Writing to you from New Orleans! My sister and I decided to book a last-minute trip to the Big Easy. (Side note: you might remember be posting on my Instagram stories that we were planning a Europe adventure a few months ago? Well, due to some frustrating passport issues that were out of our hands, we’re postponing that trip and spending spring break in the States…haha.)
I’ve only been to NOLA once, and it was in 2006 to do Hurricane Katrina relief work (I spent 5 days wearing an industrial face mask and gutting out a moldy house; to this day, the smell of baby wipes brings me back to that week because we put them inside the masks to help dilute the smell of mold!) Needless to say, this trip is quite different. We’re checking off the big touristy spots and trying to find a couple off-the-beaten-path eateries, too.
But whether I’m in a big city halfway across the world, or road tripping to a nearby state, I’m always thankful to be able to have the time and means to spend on traveling. And I love getting to travel with Kylee!
My all-time favorite vacation
Nate and I are about to celebrate two years of marriage, so we were talking about some of our favorite memories from these last few years. When he asked me for my all-time favorite memory, I had a lot come to mind (getting engaged in San Francisco, our South Austin wedding, buying this house, and honeymooning in Spain would all be great options), but the one memory that stood out the most? Our 1-year anniversary trip to New York City!
NYC Days 1-2
NYC Days 3-5
Apart from it being a milestone celebration (one year of marriage is a fun one to celebrate), I was having trouble pinpointing exactly why that vacation was so special.
I mean, we did lots of my favorite things: we visited at lots of gorgeous cocktail bars, we ate tons of pizza and bagels, we walked more than 10 miles a day, we toured some world-class museums, and we went to about 10 different coffee shops. All good stuff! But that’s not why it’s my favorite vacation.
NYC is my favorite vacation because the memories from it are so vivid and real. Here’s why: I told myself I wouldn’t use social media on this trip.
HA!!
That’s it. Seriously. That’s all I did. I told Nate that I wouldn’t be posting to IG on the trip and I’d be taking a week off from blogging. I didn’t record any real-time instagram stories, and although I took tons of pictures so I could blog about it later, I didn’t take any pictures with the intention of posting them to my feed in real time.
I never once felt anxious about getting just the right shot, making sure my lipstick was properly applied, or ordering the most instaworthy menu items.
Phew! By the time I went to NYC, I had been hardcore blogging and building my brand for 18 months, and now it’s clear to me that my should was desperately aching for a break, but I had been unwilling to truly rest and take it.
^This picture from our dinner at Prune represents on of my all-time favorite meals I’ve shared with my husband. I remember every. little. detail with so much clarity, and I can bring it back for a wave of happiness whenever I want. Sadly, not every exceptional meal we’ve eaten together is as memorable to me because I’m not always great at staying present on vacations.Â
The funny thing about that trip to NYC? It didn’t set my instagram or blog back at all. I got right back at it the following week, and my following and engagement and page views were right where I left them. No one freaked out that I had disappeared (because HELLO, I’m not a big enough deal for that), and I felt completely rested from my vacation.
Oh my soul….thinking about that trip, talking to Nate about why it was so meaningful, and now writing to you about it has made one thing very clear to me:
The only moment we have is the moment we are in right. now.
That’s it. I’m currently reading The Power of Now, which is driving that concept into me even further. I tend to anticipate my next move and plan a few steps ahead. My ego gets really proud of myself for being such a good planner, but the reality of life is that I’m never able to experience the future; I can only experience this little pocket of time that I’m currently living in.
Signing off so I can finish enjoying this trip in NOLA! I’ll be sharing lots of photos and a couple blog post recaps when I return later this week, but for now, I’m enjoying this moment of traveling with my sisters, eating our weight in Po’boys, and hopefully walking enough miles to burn them all off. 😉
