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saging

8 Jun

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Grateful for my recent jolt of positive new energy, I decided to ensure that it sticks around by cleansing our home (and me, for that matter) of any negative energy. Enter in… saging. As hippy dippy as I can be sometimes… I’ve never saged (also referred to as smudging) before. Gasp! But, the word on the street is, it’s a great way to rid yourself and your space of any lingering negative energy, in turn, making room for new energy and intentions.

Sign me up, universe.

Considering I live in LA, it was easy to find a store that sold sage for smudging. I walked over to Mystic Journey Bookstore on Abbott Kinney in Venice, marched straight past the display of crystals and the shelves of self-help books and over to the basket of sage. I picked through it for a bit, trying to decide which one I wanted. Each one was wrapped in a different color ribbon and varying in size – so many choices. I ended up settling on a medium-sized bundle wrapped in a pink ribbon. It just felt like the right one for the job.

My initial plan was to sage the house by myself while Brian was at work, but then I thought it all the way through and realized that it might be best to have Brian involved in this particular activity. Not only because it happens to be his space as well, but also because I’ve been known to accidentally light things on fire.

So I waited.

I wasn’t quite sure what Brian would think of my plan. Luckily, he was game for some saging and it turned out to be an unexpectedly fun husband/wife activity. The only member of the family who wasn’t into it was Frank. He made it very clear early one that he is not a fan of smoking plants….I don’t think he will be saging his dog bed anytime soon.

Brian and I went from room to room with our smoking sticks of sage, sometimes together but mostly we moved separately. We had a common affirmation/intention for each room though. I found the experience incredibly grounding. Maybe it’s due to the ceremony of it, but I immediately felt lighter when we were done.

If you haven’t tried it, I would most definitely recommend it.

How to sage your space-

* things you need…sage…a bowl to hold the smoking stick over and a cup of water to extinguish it in after.
– open every door and window in your house
– light the stick, and when it catches fire, blow it out and allow the embers to start to smoke (like you would light incense).
– set your intention for each room.
– walk around the room, waving the sage stick so its smoke drifts into corners, along walls, around windows, and along ceiling lines. As you do, imagine the smoke absorbing negativity, problems from those who were in the space before you, toxicity, and anything else you want to go away. See the smoke dissipating and floating out the windows, and imagine that bad energy flowing out of your space, making room for positive, fresh energy.
– extinguish the stick in the cup of water

and viola! Hello, new energy!

 

hitting the road…

5 Jun

 

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Brian and I are hitting the road this morning en route for one of my favorite places…Sedona, AZ. We go to Sedona at least twice a year (Brian’s parents have a house there) but this will be a weekend of firsts for us…we are staying there a little longer than we usually do (a weekend always seems to go by too quick), driving instead of flying (we decided that we were both in need of a little adventure) and going alone (we usually bring a group of friends with us but this time around we wanted a mellow trip). I’m looking forward to doing a whole lotta nothing for five days.

Below is my Friday happy list- making a list of the little things that bring me joy each week helps me stay present.

20 things that have been making me happy recently…

pink peonies

watching Bloodline on Netflix

my new laptop- it’s love

planning out our summer calendar (so many weddings!)

wandering the streets of Venice on my morning walks with Frankie

lunches with Crystal

lazy Sundays at home with my family and a stack of magazines

the little dragon pandora station

haagen dazs vanilla ice cream

sipping coffee in bed with a view of our blooming garden

saging our home (more on that next week)

beach weather, pool weather & bikini weather is on the horizon

we’re going to Sedona for five days!

this quote…

ego says: once everything falls into place, I will find peace

spirit says: find peace and everything will fall into place 

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What’s been making you guys happy recently?

 

LA marathon lights

16 Mar

 

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Brian and I decided to change-up our normal routine of sitting on the couch with takeout and a movie on Friday night (welcome to married life) and instead ventured out to Hollywood (gasp!) to get a view of the LA marathon lights. For those of you who don’t live in Los Angeles, this weekend was the LA marathon. For a gal who doesn’t run unless in danger of being hit by oncoming traffic, I am completely wowed and inspired by the people who conquer the 26.2 mile run. It’s simply mind-blowing to me. I still can’t fathom how it’s humanly possible to make it from Dodger Stadium to The Santa Monica pier using only your legs.

