Move

Take a gander at this creative video, in which the creator filmed one second of footage in each place he visited, then put it all together for a dose of awesome.

Watching this makes me more determined to see more of the world this year. Much more.

It is a new year, after all. Happy travels, 2012!

-Chelsea

Facing Fears: Moving Day

Yesterday my very best friend and blogging partner--yes, Brandie--realized a lifelong dream in moving to the beach!

I would like to take the time to say a few words on this momentous occasion:

First of all: YAY! I cannot explain how happy this makes me. Brandie and I are both beach girls at heart, and being close to the ocean is an absolute pleasure.

Also, I am trying hard not to be jealous. Something that helps with this is the thought of visiting her cute little ocean-side house ridiculously often. I get to sleep on her couch like a vagabond whenever I want!

And last but certainly not least, Brandie deserves to be commended for this move, as she is facing her fears in a big way. It takes a lot of bravery to relocate to a place where everything and everyone is new, leaving behind your comfort zone. I am proud of her for following God's lead in her life and taking a leap into the unknown.

Basically, to use the beloved old adage: you go, girl.

<3 Chelsea

P.S. --Brandie, I miss you already. It's just too weird for words that we aren't shouting out delirious conversations across our shared bathroom in the middle of the night or laughing about the nicknames we've given unsuspecting strangers over yogurt at Tango on a daily basis. But luckily when I visit you next week, we can wake up to the sound of waves, hike the bluffs and drink tea while the fog rolls back from the harbor. And I am totally into that.

Suggested Road Trip Playlist

Sometimes you just need a new music suggestion. So here's a post to get you out of your musical rut. Perhaps. Or maybe you already own all these songs. They're mostly old, but we think they're a great soundtrack for roadtripping. In any case, give them a listen in honor of the recently-concluded Railroad Revival Tour.

It's a long list, but can you really have too much good music?

The Cave--Mumford and Sons
Repo Man--Ray LaMontagne
Everlasting Light--The Black Keys
Shark in the Water--V.V. Brown
Murder in the City--Avett Brothers
The Way You Make Me Feel--Michael Jackson
Science & Faith--The Script
Closer--Kings of Leon
On Fire--Bruce Springsteen
Orange Sky--Alexi Murdoch
The Book of Love--Peter Gabriel
Cosmic Love--Florence + The Machine
Hard Sun--Eddie Vedder
Electric Feel--MGMT
Sigh No More--Mumford and Sons
Sweet Disposition--The Temper Trap
Fresh Feeling--Eels
Big Jumps--Emiliana Torrini
Lemonworld--The National
Equally Skilled--Jon Foreman
Home--Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

Facing Fears: Being Spontaneous

Is it silly to be afraid of spontaneity? Perhaps it is. And perhaps we would't admit it or care to bring it up. But when it comes down to it, both of us are chronic planners and ponderers, carefully considering all possibilities before acting. 

We plan because jumping into things scares us. I guess we are either control freaks or very, very timid about the unknown. It seems like a silly thing to be afraid of, but hey, don't judge! Is it really any sillier than being afraid of, say, spiders? Well... yes, it is. Anyway. Reasonable or not, it's a fear. So we must conquer it.

Our Easter weekend road trip was the first truly spontaneous thing we've done together. We had kicked around the idea of visiting the Grand Canyon... "someday"... but when Brandie found that the previously-sold-out tickets to the Railroad Revival Tour had become available because of a venue change, Arizona beckoned. Brandie bravely answered the call and snapped up two tickets before I could even look at my calendar. What?

--

Brandie was determined, but a little concerned. "What if this doesn't work out?" was a question that ran repeatedly though her mind. We were committed to be in Tempe, Arizona on April 23rd with no plans how to get there or where to stay. *deep breath, deep breath, deep breath*

As scary as this leap of faith was for us chronic-planners, it ended up a wonderful success! Things fell into place that we could not have possibly orchestrated through the most careful planning.

Sure, we drove an obscene number of hours in a ridiculously short amount of time, and we didn't have a clear plan. But you know what? Nothing bad happened for our lack of planning. In fact, we were rewarded with one of the most unique concert experiences of our generation, a day at the marvelous Grand Canyon, a visit with a friend in Mesa, a stop at Joshua Tree, and plenty of road trip singalongs and bonding time.

So...as we've consistently discovered about the things that freak us out (big or small), stepping out of your comfort zone can be rewarding and memorable. Opportunities tend to present themselves to those who take risks (again, big or small), so giving up some control can be a beautiful thing.

We enjoyed this so much and can't help but think about what we would have missed if we hadn't just gone for it. We're planning to be more spontaneous in the future... ;)

How are you embracing spontaneity?

Road Trip!

We are road tripping through the Southwest right now, with plans to see Mumford and Sons perform live tonight. We are having a lovely time! More to come on our travel adventures, but for now we leave you with a gorgeous thought-provoker from the Grand Canyon. Happy Easter!