30 Great Quotes for Travel Lovers

It's been a long while since I have shared any Words for Wednesday posts! But, being a quote lover, I still keep a running journal of all my favorites. So I figured why not share some quotes that would feed my thirst for wanderlust?! Here are 30 of my favorite travel-inspiring quotes... 

1.) "I believe in looking reality straight in the eye & denying it!" -Garrison Keillor 

2.) "Life is ours to be spent, not saved." - D.H. Lawrence 

3.) "Maybe we could stop time for a few days without falling far behind. Maybe we could jump in the car somewhere beautiful and remote. We'll take of our pain and armor, turn on the music, and explore these places, these towns and these dreams. Yours and mine. We'll just ride it all out for awhile. We'll just drive." - Victoria Erickson

4.) "You aren't always shown the path in life you're supposed to take. Sometimes though, when you're lucky, you meet someone with a map." - From Sarah Addison Allen's The Peach Keeper 

5.) "Meet the world with HOPE in your heart!" - Heather Gudenkauf 

6.) "Make your choice, adventurous stranger, strike the bell and bide the danger, or wonder, til it drives you mad, what would have followed if you had." - C.S. Lewis 

7.) "Sometimes you have to chase the idea of something more." - From Carrie Ryan's The Dead-Tosses Waves 

8.) "She must find a boat and sail in it. No guarantee of shore. Only a conviction that what she wanted could exist' if she dared find it." - Jeanette Winterson 

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9.) "The Universe is full of magical things patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper." - Eden Phillpots 

10.) "Go out into the world, experience it, and bring back the best and leave the rest." - From Rebecca Wells The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder 

11.) "The river(s) taught me a good bit. It winds, weaves, snakes around. Rarely goes the same way twice. But, in the end, it always ends up in the same place and the gift is never the same." - From Charles Martin's Where the River Ends 

12.) "A dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world." -Oscar Wilde 

13.) "The purpose of life, after all, is to live it, to taste the experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience." - Eleanor Roosevelt 

14.) "Most of the time the greatest rewards come from doing the things that scare you the most. Maybe you will get everything you wish for or maybe you will get more than you ever could have imagined. Who knows where life will take you; the road is long and in the end the journey is the destination." - One Tree Hill 

15.) "If you always keep your face to the sunshine, you'll never see the shadows." -Helen Keller 

16.) "Faith is the daring of the soul to go further than it can see." -William Newton Clarke

17.) "Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined." - Henry David Thoreau 

18.) There is not fairy-book half so wonderful as the lovely world all about us, if we only know how to read it! - Morning Glories 

19.) "When God carved this place with His words He lingered." - From Charles Martin's Long Way Gone

20.) "Road trips are the equivalent of human wings. Ask me to go on one anywhere. We’ll stop in every small town and learn the history and stories, feel the ground and capture the spirit. Then we’ll turn it into our own story that will live inside our history to carry with us always. Because stories are more important than things." – Victoria Erickson 

21.) "Stuff your eyes with wonder, live as if you'd drop dead in 10 seconds. See the world. It's more fantastic than any dream made or paid for in factories." - Ray Bradbury 

22.) "She was a beautiful dreamer, the kind of girl who kept her head in the clouds, loved above the stars, and left regret beneath the earth she walked on." - R.M. Drake 

23.) "What if it's the there and not the here that I long for? The wander and not the wait, the magic in the lost feet stumbling down the far away street and the way the moon never hangs quite the same?" - Tyler Knott Gregson 

24.) "Will you come travel with me? Shall we stick by each other as long as we live?" - Walt Whitman

25.) "She'll be here until she runs, some just have to chase the sun..." - Kenny Chesney 

26.) "And above all, watch with glittering eyes, the whole world around you. Because the greatest secrets are hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never see it." - Roald Dahl

27.) "Mountains know the secrets we need to learn. That it might take time, it might be hard, but if you just hold on long enough, you will find the strength to rise up." - Tyler Knott Gregson 

28.) "It's a beautiful thing to have lungs that allow you to breathe air and legs that allow you to climb mountains, and it's a shame that sometimes we don't realize that that's enough." - honalie 

29.) "Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in this world." - Gustav Flaubert 

30.) "There are moments I know I will long for even as I live them." - Judith Katzir

Do you have a favorite travel quote?

