Fernweh (n.) an ache for distant places; the craving for travel

Fernweh is the German equivalent of the word wanderlust. And I currently have a very serious case of fernweh. All I seem to want to do right now is travel the world. I have a bucket list of things I want to do in my life, and approximately 80% of my list consists of places I want to visit. I have had the wonderful opportunities to visit Kenya, Malawi, and Mexico, but I want to see more of the world. My wanderlust has taken me to reading blogs about expatriates in varying countries and pouring over pictures of places I am currently dreaming of going. Below are the two top places I am dying to visit, complete with pictures, in the hopes that you might share in my wanderlust with me.

Paris:
-According to Audrey Hepburn, "Paris is always a good idea", and I couldn't agree with her more. There is so much history, architecture, art, culture, and food in the City of Light. I cannot imagine a more perfect day that relaxing on the lawn in front of the Eiffel Tower with a picnic and friends or reading at a cafe drinking coffee and eating macaroons. All of the things to do, see, eat, drink, and experience in this city have me dreaming about a day when I will be able to visit it.

Morocco:
-On the northwest tip of Africa, Morocco is an exotic mixture of Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, European, and African culture. How much more interesting can it be? The beautiful archways, the open air markets with colorful wares, the juxtaposition of intricate tile and red dirt, all seem so divine and intriguing. I would love nothing more than getting to know the locals and share in their culture.

So far, I have no plans to visit either of these places, but at least for now I can dream until I can go. What are some of the places you long to experience?

All images courtesy of Pinterest

Monthly Musings | March 2015

The month of March went by very quickly and was rather uneventful up until the end. It was mostly filled with work, but, because it was my birthday month and I happened to have that day off, my parents and sister came down to visit me here on the sunny Central Coast for a couple days. It was so fun to have them down and show them some of my favorite places I have discovered here my first six months.

-We stopped at the one of the most beautiful parks I have ever been to. Granted, I am not an avid park-goer, so perhaps it is not all that wonderful, but it does offer the most spectacular views of the ocean. Perched on a cliff over looking the Pacific Ocean and Pismo Pier, I cannot help but find stillness and peace when there. The morning fog was just rolling away and providing the perfect background for a photo break with my favorite people.

-After stuffing ourselves at lunch and dinner and relaxing under the warm sun at the beach, the four of us made our way to Hearst Castle. For those of you who do not know, Hearst Castle was an elaborate getaway build by William Randolph Hearst in the 1910s to the 1940s. What was known as "the ranch" turned out to be more of a castle with a main house, 3 guests houses, two pools, and so much more. Each room is completed with artwork full of history and life. My family and I have been to this historical landmark at least five times, but on this visit we did the night tour. This tour consisted of seeing the great rooms lit up and volunteers dressed in period costumes. It was  a great experience, and I was so thankful I got to share it with my family. If you are even on the Central Coast of California, it is a must see!

Image courtesy of hearstcastle.org

Monthly Musings | February 2015

This month was filled with wonderful times spent with family and friends. There were a couple of rough patches throughout the month, so I was very fortunate to have some exciting activities scheduled as well as impromptu hang outs with friends.

-The second weekend of February, I met my sister and two friends from home at Disneyland! We had been trying to plan this trip for several months, and it finally worked out. The weather was typical of southern California in February-sunny and warm! It was so great spending time at both Disneyland and California Adventure with my sister and friends.

-On the way back from Disneyland, I stopped in LA to visit my cousin and cousin-in-law and their three month old baby! I got to meet the little one in November when he was just two weeks old, so it was such a pleasure seeing how big he had grown and how much more animated he was. It was also so great to catch up with my cousins and hear how life as parents with work and school was going (they joked that I was only there to see the baby, but I also wanted to spend time with them, too!) Even though we only live three hours away from each other, I have never made it down to visit, so I am hoping that I can make it more of a regular thing.

The little man with his mouse from his aunties

-A week after going down south, I made my way up north to visit my parents, sister, and grandmother. When scheduling myself for work this month, I happened to get four days off in a row, so that provided the perfect opportunity to go home. I had only been home briefly at Thanksgiving, Christmas, and when I was going to and coming back from Michigan, so it was so nice to have time to spend with no real schedule. I really enjoyed the time I spent with all of them and was sad to have to leave them so quickly but am looking forward to more little trips in the future.

Monthly Musings | January 2015

Happy (very belated) New Year! I hope the first month of the year was good for you-it definitely was for me! This was a month of excursions and changes, a wonderful way to start the new year.

-After a rather uneventful New Years Eve (I spent the evening with good friends but was in bed by 11:30) I made my way to Monterey to visit my sister and two of her close friends from college. I have always loved visiting this beautiful city on the coast, and when I heard that my sister and her friends were going to be there for a wedding, I knew I had to visit. It was quite a short trip but was filled with good food and company, lots of laughs, and spectacular views.

The spectacular view from a restaurant we ate at

-The second weekend of January brought about a very exciting event-my roommate from freshman year of college got married! I made my way to the snow-covered land of Michigan, and despite the fact that it was about 7 degrees Fahrenheit, it was worth every frozen limb and digit to see my friend marry her best friend! Almost every Friday during our freshman year, she and I would watch "Say Yes to the Dress" and talk about our dream weddings, and it was also that year that she met her now-husband. It was such a privilege to see how God worked in them these past four years to bring about the fulfillment of their dreams.

