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Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Getting Lost in a Map

Maps fascinate me. I admit, I sat here for the past hour {with a migraine and small green dots seeming to appear all over the screen} scrolling through Google Maps. I looked at the distance between where I am now and where I’d like to go, where I am now and where I used to be, and studied names of towns I’ve never heard of. What started off as me looking at the state of Vermont, later turned into me scrolling over the blue ocean, studying Cuba and its distance to islands I’ve been to.

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{via}

What is it that fascinates me so much?

Maybe it’s the fact that every little state above is SO different from the other and even more different than lands across the ocean.

Maybe it’s the fact that there are so many quaint towns that I’ve never even heard of before that each have their own culture and customs and stories.

Maybe it’s the memories I’ve made in so many of these places.

Maybe it’s the possibility of new memories being made in places where I’ve yet to set foot.

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{A map of films. Shout out to my high school in Remember the Titans. Just sayin’}

I also admit that sometimes I will go on Google Maps and take that little orange guy {you know, the one who will take you to street view} and will randomly drop him anywhere in the U.S. In case you’re wondering, right now I’m in the middle-of-nowhere North Dakota. Although it’s not live, it kind of gives me the chance to “go” places and see what communities and landscapes are like in other parts of the country. I’ve even been to Canada via the orange guy!

Some may think it’s strange, but it’s my way of “exploring” when I can’t actually go and explore. There are times where I have spent an hour or two doing this. It usually ends with me looking up real estate in places I’ve come across but that’s a post for another day.

But, I just get completely enthralled. I wonder what the homes, terrain, and streets look like in these unknown cities. I wonder if the people have accents and how they spend their days.

You’re probably wondering what sparked all of this. Well, last night at dinner, Whitney and I were discussing travel/moving and it really got me excited and determined to see more of this country and more of this world. There are foods waiting to be tasted, sights waiting to be seen, fragrances waiting to be smelt, and many, many pictures waiting to be taken. Until then, I’ll have to explore these places from afar.

So, I invite you, when you get some free time, to get “lost” in a map for a while. Explore. Find somewhere new. Find beauty in the unknown.

Where have you found yourself looking on a map? What places fascinate you?

16 comments:

the girl in the red shoes said...

I love maps...especially old ones. I need to frame a few in my house. And that second map of movies cracks me up!

TLF said...

That was your high school in Remember the Titans?? So cool! Love that movie.

Katie said...

My hubby loves maps too. I think he looks at them daily. loves them. I love to travel and visit new places! I'm obsessed. Shoutout to OHIOOOOOO for Tommy Boy..wha wha.

Rebecca said...

Maps make me so happy. It's funny though because geography definitely is not my strongest suit!

Anonymous said...

LOVE this! I did a guest post a few months ago on a blog about my love for maps and i thought i was a total nerd...so im glad to know im not by reading this :)

maps fascinate me because it assures me to never get bored in a place. there is ALWAYS something to see or a town to visit. it encourages me to tour and visit the 'known' and not always just the 'unknown'.

right now im focusing my efforts on eastern europe. but unfortunately i cant make any visits outside of norway until i have a visa from here. so for now, i will have to explore this country and enjoy it.

and that map with movies is so cool!!!!!

Katie said...

Google maps is totally addicting! If you have a phone that can download apps, you should look at Google Sky. ...it's equally as addicting!! :)

Anonymous said...

This is cute. Exploring is definitely fun. Life's too short to be stuck in one state your whole life.

Blake said...

Oh my gosh, I LOVE the map with all the movies. That's so cool! I find myself mapping out cross-county road trips all the time. Following interstates with my finger, trying to find back roads. It's so much fun!

Holly said...

This sounds like a fun idea! I love that you can see street views, so cool and creepy. Haha! I never thought of using Google maps to "explore" but I might have to now! It's like traveling without spending the money to do so!

Anonymous said...

I love maps too i usually am the navigator when we travel and i will just stare at maps lol

miss andrea lee said...

I love looking at maps, and looking at places through street view!

Britt said...

I love maps! I am really loving the movie map. That would totally go with my family room theme. Must get my hands on it!

Erica said...

I do this all the time! My passion is traveling and I'm constantly dreaming of new lands to see. Last year I created a world map pin board where it currently hangs in my bedroom. I have push pins in all the cities I've visited throughout my life time and I find myself studing the map, trying to plan out my next destination. Now I just have to make those thoughts and dreams a reality. STAT!

C Mae said...

Chels- I went back and read the blog post you mentioned to me today to read. I definitely missed that post. I hope since that was Aug, and it's now Nov, that you are in a much better, safer place in your life.

They say maps are the "it" thing to wrap presents for the opposite sex in! haha who knew!

Vivian said...

You know how rare it is to find people who want to see the world? It's so easy to just live in a bubble and not wonder about who is around us. What a great post. If you don't mind I'm going to have to share it with my readers. My life is not an ordinary one and I LOVE to travel and experience other cultures, as I'm already another culture of my own :) The google maps had me laughing, why had I never thought of that?

Raquel said...

I loooove maps! I used to have e ginormous ma hanging in my room back in high school and every time i would visit a place, i would put a thumbtack on that place. I wanna do that again