What inspires you to travel? 

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FriYAY Fun! Life Lately!

HAPPY FriYAY!!

I feel like Friday has become post day for me, but hey, what can I say?! I LOVE Friday! So why not share that with the world! I'm joining in for some more 5 on Friday fun with a little peek at my world recently... 

1.) My bestie left and moved to another state and I am sad, sad, but we did get some good quality time in before she left with a stay at Disney's Swan and Dolphin. Staying there had been on my Disney bucket list, because it had been one of my grandparent's favorite resorts, not to mention one of Disney's original hotels. Though now managed through Marriott, it was still a magical Disney evening! We dined, we lounged and we soaked up every last bit of fun together that we could! 

2.) Next weekend we head towards the Florida Panhandle for a stay at Torreya State Park. We had originally planned it for last weekend, when I didn't have to work Sunday, but had to switch to this weekend. We will have a little bit of a shorter window, as we will have to leave early on Sunday for me to make it back in time, but looking forward to journeying a little further from home. Any North Florida tips on things we should do? 

3.) I have been reading Chasing Slow recently and y'all?! You NEED to read this. So, so good! I usually have a really hard time getting through anything non-fiction. I grab a devotional or inspirational, self-helpie book with the best of intentions, then I get maybe a couple pages in and can go no further. They just can't keep my interest. Chasing Slow though?! Totally different story. Maybe it's because I feel like she is speaking my kind of language; speaking about a found love for less, talking to my heart about the letting go of the fast, rat-raced "American Dream" for a slower, life-lived journey. Maybe it's her story-like, laid back writing style, but whatever it is, I can't get enough. If you find me quoting strange things soon, that's what it's from... "The thing about the American dream, about marital bliss, about any rewarding pursuit in this world, is this: it isn't a given. It's a gift. When you forget this, when you forget to handle this gift with care, you will see that the American dream isn't a dream at all. It is a nightmare, and you have been thrashing through it, your twisted sheets a noose. And you question whether you can live with the snooze button." 

"We are young and a little dumb. Mostly, we are just young enough to think we aren't dumb at all." 

"Sometimes the most holy thing we can do is to be still. To sit down and twirl the fork and eat the pasta we're given." 

Seriously you guys?! This book (on sale on Amazon right now) is a must for any of those looking to slow down and wondering if less really is more... spoiler alert: it is!! 

4.) I tried Bulletproof coffee recently and let me just say, "game changer!" I started with just the basics: grass-fed butter, coconut oil and added a little creamer and almond milk, then blended it all up. Amazing, frothy goodness!!! It really did seem to help with my mental clarity and held me off until lunch. I now add a little bit of protein powder (just a smidge) and I "bit the bullet" (pun totally intended) and bought the official Bulletproof coffee Brain Octane Oil. I will let you know if I find it to be any more "powerful" than regular Publix coconut oil. 

5.) Because it's Friday and because I am trying to be productive today and plan all our upcoming adventures and do all the things, I thought it was time for a little Sweet Journey Shop perk. You can head over to Etsy and use the code FINALLYFRIDAY for free shipping through Monday! 

Happy Adventuring All!! 

Any fun plans for your weekend?! 

Mending Relationships and Forgiveness at Christmas

I posted this over on Instagram originally, but figured I would share it here as well for those that don't follow on IG. I know Christmas can often become heavier the older we get, so if the following is one of the reasons it seems harder each year, I hope that this leaves you feeling a little lighter and knowing that you aren't alone... 

