It's the Simple Things (Gratitude Photojournal):

In December 2010, I told the Lord about my desire for more travel. By that point, I hadn't been on a vacation in over 5 years. Crazy, uh? Over the years, I figured out different ways to be resourceful and  unwind since I didn't have enough money to go on a dream vacation. For example, sometimes when I've had a long day, I have a YouTube clip of beach waves hitting the shore and it does an excellent job of helping me drift off to la la land. It's not quite the same as actually being on a beach though. 

So, my love for the beach/water is a little apparent in this post :) I like getting messy in the sand (sand scrubs are the BEST exfoliators), relaxing in the water, swimming, pretending I know how to float, etc. The first vacation I went on this year was a group vacation. I think I spent more time in the water than every person on that trip. I just LOVE the water. If I had a waterproof case for my iPod, I think I would've let the ship leave me in one of the ports (ok, not really but you get what I mean). I'm someone who really soaks in my alone time. I actually need it more than the average person. It's not that I don't like people but some people get their energy from being around people all the time. I get my energy from being alone for (what may seem to some) a long time. I'm not quite sure how that will balance out once I'm married with kids but we'll see. So, all of these pictures were taken this year and the pictures include me and a body of water. I had the opportunity to visit Honduras, Belize, Costa Maya & Cozumel, Mexico. God truly blessed and answered a prayer that I had. On top of that, He gave me another special mini-vacation treat. I got to visit friends in Miami, FL two weeks ago and experienced more beach, palm trees, sand, and sunny weather. It was a welcomed treat since Maryland, at the time, had a temperature of 34 degrees the day I left for Miami. Blessings!!

God knows the desires of our hearts and while we need to be sure to share them with Him, don't get caught up in them. Instead of looking at God as tyrant in the sky who constantly wants to punish us and/or  a Santa Claus who is supposed to give us everything we want, look at Him as a really really awesome dad. That's what He is. He'll give correction when necessary but more than anything, He loves us and really wants to see that we get to spend eternity with Him. After all, He's prepared a place so special just for US! God delights in spoiling me. I'm his little princess :) I take joy in that and I also am extremely grateful and thankful! God, you're amazing! Thank you.