It’s time!  It’s time!  After teasing you all month long with little hints about our summer plans in the United States, I’ll bet you’re ready for some answers, huh?  I must say you all gave us some fabulous ideas in all of your lovely comments.  Next summer maybe?  To start things off, maybe I should tell you a few things about the pictures you’ve been seeing.

Hint #1 was Martin working in an old airplane.  His head was about where a pilot’s feet would go, and he was showing all of us an outdated instrument used to fly the plane.

And these were obviously clouds… a picture taken from in a small airplane.

Hint #2 was the dirt road we’ll be living on.

But look what happens when you get to see the entire picture.  Another airplane!  (I suspect you’re seeing a pattern now, right?)

Hint #3 was the tail of an airplane.

Hint #4 would be a view of the Rocky Mountains.  This picture is a couple of years old, so for those of you up to speed with pine beetle in the Rockies, I’m sorry to throw you off with the timeline.  Today there are far more dead trees here.  Now what kind of clue would this be if we didn’t mention airplanes somehow, right?  That’s the compass of a plane in the foreground.  That square of grass just below the mountains is a runway.

Hint #5 was a picture my family took when I was “getting in touch with my roots”.  The shirt was borrowed from a ranch clothing store.  It didn’t fit, so my sister taped up the back of it for the picture.  The hat was my dad’s.  I also wore my grandfather’s old leather chaps over my jeans in a couple pictures.  Ironically, I met Martin one week later.  To this day, he greets my family with a big ol’ “Howdy!”  (You didn’t know a country girl was behind this blog now, did you?)

Hint #6 wrapped things up.  In some ways, I realize how totally odd this hint would be.  At the same time, it did state exactly what I’d be doing this summer.

Yep.  This summer, I’m GOING TO GET A PILOT’S LICENSE.  So no babies, no time machines, and no dude ranches for us this year.  I am determined to take Martin to his first rodeo, though.  I figure it’s the least I can do.  After all, he’s going to be my flight instructor.

Martin is giving me an early birthday gift this year.  Well maybe “early” isn’t the right word as it’s really quite an investment for the rest of our lives.  Today we’re giving you one last clue before the Big Reveal for our summer plans in the United States.

As a quick recap, the clues we’ve shown you so far were:  lots of wires and clouds, a long dirt road, a green hunk of metal, mountains with a pretty important item in the foreground, and then me dressed as a cowgirl.  Ready for Hint #6?

Today’s picture comes from the book, Everything But the Kitchen Sink.  This image has a lot of random statistics.  In our case, one isn’t quite so random.

There you have it.  Our last clue.  You can probably guess:  it isn’t 30 pairs of shoes.  Boots might be good, though.

Stick around for the results in a few days.  In the meantime, wanna guess your little hearts out one last time?

It takes bravery to be simple.  The internet, our favorite stores, and magazines are filled with so many beautiful things.  I don’t know about you, but sometimes it’s so easy to feel depressed because home and life don’t match the grandiose things I see in other places.  Through A Simpler Life Series, we’ve talked about so many things (like letting in fresh air and eliminating paperwork).  Why not take this week to be thankful for what we do have?  What if we spent just a little time embracing ourselves?

By trying to embrace the life you have instead of focusing on all the things you aren’t and that you don’t have, you can keep a simpler, happier life.  You can begin to feel an appreciation of the natural gifts in your life.  One of the best ways to do this is to go on a walk.  Company is nice.  Being lost in your own thoughts is nicer. 

When I used to walk home from German class, I always listened to audiobooks on my iPod.  Other times, I would be reviewing flash cards.  I thought that I had to multitask and make my walks worth my time.  It’s funny to think back on those walks now.  I was surrounded by German culture, and instead of embracing it, I was listening to English stories.  I wasn’t speaking to people; I was hiding behind a list of words I thought I had to know first.  The day I pulled out my earbuds began the greatest transformation.  I began embracing the simple details of the community around me.

I suppose this point of this article would be a good spot to post a pretty picture.  But as I think about a simple, pleasure-filled life, I don’t think of a simple looking space that has been polished and arranged to look simple.  Sometimes those images only overwhelm my sense of simplicity even more.

Instead all I can think about is these three guys near the UBahn (subway).  This little street bands knows something about happiness.

Guard what you value, and try to embrace who you are–flaws and all.  So life isn’t perfect.  That doesn’t mean it isn’t beautiful.  Think of the beautiful colors the dirty laundry creates on the floor.  Feel the breeze.  Touch the texture on your keyboard.

Promise that you’ll take time today to take a deep breath and savor the simple beauty in your life.  And please, share your thoughts on how you find your happiness and truly Just Be.

If you’d like to read more thoughts on embracing life, you might like these posts:  Get Lost on Purpose and Hold onto the Senses of Smell and Touch.

(Image by Martin for Making This Home)