Cinque Terre | Samantha Elizabeth

Today I have a travel treat for you! Samantha Elizabeth, a lifestyle blogger and photographer, is exploring Italy this week and she is sharing a bit from her travels with us today. When Samantha shared her Getting Lost in Venice photographs, I wanted to vacate my current life and just hop all over Italy--she captures her adventures and the beautiful details of the towns so effortlessly. I hope you enjoy snippets from her travels, and her abroad fashion sense, as much as I have! (Ps. You should also see how diy savvy this girl is-- like this shutter mail holder, this head board, & these vintage magnets).

Along the north west coast of the Italian Riviera and nestled next to the Mediterranean Sea you will find five small villages called Cinque Terre, which include Rigimorre, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso. My husband and I have chosen to stay in Manarola, the smaller of the five and more remote of the villages. One of the most fascinating things about these five villages is that they are nestled within 5 miles of jagged cliffs and vineyards.  The structure of the vineyards weaves their way from the bottom of the cliffs to the top; it is an unthinkable and amazing sight. The locals will tell you that the “The best grapes grow closest to the sea.”

Cinque Terre is one of those coastal villages where the options are endless for adventure. Enjoy a hike through vineyards and take in the amazing views of the Mediterranean’s rugged coastline, jump a 5-minute train to the next closest village and sip cappuccino in a cafe, grab a bite to eat and enjoy the “catch of the day” as Cinque Terre has some of the freshest seafood in the world, send your taste buds soaring and experience wine tasting and the world renown Sciacchetra one of Cinque Terre’s finest wines, take a less strenuous stroll along Via dell’Amore, a footpath cut out of sheer rock just a stones throw away from the sea. Cinque Terre’s charm is unlike any other in the world and exceptional in its beauty.

My Heart & My Career | Love Yourself Linkup

As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it...

About two month ago, I decided to work part time. I had a pulling on my heart since November, that I continued to ignore for months. Until finally, after the strings were tugged and pulled and my internal dialogue couldn't stay inside any longer-- I told someone about it. I told Matt. I told my mom. I told my boss, and her boss. I took a giant leap to say I know something isn't right, I am not fulfilled in my day to day, there is a part of my inner workings that does not feel complete. 

I took a leap to say that perhaps the career path I chose is not the one for me. That perhaps I need to start from square one and discover a new field. At age 27, after being a straight arrow zooming through school, four years of college studying Child Development and Psychology, and landing right into a job just one week after graduating--with the company I'd call my second family for five years now; I realized that maybe I zoomed a bit too quickly without stopping to listen to my heart along the way. The field that was perfect for me in my young twenties may not be that for me any longer. And for me, to realize this, took strength.

Strength because as soon as I spoke the words, questions shot right back in attempts to make me waiver, stumble, and deny my heart. To realize this, and tell someone about it? When I've always had my eggs neatly in a row? When I've worked so hard to get where I am at? When I've always been the one to do so well and never stray? When I don't have the answer for what I'll do next? When the image of "part-time" seems like the easy road out? When finances become an issue? When everyone else seems to have their career figured out? When, this, if, that?

Fast forward to now. Two months after I've moved to working part-time, so that I can explore my other passions and take the time to listen to my heart. I cannot say that doubts do not pop up or that I don't ask myself what are you doing? when others seem puzzled by my choice. In the world we live in, it becomes second nature to believe that at 27 I have to have my career figured out. That I have to know my five year plan. Well, I don't. But I do know that I am loving myself more now than I ever have. I can say that my heart feels more clearly listened to, exponentially so. I am looking at design, writing, and ministry as options to pursue. And it is exciting. Yet honestly, I feel so new to this type of thinking. To pursue my hobbies and my inner workings as a career path? To patiently seek out God's plan for me? (To even think that I overlooked both these things).

Matt often reminds me that I still have 30 years, if not more, of working days ahead. With that perspective, I want to choose what is absolutely right for me. This little bend in my otherwise straight arrow is but a freckle in my career path. As Bob Dylan said, "A man (or woman) is a success if he gets up in the morning and gets to bed at night, and in between he does what he wants to do." -- so why not  take a risk and do it?

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I am writing today as part of the Love Yourself Linkup--an ongoing series that will focus on topics such as self worth and body image. A community of woman will talk about our thoughts on these subjects, tell stories of our personal experience, share what has inspired us, challenged us, and more. Learn more over at Ann the Adventurer. You can read my thoughts from the past weeks where I've shared about anxiety, true beauty, gossip, and writing to an 80 year old me. If you have a story to tell, and want to be a part of the link up, join the conversation by writing and clicking to enter it below.

Darling Magazine | Issue No. 4

Darling Magazine made a trip to Sayulita, sat poolisde amidst humidity, and graced our communial area for the majority of our stay this past week. Even a few of our guy friends picked up the Spring Issue and remarked words such as "I wish they made a magazine like this for guys!" while reading parts out loud for the group to hear. 

You can still pre-order the Summer Issue of Darling Magazine, and by doing so, get a free digital copy  with your purchase. With bridal showers, birthdays, and vacations on the horizon, stocking up on a few copies isn't a bad idea ;) Even Anthropologie has caught on that this magazine needs to be in the hands of all women (congrats, Darling!)

Soaking up Sayulita

Sunsets, sand, and the sea. The combination of these things, give me clarity. Of mind, and heart. Add in friends and fish tacos and the world just feels a bit more complete. Today I am thankful for all of that, and all of this-- this life I've been given so graciously. I'm thankful for the beach and friends to enjoy it with. I feel so blessed by the simplest of things, yet the most important of things, this week while in Sayulita. By the way, this town is the cheery and bright little Mexican surf town I always wished to stumble upon. If you love sand and sea, and crazy delicious street tacos, write it down on your travel to wish list.

California Instagrams

Ten days in May I found myself California bound, and California loved. Here are some snapshots from my lens that week. (Note the amazing avocados, a trip to Trader Joe's, and year round outdoor pools--all a luxuries I very much miss at times--second to my best friends).

Vintage Glass Containers

That little vintage shop with the yellow chair? It had these beauties too. All of these old glass jars reminded me again how much I love vintage. Not that I forgot about my love for vintage, but it is very easy to get caught up in the now, and the new, when it comes to design. Threshold at Target, West Elm, Ikea and other newer stores get me going on a modern kick, but still my roots and what I come back to is the old and the rusty. There is so much potential (Not to mention the story that often comes with it. Remember the story of how these vintage chairs came to Denver? And what if doors could tell about the secrets kept within behind their closed guard?) What about you, are you vintage or modern when it comes to design?

Yellow Chair and Old Ammunition Box

Is this chair, ammunition box, flower vignette just wonderful? We were wandering through Breckenridge two weekends ago and I came upon this in front of a very darling vintage shop that upcycles so many amazing finds, straight from farm country. This little set up is a mix between what I love and what fits Matt's style too. Me: bright yellow and vintage. Matt: old ammo box. I need to go back. I have decided that I need to set aside an entire weekend for antique shopping through all the little Colorado mountain towns. I've already marked a few I've stumbled upon in Idaho Springs and along the way to Boulder. I'm thinking it will be perfect on a scorching hot day in Denver--to get away and up into the cooler mountain air while looking for old treasures. Who's with me?