Flowers in her hair

Aren't these photographs haunting and nostalgic? I honestly love how the photographer Ailera Stone seems to capture the idea that taking an adventure in the woods can often be majestic.

Being silly

I sometimes like to make a pretend headband in order to make myself laugh after a long week!

I wander

I love this quote by Tolkien. I am pretty sure that I'm the kind of person who often wanders through cold cities during the winter. I do not know what it is about towns covered in snow that make my heart patter, but I'm certain it might have to do with the majestic nostalgia that comes from looking at the frosted bookstore window panes.

Body and soul

"Suddenly I turned around and she was standing there With silver bracelets on her wrists and flowers in her hair She walked up to me so gracefully and took my crown of thorns "Come in" she said "I'll give you shelter from the storm".- Bob Dylan

  I often like to listen to a song before I head to bed at night that will allow my soul to feel like it is expanding. During the week, I have a hectic schedule that leaves me feeling worn out and being able to give myself a few minutes of reflection is often the best medicine to cure any frustration. If something is truly bothering me, I write in my moleskin until all the worry some blues leave my mind.  

Photo credit: Devionart

Love yourself

Looking at this picture reminded me of how far I had come since 2008. I don't think that the younger version of myself would have believed that I would ever go to college or even considered moving two hours away from my hometown.  I was at a cross roads at that point in time and had no idea which direction was going to take me down to a better future. I can remember how much low self esteem  I had back then and that I often never liked looking at myself in the mirror. I believed having low confidence had to do with the outside pressure of seeing friends succeeding at their own dreams. I saw people from high school having a great time at a university that I thought I was just a reject who was not smart enough to ever step foot in a college lecture hall. The idea of being a nobody became so engraved in my brain that I only surrounded myself with those that were living a toxic lifestyle. I would stay out late watching people get sick from drinking too much beer. 

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Now that is 2012 and I'm much older, I want everyone to know that we all carry battle scars with us. Don't ever feel like you have to hide those mistakes in fear of embarrassment, because those set backs are what makes us who we are. The most important thing to understand is that the first step to getting over the past is to start loving who you are  inside and out. Rebuilding your confidence is not something that  will happen over night nor will it happen in just over a week.  It takes time to admit that you do need help and sometimes a good friend will see your crisis before you do. Asking for help is not something to feel ashamed of. I'll admit that I do  see a counselor every so often to help me with the moments of uncertainties, because I do have tendencies to want to go back to being the negative person that I used to be. 

All that I ask this Valentine's day is that you set aside sometime to love yourself. Go out to a coffee shop alone and spend an hour writing down only the positive things that you want to achieve over in the next few months. 

The Paper Kites

The Paper Kites are an unsigned band from Australia. They have a majestic sound that resembles the feeling of watching clouds go by on a sunny afternoon. The one thing that I love about them is that you can hear all the instruments being combined with the vocals.

Isn't this video for the song Featherstone amazing? It reminds me of how exciting being a kid can be. 

Violet Bella

This is Laura who is the author of the beautiful blog, Violet Bella. The two main things that draw me to her posts are her great choices in fashion and her willing to be open about her life. I feel in some ways that reading Laura's stories about her struggles with losing her father or her daily daily adventures of being a mother just pull at my heart strings. If you have the time, I strongly suggest spending a few minutes looking around at everything that makes her the unique spirit that she is.