I saw the above words on the wall the other night at The Coop and they been on my heart ever since, because it is so very true; it really is never too late to mend... After my brother died there was still something about our relationship that needed mending; a forgiveness that was needed, both towards him and towards myself. Once I was able to forgive the hurt that I felt he had caused our family, I also realized I needed to forgive myself for some of the hurt I am sure I caused him when my anger at his addiction got the best of me.

Mending that, for me, changed a part of my heart and while it doesn't make the loss of him at Christmas any less hard, I can now simply feel the hurt of loss at the moments he isn't here for, instead of holding onto some of the bitterness. I can approach the holidays with reminders of happy memories, because that was one thing about Christmas, whenever we were together, even if every other day was a battle, Christmas Day seemed to always just be a good one!

So please know that if you're hurting this season, if you are missing someone or if there is a relationship that needs to be mended, if there is someone you need to forgive or ask forgiveness from- be it a parent or child, a friend, a spouse, a sibling, or even yourself- it is never too late... after all isn't that what Christmas is all about? God fulfilling a promise to mend a broken world. Christmas is the ultimate mending of a relationship, when a Baby was born and laid in a manager, to set a course that would mend our relationship with God once and for all! And I am so very thankful for that!

If you find yourself hurting this Christmas, please know that my prayers and thoughts are with you. I hope that you find small moments of happiness to balance the heavy and make the load a little lighter. 

If this helped your heart and you would like to read further thoughts on past Christmases since my brother has been gone you can read them here; both the heavy moments and the lighter ones. 

Flamingos and Fridays and All Things YAY!

FriYay! It's Friday!! 

I love Friday! One, because HELLO WEEKEND! 

Two, because Babe as been gone all week and he comes home today! 

We have been all over the place recently, so I thought I would play a little bit of catch-up around these parts by joining in for a little 5 on Friday! We will start with the most recent first... 

~1~ With Babe gone all week I got to enjoy a healthy dose of home-aloneness! I love the man, dearly, but I also think time apart can be a good thing. A week without Babe typically looks like this: popcorn for dinner EVERY night (Whirley Pop, I LOVE you), scary-slasher film marathon (think Scream; they're my guilty, 90s-kid-at-heart pleasure), total bed-hogging, a super messy house (which I will be cleaning all day since I promised I would try to do housework), and a slumber party with my mom's pup (Babe does not approve of dogs in the bed- don't show him this picture)! Ok, so maybe not the healthiest after all (for my body anyways), but so good for my soul!! I love a little bit of time for me! Plus, it makes me appreciate him all the more... especially when a hurricane might be coming and he asks me to go outside (in the rain, while it's pitch black dark, wearing only my robe) so that I can place sandbags along the length of the french doors. Then, I asked, "well, how do I get back in?!" and he responds that, duh, I have to run to the front... cue complete downpour! Ok Babe, you can come home now!!

~2~ Before Babe left, we took off for the weekend to Rainbow Springs State Park for some river tubing (post coming soon) and I fell even more in love with sweet Freddie the Flamingo! I had originally purchased him for the kids to use on our Georgia trip, but I have since adopted him as my own (which I may or may not have had in mind the whole time)! Flamingos make the absolute best floats and here's why- perfect head rest!! Seriously, the neck of the flamingo is great for all the resting of the head! It can go behind your neck as a cradle or can be folded down behind your back to form a chair; should you wish to sit up a little more! Also, if you want to flip and lay on your stomach, you can rest your chin up on it by tucking it under. Seriously, get yourself a flamingo float! Now all we need is a River Rat for Babe! 

~3~ Babe and I have recently been big into playing games! We have an ongoing rummy game that we have been playing for years, but we have recently been throwing in some other games too. One of my favorites from childhood is SORRY! We pulled it off the shelf and started playing. Then, after the first game, we decided to make it a little more interesting and I came up with the idea for Double Sorry! It is a really neat way to put a little more thought into the game and make it last a bit longer too. Here's how you play: Instead of just having one color you choose two colors. You set them up exactly how you would regularly and begin playing. You don't actually go twice (meaning you don't go once for one color, wait for the other person to go and then go go for the other color), you still go once, but when you draw a card you can choose which color you are going to move. For example, if you were playing yellow and red and you drew a two, you could choose to take either a red piece from start or a yellow piece. Then let's say you get a 5 when you draw again, you could move a piece of the opposite color (i.e. move the red from start, but the yellow 5). The first person to get all of their pieces (of both colors) to Home wins. It adds a little bit more strategy to the game. We love it! 