In celebration of the marathons 30th anniversary, Asics, the official sponsor of this years event lit up each mile, using 124 spotlights from 8:40 pm to 10:15 pm on Friday night. In hopes of getting a good view of it, Brian and I headed to the top of Runyon Canyon. We decided to make it a family affair and brought Frank along for the adventure. When we arrived we quickly realized we weren’t the only ones that had the brilliant idea to view the lights from Runyon Canyon- there were people everywhere. It was actually rather cool to see swarms of people come out to support the event and get a view of the lights.

Hiking up to the lookout in the dark with only a headlamp for light proved interesting. Especially wearing only flip-flops for foot support (I’ve had better ideas) while being dragged by an excited pup (seriously, I think it was Franks favorite Friday night to date. Homeboy was jazzed.) The whole scene was very reminiscent of The Blair Witch Project.

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Once we made it up to the top, Brian set up his camera equipment while Frank and I said our “hellos” to the people around us. Frank is quite the diplomat. For as long as I have lived in Los Angeles I have never seen this view of LA at night. Probably because it is illegal to be within Runyon Canyon after dark- strength in numbers, people! The view of the sparkling city below was breathtaking. It was so clear. I could spot so many landmarks. At 8:40 pm sharp the marathon spotlights were turned on and there was an audible gasp. It was so beautiful and so inspiring.

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ALL PHOTOS BY BRIAN GLODNEY PHOTOGRAPHY 

To see the panoramic photograph (it’s pretty epic) along with Brian’s blog post click here

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inspiration photos / spring road trip

11 Nov

After our mini road trip to Ojai this past weekend planning our spring road trip from Los Angeles to Seattle is front and center on my mind. I love being on the open road with Brian. We are both at our happiest when exploring- Brian equipped with his camera and me my journal. There is also nothing I love more than planning road trips! I get such a high researching every little detail. Although, I imagine planning this road trip will be far less time consuming than when I drove across the country with One Part Gypsy.

At the moment the itinerary is…Los Angeles, Big Sur, Carmel, San Francisco, Tomales Bay, Ashland, Eugene, Portland, Olympia & Seattle. Thoughts? Has anyone ever done this route? Are there other places you think that we should make a point to stop?

Brian and I have only ever made it as far as Tomales Bay so any tips (hotels, restaurants, things to do/see) are welcome in any of the cities.

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tomales bay menu

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wine

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“Once the travel bug bites you there is no known antidote, and I know that I shall be happily infected for the rest of my life.”

Michael Palin

I can’t stop thinking about this…

4 Nov

 

 

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I was saddened to hear the news of Brittany Maynard’s passing over the weekend. In case you haven’t heard about her story, she is the woman who recently become the face of the death with dignity movement after being diagnosed with a glioblastoma, an aggressive form of terminal brain cancer. Her story really struck a chord with me, not only because we were close in age and both newlyweds but also because two people in my family who I loved very much passed away from the same form of brain cancer and let me tell you, it is a horrible way to die.

While I know that the ‘death with dignity’ act, which advocates that terminally ill patients be allowed to receive medication that will let them die on their own terms is controversial and not the kind of topic I normally discuss on my blog, I still felt compelled to share about it. I feel strongly that people have the right to make this decision for themselves when faced with such a bleak sentence. I don’t think of it as suicide. I think Brittany summed it up perfectly…”They try to mix it up with suicide and that’s really unfair, because there’s not a single part of me that wants to die. But I am dying.”

I can’t even imagine having to make that choice but I also can’t imagine spending my last few months on earth withering away in pain. I think her choice was incredibly brave. After following her story this past month I of course knew how it would end but I was still upset when I found out that she had passed and was surprised to find myself crying. It felt funny to cry about the loss of someone I’ve never even met. But something about her story cracked my heart wide open. It reminded me how fragile life is. I was overcome with gratitude that I got another day. Another day to laugh. Another day to cry. Another day to experience it all, to have my heart cracked wide open all over again.

