) Golf carts and bicycles are the modes of transportation around the island. The local people welcome you with such warmth, you almost feel like family to the taxi driving that brought you back from the bar to your hotel.

Belize, te extraño muchisimo.

Also, yes, those are sharks right below this. Yes, I swam with them. YOLO, my friends.

Un-Belizable

Oh, hi, winter. Are you leaving soon?

Polar vortex? What?

Only a week into January, and I'm already wishing for warm weather and springtime! Thankfully, temps should be in the 30s in good ole New England tomorrow, and I'm considering that a heat wave at this point. Beach day, anyone?

So, naturally, the remedy to subzero temperatures is to look back at pictures from last summer in San Pedro, Belize. I'm am absolutely aching for the perfectly clear water and afternoons spent lounging underneath the palm trees. As much as I love cozying up on the couch, reading under a cloudless sky and sunshine sounds much more attractive at the moment. 

Oh, and these pictures of the gorgeous blues and greens of the ocean surrounding Ambergris Caye are not filtered in any way, shape or form. The water and sky are just that perfect.

Swoon. 

You can find me dreaming of turquoise seas for the next three months.

Dear 2013

Dear 2013,

It's been a hell of a year.

And I mean that in the most flattering way.

I thought 2012 was the best year. And it was, as of January 1, 2013. But this past year has topped it in so many ways.

I started the year knowing the direction I wanted my life to follow. I had regained my self-worth and confidence in ways that I had lost somehow a few years before, and was ready to conquer - in every sense of the word, both personally and professionally. I was ready for something new. A challenge. A change of pace.

{Moving to Newport was the biggest change of 2013}

The beginning of the year began much like the previous year had ended - busy with work, yet it held great potential. After a few months of waiting, I found out I would make a relatively short move down to the Rhode Island coast. Though small in scale, it was a welcomed change for me, both in my personal life and for my career. I already had a great affection for Newport, but the last six months have made me truly fall in love with the town. It's a place I could picture myself living again in the future...because this July I will be picking up and moving my little world again - this time a much greater distance. To where? I don't know...but stay tuned :)

{The daffodil field a sweet man made in memory of his beloved wife}

2013 was also the year of really, really horrible, disastrous dates. I mean terrible. So bad, that in September, I was halfway convinced that I am meant to be single with a dog and adopt a baby when I'm 35. Someday, I will regale you with stories of these really ridiculous, inappropriate, and panic inducing events that have led me to my cynical view of dating, in general. Luckily, I can look back and laugh on my romantic misadventures of the past year, but Lord, please don't do that to me again.

Every time I begin to lose my confidence in the male population, one of my friends meets a wonderful man who is everything she ever dreamed of {and more}. Then I also look at my father, who is the most decent, humble, and loving man I've ever met, and then my faith in the other sex is restored, and I resolve that the right man will come along when I'm ready for it. Not a minute sooner. And let's face it, I'm not quite there yet. Maybe 2014 I will be, but if it's not, that's quite alright.

{True to myself, I visited many a vineyard and shared my love here and here.}

I'm admittedly in a very selfish point of my mid-twenties, and I think selfishness is perfectly acceptable at this point in life. Let me take a step back and clarify - selfishness in pursuing the life you want is acceptable; selfishness when it hurts and harms others and their wellbeing is not. I'm talking about the point in life where you make the choices for yourself and you alone. Doing what you want to do and choosing a path that will {hopefully} lead you to life-long happiness. There are certainly missteps on these adventures, and we often must change direction. But ultimately, you cannot make others happy if you are not happy yourself. So choose the way that brings you the most joy, and the rest will fall into place.

{Apple picking at it's best.}

2013, thank you. Thank you. Thank You. For the incredible blessings, unbelievable opportunities, and the extraordinary adventures you brought with you. I still have a lot of living, seeing, and adventuring to do in my life, and I know the next year will bring so many more opportunities my way.

So, here's to 2014. May you be just as wonderful {if not better} than the last twelve months.