excuses for not blogging.

After a whirlwind couple of weeks, I woke up this morning feeling like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. Only instead of awakening to yellow brick roads and sparkly shoes, it was sweatpants, grocery shopping and a refreshing sense of normalcy.

These past few weeks have been insane, and while I've loved every second of it, I'm equally excited to jump back into routine. And my own bed.

Here's a glimpse at what I've been up to, or what I like to call "excuses for not blogging."

First and foremost? Yogurt bars. Obsession doesn't even BEGIN to cover it. Unfortunately, there are none in Grand Island just yet, so in the meantime I've been hitting up every single one I've encountered during recent travels. "It's fat-free, which means this is totally healthy," I say as I pile on every possible topping you can think of. Obsessed.

Speaking of traveling, I recently became well-acquainted with the state of Texas. From Dallas to Houston, the Gulf to rustic back roads, I fell in love with the beauty, the FOOD (!!!) and the people I met along the way.

(forgive the iPhone pictures; I'm slightly addicted to Instagram) 

After Texas, I headed up to Denver to meet the incredible Jasmine Star. For those unfamiliar, she's essentially an A-list celebrity within the photography industry and after stalking following her blog for the past few years, I was ecstatic to meet her. She gave me the kindest, warmest greeting ever and in return? I stammer a hello, compliment her pants, and skip off like a tween at a Justin Bieber concert. Sometimes it hurts being this awesome.

She spoke of the importance of challenging yourself, staying hungry for change, and the value of being connected with those around us. I left feeling absolutely inspired and thankful for such generous people in this industry. Her enthusiasm is contagious and I am now somehow even MORE excited for the 2012 wedding season. 

I'm told another note-worthy milestone these past few weeks was watching Dirty Dancing for the first time. Ever. It's taken me twenty-mumble mumble years to finally watch it, and I have to say, I feel a little more caught up with the times. So much so, that (second milestone...) I was even inspired to finallllly create a Twitter account. (@RachelEbelPhoto if you're so inclined)

Lastly, I visited one of my favorite places on earth, Breckenridge, where some of my favorite PEOPLE on Earth happen to live. The result = an absolutely amazing time of taking in the beauty of Colorado and catching up with old friends.

I'm looking forward to more adventures in the coming weeks, but for now, I'm embracing the calm. 

Happy Thursday!