Tech - no or yes?

Technology can be a wonderful thing. It can be used to assist humans in every facet of their life. People can buy groceries, clothes, shoes, gifts, TVs, games, books, and movies without leaving the comfort of their own home. We can search for the person of our dreams and even embark on an online date while sitting on the couch in grungy clothes and nobody will ever know that you skipped a shower that morning. We can get a degree, go on virtual field trips, talk to friends, book a vacation, find recipes and never open our mouths. We can stream movies and music without having to go to the store to buy the record or rent the movie. All of this is literally at the tips of our fingers.

This all sounds wonderful, doesn't it? I mean, who seriously doesn't want their groceries delivered to their doorstep? I am guilty of doing many of the activities I listed above and find myself at a loss when the wifi is down. I am a HUGE reader ... but if the wifi is down I can't stream music while I read my real book rather than the computer version of a book. It is so much a part of our lives that many of us do not even know how to function when the internet is down.

Technology is something that makes our lives easier ... but if we take it away can we still function as human beings?

In the world of technology ... you can reinvent yourself online and allow people to get to know the "new" you. You can photoshop your photos, only share your best attributes, and well, lie. Nobody will know unless you decide to meet in real life.

In the world of technology .... students struggle to write complete sentences and rather write using "text speak" -u, r, k, TBT, TTYL, *$, BBIAF, HOYEW. (If the rest of you are wondering what those mean ... don't worry, I had to look it up too...)

In the world of technology ... you can say whatever you want via text or e-mail. The shyest person suddenly becomes the bravest because you don't have to worry about seeing the other person's reactions or feel bad when they start to cry. Because their tears are hidden behind their phone. You don't see the pride, joy, sadness, shame or hurt that comes from your words.

In the world of technology ... you text rather than talk on the phone. In fact, you prefer to text and feel wholly uncomfortable when you are asked to focus solely on a phone conversation and not multi-task.

In the world of technology ... you see tables of people going out to dinner where every single person is holding some form of technology. Even the two year old at the table knows how to work an iPad and can even be seen teaching their parents what to do.

In the world of technology ... you can order drinks, appetizers and even call your server back to your table using a tablet ... which can be found at every single table in the place.

In the world of technology ... you don't dare go somewhere alone without your headphones. You walk through the mall with your head down and eyes blazing holes into your phone screen. You walk with ear buds in as you take the dog out, or when you hike alone on a trail. God forbid you listen to the birds singing.

In the world of technology ... you stay up late on Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Instagram, SnapChat checking up on the latest gossip and pics. So much so that the blue light our device emits causes you to sleep poorly ... which in turn causes you to grab the technology which in turn causes you .... you get it.

In the world of technology .... you have millions of books at your finger tips. Many kids prefer to read books on their Kindle, Nook, or iPad rather than experience the feeling of turning the pages by hand.

So where is the happy medium? Should there be tech free hours in homes? Schools? Libraries? At what point does technology do us more harm than good? 

The Most Beautiful....

...church I have ever been in, is a chapel in Paris called Sainte-Chapelle. This is a medieval gothic chapel located in the heart of Paris on the ille de la Cite.

Sainte-Chapelle was built as a royal palace and consecrated in 1248. It was commissioned by King Louis IV to house the Passion Relics of Christ - including part of the Crown of Thrones. Sainte-Chapelle has a lower and an upper chapel.

You enter through the lower chapel and you immediately marvel at the beauty of the architecture. It surrounds you in a cocoon of beauty as you realize that you are standing in the home of the Passion Relics. Now, of course, the Relics are not on constant display - you would have to visit Sainte-Chapelle during Holy Week to see them.

After taking in the serenity of the lower chapel, you climb a spiral stone staircase to the upper chapel... and immediately feel your breathe catch in your chest. The beauty of the upper chapel cannot adequately be described with mere words. The upper chapel is most famous for its incredible stained glass windows. The entire chapel is surrounded by floor to ceiling stained glass arches that tell the story of various books of the bible. Fifteen huge windows, dating back to the 13th century, circle the chapel culminating in a massive rose window depicting the book of Revelations.

There isn't much I can say to explain the beauty of this chapel to you ... so I will let the pictures do their best to speak for me. (The pictures, of course, do not even begin to do this justice.)

