Tag Archives: venice

weekend

10 Aug

IMG_3215

(meeting our friends beautiful baby boy Ben)

Friday

When Brian got home from work on Friday night we decided to take Frankie on a walk to get dinner. Walking to get dinner in our hood (Marina arts district) is a new thing for us. When we first moved into our place over two years ago the area felt very industrial. We both missed our old walking neighborhood in Santa Monica. Seriously, when you live in Los Angles you just want to park your car on the weekend and be done with traffic for a few days. Luckily, over the last few years our neighborhood has changed dramatically- restaurants, coffee shops & stores are popping up everywhere! We are so happy to be on foot again. We walked to get Omusubi for dinner at Sunny Blue. Omusubi are Japanese rice balls with various fillings inside and wrapped in seaweed. Supposedly people in Japan eat omusubi everyday like we eat sandwiches here in the United States. They are delicious, healthy and SO incredibly filling. I usually get the same order- a spicy salmon (cured salmon with chili seasoning), a tuna mayo (albacore tuna with mayo sauce) & a kara tuna (albacore tuna with dices cucumber and onions and spicy mayo sauce). Clearly, I have a seafood theme but they have many other options! Brian usually sticks with a meat filled theme.

When we got home we from dinner we watched the new Netflix documentary Tig. Have you seen it? I loved it! I’ve found myself thinking about it all weekend and recommending it to everyone I came into contact with. The film follows comedian Tig Notaro and focuses on the stand up routine she performed one day after finding out she had breast cancer. I’m sure it sounds like a dark film but it’s just the opposite. She is able to find humor and joy in the darkest of times and I found it incredibly inspiring. Here’s the trailer…

Saturday

After a lazy morning in bed with a stack of magazines and a few too many cups of coffee we headed to Mendocino Farms to pick up sandwiches to bring over to our dear friends Rachel and PJ’s house for lunch. They welcomed a gorgeous baby boy named Ben into the world last week. He is absolute perfection and so teeny! Every time I see a newborn I am in awe of how tiny they are. It takes my breath away. He is an especially gorgeous newborn with perfect little features and soft blonde hair. It was such a nice afternoon hanging with the new family. It’s always such a beautiful thing to see people you love become parents. The circle of life never disappoints.

On Saturday night Brian and I walked down the street (yet again!) to get Indian food for dinner. We’ve passed this Indian restaurant a million times and have never stepped foot in it despite both loving Indian food. It was oh so good. We ordered much too much food and spent our walk home talking about how full we both were.

When we got home we flipped through on demand in search of a movie to watch. We ended up settling on “Cake” with Jennifer Aniston. I had been intrigued to see her performance considering she got such rave reviews for it. While I loved her performance I wasn’t in love with the movie in general.

Sunday

On Sunday morning I met a few girlfriends for a sweaty and upbeat yoga class at Maha yoga in Brentwood. I used to frequent this studio often but I haven’t gone recently and I forgot how much I loved it there! The class we took was accompanied by loud rap music- I know, sounds weird right? But sometimes you just need a rap filled Sunday morning yoga class, you know? It was followed by a long quiet meditation and the combination was exactly what I needed. I’m really trying to get back into daily meditation. I feel such a difference in my attitude when I make it a priority. After class we brunched at Farmshop in the Brentwood Country Mart. I ordered a mushroom frittata that was honestly the most delectable egg dish I have ever had. I also saw Laura Dern at the restaurant so it was a total win.

On Sunday night we met my Dad and Pamela for Mexican at La Cabana in Venice. As I write this blog post I am realizing just just how much heavy eating we did the last few days.  I can safely say that I am still full on Monday morning. Dinner with my family was the perfect way end to a perfect weekend. We always spend our time together laughing and it fills my heart.

Hope you all had a beautiful weekend! Happy Monday!

I’ll leave you with this photo of Frank from the weekend…

IMG_3226

Advertisement

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

saging

8 Jun

IMG_1733

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!

 

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

date day : 6. 14. 14

14 Jun

Since returning from our honeymoon our schedules have been busy…Brian is back to working 10 hour days, I’m back to work as well (although I’ve never worked a 10 hour day. The joys of freelancing), our calendars have been packed with family & friends and we have been working on a new business plan together. All good things but after a month of downtime where our  only concern each day was….what should we eat for dinner? What cocktail do you want? Do you want to nap in the hotel room or by the pool? 

Coming back to the frenetic pace of life has been an adjustment for us both. Not to mention we both miss spending all day, every day together. Sounds cheesy I know, but it’s true. We happen to really enjoy each other. With that said, we have been missing each other since we got back. Enter in….DATE DAY!

We’ve been sitting on massage gift certificates as well as a gift certificate to The Tasting Kitchen since our wedding. Cool gifts, eh? So we decided it was a perfect time to utilize them and a Saturday date day was in action. After sleeping in till 9am…unheard of in our house due to Frankie being an early riser but miracles do happen and homeboy slept in today. Once we were awake, Brian delivered a cuddly Frankie and a hot cup of coffee to me in bed (a usual routine on the weekends). It’s my favorite way to start the day.

photo-7

After family coffee time we headed to Montana (the street, not the state for you non-Los Angeles readers) to get massages…Frank not included of course, although I’m sure he would have been into it. It was heaven and so needed. Thanks, Mary!

