364

It is officially 2014. I don't know what it is exactly about the passing of 365 days that is so mind blowing, but it is. It's so thought provoking, and all at once incredibly refreshing to know that we have another 365 days to do so many things and make so many things happen with our lives. It is truly astounding to know that our life is just ultimately the complete summation of what we choose to make it. I've never been one to make New Year Resolutions, I've just always felt that they usually tend to be ill thought out and improperly planned goals. However, I do always like to think up a frame of mind that I want to go into the New Year with. An attitude toward life that I want to keep in my mind throughout the year. In the past some of the attitudes or frames of mind that I've chosen have been, "gratitude", "deeper appreciation for my surroundings" or "greater love for my fellow men". Things like that. This year the attitude I chose for 2014 is, "live and enjoy each moment for the moment that it is." I feel like a lot of times, I'll find myself caught up in daydreaming about some point not far in the future where I envision everything just being as peachy as cobbler and sweet as ice cream, or reflecting with too much longing on my past, even almost wishing that I could return to it and relive it all over again. I feel like I do this so often that I find myself forgetting to enjoy the moment I'm even living in. Therefore, I want to just pause and learn to be more present and really enjoy every single breath that I'm blessed to have so that I can truly appreciate and enjoy every moment that 2014 will offer me. After all, "life is meant for the living."

My mom's birthday is today (happy 47th birthday mom!) and as celebration we went out to the movies as a family yesterday. We saw, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. This movie was so incredible, you guys. SO incredible. It was humorous, tender, thought provoking and all around just so incredibly enjoyable to watch. The cinematography was absolutely stunning. I mean, the images were just clear as day and so refreshingly vibrant. It was almost as if you could taste the colors. They were that crisp and bold. I don't want to ruin the story line for you guys but it was just such a tender tale of a guy stuck in his daydreams who finally decides to just splash into life and really LIVE. It was also just so perfectly fitting to my attitude for 2014. It was perfection. There were even a couple of moments in the movie were I felt myself tearing up. It is truly a must see. I left that dark theater even more excited to just get out and enjoy life than I was already feeling.

{American Eagle: over sized shrug, beanie; Ross: pencil skirt similar; Gap: slouchy over sized tee; F21: over the knee boots similar}

Another thing that watching The Secret Life of Walter Mitty reminded me that I've always wanted to do is see the world. I mean, this planet we've been blessed with is just overflowing with breath taking beauty! I want to see more of it. I've been lucky enough to see bits and pieces of three different countries but I want to be able to see more. I want to see all the different mini universes that humans around the world occupy, to get to know a little bit more about the different cultures around the world, and to have a greater appreciation for life. At the same time, though, I also want to be able to recognize that sometimes the greatest beauty can be found in our own backyards, within the faces of our loved ones, and within our own simple lives. After all, if we just take a moment to really see it, we can see that simplicity IS extraordinary. Cheers to the next 364 days and hopes that they will be beautifully iridescent!

"Beautiful things don't ask for attention." -The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Much Love!

Linking up With: Because of Jackie