Have you ever traveled to a place that made you want to go back over and over again? The kind of place that you simply cannot fathom visiting just once?
Well the older I get, and the more I wander, the more I find myself adding places to my running list of repeat travel destinations. Whether it's the cities rich history, breathtaking scenery, or the positive memories and experiences associated - for one reason or another, these places have been forever placed in the forefront of my mental rolodex of travel locations. Boston, Atlanta, D.C., Lake Winnepesake and Savannah are prime examples of this wanderers' phenomenon. In my travels to Savannah over the last few years, I have continued to uncover more and more aspects of the city that have kept me so intrigued and wanting more. I had been to Savannah, GA once before with my friend Mel Monster. We were on our way back to Florida after celebrating our friend Amy's wedding in Maryland. On the drive back, we took a spontaneous and much needed deviation from I-95. This deviation came after countless hours spent chasing pavement and watching as over time the sun moved slowly and succinctly from east to west. My first impression of Savannah was brief, but I cannot deny enjoying the social undertones of the city as Mel and I took a quick look around and spoke to friendly strangers. I was just a bystander watching the pulse of this city beat under the light of the moon. We stayed for only a couple of hours, and then we left - which only left me wanting to know more about this Savannah. My second visit to Savannah was under somewhat similar conditions. My friend Stephen heroically agreed to caravan with me from Maryland to Florida, this time for my own personal relocation. Now that's a friend! During the road trip from Maryland to Florida, Stephen and I made yet another deviation from I-95 during a 900+ mile journey. This time, the deviation was entirely intentional, and took place under the approving and onlooking sun. We spent the majority of our time exploring, taking pictures, reading signs explaining historical locations within the city and talking to locals about the best places to brunch. Once again, the pulse of Savannah had me intrigued and we drifted through the streets taking pleasure in the smallest and seemingly insignificant observations and discoveries. The images below are unfiltered bits of memory that I was able to capture with my Canon T5i. I have also included brief explanations with some of these pictures! I truly cherish finding places with layers and layers of history and culture. I had such a pleasant experience in Savannah and I hope that after reading this post you too will want to add Savannah to your list of "must see" and "repeat" destinations. Don't forget to subscribe to the blog when you get a chance! Feel free to "comment" , "like" and "share" this post to your heart's content! Love, Stasia | Rose The older I get, the more I learn that an important part of living is simply learning how to enjoy life despite the inevitable and unpredictable blows and disappointments that occur. Life happens. Different people choose to manage these events in different ways. Learning how to snap back from tough times by using these challenges to make you stronger is of the utmost importance. A little bit about me...I would strongly consider myself an introvert with extroverted tendencies. I would say I am a solid 65% introverted and 35% extroverted. "Ambivert" is another term for someone with this temperamental combination. It is hard to define the term "ambivert" in a scientific way, but I can certainly share my personal thoughts, behaviors and tendencies in the hope that it will give you a better idea of the term. Sign #1 - Quality TimeAccording to Gary Chapman (author of the book The 5 Love Languages) there are five love languages that illustrate how people express and experience love. My primary love language is quality time. I consider it one of the highest compliments if you just want to spent time with me. It is also one of the ways that I love and appreciate others. The need for and love of quality time is both outward and inward focused. In order to truly relax and rejuvenate - I must spend quality time with myself. This is what prompted my retreat to Tilghman Island in the first place, and this is why this trip was so beneficial to my soul. Sign #2 - Together in Solitude"Bond. James Bond." I'm not gunna lie. I do have a strange love and appreciation for not only Daniel Craig, but the James Bond movies in general. Now you may or may not be wondering exactly why I have this strange love and appreciation for Bond films. For those of you who are wondering, it is because my first name was tenderly taken from a character in a James Bond film. Now, I am not going to detail exactly which Bond film...but if you are still full of awe and wonder I am sure a quick google search with give you the information you are looking for. With that introduction, I will leave you with an old tale: Truth: As the old story goes, my father (who has since gone to be with the Lord) had recently watched the aforementioned Bond film and pitched the name idea of Anastasia to my mother. His case was simple. Apparently, the character of Anastasia was very attractive, and her name also had a lasting impression on my father as well! Lord bless my mother, who took a chance on this unknown character and warmly