Keeping with my own version of "Favorite Things" with our trip to Europe, I had to share this chess set in Marksburg Castle in Germany. There's a beautiful stillness to a chessboard, especially these gorgeous, Medieval-themed pieces. A friend rightly said they reminded her of Harry Potter's "Wizard's Chess." While they never sprung up and started bashing one another up, there was a bit of magic in this moment.

Are you ready to rumble for 2014?? It's a lot to think about, 2013: The Year that Was. There's so many notable moments, and it's been a busy year to say the least, but sometimes the best stuff is saved for last, which is a good thing, because that's what stays fresh in our mind and inspires us for the year ahead.

picture-perfect timing

They say timing is everything -- and it's totally true! We can probably list all the just-missed moments of wonderful-ness in our lives; an opportunity that slipped through our fingers, even a lost love that was never meant to be. But what about the rare, treasured moments where it was as if all the stars aligned, and you literally felt like you were exactly in the perfect place, precisely where the Universe wanted you to be?