Datevitation Giveaway

Love is more than daffodils and pretty sentences. It is more than two characters you see in a picture show or the girl you glanced upon while you were walking. Above all, love is about spending time with somebody who makes you feel delightful. I love my love not only for his wisdom, his beard, or his poetry but for the laughter and joy that ensues when we spend time together.

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The love coupon makers at Datevitation.com asked me to put together my own customized book. I had the option of making one for a friend, a family member, a special occasion or my lover. As you can see, I picked my lover and the special occasion was life.

The idea of a love coupon book is simply about building memories with somebody who lives in your heart. You design your book with date ideas and that special somebody gets to redeem them. It is like having a calendar filled with happy times ahead of you, except you never have to take the calendar down. Datevitation made it very easy to create and customize my book, with over 500 date ideas and the ability to create your own, it felt like I had made something with my own hands.

Sometimes we get lost in the daily drum of clocks. We forget to turn off the television, we make eye contact with our phones, and we don't reserve precious time for our loved ones. Sometimes we need to remind ourselves that life is short and love is all we've got. So let's go on adventures together.

For the chance to win your own customized love coupon book: 


a Rafflecopter giveaway
Books normally start at $25 but if you use the coupon code FLYINGAKITE you'll get $10 off your purchase + free shipping. You can make one for your family, friends, or even little ones too. The code expires February 27 and the cut off date for Valentines day orders is February 3.

*Opinions expressed here are my own.
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Hawaii: blooms and seawater

I've often dreamed of visiting a place like this. Every road is separated by blooms and edible seeds,  every sunbeam encourages sweat on your brow, all bird chatter is louder than your thoughts, and you'd never think of feeling glum because everything is so beautiful.

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During my last few days in Hawaii, I wanted to savor every inch of seawater I could. As much as I love the fragrance of flowers, it is the seawater that I will miss the most. I swam and swam until what felt like years of running came together at once in my kneecaps. I was alone in the sea and it was much more satisfying than being alone anywhere else in the world.

I played a game with the water by bobbing my head up and down. When your head is in the air, you can hear waves crashing and the occasional fish jumping. When your head is in the water, everything is quiet except for sometimes it sounds like a mermaid is rubbing two rocks together. I let go of my body and like a mother putting her baby to bed, the sea carried me to the shore. It was time for me to go home.

We flew in daylight over the Rocky Mountains and I could see the strangeness of being alive from my window seat just like I could when I was swimming. As I looked below at the triangles of milky snow, I felt like I had only lived a day and there would be a million more days ahead of me.

I will return to the blooms and seawater but for now this is my home.

For whatever we lose (like a you and a me)
It's always ourselves we find in the sea
-e.e cummings
Wearing:
Dress, Hat & Skirt Savers in Maui || Blouse • Value Village

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Hawaii: animals by the sea

In the early morning hours, when the sun opens the sea, you can hear the roosters calling. They are small but powerful creatures and they serve you with a yodel so loud you are forced to turn the kettle on. In Hawaii, the daylight doesn't last very long so sleeping past the rooster's call can make one feel spoiled.

Whenever I travel, I always enjoy mornings the most. After a night spent in bedsheets, where dreams can take any shape, you wake up to the reminder that you are here. Your day of adventure has just begun and nothing tastes so good as hot coffee in the morning.

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While we were taking these pictures, a small and furry kitten poked its head through the flower bush and greeted my ankles with wet kisses. I tried to be gentle but I was afraid if I petted him for too long, he would become dependent on my love and follow me to a place where cats cannot be. I realize now that by petting him I was the one who became attached. For many days after I wondered where he went to. I looked at children playing in the street and imagined them to be the kitten's family but I'll never know if he's out there kissing the ankles of a friend or just a feral cat beneath palm trees.... Let's hope for ankles.

There were a lot of beautiful things to see and feel during my trip but the most beautiful of all was coming upon a green sea turtle. We were standing by the water when a local man looked to me and said "Big turtle! Big turtle!" I looked to where his fingertips pointed and lying on the beach was something out of prehistoric times. A giant sea turtle was sunbathing where the rocks meet the waves, five feet away from where I was standing.

 I know we will never meet again but that is just a small part of what makes the sighting special. The real joy was in knowing an endless ocean awaited him.

Wearing:
Dress & Hat Savers in Maui

Photos taken at Maui Sunset in Maui, Hawaii.


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