The rose window tells the story of Revelations. 

This is from the window that tells the Passion Story. You can see Jesus with the crown of thrones in this small portion of the window. 

I always thought that my church was a beautiful building with lovely stained glass. But after having spent time taking in the gorgeousness of Sainte-Chapelle in Paris ... it all seems too, well, new and perfect. And nowhere near as beautiful. If you ever have the chance to visit Paris be sure to stop into Sainte-Chapelle. You will not regret it. 

Friend Zoned

Recently, I met someone for dinner that I had encountered in the online dating realm. We talked online, texted a lot and finally decided to meet. Our schedules didn't coincide very well and we live almost 2 hours from each other. We finally found a date to meet, made a plan and got together. Everything was great, we talked a lot and there weren't any awkward pauses but I couldn't get the thought out of my head that he would be a great friend. That's it. A friend.

Now, this doesn't seem like the end of the world. But I suppose, if you are online dating and looking for your forever partner ... deciding that you should just be friends might be a bit ... well ... harsh. When you are looking for the one to love and settle down with and start a family with, being "just" friends kind ruins future plans.


You have to decide how to let the other person down gently.
Do you pretend for awhile? No, because then you are leading them on.
Do you just blurt it out? No, because then you are insensitive.
So you come up with a speech to let them down easy. And then you feel like the biggest prick in the world because he laments to you that he lives in the Friend Zone.

To most women, it doesn't seem like such a bad deal to have guys who are our friends. Especially if those guys are willing to listen to you, hug you when you are sad, and just generally be there for you (bonus if they are funny and make you laugh) so that you can do the same for them without any expectations or strings attached.  But, it seems that to guys ... this is the worst place to be! It is like the Twilight Zone of relationships and nobody wants to be there. I mean, I get it. If I were placed in the Friend Zone by someone I wanted to be in a relationship with, I would be devastated. But ... you never hear about girls being put in the Friend Zone. It is this elusive place where girls aren't allowed.

Men are put in the Friend Zone and women are just told that "he isn't worthy of you if he doesn't want to date you". Why the double standards?

The Friend Zone isn't a new concept, it is represented in many movies and books throughout time. In the Harry Potter series Severus Snape is the epitome of the example of "friend zoned" as he is placed there early on by Lily Potter and never got out. Gale is Friend Zoned by Katniss in the Hunger Games. George is Friend Zoned by Meredith in favor of McDreamy on Grey's Anatomy. Even Forrest Gump is Friend Zoned by Jenny.

So how do we change the Friend Zone to being a positive rather than negative location? Can it be done? Is it okay for males and females to be friends? 

The Men of Online Dating, Pt 6

It has been awhile since I wrote about the men of online dating ... but as I continue in this adventure I realized that I forgot one of the men you'll meet while fishing in the murky waters of the online dating pool.

The You Look Nothing Like Your Picture Guy

Like so many other times, you find yourself aimlessly scrolling through the pictures of your "matches" that the computer has somehow scientifically decided you belong with ... and there he is. His picture catches your eye and causes your scrolling finger to leap off of the track pad and abruptly stop the stream of eyes imploring you to click on their profile.

You decide that while it may be too good to be true you click on the photograph anyway. You open up the profile and start to read. Your eyes are widening in disbelief as this guy seems way too good to be true - could this be the man you are going to date? Will he respond? Because, hot damn, he is one attractive man (and yes, let's all accept the fact that looks come first in online dating as shallow as that may seem).

So you send him a message and start down the long road of getting to know someone. Miracle of miracles, everything goes swimmingly and you find out that you have a few things in common (okay, 2 things but he is really cute). Ultimately you decide to meet.

You pick a location, you put on your best outfit and you drive to the predetermined location. You wait. And wait. And wait. Finally someone comes up to you and tells you that they are the person you are meeting.

Say whaaaaat? You have no clue who this person is. The name sounds familiar but you have never seen this person before in your life. Is it a big misunderstanding? Or have you just been cat-fished?

The downfall of online dating is that people can seriously change their appearances, likes or dislikes to make themselves more appealing to you. People, own it. Own who you are and be honest with each other. What do you think is going to happen when you meet? Do you think she (or he for that matter) will just hangout with you when she has no idea who you are? Ever hear of stranger danger?

