Photo of the Week: Everest Observation

One of my favorite things at Disney World is whenever I can spot a view of the Expedition Everest attraction, which is my personal favorite ride in the Parks. While it is a man-made mountain, there is something so beautiful and gorgeous about it peaking out amongst all the green trees and warm jungle-esque environment. I love this photo I took during my last visit, and it makes me wish I could observe this sight more often!

Photo of the Week: Pink Ice Dream

With summer officially winding down, I took a look back at a few photos I took and found this one of a bright pink (I believe Tutti Frutti flavored) ice cream. Besides the ice cream, it was a particularly quintessential summer day because my mom and I went to a flea market and the sun was shining bright and the grass very green. I almost didn’t make it back to the car before my ice cream was melting down my arm!

Photo of the Week: Under the Bridge

As I was packing for an upcoming trip recently, I began to reminisce about when I was prepping to study abroad a few summers ago. Time goes so quickly from one year to the next, but the feeling of excitement (and slight fear) about going somewhere I had never been before came back to me as I was rolling up some clothes. I took this photo during a sunny day in London while going underneath Tower Bridge. It reminds me of how in awe I was of the city that was new to me and wondered what adventures would come next during my stay. 

Photo of the Week: Summer Blooms

This photo comes from the end of a sunny day. While the days after this were filled with some summer storms that ended up leaving a pile of petals on the wet grass, one of the best things in life are when a flower is fully blooming. 

Photo of the Week: Swan Boats

This photo comes from Boston, during a sunny day last August. Where I live is finally nice and warm after almost two weeks of chilly and gloomy weather. My first thought was that it would be a lovely day to take a walk around the Boston Public Garden and take a ride on a Swan Boat!

Photo of the Week: Clementine Row

During this time of year my mom and I devour many bags of bright orange clementines as springtime brings more juicy and flavorful fruits to snack on. One bag in particular stood out to me because of all the different sizes that were inside. I took this picture of three of them lined up in a row, from the largest to the smallest I found. The smallest one was especially fun to eat!

Photo of the Week: Fabulous

I loved this wall painting that I spotted at the Marketplace Co-Op shopping area in Disney Springs. The character is Edna Mode, the super-hero costume creator in The Incredibles. I had an English teacher in high school that was so similar to Edna, and I always think of her when I watch the movie. She was super short, had the same black hair and haircut, wore distinct reading glasses, and was incredibly sassy, just like Edna. She was one of my favorite teachers throughout high school because she would take the time to tell us funny stories in between our assignments each day. This painting was near a little changing room amongst a clothing section of the shop, so the quote worked fabulously!

Check out my second visit to Disney World and Disney Parks haul!

Photo of the Week: Easter Pinks

As Easter Sunday approaches, I thought this photo symbolized the beautiful colors that I think about when I think of the day. For me, Easter means brunch and time with my mom. Flowers may not be quite this abundant yet, but I do think that Easter is filled with hope and the beauty that is to return to the earth soon. If you look closely towards the back of these pink blooms, you can see a little butterfly perched on top of a flower!

Photo of the Week: Moving Acorns

Lately it has started to feel as though spring might be coming around the corner. While some days are still quite chilly, others have sun and warmth flowing through the windows. Hopefully, this little squirrel I spotted moving acorns last fall had a successful winter and is ready for the springtime weather to return again as well. 

Photo of the Week: Honest Abe

With President’s Day coming up on Monday, I thought this photo was a perfect way to celebrate. This bronze statue was outside the New York Historical Society Museum and Library. I have always had a fascination with Abraham Lincoln, and I excitedly spotted him from afar as we approached (knowing that hat could only be on him), and had to stop to take a photo of him.

Photo of the Week: A Dream Is A Wish

The past few weeks have been filled with some ups and downs and as I was looking through my photos I paused at this one I took at Disney World of a Cinderella fountain. Looking at it made me feel a bit happier and more content. What I love about the fountain is the crown on the artwork behind the statue. If you stand in the right spot, it looks as if Cinderella is wearing the crown. Since the statue shows Cinderella in her maid outfit surrounded by her animal friends, it is a perfectly subtle way to show what her destiny awaits. While I can’t make a wish and throw a penny in the fountain right now, I am still going to share my wish for a positive and peaceful February!

Photo of the Week: O Christmas Tree

I took this photo of this beautiful Christmas tree four years ago in Paris at the Galeries Lafayette department store. I still think this is the most beautiful scene I have ever personally seen for the holidays because of how the tree stands against the interior design of the building. It just looks so magnificent amongst the gold colors of the arches, and as the tree stands tall through each level of the store, it leads to the stained glass dome at the top. I hope whatever way you celebrate the holidays gives you a special feeling similar to how it felt for me when I saw this scene. Happy Christmas!

