a world full of wonder

I'm back from San Diego!

It was an absolutely awesome trip jam-packed with crazy experiences and food that was to die for. (Okay, not literally because I like eating chocolate way too much to ever want to die, but I did in fact gain four pounds in that one measly week from all the yummy meals we ate and I'm not even mad about it.)

After a few days back on the wagon (this is the wrong phrase to use here. I started to type it and then realized that I was actually looking for something like "back on the horse" but back on the wagon came out and the fact that it's a metaphor for being in some sort of recovery for an alcohol problem kind of makes me laugh, so... I left it for you all to enjoy that little Freudian slip from my brain. Just kidding, I don't drink. Just kidding, I do sometimes. But not like in an excessive way. Unless you count college. Just kidding, I didn't go to college. Just kidding, of course I did! Man, this is a fun game!....)

WOW. It is a scary place this brain of mine. Let's try this again...

After a few days back on the wagon back in the swing of things at work, I started looking through the many photos I took while I was on vacation. We did some really fun things I never would have had the opportunity to do otherwise, especially visiting the San Diego Zoo and the Wild Animal Park. Seeing baby giraffes and rhinos up close and in what is basically a replica of their natural habitat - it was unreal. (But SERIOUSLY can we talk about how cute baby giraffes are? I love this photo I caught of one plus its mama who had a giraffe spot shaped like a heart. Could my heart melt any more? Hint: the answer is no.)

Hi, can I take you home?

In what world? 

Just me feeding a rhino. No. Big. Deal.

The Wild Animal Park was definitely a once in a lifetime kind of opportunity, but as I was looking at my photos, I began to realize that my favorite thing we did the entire trip was visit the Cabrillo National Park. It only cost $5 for admission and you basically hike about a mile down the rocky coastline exploring little tidal pools of crabs and snails and admiring the natural beauty of the jagged rocks shaped by the sea. The whole thing was mesmerizing to me. I got to just wander around not saying a whole lot, thinking quietly to myself and marveling at the awesome landscape that the earth created.

Being from Florida where the coastline is so flat and practically straight, I had never seen such a panoramic view of the ocean. I stood on a rock jetting out in the middle of the sea and looked out to find myself basically surrounded on the three sides. I was fascinated by the patterns created in the rocks caused by hundreds and thousands of years of erosion. The sound of the water hitting the rocks was so powerful, and yet so peaceful at the same time.

Kinda looks like you can just push that rock right off the edge right? You can't. 

Secret little caves and caverns everywhere. 

The lines of the rocks were like art to me. 

Definitely not like the Florida coast.

Those ridges are nuts!

I love the colors in this one.

Unbelievable rock formations.

The patterns!

This one almost looks like it was taken with a fisheye lens.

So fun to watch the waves crash against the rocks.

Beautiful.

Look who I found...

Looking back over the pictures was like relieving the whole experience again and it made me realize just how magical it was. To stand there and simply soak in the wonder of the world.

There will always be something stressing you out, little things to obsess over and things to throw you off your games. I think finding wonder in the world and something that you can truly marvel at is one of the best things you can do to gain perspective and bring happiness to your life - at least for me it is.

Granted, not everyone is always going to be able to do things like this on a regular basis. Not everyone has a Cabrillo National Park in their backyard. But how many things a day do you pass by without stopping to simply wonder?

The idea is to get outside. Go find something that astounds you with its beauty. Feel small. Experience the world in a new way.

Because I guarantee you'll walk away more humble, more appreciative, and life will find a way to snap itself back into perspective.

What you don't know is how I almost peed my pants because this rock was SO HIGH and I had crazy visions of myself falling to my death as I went to take this picture.

So pensive.

Wait, WHAT?!

Oh, hello.

Kim (Jason's sister) and me.