Is it just me, or do you also get so excited at just the thought of planning your next getaway? Whether it’s a short stay-cation at a local hotspot or a 10-day cruise of the Panama Canal, the thought of planning the excursion is almost as intoxicatingly wonderful as the experience itself!
I get so excited, planning itineraries, mapping out favorite local hot spots, and thinking of immersing myself in a new culture. The overall experience is such a thrill, that it always provides just the right amount of glee, to hold me over until the next trip. When staying in that state of mind of excitement and gratitude looking forward to all the fun perpetuates a constant state of feeling as if I am always on vacation. Now that’s, Holiday Rising lifestyle living at the core!!
You can apply that thinking to everyday life as well to enjoy all of life’s everyday beautiful moments. Looking forward to every smile, every beautiful sunrise, every vibrant beautiful color that this lovely world offers us allows us to be present and appreciative and presents a whole new world to us in return. All we have to do is accept it, smile, and say thank you!!!
This wild journey we call life will always present challenges, heartaches, and roadblocks, but how we choose to view these things determines our eventual outcome. If we can understand that life is a work of art of our own making, that we can create our canvas and paint the greatest piece of art ever imaginable, then even the once mundane or troubling things, don’t seem so daunting or oppressive anymore. We have all heard the phrase “Your attitude determines your altitude” and I think that is true.
If at the moment you don’t think you have the funds to go on an extraordinary travel journey, then pack a lunch, take a walk, and escape to a local park, pond, or museum and be transformed in that moment to somewhere magical. And in taking that leap and journey in your mind, you have brought about that same adrenaline rush of getting on a plane and traveling the world. That very vibe just might bring on the actual trip itself, you never know. The universe picks up on frequencies and since, like attracts like, just being on the good vibes frequency helps to create a world of happiness and joy.
Just give it a try, and let yourself not just enjoy the ultimate destination, but the days leading up to it as well. Appreciate all the days in between leading up to the main event because they are all a part of the grand journey. Enjoy it all, treasure it all, and be grateful for all, and then you will find yourself in a state of permanent bliss!
A few cool fun facts and benefits of the fluffy white stuff..
Okay, so most of you know I would much rather lounge on a sandy beach any day rather than be pelted with a snowball. And Although Hawai’i will always be home in our hearts, we have been able to appreciate the beautiful mountains and snowfalls in Denver and Boise.
Being born and raised in the Great Lake State of Michigan, I have seen my fair share of icy cold winters and blistering winds but there are also some amazing joys that the snow brings as well. Aside from making snowmen, snowangels and igloos, a beautiful crisp white snowfall on the perfect winter’s night is an amzing sight to behold. For many, skiing, ice skating, sledding and so many other outdoor winter hobbies are every bit worth the wait for the other 3 seasons.
Here are some cool facts and benefits about snow that you may not be aware of:
1. Snow helps to insulate the ground below, holding in heat and preventing moisture from evaporating into the atmosphere.
2. It takes about one hour for a snow flake to reach the ground
3. No two snowflakes are alike
4.There must be pollen or dust in the air for snow to form
5.All snowflakes have six sides.
So the next time you are able to enjoy a beautiful snow fall, grab your boots, hat and gloves and get out there!!
It’s that time of year when smiles are brighter, the air chillier and childhood memories are aglow with holiday cheer! I feel as if everyone can actually hear the Charlie Brown Christmas theme music with every step as if all childhood wish are possible with every shooting star.
The sheer glee of the promise and hope that Christmas brings is contagious and full of wonder. There are certain staples that are stamped into my dna during Christmas time like, hot chocolate, holiday books, card games with egg nog and movies like Polar Express!
Somethings never get old, like Christmas morning excitement, opening presents and eating Christmas cookies all day long!! One of our favorite traditions leading up to the big day is watching a classic christmas movies like, It’s a Wonderful Life, Elf and Polar Express!! As a huge suprise, Colin booked us an actual seat on teh Polar Express Train!
Yup, that’s right, The actual Polar Express train in Golden Colorado, was a massive production of epic proportions that transformative and all immersive! Before boarding, we were treated to outstanding peerformances, from the movie and enjoyed deliciously rich hot chocolate. After being thouraghly entertained and leaving our wish list for Santa, we recieved our Golden Tickets to board, then away we went.