Photo of the Week: Plaza Skate

With Christmas almost a week away, we really are in the heart of the holidays and winter has arrived. With the chilly temps I do get a desire to enjoy some cold-weather activities, and going ice skating is something I wish I would take the time to do. The first time I ever tried ice skating was when I had just moved to North Dakota, having never really experienced a real winter before having only lived in warm states. With the new environment, my mom thought it would be fun for me to learn to ice skate, so she signed me up for a beginner course. At 11 years old I was the oldest of the bunch, everyone was about 5 years old, so I felt a bit more cool and mature than everyone. haha. Each lesson I tied up the Tara Lipinski skates that my mom bought for me and caught on pretty quickly. I am proud to say I only fell one time (maybe after getting a bit too confident). As much as I did enjoy it, I haven’t really gone skating since. I took this photo at Rockefeller Plaza, and while I don’t know if I would have the desire to skate in such a big public place, I did think it look like a lot of fun and hope to skate again sometime soon.

Photo of the Week: Tangled Tower

With the recent release of Moana, I have been in a very Disney musical mood. I love watching Disney movies at all times of the year, but they feel especially magical during the holidays. Tangled is one of my favorite Disney movies, and I love this photo that I took in Magic Kingdom at Disney World. It’s too bad you can’t climb up Rapunzel’s tower, because it would provide a great view of the park!

Photo of the Week: Fantastic Beast

With the film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them arriving in less than a week now, I wanted to celebrate with this photo of what is certainly a very fantastic beast; a dragon! I took this photo last year while visiting Universal Studios Florida in the Diagon Alley area at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Perched high above the Gringotts Bank, the dragon fiercely spits fire every 15 minutes, which you can literally feel as you look up after hearing his growls. I am thrilled about the release of this movie and can’t wait to see what J.K. Rowling has up her sleeve and what new creatures we will meet.

Photo of the Week: Little Lumberjack

I wanted to share this lumberjack doll that my mom and I put together for a friend as a housewarming gift. He is made of different fabric, felt, and an old beanie hat I used to wear. It took a little over a week to finish him, starting with researching some ideas, sketching out our plan, and cutting out fabric using our templates. My mom did all the sewing and then we filled him up with some cotton batting. My favorite parts are the bright red plaid shirt and orange hat. The finishing touch was really the brown beard though, which brought it together and really made him look like a lumberjack. By the time we were done, we grew very attached to him and had a hard time parting with him. My friend is a big lumberjack fan though, and with her new room in her apartment shaping up to be a magical forest theme, he will fit in quite well. We are now working on making a Harry Potter and Ron Weasley doll for my bed, using a similar idea!

Photo of the Week: Rusty Curls

This photo is of my dog, Cooper, showing off his cute looks during a walk in the fall leaves. I think he was made for fall because of his rust-colored curly fur, which blends right in with all the red, orange, and brown colors of the season. He looks like a pumpkin spice latte brought to life (but much more cuddly).

Photo of the Week: Fall Sighting

Last weekend my mom and I went on a bit of a fall drive to get some pumpkins as well as photos of autumnal colored trees and maple leaves…but mostly to get some cute shots of our dog Cooper. During our drive, down a windy forest road, we came across two deer peering through the limbs and trunks of the trees. They stared at us for about a minute before they finally turned and walked away, but it was a special sight to see them for those few moments in the peaceful forest on a wonderful fall day.

Photo of the Week: Fly Away

Whenever I see geese in the fall, I always think of the film "Fly Away Home". My mom and I used to watch that film a few times a year for many years when I was a kid. The film starred a girl, played by Anna Paquin, who moves in with her dad, played by Jeff Daniels, after her mom passes away in a car accident. She discovers a nest of goose eggs, which soon hatch into goslings. While her dad is reluctant at first, she takes them in and raises them, with the geese imprinting on her. In order to save them from being confiscated and getting their wings clipped, she and her father eventually build an aircraft to teach them how to migrate south for the winter. 

Most people I know don't remember this film, but thinking about it always gives me a happy memory of my mom and I sitting together each year and watching the geese fly towards safety and return back in the spring. It is such an amazing journey they must take each year.

So when I saw these geese walking around a parking lot recently, I thought of the movie and how seeing geese fly each fall is a signal of winter...as well as a signal of hope and beauty.

Photo of the Week: Walk Into Fall

Last week I spotted these two turkeys walking out the outskirts of a field, with a collection of baby turkeys following close behind. They blended in and out of the grass, with the babies running wildly to keep up. It was so sweet to see and their little walk seemed like a big welcome to fall.