Any games you love?! Either tweaked or not tweaked?! We would love some good two player game ideas! 

~4~ I just got through listening to the sweetest audio book (thank you Hoopla) for this month's book club! A Man Called Ove is a must read! I wasn't sure if I would like it or not, but my heart was so invested in sweet, grumpy old Ove and his story. He lost his wife a few months before the book takes place and all he wants in the world is to die so that he can be with her, but a rag-tag cast of neighbors, who can't seem to get by without his help, keep getting in the way of ending his life. This story pulled on my heartstrings for so many reasons, but I think a good bit of the pulling may have been because, in some ways, Ove reminded me of Babe- my own grumpy, hard-working, sees-the-world-in-black-and-white, not-so-secretly-soft-hearted, kinda-old man! I found myself dropping sweet tears many times throughout the book as I pictured what our lives might look like as we continue on this journey together. Do yourself a favor and grab a copy (or listen for free on Hoopla-all you need is a library card)! 

~5~ And now, not only is it Friday, but it's the Friday before Labor Day!! Three day weekend, please and thank you!! While we will probably be checking a lot of things off the to-do list this weekend, I am excited for an extra day to spend hanging with friends and relaxing (or doing his favorite thing... housework) with Babe! 

What are your plans for the long weekend?! 

Whatever they may be, I hope it is a wonderful one! 

Happy Friday Y'all!

Happy Things 2016 Linkup// April Happies

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This month's happy things post is short and sweet! I will share more of April's wonders later, as I know there will be much to share with you all. 

I am currently making my way back from Africa. I know there will be so much to process- so many thoughts and feelings working their way through me- which is why I found this quote so fitting for this month. With all the uncertainty at the beginning of the month about the things I would experience in Africa, I know that this month and this time away will be something that I will probably long to remember for the rest of my life. 

Happy last Monday of April friends! I hope this month has been good to you! Looking forward to seeing your Happy Things! Feel free to add your link below! 

Link Up Rules: 

- Share a post (up to 2) about anything happy; it can be 5 happy things, 1 happy thing, really just anything for the month that has made your heart smile! 

- Feel free to share the image above, or link back, so that others can link up their happy things too!

- Leave a happy comment on at least one other post

- I will interact with all posts in some way (comments, pinning to Happy Things 2016 board...)

- Share your happy things on Instagram using #happythings2016

- Come back on the last Monday of each month to share your happy things for that month and start a community of people who are adding a bit of cheer to Mondays! 
- Link up will be run through Friday of the same week

An InLinkz Link-up

Words for Wednesday// A Sense of Companionship!

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It's Wednesday Y'all!! 

And we are just that much closer to Friday and I am that must closer to Africa! 

8 days and counting! It is all still so crazy to me! 

Babe informed me that this will be our longest time apart in over 10 years, pretty much since we started dating. I hadn't thought about it much to be honest. I have been so focused on the fact that I am leaving, and SOON, and trying to process everything. I am sad that he won't get to experience this trip with me, but there is also a part of me that knows it is so healthy and good for us to take trips separate from one another. My first out of country mission trip to Costa Rica was also sans Babe and I learned so much about myself, about my abilities and about the way God was personally working in my heart and I know this trip will be no different. But it doesn't mean I won't miss him! 

So we are heading out this weekend for a little time away! We are taking Flo out to Highland Hammock State Park for a little hiking and relaxing! One of my favorite things about our time in Flo is the simplicity of it all; it's the slow early mornings, the late night fires and games of rummy, the endless conversations on our long hikes, the nothingness (no outside distractions, no checklists, no phone service) that brings so much life giving goodness into our relationship! I am looking forward to soaking a weekend full of companionship in, before two weekends apart! 

