Sunday, August 30, 2015

Definitely Date an Adventurous Person

You know these people.  They are ones who always have an upcoming trip with plans already in the making.  These are the people who always have interesting, exciting, fun or romantic stories to tell.  They are the friends with whom an evening spent is always lots of laughs and awesomeness.  These are the ones who dream big (maybe even too big in some peoples eyes).  They are the ones who often go for the riskier choice instead of the safer one (whether physically or emotionally).  They tend to have exciting and intriguing lives.  They often posses personality traits such as: creative, charismatic, intelligent, well-read, worldly, daring, romantic, spontaneous, passionate, carefree, etc.

I would argue that these people, either as friends or romantic partners, make life especially colorful and fantastic.  But this article focuses more on why one should date these types of people.  Therefore, here is why you should definitely date someone who tends to be a little more daring, or in other words, has a spirit of adventure within them ;-)

Note: of course, these are not blanket truths about all adventurous people (in terms of personality traits or perceived possible benefits), but I would say they are likely to be true when in relation to someone who is adventurous, as well as emotionally mature and overall a good person.


1.  Someone who is adventurous will challenge you in wonderful, life changing ways.  They are the person who will push you to do more then you normally would.  You may find yourself feeling initially be opposed, one may not always like this in the moment.  But more often then not, you will be glad you did these things after the fact.  One will realize that being around this person often leads you to your very best self.



2.  Adventurous people are rarely boring.  They tend to be fun to be with. These are the partners with all the ultra romantic and unique date ideas.  They are the ones with the extra special, personal and sentimental gifts.  They are the ones who will suggest the funnest weekend activities or vacation ideas.  Their spirit and personality will take ordinary moments and make them more joyful and memorable.  



3.  Adventurers will take you places you never imagined, if you are open to it, of course.  Life with them will more interesting and enjoyable.  I mean this both physically, in terms of traveling the world, experiencing different cultures, living in a variety of neat places, trying new foods and things.  As well as they will take you further emotionally, both within yourself and within the connection between the two of you.  Adventurous people believe in going deep, far and beyond the standard.



4.  Adventurous people revel in life, and thus as a result of being their partner, you will see more of the wonders in life as well.  Such as, a breathtaking view with a startling sunset that they dragged you up on two hour hike to get to, but that actually turns out to be incredible.  A mouthwatering, unforgettable meal you will eat because they took the time to hunt down this gem within the city you two are visiting.  A sexy, sweaty, laughter-filled blast of an evening spent dancing in a thumping club together, because they dragged you along and though initially opposed, you end up really enjoying it.  Fun parties with friends...delicious, new and interesting foods...memorable trips to new places...meeting new people...lots of great stories...sensual experiences...these are all of the things that one can experience when in the company of an adventurous person ;-)



5.  Lighthearted, happier, cheerful, positive.  Adventurous people do not tend to be the depressive, cynical, unhappy types.  Instead, they are usually the opposite.  Full of light, happiness, positivity, excitement to be alive, fun, etc.



6.  People who are adventurous tend to be both resourceful and self reliant.  When one is traveling solo, or moving somewhere totally new on their own, or embarking on some other type of exciting new venture, this will come with its own set of challenges, road blocks and emotionally trying times.  One has to get through the tough stuff in order to also get to and experience the good stuff.  Adventurous people are typically not faint hearted.  They tend to have learned how to rely on themselves, confidence, bravery and resourcefulness, simply as a result of their life experiences.



7.  Adventurous people are always curious.  In terms of learning about their friends and partners, in terms of experiencing new things, new places, learning about new topics, etc.  And therefore, they are intelligent and interesting to spend time with.  They always have things to talk about, as well as being curious about others.



8.  They can socialize and fit in well with a large variety of different people.  If one is adventurous, they tend to be adapt at talking to new people, making friends fairly easily, and socializing with different types of people.  As this is something that takes some level of guts and self confidence, typically people who have an adventurous spirit have this skill set and enjoy this social aspect of life.



9.  Often times, adventurers are more romantic.  They believe in the possibilities of life, in special memories, in spontaneous experiences, in grand gestures, in grabbing the moment when its presented.  They do not want a life with regrets. So they tend to grab moments and make them even better.



10.  They are more adventurous...behind closed doors.  Enough said.



11.  They understand that life is short, life is amazing, life is an adventure and life is a dare, so one should live it completely and fully.  Life with this person is likely to be richer...fuller...even more incredible.



Thursday, August 27, 2015

Autumn Approaching....

Hi All!

Upon seeing this post, some of you are going to immediately exclaim, "what???  Oh come on, way to jump the gun, Brooke.  Autumn isn't here yet!  We are still enjoying the remaining days of summer."  And that is true, autumn is not here yet.  We do still have a few weeks left of warmth (at least, fingers are crossed on this one) during which we can certainly revel in and squeeze out of September. 