On the flip side ... I have encountered Ross Geller in my online dating foray ... and since he is a fictional character (from Friends in case you have been living under a rock) from a 90's television show ... I'm going to go with he is the perfect example of this time of man.

Best Laid Plans

Our best laid plans are often ... mislaid.

Most people grow up planning their future. They plan out what GPA they will have in high school ... what college they will attend ... when they will get married ... when and how many children they will have ... where they will live and so much more.

But something tends to happen along the way that makes our straight laced plans go haywire. I saw this picture on Facebook (again) the other day and it really resonated with me.

Looking back at my life, I think of all of the plans that I had envisioned for my future. They, of course, changed as I got older but I always intended that I would meet the man I would marry in college. I would graduate and then we would be engaged and married and having our first child by 26 - 27 at the latest. We would be a happy little family and everything would be perfect.

Of course ... that did not happen and nowhere near close to it. So my straight arrow of a plan turned into a massive jumble of lines with no distinct ending. Here I am at almost 29 and none of those plans I had for my life have come to light.

Is that a problem? For awhile, I would've said yes. But I think that the true answer is no. Would I have loved for that life to be true? The perfect plans and the perfect family and perfect life? Well, yes, absolutely I would say that that would be quite amazing.

But, boring. I think when life follows the straight path we intend for it ... our life doesn't have much excitement. We all could do with less heartbreak, less sadness and do with more joy and happiness. We may find it hard to contain our despair that life is not going how we planned and we may find it hard to accept that the path is not straight and narrow.

Perhaps we should take a page from Robert Frost and take the road less traveled. Embrace the craziness of life, enjoy the twists and turns along the road and learn to like the chaos. 

The Eiffel Tower

I may be jumping out of order in the Fabulous France trip I took ... but as cliche as it is, the Eiffel Tower was one of my favorite parts of the trip. The Eiffel Tower is one of the most iconic landmarks in Paris. Even the most naive person in the world can identify the Eiffel Tower. Any film that is set in Paris includes at least one romantic shot of the tower ... any photograph series set in France will have at least one beautiful photo of the tower ... it is so iconic that even my three year old nephew knew that I was at "Eiffel" but could not tell you I was in France.

I honestly cannot even describe how I felt when I first saw the Eiffel Tower as I flew into Paris. Our plane turned slightly and there is suddenly appeared towering over the rest of Paris through the small window of the plane. I craned my neck and stood up as best I could in my seat barring removing my seat belt and just smiled. My heart swelled and I knew I would love Paris. Even my awake-for-36-hours-sleep-deprived-brain knew that I would forever leave a piece of my heart behind.

The Eiffel Tower is massive, and that is an understatement. The Eiffel Tower was originally built for the World's Fair in 1889. Once the exposition was over, the Parisians wanted it removed but Gustav Eiffel, of course, wanted it to stay. He was so proud of his tower that he decided to add an antennae to the top so that the Parisians would want it to stay to improve radio frequencies (of course this is the high abridged version of the tower's long history). The millennium brought a sparkling light show that would allow the tower to sparkle every hour after dark. It was only meant to last that year but the people fell in love with it and it remains to this day.

I was lucky enough to stay in a hotel that had a roof top terrace where I could watch the Eiffel Tower sparkle in the evening - and I have to say this is one of my favorite views of Paris. We came up here every night we were able and enjoyed a glass of wine and soaked in the view. The Eiffel Tower to one side and Sacre-Coeur to the other. Then at nine-fifty-nine pm we all would jump up and hold onto the railings as we eagerly awaited the show to being. The tower would light up and start to sparkle at ten on the dot and the show would last for five minutes. It would be nearly impossible to drag your eyes away from the glorious twinkling tower in the distance.

While there, we were fortunate enough to eat dinner at 86 Eiffel, which is a restaurant located on the first floor of the tower. It is a completely surreal feeling to know that you are eating dinner ON the Eiffel Tower. Following quite possibly one of the most delicious meals I have ever had ... we climbed the 340+ steps to the second floor of the tower and enjoyed the views there before making our final trek to the top.