Middle-of-nowhere Florida, here we come!! 

Happy Humpday everyone! We're almost there!!

Safe & Wild// New Shop Happies Coming Soon!

I've been working away to build up my shop and I am so excited for my newest addition to get here!! While I am waiting on pins and needles to see them in finished form, I figured I would share the pre-printing prettiness with you! 

"You keep me safe & I'll keep you wild" is one of my favorite quotes, because I think it perfectly embodies Babe and me- as well as a lot of adventurers! It seems to me that someone is always the safe keeper, while the other is the wild soul. In our case the wild soul would be me! 

It takes a brave heart to love a wild soul and I can't wait to get my hands on these and slip into it! As I continue to grow, I wanted to offer up my products at my price. You can currently get these shirts at the price I pay for them! Once they reach the shop they will go up a bit. Also, not all colors and designs will make their way into the shop. So if there is a color or design you want to make sure you get, you can use the links below to grab one! 

Loose Fitted Flowy Tee (pictured at the top)

Racer back Tank (pictured in coral) 

Long sleeve Tee (most likely won't be available in shop)

I am giving away a tank or tee to two lucky winners (color and design of your choice), one through this post and one through Instagram. 

Enter here by joining Life's Sweet Words email list for shop updates and discounts! 

Simply subscribe using the form below, then check the Enter button in the giveaway box! 

Join the Journey through email!

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Email Address *

First Name

Last Name

a Rafflecopter giveaway

That's it! You're in!

Head over to Instagram to double your chances! 

What's your favorite way to keep it wild? Hiking, rock climbing...?

Whatever it may be I hope you find yourself adventuring soon!

Words for Wednesday: Read your Heart to Me

If you handed me pages from your soul, which would you choose to share? 

We all have our own stories,

tucked closely in and held tight. 

Think about each page of your soul,

which pages are ripped and torn, 

which have dog-eared edges because you've returned so many times?

Do you only share the crisp and pristine pages, 

the ones that shine and glisten and gleam so much

that you barely want to touch them for fear of damaging them? 

Share them all! 

Share the pages so worn by tears it's hard to even read the words. 

Share them for yourself, 

to free your heart of the weight of them, 

but share them for others too. 

Share them, 

because you never know who so desperately needs to hear them. 

Share them,

You never know who is grasping for breath 

and praying they aren't alone. 

Share all the pages and stories that have brought you 

to where you are now, 

because it's in fully opening our hearts 

that we give others the chance to truly love us.

It is in fully opening our hearts, 

that we truly learn to love ourselves. 

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I have had the Jonny Ox quote saved for a while and I passed over it again today. Today felt like a good day for processing feelings and getting it all out. After a few days of heart-stuff and a few tears this morning after breakfast with good friends, it just felt like a day for a little bit of release. Share your heart with someone today. Share the things you've felt you have been needing to say. I know it might be scary, and sometimes it might even hurt, share it anyways! 

Words for Wednesday: See the Magic

I have always loved this quote by Roald Dahl. There is something so magical in this world, something so unique and wonderful and I pray that I always have eyes (and a heart) that are open to seeing it. There is beauty and magic all around us... It is that beauty that leaves me without a doubt in my mind that we have the most wonderful Creator; there is too much imagination in the colors of a sunset, the immensity of a mountain landscape or the music that is made by the crunch of Fall leaves underfoot for me to ever think otherwise. And I pray I am imparting that onto the next generation. Hearing my niece get so excited about Flo and adventuring and seeing the world makes me think that maybe I am doing my small part! 

Lord, 

Thank You for the beauty. 

Thank You for the wonder.

Thank You for the magic. 

Thank You for adventure! 

Here's to Wednesday and finding wonder. 

Where have you found yourself wandering lately? 