Into the nights chilly whimsical air we were transported right into the magical Polar Express World! Flashing by the foothills of the Rockies we were seranaded by the characters of the movie in tremendoues tune and cadence. Fully equipped with our snuggly pajamas and open imaginations, we allowed them to take us on a fantastical ride!! It was truly as if we had leapt into the movie ourselves and were the starring charachters!!!
What a night to remember and a beautiful way to capture and explore the joy and wonder of Christmas with Family!!
So you already know that we absolutely love to host and have a great time with friends and family. We are constantly thinking of new dishes to serve, and games to play in order to entertain with flair. Well I must say that Colin has topped himself this time and blasted holiday Rising off into the stratosphere with his latest hosting feat.
While hosting family during the beginning of fall, he told all of us who had broken off into little groups during the day while getting the full Denver tourism on to all convene at the house promptly at 5pm where and when the festivities would begin…
Leaving everyone, including me, in a tizzy over what he was planning, cooking etc.. It created a wonderful day of anticipation and suspense. I must say he certainly did not disappoint as we gathered in the dining area, greeted upon a new host (Colin in Character) advising us all of the thrill we were about to partake in for the rest of the evening. He passed around a satchel with envelopes and had us all grab one, and then proceeded to inform us that one of us was going to lead to his demise and throughout the 3 course meal with drinks we were to figure out who indeed was his killer!!!
The excitement and thrill of playing our carefully thought out roles was enough to win the night over but he also added a dinner theme of a Caribbean adventure, recalling stories from our time spent there as well as facts about each destination and the origin of our food and drinks that were being served!!! Yes, everything made with such deliciousness that it melted in your mouth, but including the details of how these amazing dishes were created and the history behind the people, culture and signature drinks was spectacularly beyond imagination!!
He hit on all of our senses, while we gathered around the island and each prepared our own drinks after being given careful instruction. Colin left no stone unturned as we let loose, created our drinks, sampled the scrumptious food and played our theater parts to the hilt!! This was an absolute gem of an idea , that brought our larger group together, broke the ice and created the perfect forum for us to all get to know each other a bit better and break the ice!!
With each course came a small window into our world of travel, but also included each dinner guest in the unraveling. It was truly remarkable and we look forward to hosting many more parties like these utilizing different themes and characters!! Stay tuned…
The Menu!!!
Everything prepared from absolute Scratch from The Loft Kitchen (You Go Colin!!)
First Course (Cuba)
Cuban Sandwich
Beverage – Mojito
Second Course (Jamaica)
Jerk Chicken
Beverage – Rum Punch
Third Course
Beef Pattie
Beverage – Ja ”Maican Me Crazy” Drink
Fourth Course / Dessert (Bermuda)
Rum Cake
Beverage – Dark & Stormy Drink
Recipes coming soon individually from the Loft Kitchen!
Happy Holiday Rising!
Colin, operating as the director shelled out the rules of engagementAppreciating the history of the mojito after the first round of delicious cuban sandwiches.Uh oh… the Director has been killed…who was the culprit?!?!It was CHEEKS!!!! I had my suspicions… Great Job playing your role to the hilt Michael.
Thanks Colin, for the best and most interesting Halloween family gathering game ever! We will add more to this game for updoming holidays, parties, events and more… stay tuned.
For years now…oh, and I mean years, way too many to count (but over 45), I’ve been blessed many times with the ability to go to the fabulous magical land called Disney World in Lake Buena Vista Florida. My older sisters’ were among the very first to grace the grounds along with my grandparents. They took the wonderful drive down I 75 to Disney in their RV from Michigan was still in my mother’s womb. Well, I must have carried the excitement, anticipation oh, and jealousy of not being able to attend this brand new world, because I certainly adopted all of the fascination, childlike nuances and excitement every time I think about going back every time.
They say it is the sheer Joy of watching a child’s expression experiencing something fantastical and whimsical for the first time that fills your heart with glee and is more addictive than sugar.. But I believe it is even more than that. I believe that even as adults we are reminded that dreams can come true, great stories can transform, and the imagination can take us as far as we allow it to go.