This was the statement that she released shortly before her passing…

“Goodbye to all my dear friends and family that I love. Today is the day I have chosen to pass away with dignity in the face of my terminal illness, this terrible brain cancer that has taken so much from me … but would have taken so much more,” she wrote on Facebook. “The world is a beautiful place, travel has been my greatest teacher, my close friends and folks are the greatest givers. I even have a ring of support around my bed as I type … Goodbye world. Spread good energy. Pay it forward!”

I loved the last two lines…spread good energy. Pay it forward 

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Did you guys follow along with this story the past month? Would love to hear your thoughts.

 

 

inspiration, gratitude & surprises

26 Sep

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I have been a tad absent on the blog recently. I had big plans for the content I wanted to put up (seriously, I had the calendar all planned out) but instead daily life kept getting in the way and I had a hard time sitting down at my computer for a solid block of time. Luckily, I had a bunch of fabulous project 30 interviews lined up- did you read them? They were all fabulous! (Chelsea, Katie, Tobi & Amy Nicole).

The past few days have been full…we had friends staying with us, my momma’s birthday & Rosh Hashanah. In addition I have been under the weather the last two days. It’s just your run of the mill sore throat, headache & body aches but it’s knocked me on my ass. I just want to sleep all day. Sadly, Frank thinks sleeping all day is stupid. He’d much rather torture me with his tennis ball. Seriously, what do people do when they are sick and have small kids at home??? If a puppy is driving me nuts I can’t imagine a baby.

I’m planning on taking it pretty easy this weekend. The only thing I have on the books is a date with my little sister Briana. We are going to Aquarium Of The Pacific! I’m not sure who is more excited about this outing!

What inspired me this week?

30 things to start doing for yourself 

All the beautiful and moving essays that have been posted on the Manifest-Station recently

This quote…”The things you are passionate about are not random, they are your calling.“- Fabienne Fredrickson

What am I grateful for this week?

Long visits with Taline and baby Liam

A beautiful Rosh Hashanah dinner with family. It was such a warm evening filled with love and laughter…Shana Tova!!

Lunch with my brother and my momma to celebrate her birthday at a restaurant on the sand

My family for offering to take Frankie out on dates these last two days to give me a break while sick in bed

A margarita date with my friend Jen Pastiloff 

It’s officially fall…bring out the pumpkins and pumpkin candles!

My dear friend Ali had a healthy & beautiful baby boy

My husband…always my husband

What surprised me this week?

My experience at the DMV…story coming Monday!

Lastly, have you seen this video yet? I’m obsessed

love

22 Sep

When I woke up today I went through my normal morning routine…kiss Brian goodbye…cuddle with Frankie…make a big cup of coffee and then climb back into bed for a 1/2 an hour with my computer (and Frankie & coffee of course) before getting into the shower. This morning while I was perusing the internet I stumbled upon Emma Watson’s recent UN speech on gender equality and my morning routine changed course a bit. I don’t often find myself tearing up over my morning coffee. I found her words and passion deeply moving, I couldn’t help but share it….

a good reminder…

13 Aug

 

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my note from the universe this morning…

A question to ask yourself each morning, that really lights fires, gongs bells, and summons resources is “what little, mortal, baby steps can I take today that will demonstrate expectancy, prepare for my dream’s manifestation, and above all, place me within reach of life’s magic?”

Please, ask this question and then take those steps, and I promise you’ll go down in history as a giant among your kind.

