I have a confession to make. When I first started visiting all of your blogs, I used to be jealous. Jealous that you all lived in darling little towns. With drive-in theaters and quaint burger joints. And markets and trails for hiking. I used to think, "oh my, if I only lived in a quaint little town like that, we would be so much more fun. And have so many more exciting little adventures." And I felt like our little town was so dull and inadequate. But I have come to the realization that where you live is what you make it. In fact, life is what you make it. We get so caught up in treating life like a race to the finish line. Focusing on being on time, getting things done, and meeting deadlines. But the slowing down is really what it's all about. Taking a day to just be. Sans commitment. Sans deadlines. Sans hurry. And adopting this ideology, we have discovered some of the most charming little places right here near our home sweet home.
Exhibit A: Tomatoland. This vibrant, yellow hole in the wall is filled to the brim with more jellies, sauces, and syrups than you can "shake a stick at." {this is a dustyism} And the have the happiest little outdoor market. It was chirping with locals and the whole place just smelled of freshness and smiles. We absolutely cannot wait to go back. So there. I challenge you to go out and explore the your local hangs. Find a piece of happy in your town. And then come back and tell me about it. Because I said so. And because I will be stopping by if I ever come to visit your place.
Have a lovely day off tomorrow!
Love,
Ramsey
30 comments:
This is the first post that my sister and I have read on your blog (and it won't be our last) but we so appreciate what you wrote. We have moved around so much, across continents and back again, and it sounds cliche but we only seemed to realize the experiences that we had missed out on when we had moved away and it was too late. Next weekend we are definitely going to take your advice and discover our "piece of happy" where we are now.
PS. Thanks for the lovely comment you left on our blog and we hope that you come back to visit soon.
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xo S&O
salinaandolivia.blogspot.com
You did find a market indeed! Ours is more of a busy, stress hole but the fruit and vege are amazing :)
ha amen. life is exactly what you make of it. and i will be exploring my town a little more when i come home, but right now im getting ready to go to the south of france, so i will find quaint little things there :)
I totally know what you mean. I feel like my town kinda....sucks. But you have inspired me to make the most of where I am :)
Oh, husband and I know we're lucky. We have lots (and LOTS) of nature parks, food trucks, restaurants and farmers' markets. That's about it. But we do have lots of those!
I accept the challenge! I've been there dreaming about living in a cuter city like those other girls with great locations to shoot from, gotta explore some! Thanks for you bday wishes for my daddio, he was so happy!
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Yay for a Monday off! Mmmmmm. :)
That is the cutest little market! I love finding places like that. It's what makes a town special. :)
"Find a piece of happy in your town!" I love it :) I did that on Saturday, I stopped into the goodwill and it was like I won big in Vegas and hit the lotto at the same time :)
I love the farmer's market! Yours looks amazing!!!
xo T
www.teresalifeandstyle.blogspot.com
I love discovering little places. I have to admit, I was always jealous of the cute little places on everyone elses blogs too. Now I'm jealous of you (as if I wasn't already). Great post!
Xoxo,
Corrine
So happy for you :) and Im in love with your bag!!!
What an awesome place!!! And I have a terrible habit of comparing my life to all the bloggers I follow. Sometimes if I am not careful I can get super depressed because I have convinced myself that everyone else's life is so much better. Jealousy is an evil little monster. Thank you for being a good example. xoxo
"We get so caught up in treating life like a race to the finish line" - love it! So true.
I came to the same realisation a couple of years ago and made it my mission to make more effort to enjoy the little things. It's surprising what you can find to do in your own area.
Great blog. I have loved reading.
This such a cute post! I cannot believe there really is a place such as tomato land, haha <3
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You are absolutely right when you say this :) my town is just on the edge of nowhere, but we do have woods, and in those woods we have an old prison, school, church, farm and a lot of old (empty) houses, and a few ponds! It's a most magical place! So If you ever come over! make sure to grab a bike with you to take a ride around there! ^^ x
words of wisdom my dear, words of wisdom.
I am ditching my HW & going for a jog after reading this, the Ramsey influence is too strong haha
I passed a small fruit stand with fresh peaches... you have to stop, is there another option!?
Great post and so very true! Life is definitely what you make of it! We moved from the Outer Banks (the coast of NC) to a town 2 hours inland 11 years ago. It's taken a while to fit in and find some things about this town that we love.
you look adoreable! Great pics! :)
how fun! love the bananas
i should visit the local market
Tomatoland sounds amazing, and I do have a little envy of it :) Cute post!
It's a beautiful pictures!I'm in Florida too!Very cute casual outfit to going to a Farmer's Market! beijossss
PS: Visit my blog to enter the giveaway! Hope to see you there! :)
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i love this post, so true about having to be happy where you are and "make" adventures :)
Miyan
www.miyan-overseas.blogspot.com
so cute! i love places like this. i cannot wait for my tomatoes to come in. just a slight bummer of summer to have to wait for them. i love that top. where did you get it?
That one looks like an adorable place.... I live in Miami and when ever I feel the need to 'get out' I drive to the west coast, love Sanibel and captiva but is a drive. As far as having those adorable little places in Miami (or near)there is a very NOT fancy place north of Dade (in Hollywood, FL) call 'Le Tub' .... BEST burgers in town (huuuuge) and I believe they grill them in a different way and in winter you may sit on the deck to watch the sunset ..... I LOVE IT! if you ever come don't miss it.
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So well put! I've had a simmilar case of the "hometown ho-hum's" lately and you've inspired me to slow down and take a closer look. Thanks for commenting on my blog, I hope we can be blog friends! -^_^-
Isn't being a tourist in your own town the best?? I love finding that "spot" that just makes you appreciate where you live so much more! My roommate and I have vowed to explore a different outdoor market every Saturday as part of learning our town and loving every part of it!
Love your shirt! Where did you buy it?
I used to feel that way all the time about blogs - that other towns have such cute little places. But I came to the same conclusion as you. Loving your little tomatoland.
So cute! They don't really have ANYTHING like that where I live and now I'm feeling lame-o. Just kidding :) I quite love my town be it medium-sized. And I love your blog very much!
What yummy raw finds! I am thrilled to have stumbled upon your blog, it's so delightful!
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