The Best Thing About Memories Is Making Them

As I sit here in my childhood home in Ontario, thinking about all I have seen and done in the past five months I am overwhelmed with emotion and imagery. It’s funny how you can think back on a moment in time and almost re-live it, if you can be still enough.

I can still feel the heat of the Sahara sun, smell the salt water air of Crete, and taste my first sip of Italian Grappa (Ugh, so much Grappa). I can remember the bus ride I took from Faro, Portugal to Seville, Spain. The first time I laid my eyes on the intricacy of the stonework at the Alhambra, and my first sip of Belgium Beer in Brussels.

 

I have truly had the adventure of a lifetime and I will forever be grateful for each and every moment.

Today, on my first day back in the “real world” I thought I would share five of my favourite memories (in no particular order) from the past few months.

Paris with my Mom

My mother has dreamt about going to Paris since she was in the 6th grade, and for her 60th birthday her dream became a reality. I will forever remember the moment she set her eyes on the Eiffel Tower, she was memorized and overcome with emotion. To see her so happy filled my heart with joy and to be able to live out one of her lifelong goals with her is an experience I will always hold near to my heart.

Exploring Italy with Italians 

I have said it before, and I will say it again, there is nothing like being toured around Italy with real Italians. Our friends allowed us to have the Italian trip of a lifetime and their love for their country, culture and customs will always be one of my fondest memories.

Sunrise in the Sahara

Watching the sunrise on my 30th birthday in the Sahara Desert with the love of my life. Seeing the night sky so full of stars, almost as if you’d never seen it before. How can you beat that?!

Best Friends in Santorini

I am still in shock that my childhood friend and her family met up with us in Santorini, Greece. I can’t count the amount of times we looked at our surroundings and thought, “How did two girls from small town Ontario end up here?!” To be able to celebrate her 30th birthday watching the sunset on a sailboat was beyond anything we ever dreamed about as kids.

Saying YES!

Not only my favourite memory of the trip, but hands down the best moment of my entire life. My favourite person in the entire world asked me to continue to explore this world together as husband and wife. Days later, I am still crying tears of joy sporadically throughout the day.

I am so ecstatically in love that coming back to “real life” in Canada feels better than a fairy tale.

What are your favourite travel memories to reflect on?