Walt Disney World is an extraordinary symbol of what is possible when we stretch our limits, ideas, imaginations and even belief in what is possible.The knowledge that one location has brought billions of people everyday together from all walks of life, many different experiences, and cultures to share in it’s peek into the future is mindblowing. Disney World, taps into the possibilities of what if and forces all that walk down magical mainstreet to be absolutely present in the moment creating memories for a lifetime.It seems the ultimate goal of sharing a golden vision of someone else’s and showing what is possible with love, hardwork and endless perseverance to make others marvel and smile with pure joy are at the core of Disney’s existence.
I am so proud to still say I’m a Disney kid, the fact that our kids Ace and Kingston are Disney kids as well and are just as excited if not more than me to attend and find new activities and things to explore excites me to no end. When able, Disney is more than an escape; it is an extension of someone’s belief that you could create something so powerful, innovative and demonstrative that it becomes infectious. That is a gift to us all.
Let’s take it back decades, when Walt Disney was buying up literal swampland back in the fifties and sixties with the belief that he could take his Gold Mine Mickey Mouse cartoon idea and create a World of Magic. Imagine trying to buy up land and for an idea that didn’t even exist as of yet, with the land that wasn’t even there (swamp land to be built upon) the sheer blank canvas of swamp land in the middle of Orlando Florida oh, my gosh the thought that someone saw that and then said here is where ‘Paradise on Earth’ is going to be just blows my mind. And I am so grateful for his Insight, intuition and quite possibly spiritual intervention that touched him with such a thought and then the drive to actually believe he could pull it off. But then the fortitude, willpower, dedication, and desire to see it through has made this new existence possible. Wow.
As an avid traveler, dreamer, entrepreneur, reader, adventurer, I draw so much inspiration and happiness every time I travel back to Lake Buena Vista and to Disney World to see what is new. Every time we go, there is new found treasure. I can recall traveling to Disney with my family over the years when I was a kid then going with my friends and then going with my family. As a mom now, I truly believe that over the 40 times I’ve been, there’s still so much more to see and do. Just like my life, I feel like although there is so much that I have accomplished, failed at, seen and done, oh, I am still a wonderful work in progress just like Disney!
Growing and adapting to a new world around me. Where Disney is an organized wonderful well-run machine however, I feel more like beautiful chaos. Which is perfectly fine and wonderful in itself. Because just like the many different exhibits, rides, attractions, food selections we are all so different and unique and have our own desires, experiences, goals, and dreams.
It’s just so amazing to be among so many other people experiencing the shared experience of Walt Disney. Traveling to Disney to grab the magic and sampling a slice of one man’s dream. I wonder if he even imagined where his vision has grown today. With movies, Disney+ streaming channel, International Park,toys, adventure games and more, his dream grew wings and is soaring like a mighty phoenix. Thank you Walt Disney for your vision and the singular goal of tapping into everyone’s innermost fantasy. Disney World represents a magical world of possibility and pure joy.. I hope I am always a Disney kid at heart and truly wish that everyone at least one time in their lives can experience lightning in a bottle that exists at Walt Disney World.
Time to get our Yellowstone on yes, I am so incredibly thrilled to be telling you all about one of my favorite spots and vacations in the entire world and that is none other than the Black Hills in South Dakota. I remember traveling to this wonderous place in my Grandparents RV as a child with my family and my Cousin Nate and I were mesmorized every second! The protruding sharp hills appeared to shoot up like daggers reaching for the heavens called our names as we rolled through each stop taking all of the majestic sights in. As we stopped and took in each famous stop to the next it was almost as if we could feel a huge build up and longing for the final stop which was so much more than I had anticipated.
The Crazy Horse memorial monument is something that is so special to my heart and impactful. I was younger than 10 years old when my Grandfather led the family vacation out to see this mamoth undertaking. I remember him being so moved by the fact that the Sculptor and artist, Korczack Ziolkowski set out to take on this task just by himself, his wife Ruth and their 10 children! He was so mesmerized by how one man and his dream and his 10 kids commissioned by the Native American council, set out on a journey to accomplish such a daunting and invigorating task.
