Did You Miss Me?

Some of you may have noticed that I disappeared for a while, but I'm back..... from our wonderful trip to IRELAND!  That's right, my husband and I spent our first anniversary on the lovely island of Ireland - not exactly the beach vacation of our honeymoon, but it was fantastic.... feast your eyes on just one photo from the trip:

This is Inch Beach, right at the beginning of the Dingle Peninsula, which is in Southwest Ireland.  While the weather and the water were chilly, there were people swimming and surfing, horses on the beach... so while it wasn't ACTUALLY a beach vacation, there were beaches!  We weren't lucky enough to see the sun every day, but we did this day, and the sights were beautiful!

We saw several major cities, and tons of little towns.  We spent two days at a beautiful manor house in the country - Ballyvolane in Castlelyons (shameless plug for this wonderful group), which I recommend to anyone that might be headed to Ireland.  And being in the country, not a worry in the world, simple surroundings really made me want to get back to that at home.  It made me want to really "simplify" the way that we live.

As I get older my decor and even fashion sense get to be more classic, and timeless, and I think that's probably the direction I'm heading.  I have learned that lamps, vases, candles and plants are my decor staples.  I love photography.  I love hanging photos on the wall, of landscapes and still life, but mostly of family and friends and vacation & I think that those memories, those photos can really make a house a home.

So, since I have come home, I have really started thinking - how do I make my life and home, simpler, less hectic, comfortable?  So this is my goal.

I am going to start paring down, go for statement pieces instead of trinkets, and really try to slow down and enjoy every minute of my life.... yes, I will even try to enjoy the 540 minutes every day that I spend in the office, cause I think that it's all part of enjoying your life.

This trip made me want to ENJOY my life more.  Enjoy my family more, and make our house a home.  Even if it's not the house we'll live in forever.

Hopefully I'll be able to share all of this with you, and our house makes a transition.