Tag Archives: 2015

fall / winter 2015

9 Sep

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(image found via pinterest)

With 2015 nearing to a close…I know, I know, we still have four full months, but once September hits I can’t help but reflect on how I want the year to wrap up. September – December always seems to fly by and I find myself surprised every year on January 1st- it almost seems impossible that we are there again. The next four months also happen to be my absolute favorite time of year- I find myself most creatively alive during this time. I also love everything to do with the holidays and what they represent- family dinners, our wedding anniversary, carving pumpkins, dressing Frankie up for Halloween, cooking, warmth, bundling up, decorating trees, cuddling & new beginnings.

The last eight months have been an introspective time for me. Rather than exploring the world around me, as I usually do, I have been instead making the journey within. I knew at the start of 2015 that something was off.  I had baggage that I still hadn’t worked through and I was dragging it around with me. I couldn’t hide from it anymore. It was time to do the hard work, even if that meant that other things had to be put on the back burner. Something very hard for a person who desires immediate results like me to come to terms with. Instead I had to trust the process. It reminded me of that quote by Zora Neale Hurston –  “There are years that ask questions and years that answer.” Thus far this year has most definitely been asking me some questions. Ones that needed answering and ones that positively shifted something in me once I did. I feel empowered and for that I am incredibly grateful.

Life man, such a wild ride sometimes, right?

When reflecting about how I want the next few months to unfold, it was clear to me that I want them to feed my soul, creative mind, relationships, home & belly. I want to soak in every bit of goodness that 2015 has left to offer me. I have a feeling the next four months will bring an entirely different energy than the first eight did and I am ready for that new energy.

Some of the ways I would like to spend the next few months…

Deepening my meditation practice. I know I have only been scratching at the surface and I am feeling a pull towards more. In addition to developing a stronger home practice I want to explore Unplug Meditation, Against The Stream & Shambhala Center.

Reading! There are fifteen (I might be setting myself up for failure on this one) books I would love to read before the end of the year. I’ll share them in a later post.

Cooking- I plan on spending some quality time in the kitchen! Again, there is something about fall and winter that inspire me to want to cook. I love hearty recipes and the feeling of warmth that comes from the kitchen this time of year.

I would love to put a small dinner party together in our home each month to bring our family and friends together. I want to make a point to enjoy the ones that matter most in my life. I also love to entertain.

I want to finish a few work projects that have been on the back burner for many many many months. As I mentioned previously, I put some things on the back burner to focus on me and it’s time to dust them off. They involve getting two book proposals finished and ready to submit in the new year and revamping my personal website which has been in purgatory for the last six months.

Practicing yoga. I want to make my yoga practice more of a priority over the next few months. My love for it has been renewed recently and I would love to keep the love affair going. My body just feels so much more balanced when I am practicing regularly.

I would love to finally find a property for the business Brian and I have been building with a few partners this past year. I can’t wait to share about it in the new year! Granted we find a property and the ball gets moving.

My home life- one of the most important aspects of my life. It has been in an incredibly solid and fulfilling place and I want to continue to watch it grow.

*

There are years that ask questions and years that answer,

Years that

fall apart

and years that come together…

There are years that cry and years that laugh,

Years that wonder

And years that strike and clap and thunder.

. . .

Your job isn’t to know — not right now, not quite yet.

Your job is simply

to breathe,

to trust,

to rest

To know that it is all a part of the path —

The mystery and the clarity

The hardship and delight

The darkness and the light alike.

. . .

Dear One,

Haven’t you heard?

“This place where you are right now

God circled on a map for you.”

*

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happy list

4 Feb

20 things that have been making me happy recently…

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20 things that have been making me happy recently…

1. as I write this post I am sitting at my favorite neighborhood coffee shop with a warm latte and my trusty computer. It’s been awhile since I’ve had a whole afternoon to myself

2. hard but honest conversations that make you instantly feel lighter

3. Mexico in T minus 7 days! I’m so ready for the downtime, hot sun, tacos & margaritas

4. that Frankie is ok after his health scare last week

5. all the inspiring women who have been answering the project 30 questions recently…as well as the ones coming up- there’s a really good one coming up tomorrow!

6. the desk Brian built us from scratch – total. office. game. changer

7. crossing things off my to-do list

8. building our new business- most definitely one of my favorite things about 2015 thus far

9. a saturday night date with Brian involving take out from Sunny Blue, a yummy bottle of red wine & catching up on our recorded television shows while cuddled up on the couch

10. pinteresting

11. listening to Brian crack up when he watches “Californication”- I can’t help but laugh too

12. planning our LA -> Seattle road trip which has been moved to the fall. California coast in the fall? Yes, please

13. I’m taking a twelve week course at Cal State Long Beach which started this past Saturday. It’s been a looooong time since I was in school. It was so fun- it made me very happy

14.  2015 in general

15. daydreaming about babies

16. my morning walks with Frank. It is most definitely my favorite way to start the day

17. Monday afternoon dates with Melissa

18. my family

19. It’s “love” month and Bri guys birthday month.

20. this quote…

“Love yourself enough to create an environment in your life that is conductive to the nourishment of your personal growth. 