The Crazy Horse Memorial is a mountain monument under construction on privately held land in the Black Hills , in Custer County, South Dakota, United States. It will depict the Oglala Lakota warrior Crazy Horse, riding a horse and pointing to his tribal land. The memorial was commissioned by Henry Standing Beaar, a Lakota elder, to be sculpted by Korczack Ziolkowski. It is operated by the Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation, a nonprofit organization.
The monument has been in progress since 1948 and is far from completion. When completed as designed, it will become the world’s second tallest statue!!
According to Wikipedia: Crazy Horse (Lakota: Tȟašúŋke Witkó, ”His-Horse-Is-Crazy”; c. 1840 – September 5, 1877) was a Lakota war leader of the Oglala band in the 19th century. He took up arms against the United States federal government to fight against encroachment by white American settlers on Native American territory and to preserve the traditional way of life of the Lakota people. His participation in several famous battles of the Black Hills War on the northern Great Plains, among them the Fetterman Fight in 1866, in which he acted as a decoy, and the Battle of the Little Big Horn in 1876, in which he led a war party to victory, earned him great respect from both his enemies and his own people.
In September 1877, four months after surrendering to U.S. troops under General George Crook, Crazy Horse was fatally wounded by a bayonet-wielding military guard while allegedly resisting imprisonment at Camp Robinson in present-day Nebraska. He was honored by the U.S. Postal Servicein 1982 with a 13¢ Great American series postage stamp.
To carve a monument honoring this great warrior, Crazy Horse is awe inspiring. The sheer magnitude of it’s size and the shape and position of him commanding the mountain and pointing forward is such a poignant and moving tribute to a Man, a people and the Native American Culture. It is so large and the scope of it is just some thing that is utterly amazing. I encourage everyone to research the Korczack Ziolkowski family and foundation as well, as the decendants continue to complete the vision and then some to this day!
What once began over 67 years ago and is now coming to fruition is magnificent!
The plans for the entire memorial is to be applauded as well. There are plans for not only the monument, but also a University, Native American cultural studies so much more highlighting the beauty and struggle of such an amazing people. Thier love for the land and all of God’s creatures holds a unique bond with nature, earth, and the Heavens. Shared knowledge that we are all one should be studying and explored by all was so moving.
I’m so grateful to be surprised by Colin, with this trip for my best birthday ever to take my sons and journey back!! I was able to fulfill a promise to my Grandpa to return, and that feeling was priceless! I wrote a message and left it for the foundation in the guest center just as we did decades ago!!
The entire trip down there was just surreal. On the drive into Crazy Horse Memorial we stopped at almost all of the same attractions that we went to years back. Famous Wall Drug and the Historic Corn Palace were fantastic. We did not stop in to the Reptile Gardens, but we passed by it on the way. Ace and I were even able to ride horses and take the very same trail I rode alongside my cousin Nathan. Connected at the hip Nate and I explored every inch of the hills and campgrounds. So to be back and recreate some of the very same events filled my heart with joy!
We stayed at the Rushmore Mountain KOA Holiday hotel and resort and the boys were able to slide on the waterslide, play basketball, bounce on the bounce house, and we played mini golf under the stars.
There’s so much to explore in this great world of ours, and to be able to share it generationally is a blessing. We’ll be returning with my Parents soon and I can’t wait to return to Crazy Horse monument again with Colin, our Sons and perhaps their children one day!
Let’s talk a little about the capital city of Colorado. Denver , is located in the South Platte River Valley, Just east of the front range of the Rocky Mountains. It’s downtown district is immediately east of the confluence of Cherry Creek and the South Platte River, which is about 12 miles east of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. It is named after James Denver, a governor of the Kansas territory. It is also called the Mile High City because its official elevation is exactly one mile, 5280 feet above sea level. A quick cool fact is The 105th median of west greenwhich, the longitudinal reference for the MST (mountain standard time zone) passes directly through Denver Union Station.
