traveling the world with people you love

{I'll never forget walking around Paris with Mr. H. It's a memory that no gift or object could compare with.}

At mr.&mrs.h, we clearly love all travel. But, there's one kind of travel we love most - adventures with the people you love. I remember traveling in college with people I liked, but didn't necessarily love. I would always tell myself, "I want to come back here with a person - or people - I love." 

{Exploring Edinburgh and road-tripping through the UK was such a fun adventure for us.}

When you travel, even if it's near your home, you experience so many amazing sights, sounds, tastes, and emotions. It's wonderful to have the opportunity to travel -  alone or with people. But, I think there's something intangibly valuable about sharing adventures with someone you love. It creates a bond like nothing else because you've experienced things with that person that you could never fully describe to anyone else.

{I'm so glad I had someone to share the little moments of travel... like pulling off the road to explore the ruins of a   Medieval Abbey and watching the sheep in a neighboring field.} 

I am definitely an introvert. I love people and being with people, but I get energized when I'm alone. Still, being alone in a foreign country always leaves me desiring the people I love. I feel like there's something missing when I don't have someone I love to share my experiences with. During my recent trip to Europe with Mr. H, I got to be in Paris with the one I love. It was such a dream come true. I'd been there before, but dreamed of coming back with the love of my life (this was years before I'd met Mr. H). 

{A rainy day in Paris is so much more fun when you have your best friend next to you.}

It was so much fun to walk down the Seine with Mr. H by my side, to experience the beauty of Sainte Chapelle with someone I loved, and share a crepe from a street vendor with him. It made me ponder the material things I want and how I tend to prioritize those over travel, but a trip with someone you love creates a memory that is more valuable than any gift or material item I could receive. That's something to remember as the holidays approach... what about asking for a memory making adventure that will last forever instead of a present that you'll get tired of in a year or two?
-mrs.h

thursday's travel truth

we're signing off for the weekend. have a happy labor day holiday. may it full of adventure or rest... whichever you choose! 

-mr.&mrs.h

tuesday thoughts on dreaming

We talk a lot about dreaming on the mr.&mrs.h guide. Some of you may read our thoughts on dreams and think Mr. H and are those rare, fearless individuals who aren't afraid to dream. Well, I hate to disapoint you, but we're not that. We are dreamers, but we are also the first to admit dreaming is scary. 

Believing something impossible is scary. Stepping out in hope for something that's deep within your heart is scary. What if it doesn't happen? What if I fail? What if it doesn't work? What if...? The "what if's" used to stop me from dreaming. At one point in my life my motto was to live life with no expectations. Expectations were too painful if they didn't happen. I always focused on the what if this doesn't happen. Ater a few years of living life that way, and hating the result, I found there's another what if. It's the what if this does happen and it's super powerful. 

It's powerful enough to take me, someone who was totally afraid of dreaming, and turn me into someone who now lives a life guided by dreams. Focusing on what if this does happen is a major key in dreaming. So, what are the dreams lying dormant within your heart? What if they happened? I've seen so many dreams come true in the past three years since I married a dreamer and began my own journey of dreaming. It's been scary at times but when a dream comes true it quiets the voice of what if this doesn't happen and the voice of what if this does happen grows stronger. Let your dreams become bigger than the fear. If it doesn't happen you'll keep living life as you are right now, but if it does happen you'll be living in your dreams. I think that's a risk worth taking. 

-mrs.h

the value of rest

Mr. H and I are coming to the close of a very good season that's been full of hard work. When you love what you're doing and believe in the overarching vision of your work, hard work is such a gratifying thing. It gives you energy and life because you're passionate about seeing the vision fueling your work come into being. 

Still, even in the midst of passion, everyone needs to rest and take a break. That's why Mr. H and I love the hospitality industry. We think it's so necessary for our culture today. Our culture has become one that's obsessed with work and has little to no room for rest. If companies understood how much more productive their team would be if they encouraged them to rest and take a break from work, they would be forcing people to take vacation time. To me really excellent hospitality serves as a "hospital" for the epidemic of burnout around our country. It allows people to reconnect with the people the love, be filled up, experience needed relaxation and/or adventure, and go back to work with new energy and purpose. 

It's so tempting to try get into a boss's good graces by not taking vacation days, but the sacrifice isn't worth the reward. Make time to rest daily - it can be as simple as just sitting quietly in a room alone. Take a vacation, even if it's a stay-cation. Let hospitality be the "hospital" your body, soul, and spirit need. Rest is valuable and it will come back to serve you well in the end. 
- mrs.h

Are you living your dream?

{via}

I have a strong suspicion that it's a great day for your dreams to come true. I've noticed an increase in dreams fulfilled of late--from my parents, to us personally, to friends. Sometimes I think it's just a good day for a dream to come true.

How do you know if you are living your dream if you don't know what you dream is? You don't. So first, you have to get quiet and listen. Who are you made to be? What are you here for?

Then, GO FOR IT!

Mrs. H and I have a lot of dreams: big dreams, small dreams, odd dreams, serious dreams, short-term dreams, long-term dreams...

They all matter though. If you're anything like me, the presence of dreams means I am doing something right. When my internal dreamer is turned off, then I know something is wrong. So manage your dreamer well. Make a list, and watch your dreams come true.

Off to conquer a dream or two.

-Mr. H

Raw appeal

I'm not quite sure why, but I have always had an extreme fondness for countries that aren't as "developed" as the USA.

I think it's their rawness. They feel so real. You can't escape the realities of life in a place where poverty and wealth exist in such close proximity to one another. It is both tragic and beautiful.

I distinctly remember landing in Bangkok and being greeted by so many new and different sights, sounds, and smells.

{via}

I love the smell of diesel; it reminds me that I am in a far-away place.

 {via}

The glowing, neon lights look so bright and happy, and yet, it seems they are sometimes there to cover something up.

As an American, I am conditioned to maintain and expand my level of comfort, which can sometimes cause me to become isolated and out of touch. Travelling refreshes the soul and reminds me who I am, and that more stuff is not always the cure.
-mr.h

Happy Father's Day

Better late than never - Happy Father's Day.

My Dad is the ultimate renaissance man, seriously. Perhaps more importantly, he is the ultimate adventurer. He has basically done everything I want to do. The way he lives life has inspired so many of our core values for dreams and adventures here at mr.&mrs.h.

In spite of his father's death in a plane crash, he got his pilot's license.

He owned a Porsche.

He owned a Triumph.

He is a bee-keeper

And a gardener

And he can barefoot; what more need I say?

So trust me, my dad's better than yours.

-mr.h

don't let your dreams be dreams

We've mentioned before that we're really into dreams here at mr.&mrs.h. We believe in the beauty of dreams and that dreams come true. We believe dreams have a purpose in pulling us into the person we were made to be. As Andrea Scher said, "Dreams pull us toward a new version of ourselves. If our aim is to become fully who we are, then our dreams are like a moon pulling the tides. Even before we achieve a dream, we are becoming the kind of person who makes those kinds of dreams come true."

sunday night thought

{via}

I saw this and loved it for several reason. One, the picture makes me want to get on a plane a fly to Austria. Two, The Sound of Music is my dad's favorite movie and it makes me happy thinking about watching it with him. Finally, I adore this quote and it's so appropriate for this picture.

I love moments in life that make you realize you don't have to live within the invisible box that can so easily creep up around you. I think travel is so often something that pulls people out of that box. When we experience other cultures or are just able to get out of our day-to-day routine and rest or explore, we realize that we can live differently and experience the world much more fully than we ever have before. 

What are the moments or things that pull you into that realize that you can live life differently?

-mrs. h