Allow yourself to let go of the people, thoughts, and situations that poison your well-being. Cultivate a vibrant surrounding and commit yourself to making choices that will help you release the greatest expression of your unique beauty and purpose.” 

– Dr Steve Maraboli

NYE – Sedona

6 Jan
totally blocking the epic view.

totally blocking the epic view.

It’s been awhile since the idea of hitting the town on New Years Eve sounded appealing to me. It really never ends well- too much pressure! I much prefer quiet dinners and champagne at home with friends. So when Brian’s parents invited us to tag along with them and a friend of theirs to ring in the New Year at their house in Sedona, I jumped at the invitation. I have a big crush on Sedona (as well as his parents and their friend Lynn).

Sedona is an incredibly magical place. Maybe it’s the majestic red rock canyons as far as the eye can see but the energy there can be felt. Considering the last year has been a rather difficult one, I couldn’t think of a better place to say goodbye to 2014….and hello to 2015!

I have been to Sedona many times before but as many times as I have been, I’ve never been there during the winter months. Usually when I go I can be found lounging by the pool in a bathing suit. So when we booked the trip I excitedly asked Brian if there would be snow (us California girls don’t get to see snow that often, you know)! Brian informed me that it was possible but not likely. Snow in Sedona isn’t a normal occurrence. He said he had been there once before when it snowed and it was only a measly foot or so and burned off quickly the next day.

So it’s possible, I thought!

With this news I spent the next two months praying that it would snow during our three night stay there. If I were a mathematician I would have known that the odds were not stacked in my favor. Luckily, I am not. So I kept envisioning myself cuddled up on the couch, with the fireplace crackling, sipping a glass of wine while planning out my 2015 goals…with snow on the ground.

I had a vision people.

Well, somebody heard my prayers (clearly, I have decided this is a good omen for 2015) because it snowed. And I’m not talking a light dusting of snow…I’m talking over a foot of thick powdery snow that did not burn off the next day. It snowed all day on the 31st, from the moment we woke to the moment we went to bed. It snowed so much in fact, that the 5 mile road from the house down to the town was closed, making our fancy dinner plans out a thing of the past.

The next two days were spent playing in the snow, sleeping, eating, reading, drinking, playing cards/dominos, watching TV and dancing (sadly, the dancing was me and me alone…even sadder that it was to Taylor Swifts “shake it off”…I blame cabin fever…ok and maybe the wine.)

It was kinda the best New Years ever.

1

thanks Brian

thanks Brian

what Sedona looked like when we first arrived

what Sedona looked like when we first arrived

don't mind if I do

don’t mind if I do

there's really nothing like a husband in the kitchen

there’s really nothing like a husband in the kitchen

we woke up on the 31st to snow!

we woke up on the 31st to snow!

love

love

happy boy

happy boy

happy girl

happy girl

10

don't mind if I do

don’t mind if I do

engrossed in his book

engrossed in his book

seriously?

seriously?

15

serious game of dominos

 

YUM

YUM

peaceful

peaceful

just had to do it

just had to do it

always shooting pictures

always shooting pictures

winter wonderland

winter wonderland

totally worth the hike

totally worth the hike

totally blocking the epic view.

totally blocking the epic view.

blue skies again

blue skies again

*

To see some beyond gorgeous photos (as well as an amazing time lapse) that Brian took during our stay…visit his new photography journal!

1.5.15

5 Jan

I’m back! Back to reality and back to regular posting! Sorry I have been MIA through most of December but I  needed downtime to recharge my batteries. It’s probably safe to assume everyone did, right? I’ve also found that once I don’t blog for a few days it’s hard to get back into the swing of things. But I am back and feeling incredibly excited about 2015. I have some fun posts lined up for the week but in the meantime I thought I’d start off the week by sharing my motto for 2015.

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Do you guys have a motto for the year? Are you feeling amped about 2015?

 

 

happy list

3 Nov

20 things that have been making me happy recently…

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1. counting down the days until we get to celebrate our first wedding anniversary

2. the sound of fall leaves crunching under my feet

3. I wore my leather jacket for the first time this weekend!

4. the big rainstorm we had Friday night

5. morning walks through the canals with Brian and Frank after the big storm. The air was so crisp and the puffy clouds made the cloud lover in me swoon.

6. walking. Currently all I want to do is take long walks. It helps clear my head

7. fall magazines, fall movies & fall television

8. Tagging along with my interior designer mother to shop for her clients at the Pacific Design Center. That place is insane! I saw so many home decor items that made my heart skip a beat.

9. weekly writing dates with Katie

10. kids dressed up in their Halloween costumes

11. taking my little sister Briana on a date to the symphony. I’m a sucker classical music

12. lavender pillow spray

13. saying yes! to life in general

14. two of Brian’s photography prints are part of the “Art of Giving” charity auction, benefiting United Way of Greater Los Angeles. The silent auction is Thursday night…I can’t wait to dress up and celebrate him!

15. we cleaned out our storage unit on Sunday. It’s been on my to do list for months. Oh the joy this brought me.

16. brainstorming my goals & plans for 2015. 2014 kicked my ass in a lot of ways and I am ready for a fresh start

17. Sunday mornings spent cuddled up with my boys, coffee and a stack of magazines

18. weird things all dog owners do

19. pumpkins

20. my husband, always my husband