Denver is a city on the come up with ski tourists passing through and enjoying it’s many events and amenties. Also becoming a standout sports town, with the NBA Champions DenverNuggets at Ball Arena, The Rockies baseball team at Coors Field, The NHL Champions Avalanche, and Denver Broncos at Bronco Stadium, “Let’s Ride” there are so many professional teams to choose from for sports lovers!
Right in between all of the sports action right downtown, with proffesional teams is the 16th street mall and amusement park, amongst some other world famous attractions to choose from. Between all of these, Beer Brewries like tripoli, restaurants, bars and museums there is never a dull moment in the Mile High City!!
There are so many sights to see and cultures to explore, why not dsicover them with friends or loved ones who are also seeking adventure! Everyone enjoys getting out and exploring the world with a good crew. It lifts your spirits to make new discoveries with those you love. seeing new thing from other perspectives and eyes can be a brilliant way to recharge and find a great work life balance.
Recently my lovely nieces and thier friends had the time of thier lives on a European vacation that culminated in a Beyonce concert in Scotland! They exclaimed that Scotland was the suprise hit of the trip and would love to return to explore the landscape and visit the welcoming faces for a longer period of time. They also enjoyed the lovely Louvre Museum in Paris and the city life of London. They can’t wait to return, and they better take me with them when they do!!!
Lovely Ladies enjoying a European Vacation!! For more check out Cortney and Dominique’s insta pages at @supremecort_ and @mrsdomi_young
Sometimes you have to shake off old notions and expectations and try something different, see something new , and when you do this with familiar people, there is a blanket of comfort, excitement and security in that. So find like minded people, group of friends or family members who love to have fun or enjoy the same things you do, with the same sensibilites for fun and exploration and get your Travel Tribe Vibe On!!
How often do you feel a sense of déjà vu or watch a movie that resonates so deeply within your heart that you feel as if your words, thoughts leapt onto the screen, and expressed themselves right before your very eyes, period? How often have you looked at yourself in the mirror and said hmmmm……something is just not right and wondered at the moment I wonder what it is?!?
A nagging sense of a tapping on the shoulder, saying hey, do you remember how much fun you used to have doing this? I remember when you used to write down what you wanted to be and had a plan of how to get there? A sense of getting lost in the zone, gleefully and bliss while engaging in an activity that you love to do? But instead you actually more often find yourself jumping over the same endless hurdles that feel like an no win up hill battle.
Well STOP THAT RIGHT NOW!! Change your perspective on your hurdles. Ask yourself, why do you keep requiring and signaling to the universe that you need the same bumps, hardships and experiences. Have you not learned from them? did they not help you become stronger? If your day to day actions, jobs, surroundings don’t serve you, then you need to make a change immediatley and incorporate things into your life that do serve your higher purpose and passion. Maybe you just need to shift how you are looking at your obstacles? Maybe you are ready for stronger and more difficult taska and you are just now ready to leap tall buildings in one bound! Who knows. But our thoughts, lead to our actions and beliefs that create the world in which we live in. So make sure you know what it is you want, and what makes you happy, then pursue it with zest passion!!
These are the very things that you should put front dead center of your vision board, and find a way to enhance all of the other things in and around it because of your nurturing of these activities. Whatever it is, that makes your heart race your mind wander, think explore those are the things that you must do every day. Those are not the things that you procrastinate and push off and/or say they’re frivolous. On the contrary, That is the very thing that you must make sure to center and carve our town for every single day of your life.
We have been taught since children that flights of fancy or passion, or to be pushed off until after you’ve worked a lifetime doing something that you don’t want to be doing and then in hopes when you turn a certain age, maybe you have 510 good years to explore those things, but why put off why not pepper in and live a little bit of paradise each day? I ask why not live a labor of love and a life of purpose that is also efficient and well suited for your needs and those of your family.
Don’t put yourself in a box thinking that you have to live the life that was already imagine for you from someone else parents society, friends those pressures while maybe well-intentioned are not your passion your goals your dreams. Maybe they are and if so I salute you. If not, implore you to take stock in things that you enjoy doing carveout it first 15 or 20 minutes a day. See if you can turn that 20 minutes into an hour then see if you can turn it into three hours, and then see if you could turn it into a viable business fuele Fueled by your passions, dreams, desires. Isn’t that having it all?
