Around the world and back again (literally).

Une vie a plein bord.

Friends. Last we spoke, I was retelling tales of poo on the subway and since then I've been around the world and back. Seriously. I went to Australia! Dr. H and I packed our bags and accompanied my mom and dad on a trip to Sydney, Melbourne and a drive along the stunning Great Ocean Road. I don't think anything less than a three post description/photo recap will do, but first I've got to dig out a bit at work, figure out what time zone I'm in and maybe stopping eating like I'm in vacation mode (maybe).

Good Lord iPhones are AMAZING!

It's impossible for me to reduce to words all the thoughts, experiences and emotions that have been March 2015, or if I'm being honest, the past year of my life. There has been so much change, travel, struggle and growth, it astounds me to look back and see where I was just 365 days ago. At the same time, I feel this slow and exciting build towards even more change ahead... Whether it's our careers, the place we call home or decisions to add to our family (with individuals of both the canine and human varieties) my life with Dr. H is changing every day and it's good and hard and wildly fulfilling. We have seen so much, but I love knowing that there's still so much more to see.

Goodbye 20s

x10.

This morning I woke up 30 years old. Well if I'm being honest, I went to sleep last night (errr, very early this morning?) 30 years old. As a wise blogger once said, I've "become 30." It's funny, turning one of these "milestone ages", because people expect you to feel something about it, or to at least pause and reflect. Thankfully, I'm quite the feeler and reflector...

Looking back, my 20s were a roller coaster of epic proportions... I spent whole years living in a fantasy of friendship, fun and adventure (GDub!) and other years truly struggling to move forward towards the person my younger self felt certain I was supposed to become. I'd like to think that with every decade a person is fortunate enough to live, he/she can look back and be proud of the 10 years that went by, but I'm going to come out and make the bold statement that your 20s might be your most defining decade. My 20s taught me the incredible value of friendship, the importance of cherishing loved ones and how to cope with tremendous loss. My 20s taught me how to not get what I want, how to keep fighting for what I want and how to have confidence throughout the journey. My 20s taught me to suck it up and let it go and to get comfortable in my own skin. My 20s turned my parents and sister into my closest friends and a random guy I met at 18 into the love of my life. My 20s were a lot of hard/good/beautiful work!!

And while I'm sure my 30s will further define me, I already sense they will be different... I think (and hope!?) they will be less about me and more about all of "you". More about the family I hope to build, the relationships that fill me with love and the world I finally feel confident enough in myself to try to impact. In my 20s I did a lot of figuring things out, now I get to just "be me" and see where it all leads. And I think that sounds pretty fantastic.

while you were busy making other plans...

The other day I was sharing the story of how Dr. H and I met in college and slowly, over all 4 years, became best friends before we started dating. For some reason, telling the story got me thinking about how I was never "supposed" to go to GW and that even through my first few months there, the plan was to transfer to Georgetown. I never did (#HailtotheBuffandBlue) and perhaps that's the very moment in my life that made  marrying Dr. H my destiny. 

Being the planner that I am, it always strikes me when I realize that plans, while comforting, productive and often necessary, don't always determine where we're going to end up. No matter how specific we set out to be, how determined we are to chart a course, sometimes life unfolds in a way that we never could have expected. So maybe this weekend look back and find those moments of happenstance that brought forth your greatest victories (the friend who became your husband; the random introduction that led to your dream job; the "wrong turn" that led you the "right way") and just be like "thanks universe, that was pretty freakin awesome". 

Reflecting.

Beginnings and Endings.

This past week, something very poignant happened... a beautiful old woman I knew left the earth and an adorable baby girl joined it. The two events occurred within 24 hours of one another and I was struck by just how circle of life-y it made me feel. Because the universe can be incredibly confusing at times, challenging us, delivering struggles and causing pain, but this was amazingly clear: sometimes the universe must do out with the old and in with the new. And both events were uniquely beautiful - celebrating the end of 97 years of life and adoring the first few hours of another. It's rare to have things like this coincide so exactly, but on some other-worldly level, Mollie's departure and Marie's arrival seem very much a sign that the universe is in fact thinking of us and asking us to keep the faith. I'm going to try to remember that.

Have a wonderful weekend my merry friends!

Une vie á plein bord.

Bonjour my merry friends and a most sincere apology for leaving you all on your lonesome at the end of last week... I had fantasies about finishing up the last two F.I.T.S. posts once connected to wifi abroad, but vacations sometimes need to be vacations from everything and sitting at a computer was just not part of my itinerary. I hope you can understand :)

Today I'm back, and struggling, I think as we all do, to put vacation behind me and a normal day-in-the-life Monday in front of me. I miss the French countryside air, spending hours each day on a bicycle, that magical Parisian elegance and also... where is the fromage?! After 8 nights in France I can tell ya a thing or two about good fromage. #insanelyluckygirlproblems

As I dive back into the ordinary and reflect on my time away, a quote I discovered at the Rodin Museum in Paris (Rodin being a most favorite artist of mine) really stands out. He said, "une vie á plein bord" which translates to "a life full to the brim". I think this is an apropos mantra for a girl who writes a blog focused on happiness and really for any of you out there who also "seek to be merry". I think, if we make it our goal to fill our lives to the brim, hopefully with wonderful things, but also with struggles and hard work, we can finish each day with a unique sense of contentment and personal pride. Our victories will be more joyful, our power to overcome challenges more obvious and our love for people and places more fulfilling. Because to me "full to the brim" isn't necessarily about a jam packed schedule or constant thrill seeking, but more making sure that at the end of each day you know you threw it all on the table. Maybe all Rodin was saying was the Frenchy elegant version of "give it your all", but whatever, I like it and I'm in. 

More pics and a full run down of the Dr. H and Merry Meri Tour de France coming soon, but for now let's get back to our 31 days of Halloween!!! It's a Q-Tip Skeleton!

Click HERE for the full instructions from Alive & Mortal on this simple and kid friendly holiday craft!

Saturn's Return

What is it you plan to do?

Have you ever heard of "Saturn Return"? Recently, Dr. H and I were hanging out with one of our more fabulous friends, and she told us about an astrological "moment" that's happening to us right now. You see, Saturn return is when Saturn returns to the same point in the sky that it occupied at the moment of your birth. It is an alleged phenomenon which supposedly influences a person's life development at 27 to 29 year intervals or "returns" (coinciding with the approximate time it takes Saturn to make one orbit around the sun (29.4 years)). It is believed by astrologers that, as Saturn "returns" to the degree in its orbit occupied at the time of your birth, you cross over a major threshold and enter the next stage of life. With the first Saturn return (28-30) you leave youth behind and enter adulthood; with the second return (56-60) maturity; and with the third and usually final return (84-90) wise old age. 

I am a believer in the stars and the mystical accuracy of astrology (I am a Cancer crab through and through) so I bought into this concept immediately. There's something powerful about transition and something empowering about knowing that this is the threshold of whatever you choose to have happen next.

Be brave. Make moves.

Even though I'm no longer in school, the start of fall still has a "new year" feel for me. With the lazy sunny summer behind us, I like to think about what I want the year ahead to look like. Good thing I have a 3-day weekend to sunbathe and mull it over:) Thanks for the planetary motivation Saturn.

See you in September!