Till Death Do Us Part

             I am at the exciting stage in life where most of my friends are engaged, married, or thinking about getting married. Wedding talk is common in my life lately so it got me thinking about wedding vows. I decided that I will never include the line "Till Death Do Us Part" in my vows. First of all, how creepy does that sound?? Certainly not the beautiful words meant for a wedding ceremony. Second, this sets us up for failure. When you promise to be together "till death do us part" you are mutually agreeing that no matter what happens you will stay together. This almost gives your partner the "ok" to let themselves go and give up on romancing you. I think we should say "Until we are no longer happy". That should be our agreement to eachother. "I promise to stay with you as long as we are both happy", because at the end of the day, that is why you started dating them in the first place. When you are no longer happy with your spouse and no longer able to make them happy why stay together until death just because a wedding vow stated that? That puts a lot of unnecessary pressure on your relationship. I think life is more fulfilling and satisfying when we spend it trying to make our spouse happy and love life, instead of just trying to stay together. 

            With that said, take some time today to tell your boyfriend/girlfriend/husband/wife or even just your best friend that you love them and appreciate everything they do. Ask them what you can do to make them happier and in return they will offer the same. Lets make our goal in life to share as much happiness as we can and help make the ones we love genuinely happy. 

Travel To Enhance Your Life, Not To Escape It

This past weekend, I traveled to Myrtle Beach with my boyfriend and we had an amazing and adventurous weekend. The trip was short (too short as usual) but incredibly wonderful. Upon return when I experienced the typical "Monday Blues" after an amazing vacation, I realized the importance of the way we think about traveling. 

I think most people go on vacation to escape the stress and frustrations of their daily life. This can really put a damper on your return trip because you will be dreading getting back to the daily grind. Maybe if we think of traveling as an opportunity to enhance our lives and make us better people, it wont be so upsetting as we make our return trip. With this mindset, you will return home feeling refreshed, relaxed, and more cultured. 

On our way to Myrtle Beach we stopped in Savannah, GA because it is a charming historic city that we both had never visited. I instantly fell in love with the cozy houses and foliage filled streets. If you get the chance to go, visit Forsyth Park for a nice walk and wander around The Historic District for some great sight seeing. Below are some pictures of Forsyth Park.

Forsyth Park

Forsyth Park

After our walk we ate at a restaurant called Green Truck Pub which had some incredible food made from produce at local farms, and I was even able to try a local beer (Savannah Brown by Coastal Empire Beer Co) ! I ate the veggie patty with corn and black bean salsa and avocado on top. The food, service, and beer were all amazing and I would recommend this restaurant to anyone who enjoys eating (and drinking) local products. 

The next morning we tried something I have always wanted to do- Parasailing! This was an incredible and almost indescribable experience. My mind kept going back and forth between being incredible scared, and in awe of the beauty around me. My boyfriend who LOVES heights was relaxed the entire time and now wants to go skydiving...  

Atlantic Water-Sports Parasailing

After this adventure we were pretty hungry and decided to try Ethiopian food while in Myrtle Beach! The restaurant was called Redi-et Ehtiopian Cuisine and turned out to be incredibly delicious. Ethiopian food is typically eaten by hand, and when our waitress brought us our meals she asked if we would like to use forks. This felt like when you are at a sushi restaurant and you quietly ask for chopstick cheaters. I hesitantly said "yes we would like forks" and immediately regretted it. If we are going to eat Ethiopian food, we should eat it as it is customarily eaten- by hand! 

Our forks remained wrapped and unused as we proudly finished our meals. I was able to find three different vegan options that I could combine into one meal. Of course we also tried two different Ethiopian beers, a Stout and a Lager. 

Injera and Hakim Stout

Lentil Pastries

Vegan Dish: Collard Greens, Pureed Lentils, Roasted Veggies

My main message here is that the best part about traveling is learning more about the world around you, so try the activity you are scared of and eat the type of food you have never had. When you do, immerse yourself completely and hold nothing back. In doing this, you can return back to your "real life" content knowing that you have enhanced your life. Don't dread returning home, reminisce happily on all of the adventures you took part in.