I have a really awesome mouse pad at work. I got so tired of using all blue or all black, boring, no character mouse pads. For someone who stands at a desk for hours each day, it’s a big deal. I have no windows visible from my desk, and for years have had to content myself with my desktop background. Usually it’s various beach scenes and pictures that I’ve taken of my travels. Something to help keep the dream alive: currently it is set to a picture I took at Magen’s Bay, St. Thomas.
While going through my travel pictures, I noticed that I took a lot of pictures of my feet. That sounds weird, but it’s not really. It was a way I could literally capture where I’ve been and how far I’ve come. The mouse pad makes me happy and is a great conversation starter, especially for those coworkers who are avid followers on my social media accounts, this blog, and make comments along the lines of “I live vicariously through your travels.” Below are the pictures and descriptions for each shot in no particular order. Enjoy!
May my Toms rest in pieces. This was taken in the Japanese Tea Gardens in San Francisco. I had vague memories of this place from long ago and ended up dragging my friends to it a few years ago. This is a place I will always return to: there is such a feeling of peace and serenity when you enter. Even though it’s located in the middle of Golden Gate Park with tons of tourists milling about, you feel instantly transported to the Far East as soon as you walk through the gates.
I am a sucker for sunsets. I snapped this on a whim one evening atop Ensign Peak in Salt Lake City. I frequent the hill now with my Cub Scouts and recently watched the sunrise with my family from here. If you find yourself in Salt Lake City with an hour to spare, it’s always worth the view!
Even though the skies were cloudy and the air was chilled, I couldn’t be kept from the Pacific Ocean. This was taken at Ocean Beach in San Francisco. As I look closer, I’m noticing an amazing flip flop tan line on my feet. Classy. Not surprisingly, the water was pretty cold.
Perhaps one of my favorite moments during my trip to Hawaii last summer: snorkeling at the Molokini Crater. I am deathly afraid of sharks and an attack had happened not far from here a few days before my visit. My heart was pounding in my chest and for the first time in my life, I considered not getting into the water. That’s never happened. I shot this right as I was sliding off of the boat, just in case I never made it back up!
I’ve considered entering the non-edited version of this photo into contests. The title would be “Rebellion,” or something along those lines. Summer 2014. I was en-route to study abroad in Germany and decided to dash into Poland. This was shot while I was sitting on the train tracks, facing the entrance to the Auschwitz II-Birkenau Extermination Camp. It was the greatest life-changing moment and this remains one of my all-time favorite photos that I’ve taken.
My first day in Kiel, Germany. My study abroad group went up to Schilksee and swam with jellyfish. I couldn’t believe how beautiful it was! This became one of many trips to the coast.
Ignore the swollen ankles: they were pretty much larger than life the entire time I was in Europe. I have a serious love affair with Berlin. I keep that in the present tense because it’s ongoing. I will return again soon. One of my favorite moments was walking along the former Berlin Wall. The entire city is seeped in history and as someone with a degree in history, I can’t get enough. This picture was taken close to the Brandenburg Gate.
This is my favorite picture from Olomouc, Czech Republic, and the biggest picture on my mouse pad. My good friend Nikki said that Olomouc was one of her favorite cities in the world and recommended that I visit. I had some time, so I hopped on a train and went 2ish hours east of Prague…and took a step back in time. My last stop for the day was to St. Wenceslas Cathedral. I wanted a unique shot and ended up on the ground with my tired feet in the air. After this shot, I raced back to the train station to get back into Prague.
I just love it when my friends have destination weddings! This one was taken on location at my friend Jane’s wedding in Maui. Between the ceremony and dinner, we had time to roam around the beach house property and take in the view. The hunk of land between my feet is actually the Molokini Crater, where I would soon find myself snorkeling later that trip. Jane and Jin’s wedding was a fairytale come to life, which I’ll blog about soon!
My former friend and I decided to go to a Denver Broncos football game a few years back, and decided to get to the top of Mount Evans on our way. Even though it’s not the most beautiful picture, it’s proof that we did it! Oh how I miss those Vans!
The last picture makes me cringe whenever I see it. I took this shot after my friend Nikki and I hiked down Kalaupapa to the leper colony on Molokai. The view was amazing and I loved the colony. The cliffs in the distance were where we hiked down…and then had to hike back up! My feet were bleeding, blistered, and sore from wearing those hideous Chacos. Never again will I wear those. My feet were too wide, they weren’t broken in, and they were a pain and a half to get on.
Since starting this post, I’ve been promoted to a new position and have 2 computers (3 monitors) that I man…and am in need of yet another awesome mouse pad. Funny enough, I started looking through my more recent pictures and found a bunch more “feet pictures” that I can turn into another mouse pad collage…
PIN ME