I couldn't even believe that I was standing on top of the Eiffel Tower. On top of all that, it was sparkling as we reached the top and I knew that I was part of the beautiful spectacle that I enjoyed nightly. My heart swelled as I walked around the top and I knew in that moment that I would always hold a special place in my heart for Paris ... because Paris is truly always a good idea.

Parfrey's Glen - Wisconsin Trails

Another not-so-hidden treasure of a hike in Wisconsin is Parfrey's Glen. This hike has been floating around the world of Pinterest the past few months as well.  It is located in a similar area to Pewits Nest ... just on the other end of Devil's Lake State Park.

This is another fantastically beautiful hike to take that is totally worth the two hours we spent in the car to get there. It is another family friendly hike that we took with a baby as young as 4 months old to a very young grandma!

Parfrey's Glen is Wisconsin's very first State Natural Area and is located right outside of Devil's Lake State Park and right next to the Ice Age Trail. At most, the glen reaches a height of 100 feet and has a mountain like (chilly) creek flowing through its floor.

The trail takes you from the parking lot to the start of the glen. The path is pretty flat until this point and very easy walking. This portion would be pretty stroller friendly but once you reach the entry of the glen ... the stroller would need to be left behind.

From here you can continue to trek through the glen and enjoy the babbling creek and huge sandstone walls. The walls are sandstone embedded with boulders, pebbles and quartzite. Resist the urge to climb the walls of the canyon and protect the variety of flora that surrounds you.

The whole family enjoyed walking through the creek, scrambling over rocks and fallen logs and going on an adventure! My 6 year old niece exclaimed that "this is the best day of my whole life"!


DO:
-Wear shoes that you don't mind getting wet! Due to flooding and destruction of bridges the past twenty years, there are some areas that you must go in the water to get across and your feet will get wet despite your best intentions.
-Bring a towel and dry shoes.
-Try to stay on the trail ...
-Go on a warm day! The water is quite chilly and you may appreciate the warmer temps!
-Clean up after yourself ... don't leave anything behind! Help keep this area beautiful for future generations.

DON'T:
-Bring food or drink into the park other than water.
-Bring your animals.

Pewits Nest - Wisconsin Trails

Floating around in the Pinterest-sphere are pictures of hidden places to visit in Wisconsin. Of course, now that they have been pinned and repinned and shared and sent, they are no longer hidden treasures but public treasures instead.

One that consistently pops up is a place near Devil's Lake State Park called Pewits Nest. Pewits Nest is a State Natural Area located right outside of Baraboo, Wisconsin. The draw to this particular location is a 30-40 foot deep gorge that was formed by glaciers. A creek then cut its way through the sandstone and created a creek with deeper holes, waterfalls and shallow waters that visitors can walk through.

This hike is a great one for families. The terrain is easy with only a few locations that require a helping hand. I took this hike with my sister, her husband, their 3 year old and 4 month old. The baby was strapped into a baby bjorn and was just along with the ride! The 3 year old did great and had no trouble walking the trail and even enjoyed walking/swimming through the gorge.

The distance from the parking area to the water is not very long at all. It is mostly shaded and flat. Once you get to the water, visitors can choose to walk through the water down the canyon or stick to the trail that meanders along the ridge of the canyon. If you choose to walk through the water, be careful and be prepared to get wet. The water can get quite deep in some areas and it will require that you swim for a short distance.

Either way, it is a BEAUTIFUL place and definitely worth the drive to visit.

DO:
-Bring swim clothes and/or an extra pair of clothes and towel.
-Bring water shoes if you have them! The rocks can be slippery and it is a better alternative to drenching your sneakers ... though I did and it worked out okay!
-Bring a camera, this canyon is gorgeous.
-Clean up after yourself. Don't leave trash lying around, keep this area beautiful for future generations.
-Go on a nice day! The water is a bit chilly and you may appreciate warmer temps if you wish to swim.
-Be prepared to wait for parking. Now that this is no longer a hidden treasure, parking can be hard to find in the lot. Visitors are not allowed to park on the street and will be ticketed if found!

DON'T:
-Bring animals. According to the website animals are not allowed.
-Bring snacks or beverages other than water - they would prefer that you eat your snacks outside of the natural area in order to keep it in good condition.
-Jump from rocks - you may see other people doing this, but the DNR would prefer you don't in order to protect the area.