It’s never too late,

The Universe

inspiration, gratitude & surprises

8 Aug

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week 5

I’ve rather enjoyed this week. Actually, that’s an understatement…I loved this week. You know when you just feel “on”…you feel positive, creative, happy, healthy & connected to the flow of life and those around you? Rather then annoyed, frustrated, anxious & “off”? Well, I felt “on” this week and believe me, I am not gloating because my head space has been a bit touch and go recently. It’s just been a good week and I am always grateful for a good week. With all that said I’m looking forward to taking this energy into the weekend.

this weekend…

After a morning client today I am meeting my girlfriend Crystal for lunch at you guessed it…a vegetarian restaurant! Luckily she’s a “real” vegetarian, not just some “30 day challenge” pretend vegetarian, so picking the lunch spot was easy. After lunch I am visiting my girlfriend Sophie and her adorable little boys at their new home to help unpack a few boxes and take a dip in their new pool. Then I meeting Brian and a few of our friends at The Hollywood Forever Cemetery for a Spoon concert.

Saturday we have a million and one things to do around the house in the morning. We’ve. Been. Lazy. LAZZZZY. Luckily after what I am sure will be a boring morning we are yet again heading to a pool for the afternoon. This time with my mama, Loni & the lovely baby Margot. I am looking forward to seeing baby Margot float around in a pool. Really, is there anything cuter than a baby in a bathing suit? I think not.

Sunday morning Brian will probably surf and I will probably go to yoga (it’s the Sunday morning routine around here) then we are meeting his parents for get this…the annual Rib Fest at Lucques. Clearly, I agreed to this before I decided to go vegetarian for a month. I’m thinking I just eat the sides and cheer Brian on in what I am sure will be an epic display of rib consumption?

What do you have planned for the weekend??

What inspired me this week?

This weeks project 30! I just loved this line…“And the older I get the more I realize that there is no place to fall- believing there is a “place” is a very immature point of view in my estimation.” 

without my career, who will I be?

“The secret of change is to focus all your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new”- Socrates 

What am I grateful for this week?

The photographer, Jennifer Harr for gifting Brian and I with a one of her beautiful photographs (that I have been drooling over) It’s amazing how lovely and generous people can be.

All the amazing project 30 submissions I am getting. Seriously, I am blown away by how incredible these ladies are!

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Thai Vegan for getting me through my first week as a vegetarian

feeling healthy

long lunches with my aunt Maggie

What surprised me this week?

That Frank isn’t bald. Seriously, the amount of hair he sheds on a daily basis is astounding. It’s also beyond annoying having to sweep the house every night. I’m rethinking our suede couch…BIG time.

 Frank and I found ourselves in the middle of police standoff on our walk this week. We certainly know how to time it don’t we?

That I not only like but love the show Scandal (I know, I am very late to the game). Last week I watched my first episode on netflix and it has since become an every night activity. Sometimes two episodes a night…ok and once it was three.

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find me elsewhere : instagram @kate365 / facebook / twitter / pinterest 

inspiration, gratitude & surprises

1 Aug

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We are off on another weekend getaway with the Garahan’s! This time we are going camping. I’ve definitely warmed up to the whole idea of paying to sleep in the dirt since the first time I camped with Brian in Big Sur a few years ago. This will be my third time camping (last year we did Mammoth with Mike & Loni). This weekend we choose a campground a little closer to home and are heading to Ojai. Considering camping was on Brian’s “summer to do list” I know he’s very excited about the next few days. Surprisingly, I’m actually looking forward to it too. Nothing better for the soul then a little nature, right?

what inspired me this week?

I saw the movie “Boyhood” and simply loved it! Such a beautiful and poetic film. I think Richard Linklater is a genius

 “Things don’t happen to you- they happen for you”

this quote…”Two things define you. Your patience when you have nothing, and your attitude when you have everything.” – unknown

This weeks project 30 post

what am I grateful for this week?

the arrival of baby Liam

Erin Haslag for letting me know about the brilliant website Skillshare. What an amazing resource. I’ve already watched a bunch of online classes on photography. love

what surprised me this week?

when I received a bill from my the surgeon who performed my gallbladder surgery for 63,000….yes 63,000!! After I had a full blown panic attack, I called his office, only to learn that they had made a mistake and forgot to include my insurance. I actually owe 0…yes 0. Seriously, they could have killed me!

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find me elsewhere: instagram / facebook / twitter