Categories: Photographic Memories
Just a regular thirty-something-year-old trying to capture the essence of life in writing. Join me as I journey through the ups, the downs and the adventures in between.
Posts by loveandolive
One year has passed and I haven’t stopped smiling since day one. There’s just something remarkable about love – being in love. It’s an over encompassing emotion. A feeling that never fades, but only grows stronger with the passage of time. It lingers throughout our days, nestled in the deep crevices of the soul. I have spent thirty years looking for this, this which I could never articulately define or comprehend. But now, now I finally understand. Through every daily, monotonous task, I feel him. I carry his love for me with me. It is constant and unquestionable. It has the power to move mountains, to change the world and to better everyone in it. And as I write this post on our…
Categories: Straight From The Heart
After work, some coworkers and I headed to Brookdale Park in Bloomfield for the “Summer Concert Series.” Simply, The Infernos performed and we danced. As a bonus, we witnessed a spectacular firework show. So much fun!
Categories: Photographic Memories
Tagged: concertsinthepark, friends, newjersey, summerconcerts, summerfun
One thousand miles and about seven state lines separate us. Before he left for Oklahoma, we were chatting through the crunches of warm, restaurant-style tortillas doused with spinach dip (our favorite). He made a humorous presentation utilizing Sweet’N low sugar packets: “THIS is you. THIS is the New Jersey state line. At no point during this month do you cross the state line.” Although I am horrified of the violently rotating columns of air we like to call tornadoes, Brian knows I would hop on the next plane to see him, regardless. However, after his convincingly sweet lecture, pun intended, I agreed. With that said, it is amazing how many television shows one can watch in a month – that $7.99 monthly Netflix fee…
Categories: Straight From The Heart
Tagged: distance, distantlove, heart, longdistance, love, soul
Categories: Photographic Memories, Voyages and Explorations
Tagged: baltimore, fun, maryland, marylandzoo
“Sometimes I’m terrified of my heart; of its constant hunger for whatever it is it wants. The way it stops and starts.” – Edgar Allen Poe The GPS signaled our next turn onto “1st Mt. Olive Way,” which, of course, is only notable because of my nickname “Olive.” Jokingly, I viewed this rectangular, green street sign as confirmation that it was my destiny to be here – and by “here” I mean Edgar Allen Poe’s home in Baltimore, Maryland. Admittedly, this stop sparked my inner nerd, which, I’m sure, is obvious simply from this introduction. As an English major in college, I lived and breathed literature, and Edgar Allen Poe was one of my favorite American authors. We were greeted at the entrance…
Categories: Voyages and Explorations
Tagged: baltimore, edgarallenpoe, maryland, poe, poebaltimore, poehouse
Before I even arrived in Baltimore, Maryland on Friday afternoon, Brian had already constructed a creative to-do list, listing six local “must see” attractions for our weekend in the Mid-Atlantic State. Our adventure commenced at the Cylburn Arboretum, a 200-acre public garden located in central Baltimore. We followed the winding trails through its floral settings, all encircling the ground’s focal point: a renaissance-revival mansion constructed in the late 19th century, its stone façade rising behind a colorful mansion-front garden. As I reflect on this experience, I realize that no amount of words can sufficiently describe the beauty that we witnessed that day. Instead, I include photographs which capture but a small portion of the majestic beauty that this garden has to offer.
Categories: Voyages and Explorations
Brian and I were big fans of the show “How I Met Your Mother.” On the show, the yellow umbrella symbolized true love. Destiny. The main character’s “the one” carried a yellow umbrella throughout all nine seasons. When he eventually met her on the series finale, she was waiting at a bus stop, on a rainy night, holding a yellow umbrella. For my birthday, Brian got me my own yellow umbrella, telling me that I was his “the one.” I’m not sure how much he spent on that umbrella, but to me, it was the most thoughtful and heartfelt gift I have ever received.
Kids, there’s more than one story of how I met your mother. You know the short version, the thing with your mom’s yellow umbrella, but there’s a bigger story – Ted
Categories: Milestones and Memories, Straight From The Heart
Tagged: birthday, himym, howimetyourmother, yellowumbrella
Thirty one years old. I entered the new decade with high hopes. My thirtieth birthday marked a new beginning for me; a period of self-discovery, of self-love. I had no expectations other than hoping for happiness and a reignition of my inner flame which had dimmed throughout the past few years. What I received was much more than that. What I realized was, despite the ebbs and flows of life, I am blessed. I am blessed with a family who loves me with every breath. A mother who would sacrifice her own health and well-being for my happiness. A mother who answers my phone calls with “kuzum,” a Turkish term of endearment which translates into “little lamb.” A mother who cannot go…
Categories: Milestones and Memories, Straight From The Heart
Tagged: birthday, future, gettingold, memories
Brian’s flight from Cleveland Hopkins International Airport was expected to arrive in Newark at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday afternoon. To be honest, I had been counting down the minutes since I left Cleveland exactly two weeks ago. While Skype and the iPhone equivalent provide the facetime needed, pun intended, when three hundred miles separate us, nothing compares to an exaggerated bear hug in person. The minute hand on the wall clock was barely reaching for 6:45 a.m. when I sprung out of bed. The sunshine emanating from the side window was blinding, its rays peeled my eyelids open while the scent of fresh coffee lingered in the air. As hard as I tried to count sheep and revert back to dreamland, drowning myself under…
Categories: Straight From The Heart
LOVE AND OLIVES 