Where have you found magic?

Words for Wednesday: Savannah Wisdom

We have been in Savannah since Monday and while I wasn't planning to post during the trip, I had to get on the computer to sign in to work for a few minutes, so I sent Babe off to explore the train museum (his history loving heart has been very happy in Savannah) while I worked. I finished up quicker than I thought I would and he is still out exploring, so I thought I would share this little wisdom find with you all before we leave Savannah and head to Fort McAllister State Park for the rest of the week! 

We have been loving Savannah, there is so much to see and do and EAT (oh, the food)!! We have done and good bit to walk it off though and, while we were doing just that, I stumbled upon this little token of a sign and had to snap a picture!

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"To be able to fly, 

learn to let go of what holds you down."

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So very, very true! There is so much that we hold on to that keeps up from truly being able to soar to our fullest! My word for 2015 was 'surrender' and so I had been trying to do just that this year; just let go, let it be and realize that there is not much I have to, or even need to, control. And so for 2016 I don't think I am going to really pick anything up! No huge New Year's resolution to feel the weight of sticking to. Instead I am going to continue to work on letting go of the things that hold me down {worry, doubts, fear...} and really just live. Live in the moment, cherish the day, breath it all in and repeat it again the next day if God grants me the chance to.

What about you? 

Anything you could do with putting down?

Words for Wednesday: Away We Go

Because my thirst for adventure needs to be quenched and I am so excited that this weekend we are finally hitting the road again after being "docked" for a while today's post is some of my favorite travel words of lately!

Or an RV, same concept, so I'm rolling with it (literally)... even if it is only for the weekend! Oh this quote sets my heart a flutter and makes me dream of big, big things! 

...working on it! 

Happy Wednesday Folks!! 

Words for Wednesday: The School for Good and Evil

I just recently finished reading The School for Good and Evil series by Soman Chainani. If you have not heard of this series, you should check it out. I loved it!! It is the perfect series for girls who are trying to figure out that balance between friendship, relationships and being true to who they really are. Really, the same could be said for all of us, because it's also a great book for any woman still trying to figure that all out (12, 17, 25, 31... doesn't matter). If you love a different spin on fairy tales (characters like Lancelot, Cinderella, Peter Pan...) and don't shy a way from a little dark adventure then you really need to read this! I started it after a recommendation from a 10 year old and I couldn't recommend it more (books really can span generations)! It also just so happens that it is being turned into a movie, so you should probably jump on the train before it comes out. 

Anywho, today's Word's for Wednesday post comes from the final book in the series, The School for Good and Evil: The Last Ever After. Here are a few of my favorite quotes... 

"What is it about a name that gives us a story to believe in?" 

"I'd sheltered him from his own weaknesses, and because of it those weaknesses won. I had to let you write your own story..." 

"Stories go wrong when people think that their own happiness is bigger than anyone else's." 
- I don't know what it is for me about the word story, but in my opinion it is such a powerful word. We each have a story, one that is ours alone, but one that can be shared with others. Hundreds upon thousands of stories overlapping each other, each story adding something to another. And it is in the sharing of our stories with others that we grow a bond that transcends time, distance and differences. It's our stories that bring us together in someway or another. 

And one final quote to leave you with, which just may be my favorite from the whole series... 
"Because as long as her story was about her she resisted her fate, as if living for herself was too much responsibility. But the moment she saw her fate was bigger than her, she finally felt free to embrace it." 

What parts of your story do you need to embrace?

What parts of your story, if shared, could help set both you and others free?

Words for Wednesday: J. Raymond Poetry

I have found a new quote love. I stumbled across J. Raymond Poetry on Pinterest and I fell instantly. In my opinion you need only read these as to see why- there is just something so open and honest and raw in these words. They are longer though and of course I started looking all of them up right away, but I realized my mind could only wrap itself around so many at a time. So I have decided to take these slowly, just read one or two J Raymond quotes every so often, so that I will still be discovering more for months to come. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!