-Not only did I get to see my friend get married, I also was able to spend time with other close friends from college! Even though I was only there for 2 full days, I was able to see four of my friends from freshman year. It was so great to see them after months of separation, and it felt like no time had been lost. One of my friends and I visited an indoor botanical garden which I had heard of but had never visited when I went to school. It was very interesting to see plants from all over the country and world and provided a warm respite from the chilly weather. All in all, my trip to Michigan so great!

Tropical plants thriving in the dead of winter

Monthly Musings | December 2014

It seems to be a theme of my blog to not post often-granted, no one else may care very much (if at all), but I do want to keep it up, if only for myself. I decided I want to post more often this year, but that has clearly not gone very well so far. So here is my recap from December-only three months delayed!

-This month brought some fun Christmas activities with new friends such as cookie baking, hot chocolate and devotionals, working parties, and stuffing stockings. This time of year has always been a favorite of mine, so it was wonderful to have all of these festive things to do and new friends to share them with.

-My mom came down to visit me just before Christmas, and we heard about a local lodge in one of our favorite beach towns that was decorated entirely in lights. Of course, we had to go, and it was so beautiful and spectacular. There were thousands of lights lining the walkway, in the trees and covering the foliage. It was great to experience it with my mom, and I definitely want to go back next year.

-I was blessed to have Christmas Eve and Day off of work, thus allowing me to to spend those two days with my family. Working in a hospital (that never closes) means that holidays are potential work days. However, because I was still orienting at Christmas time, I was given those days off, which was wonderful. I know that I will most likely be working some of the days of the 2015 holiday season and years to come, so it was very special to have one last year of celebrating on the actual day.

(Sorry for the lack of pictures. I did not take very many and those that I did take were rather blurry.)

The Weary World Rejoices

All you have to do to realize how terrible things are in the world is to turn on the television. Not having TV or internet at my apartment, I rely on the TV at work to inform me of what is happening. During lunch in the break room, I hear and see snippets of breaking news throughout the world. Most of the time, it is rather devastating. In the past twelve months alone, school girls have been kidnapped by extremists and many have not yet been returned; fighting at Gaza has led to many deaths and broken families on both sides; even in my own country of supposed freedom and safety, the lives of two men were taken, leaving rifts between race and politics, police and people. These happenings were the first three to enter my mind, but there have many, many other horrible situations and circumstances throughout the world.

The other day, I was listening to my favorite Christmas song Oh Holy Night when the lyrics "the weary world rejoices" meant more to me than they had ever before.

Weary. What a good way to describe our world today. We are weary from the despair and damage that runs rampant. Weary from the endless wars and stolen children. Weary from disagreements that lead to arguments that result in families torn apart. Weary from race dividing our country. But what makes us most weary is the fact that none of this is new. Yes, these are very specific incidents for this year, but our world has been suffering on and on since the beginning of time. We are worn down by the ceaseless tragedies that plague lives every day and there seems to be no foreseeable end to this. So how are we to continue to live this way? How are we to rejoice as the song says? What do we even have to rejoice in?

Read the lyrics before and after “the weary world rejoices”: “a thrill of hope…for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn”. What do we find? Hope. Hope that the world will not remain weary. Hope that the morning will bring better and more wonderful things. What is the best part of the night? Knowing that morning is coming. It is only in the darkness that we can recognize light. We live in a broken and depraved world. There is no way we can fix all of its problems. But we can place our hope in the One who does promise to renew the world. He is the One who brings restoration. He is the One who allows the morning to come.

As the Christmas season quickly comes to an end and the new year arrives, find peace in Him who is the giver of hope, the bringer of joy. Who knows what this new year might bring, but we have the promise that, despite our seemingly endless weariness, we have a never ending Source of hope.

Monthly Musings | November 2014

Another month has come and gone, and once again I have not posted much. It seems that I keep underestimating how busy life can get and don't have time to sit a write as much as I would like (not having internet at my apartment is another major factor). I'm trying to keep up with this monthly series because I know that if I fall behind on this, nothing will ever be posted!

-I have completed my first month working at a hospital as a registered nurse. I work on a med/surg/tele unit, meaning we get all types of patients, including post-surgical patients and those hooked up to heart monitors. Work can be stressful and tiring at times, but it is incredibly rewarding and all of the people I work with are absolutely great!

-Being so close to the ocean, I try to make it out there at least once a week. Whether I stay for a couple hours or just twenty minutes, it is so beautiful and peaceful and a great place to rejuvenate after a long week of work. The other day, while my friends still at school in Michigan had mixed reactions about having a snow day, I was relaxing on the beach. As much as I enjoyed and continue to appreciate my time in college, I am so thankful to be back in the warm California sunshine!

-The highlight of my month was getting to spend Thanksgiving with my family. The past four years at school I have loved the hospitality of wonderful friends and their families who welcomed me into their homes. But as the song says, there's no place like home for the holidays. The excitement of spending Thanksgiving with my family was multiplied a hundred times over by the news that my cousin and cousin-in-law and their (almost) two week old baby would be coming to visit! Caleb Mark was born on the 15th and I have been so anxious to meet the little guy. He is the first child of the next generation of the family, and everyone has been over the moon with happiness. I may be am a biased auntie, but I think he is one of the most adorable newborns I have ever seen!

I didn't want to post this picture because my face is so large in it, but I wanted to show just how precious Caleb is!

This is the beautiful table full of delicious food my mother made