Posts Tagged ‘travel’

I have seen some very beautiful things in my lifetime.

The most beautiful things that I have seen, as with everything else in my life, are tied to beautiful feelings. Feelings of happiness and joy and undiluted pleasure. Not all of the pictures of these moments may seem all that beautiful. I’ll try to explain why they are beautiful to me, in hopes that maybe you can understand why I would consider these to be the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen.

In no particular order…

This picture was taken in a small town in southern Alberta. It’s not the picture that’s beautiful. I mean, the picture (and the bar) were cool and all, but it was the trip itself that was beautiful. Actually, it was the smiling face of my best friend upon seeing her that was beautiful. She was coming home, and I mean that in a far deeper way than her move back to Alberta. The bar? Hell, that was just something we happened to stumble over when we got lost.

There is a place in Victoria, BC called Butchart Gardens that is hands down one of the most spectacular places I have ever seen.  If you get the chance, get yourself there.  It’s gorgeous.  Especially in the summer when all the flowers are in bloom.  But deep inside this stunning locale is a Japanese Garden that houses one of the most peaceful and lovely spaces I have ever visited.  A red foot bridge takes you over a trickling brook and then you are enveloped in the smell of Jasmine and Sakura.  Sit for a while in the covered rest area and just breathe deep the beauty.  I dare you not to.

Okay, seriously? Like anyone here didn’t know that pictures from a Bon Jovi concert were going to be on here? This was from the most recent concert. Great seats. Great music. Great company. And the first time that Laurie and I heard Blood on Blood sung in concert. Not only that, they opened with it. With our song. That? Beautiful.

I have one more beautiful sight that I really want to see.  I want to see it while I’m holding hands with someone I love, and I don’t give a damn how long it takes for that to happen.  I want to lay eyes on this view not just in pictures, but in life.  I want to take a deep breath of the air, let my eyes drink in the vista and then I want to lean in close to the one that I am with and whisper in his ear, “Je t’adore”.  And it will happen.

Yep. Fuckin’ beautiful.

What’s the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen?

The 50-50 Challenge is an idea that Chrissa from A Little Wicked and I came up with. It is based on a list of 50 Lists to Write to Lift Your Spirits, which can be found at Demanding Joy. We were inspired to make it a blog challenge. If you’d like to participate, please do. Be as inspired as we were.

Seeing as yesterday’s post was about the best gift’s I’ve ever received, it’s fitting that today is about the best gifts that I’ve ever given.

It’s kind of weird, though.  I don’t know that the gifts I would consider the best gifts I’ve given would be the gifts that anyone that received them would call the best.  Because sometimes, for me, the best part about giving the gift is the fun I had finding it.  Or the look on someone’s face when they open it.

Things that don’t have much to do with the actual gift at all, really.

Okay, so with that in mind, here are my favourite gifts that I’ve ever given, with a little explanation as to why they are my faves. The explanations are my favourite part, after all…

Most recently, I had some very memorable experiences picking out some little gifts for friends while I was in Mexico. I cracked the hell up looking through six million off colour t-shirts looking for JUST the right one. I dove into market after market looking for that little thing that screamed out that it had to travel back to Canada, then elsewhere. It was a blast.

I once gave my Mom a necklace in Hawaii. It was a gold necklace with a pearl pendant. The thing is, the pearl was one that I had found myself. I had found it in an oyster, got ridiculously excited by that, and decided that my Mom really needed a necklace made out of it. So, I went and had it made. She loved it, but I think I had way more fun with that gift than she did.

The dress. This ranks as one of my all time favourite gifts given. Laurie and I had a party to go to. A Christmas party. A fancy fucking dress Christmas party. I already had a dress, and when Laurie and I went shopping together for hers, she found one that she fell in absolute love with. She tried it on, and she looked… stunning. But the dress was kind of out of her price range. By kind of, I mean completely. I bought it for her. We had a blast at the party and everything, but that didn’t even touch how much her reaction meant to me, and how great she looked in that damn dress.
I think the bitch even cried. Heh.

Finally, one of the best gifts I’ve ever given was a re-gift of something that was gifted to me. It was a slow-cooker that was given to me by an online group of ruffians that go by the moniker of The Dobernerds. My slow cooker got broken (because I’m a klutz) and they all grouped together to buy me a new one. However, I had already gotten one. So, I donated their gift – with their support – to a local charity. That? One of my favourite gifts I received, but also one of the best ones I’ve ever given.

What about you?
What are the best gifts you’ve ever given?

The 50-50 Challenge is an idea that Chrissa from A Little Wicked and I came up with. It is based on a list of 50 Lists to Write to Lift Your Spirits, which can be found at Demanding Joy. We were inspired to make it a blog challenge. If you’d like to participate, please do. Be as inspired as we were.

Today’s list, “Things I would do if money was no object” is one that I have thought about for a long time.  Who hasn’t?  Who doesn’t have that list of things in their head?  Who hasn’t thought about what they’d do if they won the stupid lottery?

I’m not a lottery ticket buyer, really.  I don’t make a habit of buying tickets, although if the jackpot is big enough, I will.  I think that the whole ‘dreaming about what I’d do’ thing is worth the few bucks that the tickets cost.  Like my current desktop wallpaper states, “I am a light sleeper, but a heavy dreamer.

I don’t know how much of my list I will set out here, but I think I can touch on enough of the major things to give you the general idea.

First off, I would travel.  I’d travel far enough to pick up my chosen travel partner (more fun than traveling alone) and then we would set off to see the world together.  The destinations wouldn’t matter to me as much as the experience.  The world would be our playground.  And dammit, fun would be had.  Especially with the private plane. And the yacht.

I’d have to travel.  Because my dream house would be being built while I was gone.  I already know what I want in a dream house.  And it’s not some huge mansion.  I don’t need a massive house.  I just want it to have a few things that I’ve always dreamed of having.  Like a fireplace.  And a second fireplace in the bedroom.  And one of those window benches in the bedroom so I could sip coffee in the morning and stare out at the sunrise.  And a big porch with a porch swing for quiet evenings holding hands.  I’d also have a home theater.  And a killer sound system that would pipe music all through the house.  Oh, and an oubliette.  Because everyone needs an oubliette.  Heh.

I’d buy a couple of new vehicles.  I don’t need anything too fancy. Just something nice and fast. I’m thinking an Aston Martin DB9.  And a  Camaro ZL1 for starters.  Hells to the yeah. Try and keep up.

I’d make sure that my friends were taken care of and wouldn’t have to worry about anything.  Debts would be cleared.  I’d set up college funds for kids.  I’d buy houses.  And I would be flying a whole bunch of people to a private island resort somewhere for a couple of very relaxing weeks.  It would be the meetup of all time.  And I would be very selective as to who would be invited, too.  Because I only like a select group of people.  Oh, and Chrissa?  There would be so many cool things (and a private baby-sitter) for your boys to do that you wouldn’t have to do anything else but sit on the beach drinking cocktails.  Just sayin’.

Once all that was done?

I would settle onto my porch swing with a cup of cocoa, and watch the sun set, holding hands.

Forever.

The 50-50 Challenge is an idea that Chrissa from A Little Wicked and I came up with. It is based on a list of 50 Lists to Write to Lift Your Spirits, which can be found at Demanding Joy. We were inspired to make it a blog challenge. If you’d like to participate, please do. Be as inspired as we were.