Home can have many doors. It can be a physical structure, a place, or a feeling in your heart. The word “home” can mean something different to everyone. I do believe in the phrase “home is where the heart is,” but I also believe that our heart can be found in many different places and parts of our everyday lives.
The holidays are in full swing and December days seem to come and go with every blink! This time of year always seems to go by so quickly. All of a sudden it is January 1st and I’m left with a vacation hangover and Christmas decorations covering my home that I remember putting up like it was yesterday! With all of the parties, traveling, family time, and entertaining going on this month, it’s easy for time to get away from us. This season, I’m trying to be more mindful of certain moments in order to capture these scenes as photographs in my memory. In this post, I have picked out 5 times during the holiday season to pause and take a mindful look around at the holiday backdrop before you!
December is bursting with busy days and quiet, cozy moments. The days are festive and bright, and delicious and sweet. The nights arrive a little sooner, but colorful lights illuminate the frosty sky and remind us that there is life and joy in the darkness. There are so many wonderful things about December that I enjoy, some from the past that have carried on into my adulthood, and some new that have blown in with the season. In this post, I am going over my top 10 list of “details” that I am loving right now about the month of December!
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!! This time of year absolutely warms my heart and brings me back to so many different times of my life and Thanksgivings of the past. Every year around Thanksgiving time, I find myself feeling grateful for significant areas of my life including my health, my family, my friends, my job, and having a roof over my head and food to eat each day. 2017 has been a particularly reflective year for me, and I wanted to get a little deeper with these very important pieces of my life.
The other day my husband asked me an interesting question: “Are you an early bird or a night owl?” It was a question I had never put much thought into before, but the more I did the more I realized my love for both the morning and night. I became more mindful of the feelings, thoughts and memories that these hours bring to my mind. So I ask you the same question — are you an early bird or a night owl?
When you think about yourself as a child, what comes to mind? What experiences do you remember? What emotions do you feel? Do you still feel the presence of your younger self in things that you do today? We all have an inner child that lives in our hearts, and I personally have a lot to learn from mine!
Passion: do what you love and love what you do. I’ve heard this simple phrase so many times, but lately it has been making me question whether or not I actually “walk the walk” when it comes to “wearing” my passions in my daily life. Maybe you have thought about this, too? Are we participating in activities that energize and excite us? Or, are we walking down a runway that appears to be safe and stable, yet we are stumbling as we attempt to stay in a straight line?
We have so many types of “weather” in our lives, and while I prefer the beautiful, sunny days during which I am comfortable and content, I must learn to exist under all types of weather in order to truly learn about myself and experience each day. I wrote this post over the course of two weeks and almost didn’t finish it; I have had a difficult time putting my thoughts into a piece that makes sense to me. There were points where I would stop and feel that the words I was writing did not reflect how I have been actually working through some recent difficult “storms” in my life. This photo is a snapshot of my heart and these words are a peek into my soul.
The quote “Throw kindness around like confetti” is one of my favorite sayings, and one that I see everywhere! I’ve always thought of this quote as the perfect visual behind the idea of using random acts of kindness in our daily lives, but what does this “kind-fetti” truly look like to others?
Happy August, friends! It’s so hard to believe that it is coming up on the 6 month anniversary of my blog, Citrus and Sun! In this post, I am so excited to be accepting the Sunshine Blogger Award from a very special friend who I cannot wait to introduce to you! I wanted this post to be so much more than just a recognition and acceptance of this special award. I am so thrilled to use this post as an opportunity to celebrate the amazing community of bloggers that I am so excited to be a part of, and to highlight some of their “sunny” places in this massive online world!
I enjoy being alone sometimes. I love silence, but I also appreciate noise — like being alone in a crowded room. Something about being alone brings me back to center. Being by myself slows me down, and allows my mind to be still with solitude, but at the same time busy with clarity. In this post I am sharing 5 reasons why alone time is so important, and how to get to know yourself a little better!
Growing up, the idea of “getting away” did not involve visiting a small town. My first thought had always been to hop on a plane and travel to a place as far away as possible, thinking that distance would make me feel like I was truly on vacation. While I still love traveling and exploring the world, I have also discovered the joy of “escaping” into my own backyard and discovering charming small towns to explore!
What happens when you or one of your friends moves or no longer lives close by, and that convenience of just “popping over” or meeting at the coffee shop is no longer a possibility? While saying goodbye to a close friend can cause heartache and uncertainty, we do have some control over what happens with these friendships. I’m so excited to share some tips from my own experience on how to make a long-distance friendship last after a big move! I have found that sometimes our long-distance friendships can become some our closest relationships!
My life is composed of thousands of musical notes. Each of these notes has been carefully placed in a particular rhythm and tune to make up the moments of my life. There are musical notes that I have created on my own, and then there are certain musical notes that have been placed in my life’s song by certain influential people in my life. One of the most important people who has placed some this music in my life’s song is my dad.
Like every season, summer arrives with its own unique puzzle pieces. The music, the feel of the air, the holidays, the food, and the activities fit together to create memories from this distinct time of year. Growing up I remember feeling so excited for the next one to begin! Summer was always extra special and has made my heart beat and crackle loud like a firecracker! Summer has its own song, its own feeling, its own language. There is a certain sense of freedom that comes with summer, and an urge to create, experience, and reconnect with yourself and with others. Want to ignite your own firecracker heart? I’m about to tell you how!!