agreed to the name of Anastasia for their first daughter. Thanks Mom & Dad! Movie review disclaimer: As always, I am going to try really hard not to give anything away during this movie review. In order to do this, I will try to keep things short, sweet, and to the point. Now on we go! What Is This Movie About?Specter (directed by: Sam Mendes) is the latest movie in the 007 series. In this movie, Bond is on a mission to uncover the truth about this past and bring to justice a secret organization that has been operating in secret for many years. Will Bond succeed in his latest mission? What does he have to gain by uncovering this secret organization? Even more intriguingly, what does he have to lose? What Made This 007 Different From The Rest?If you didn't know, I love watching movies. I probably watch an average of 3-4 movies every month. I also love going to the movies alone. It is so relaxing to sit in silence with a theatre less than half full of people...I just love a good matinee. I am fully convinced this is every ambiverts dream! A week ago, my friend Lynzi and I watched the movie The Internfeaturing Anne Hathaway and Robert De Niro. The movie also had a few other A and B list celebrities sprinkled throughout, which I loved seeing! Long story short, I cannot fully express just how much I loved this movie! I went into it excited because I had heard so many good things about it, but I must admit, there was a part of me that was a bit skeptical. I hoped that it was not just another cookie cutter movie about an old person struggling with social media and technology in an environment of young people. You know, where the millennials are constantly teaching things to "the old guy." After watching the film, I was pleasantly surprised and could not stop raving about the film (which is why I decided to write a blog post about it). What Was The Movie About?This was a film about a 70 year old widower who is tired of the day-to-day humdrum of his life and is looking for a new experience that will keep him productive and allow him to "get out" more. Enter Anne Hathaway, who plays a very successful twenty-something who has founded a rapidly growing start-up company. She is young. She is fresh. She is always on her toes and works very, very hard. She unknowingly agrees to launch a new program which takes on elderly interns who can contribute to various departments in the start-up. This movie is all about the sequence of events that take place during Robert De Niro's character's internship working with Anne Hathaway's character. What Did I Love About It?Man, I cannot stop singing the praises of this movie. I will list a few things that I enjoyed about watching this film:
The 1 Thing I Could Have Done Without...There was one rather inappropriate scene with Robert De Niro's character receiving a massage from another character. While both parties were fully clothed, this was the only scene that I did not care for at all. I felt as if it was a cheap attempt at making De Niro's older character seem "relevant" and I could have done without that. Honestly, that was the only aspect that I didn't like...which is why I had to write about it. This is also the only aspect of the movie that I want to inform any parents of! I would avoid bringing your children to see this movie unless they are over 13. I guess that is why it is rated PG-13! Looks like Hollywood may have actually rated this movie right for a change! My Final RecommendationsAll in all, I have recommended this movie many times to friends and family. I am also going to recommend this movie to anyone reading this who is over the age of 13. I encourage you to take time after the movie and note the things you enjoyed because I am fully confident that you will enjoy it!
In fact, if you don't enjoy it - you can leave me a comment informing me just why you didn't like it! I promise I will read it :) Hey, thanks for reading! If you have any movie suggestions you should leave me a comment below! If you're picking up what I'm putting down, then you should totally subscribe to my blog! I just love writing reviews of movies and stuff, and promise to keep them coming. With Love, Stasia Rose Last week I left my new home in Florida and took a much needed trek north in search of foliage and family. Roughly two planes and a Dodge Ram 4x4 later, I found myself cruising the coast of Rhode Island in a bright red Ford Fiesta, taking pictures and capturing moments with my awesome brother-in-law! The mission for the day: To travel around Rhode Island, eating good food and brushing up on our photography! Mission accepted. If you have never been to Rhode Island, you should try your best to make it there. The smallest state in America has some of the richest culture, robust history, and some of the country's best eats! Begin Side Rant: I always have a hard time taking pictures of food. Not because I am against it in any way! I just love food so much that by the time it is placed in front of me, all hope of remembering to take a picture of it is completely lost. I usually remember that I meant to take a picture roughly halfway through the meal, and the thought of repositioning the remaining food with my fork just mentally exhausts me. So this is my dilemma. End Side Rant. So, if you too are up for a quick adventure, I would love to share my moments on the Rhode Island coast with you! First Stop: Brenton State Park: Newport, RI |