But its also true that the fall season is just around the corner.  And I personally find that really exciting!  I LOVE fall.  To me, autumn holds a sense of anticipation, excitement and new beginnings within its cooler air.  



The temperature does begin to drop, subtly but noticeably (though thankfully this drop is not too extreme...yet).  When I imagine the scent of fall, I smell crisp crushed leaves, cinnamon, sweet dough, apple cider, pumpkin pie, a crackling fireplace.  I think the changing leaves are just stunning (though in Germany, I am not sure "stunning" would be the applicable adjective which I would use to describe the leaves changing here.  But as a New Englander originally from New Hampshire, when our leaves change?  Stunning is the PERFECT word for that complete explosion of vivid color.  People actually drive from all over the USA up to New Hampshire during autumn just to see the leaf colors.  These visitors are nicknamed "leaf peepers"- how sweet is that?).  

This too is more prominent in the US, but there is an mass production of all edible things pumpkin flavored during the September and October months.  YUM!!!!  This thrills me, as pumpkin is one of my favorite flavors.  And its actually one of the things I miss the most about autumn in the US.  There are no pumpkin donuts, nor any pumpkin cheesecake over here.  Major bummer.  





Anyway, on with the wonders of fall.  Cozier, layered, classic fall fashions (plaid, tweed, jackets, boots) begin to emerge bit by bit, until soon thereafter, everyone is bundled up in layer upon layer. 



Cafes become the perfect reading, writing and people-watching locale to hole up for a few hours, either with a friend to chat, laugh and connect over a hot beverage and something sweet, or on ones own to do the three activities I just named.  Movie nights, comfort food, soft blankets, great books, baking, and selecting a new TV series to become addicted to and race home each evening to watch, these all become inviting and wonderful aspects of the season.  

To me, autumn even evokes a bit of romance.  This is my favorite season, as you can probably tell.

With all of that said, I have compiled a number of lists that detail awesome autumn activities, foods, movies, desserts, TV shows, books and more.  (Though I am sure all of you can come up with tons of your own personal favorites to add to the lists as well!)

Hooray for autumn approaching!!!  





Foods
1. Oatmeal
2. Macaroni and Cheese (possibly my all-time favorite food EVER)
3. Nearly all things pumpkin flavored
4. Grilled sandwiches....Mmmmmmm
5. Pumpkin beer
6. Apple cider
7. Tea and coffee
8. Chili
9. Any type of delicious pasta dish (though especially lasagna)
10. Grilled cheese and soup
11. Sweet Potatoes









Movies
1. When Harry Met Sally
2. Bridesmaids
3. Wedding Crashers
4. Hocus Pocus (does this evoke childhood nostalgia for anyone else besides me???)
5. Halloween
6. Harry Potter
7. Grease
8. 500 Days of Summer
9. American Beauty
10. You've Got Mail
11. Good Will Hunting
12. The Town








TV Shows
1. Friday Night Lights- this could not be more fitting, quintessential autumn TV material
2. Six Feet Under
3. The Wire- ALWAYS phenomenal and mind blowing
4. Dexter
5. The Walking Dead





Desserts
1. Pumpkin Pie
2. Brownies
3. Brownie Sundae
4. Apple Crumble
5. Carrot Cake
6. Coffee Cake
7. Donuts
8. Pudding
9. Warm chocolate chip cookies







Activities
1. Tea and cake on a Sunday afternoon (though really, anytime)
2. Small dinner parties with friends
3. Apple picking
4. Hiking
5. Shopping for some new fall clothes
6. Pumpkin carving
7. Reading or watching movies, curled under a blanket on the couch
8. Weekend road trip
9. Camping (as the days are still somewhat warm and chilly nights...perfect excuse to huddle together in your sleeping bags.  Yes, this is a romantic thing).
10. Cooking and baking
11. Laser tag
12. Picnics- during the last few warm days of summer









Books 
1. The Art of Fielding
2. Olive Kitteridge
3. The Virgin Suicides (just finished this book the other day, was really, really good).
4. The Girl on the Train
5. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
6. The Goldfinch (this will always be on my list ;-))
7. A Dangerous Fortune
8. The Help
9. The Lovely Bones
10. The Storyteller







Places
1. Paris, France
2. New Hampshire (USA) (this is actually the state I am from!)
3. Prague, Czech Republic
4. Boston, Massachusetts
5. Heidelberg, Germany
6. Konigstein, Germany
7. Kronberg, Germany
8. Rudesheim, Germany
9. Berlin, Germany
10. Budapest, Hungary

Boston, Massachusetts

Budapest, Hungary

Heidelberg, Germany

New Hampshire (where I am from!!)

New Hampshire again...

Prague, Czech Republic (I took this photo two Septembers ago while I was living there!)

Paris, of course.