The massage left us very hungry so it was perfect timing for brunch. We made the five-minute drive to the super hip and always trendy Abbott Kinney Blvd and to The Tasting Kitchen equipped with messy massage hair that I am sure made us look like we just rolled out of bed – we fit right in with all the hispters. Aren’t we super super hip and cool? We were lucky enough to snag a corner table on the patio. Winning! First up..brunch cocktails of course. I went with the “moped on the freeway”- which consisted of gin, lemon, mead & pineapple (delicious!) and Brian went with a classic bloody mary.

photo-6

photo-5

photo-4

We both ended up ordering exactly the same thing for brunch, “steak and eggs”…medium rare on the steak and over medium on the eggs, naturally. The dish was beyond tasty. We both cleaned our plates. The Tasting Kitchen always delivers- it’s a small menu but everything is always cooked to perfection.

photo-3

After filling our bellies to capacity we strolled sunny Abbott Kinney and purchased Frank a new collar at Modern Dog, a baby gift for friends at Kid Firefly and father’s day cards at our favorite card store Urbanic Paper Boutique.

photo-2

It was the perfect date day with my lover and ps…I think Frank likes his new collar.

photo

*

find me elsewhere: instagram @kate365, twitter, facebook

 

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

project 30 – mary beth

17 Sep

Reading answers like Mary Beth’s remind me why I started “project 30”. I love learning about such interesting and brave women and her answers where just soooo good. My favorite line was most definitely…”You can never be too much of yourself. I want my “me-ish-ness” to overflow at the brim.” Yes, please. I met Mary Beth about six months ago through mutual friends and I am so grateful to run in the same circle as her because I really look forward to getting to know her even better. Enjoy her answers…

mb 1

What would your 30 something self tell your 20 something self if you could?

to always play.
to be kinder to myself.
to slow down.

What do you wish you took more seriously in your 20’s?

I wish I would’ve taken more seriously the time I had to be NOT SO SERIOUS! I would’ve traveled even more, messed up even more (I know you are probably shaking your head, mom), put myself on the line even more. but the beauty of it? I am doing all of that right now.

What do you wish you took less seriously in your 20’s?

my body. I struggled for several years with body and eating issues, and believed that the only way I could be lovable was if there was less of me. I think about that now and it honestly brings tears to my eyes. I’d take that twenty-year-old by the hand and we’d sit down in a cafe for mochas and talk of abundance and healing. You can never be too much of yourself. I want my “me-ish-ness” to overflow at the brim.

Favorite memory from your 20’s?

Getting on a train leaving from Iowa city to new york city for an internship at jane magazine. I had two suitcases and wore a denim mini skirt and frye boots. I had a regular seat on the train for this 36-hour journey next to a Jamaican rapper named militante who let me cover up my freezing legs with one of his sweatshirts. I remember when we finally pulled into penn station and I rode up the escalator truly seeing new york for the first time. It was a summer of endless adventures and deep learning about myself. Oh, and a lot of white bread and peanut butter sandwiches for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

In your early 20’s where did you think you would be (work, live etc) by 30?

My soul thought I’d be here. california always felt right and I visualized the way I’d look and feel a lot like I do now (minus the pms-y rage weeks and moments of major self-doubt). My head, on the other hand, kinda thought i should stick in the magazine world and have a normal life. im-fucking-possible. ha! (you don’t have to put in the f’ word if you don’t want to !)

And where were you by 30? What did your life look like?

well, i just got here. I have been thirty for less than a week.
thirty is – married to a lumberjack of a man with a beautiful soul.
cutest bulldog in the world named rosy.
job of my dreams teaching yoga, writing & life coaching.
Venice cottage about a mile away from the beach with a farm table, italian lights and fresh flowers (these elements were in EVERY visualization i ever did about my future.)
girlfriends that inspire me to no end and feel just like family.
oh, and my first tattoo!

Were you ever worried that it wouldn’t all fall into place?

oh yes! I still am. but my favorite poem of all time is by hafiz and speaks to fate and being led. I truly believe we are not in charge but it is up to us to live out our destinies fully.

The place where you are right now
God circled on a map for you
wherever your eyes and arms and heart can move
Against the earth and the sky,
the beloved has bowed there-

The beloved has bowed there knowing
You were coming…

-hafiz

What is the greatest gift about being a woman in your 30’s?

I honestly looked forward to this birthday and decade more than I have any other. I look forward to a sense of inner power and wisdom and fully coming into my own. I feel really strong, like I can take on the world. I spent a lot of my twenties apologizing and doubting myself. my thirties are going to be about speaking and living my truth, even when it rocks the boat a bit.

When you look out onto the horizon. What do you hope your life looks like at 40?

more and more of this but with a couple of beautiful kiddos. and maybe another bulldog.

What’s a quote/ saying you try to live your life by?

Ishvara pranidhana
it’s the tattoo i have in sanskrit on my forearm.
it means surrender to god or give it up to god.

find MB elsewhere: twitter / website / blog / instagram 

MB 2

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,