"And the day came when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." Anais Nin

Hello everyone! I have been very negligent lately about posting, much to my dismay (I am my harshest critic, of course), but lately life has evolved in such a way that my mind has been elsewhere ... wandering around thinking my thoughts and reflecting on my life experiences (both past and present) and exploring possible future plans. I went on vacation somewhere beautiful with people I love, saw new things, enjoyed nature, ate good food, read good books. Since I have been back many things in my mind have shifted and I have been consumed with how to move forward with my life. It has been both refreshing and overwhelming. Life is funny that way, isn't it? Well, anyways, I thought I would share a mishmash of the things that have been inspiring me over the last couple of weeks.

Liz Gilbert's journey of sorrow, self-discovery, and joy has resonated with me in such a way that I just can't ignore the message it is sending me. My identification with her is profound. As I read about her journey, I knew that this book was presenting itself to me at a very specific point in my life and that reading it was going to be a turning point for me.

"God long ago drew a circle in the sand exactly around the spot where you are standing right now. I was never not coming here. This was never not going to happen." --Elizabeth Gilbert

Like most people I have a love/hate relationship with Facebook - the amount of time I spend on it is ridiculous but I absolutely love that I have connected up with so many people from my past. One of those people is my friend Kelly Connor - back in the day we worked together at Goodbye Blue Monday Coffeeshop in lovely Northfield, MN. She and I, along with our friend Dana, had many fun times together ;) - but being in our twenties we all inevitably moved away and began new adventures. Well, through Facebook we are back in touch and I have started following her blog religiously. Many things about her blog inspire me ... she is an incredibly talented artist and photographer. She is uber-fashionable and ulra-creative. But, the thing that I am most touched by is her endless optimism, motivation, and joy for life. She is the definition of living life to the fullest! Please check out her blog at kellyloveswhales.blogspot.com! Thanks Kelly for inspiring me!

I recently discovered this AWESOME online boutique shopruche.com that carries gorgeous, inexpensive clothing and accessories for ladies who love to look lovely but are on a budget! I found an interview with the owner, Mai, on the blog Simply Hue that made me start thinking about possibilities for my future. Here are some snippets:

"My dream was to start my own business because I didn't LOVE my career as a computer programmer. I couldn't see myself sitting in front of a computer for the rest of my life..it just wasn't ME."

"I felt that ladies needed a store that could make them feel feminine but the most important thing is that they don't have to spend a whole lot of money."

"I wanted to give ladies a unique selection of clothing and jewelry that they can't find at their local stores, just so they can stand out in a crowd."

And last, but definitely not least, Paris. The City of Lights and European hub of culture, art, fashion, and cuisine. I have dreamed of moving to Paris and learning to speak french fluently. My years of high school and college french seemed to go to waste when I didn't study abroad. Could Paris be in my future?