surprises.

i've been trying to write to you all week, but the 'ol brain is a bit foggy. which is quite unfortunate seeing as though i had a dear friend in town this past weekend and all we did was talk about life and hopes and dreams! complete perfection. so much to share.

i will muster up the brain power to share one sweet thing. amidst some deep soul sister chats, i realized that life can really surprise you. where you had once envisioned yourself being, you might not be. but the place you exist turns out to be just perfect instead. funny how that works out, don't you think?

i think life is best when it really surprises you. and more importantly, when you surprise yourself.

i have this rare and coveted feeling at the moment that i just get it. i'm not really sure what it is and i'm not exactly sure how long it will stay, but i hope it's here for good. or for a long while anyway. calm is the best way i can describe it. an inner knowing that the less we try to control, and the more we just let happen, the happier we'll be.

may we find peace in the future and know that everything we envision is moving toward us.

bon voyage for now. tales of upcoming adventures coming soon... 

*paint found here.

solstice.

someone told me that the veils between the earth are the thinnest during the summer solstice. so, what you ask the universe for, will be easily heard. now is the time to call upon your greatest wishes.

i wish for...

although it might be summer, it doesn't feel like it in sf.
once june twenty-first hit, in rolled the fog.

the coldest winter i ever spent, was a summer in san francisco. ~mark twain

i vow to still love you, fog an all... 

*photo found here.

on god.

you know, i'm not as religious as i thought i once would be. i realize, that's kind of a peculiar sentence, but it's the truth.

yoga has become my religion. and, it's not because i don't believe in god or catholicism {heck, i still have that catholic guilt!}, it's just that i found something that made me feel more connected to the divine... the higher power... god... the universe... {whichever term you prefer} than sitting in church on sunday mornings. and that's not to ever ever discount those who do. my grandmother is the best catholic i know. she taught me to count the beads on a rosary, whispering the our fathers and the hail mary's before bed, she never holds back a "jesus, mary and joseph" when things get tense, and she's worn st. christopher - the patron saint of travel - pinned to the inside of her shirt every single day since her first communion. and guys, she's eighty nine! now, that's true faith.

anyhow, i believe god wants us to pick the way to connect to the higher power in the way that is the best for us as individuals. so every time i get on my mat i dedicate every ounce of energy to someone who needs it most. i offer up all of the goodness i cultivate and say a prayer. it's what comes easiest to me. i receive my own benefits as well... keeping the revelations for myself and sharing them... well, right here.

yoga has taught me that i can take pieces from all religions - whether it be buddhism, hinduism, christianity - gathering ideas and stories from each to create my own positive belief system. i think we must choose wisely, seeking out that which resonates best, and in turn, allows us to be our most giving and moral selves.

something dawned on me the other day during a much anticipated, new yoga class. she said, we have the same suffering. we have the same happiness. we are all one. the good... the bad... it's all god. 

then i had this thought that maybe that's where the word god came from. good... bad... god. combine the two to get one. if you think about it, god accepts both good and bad. the universe is made up of both good and bad. and, that's what makes us all one universal whole.

...and with that, i leave with none other than a namaste. thank you for stopping in to read what it's all happening has become... my own little medley of religion.

*did you notice the hummingbird found here? prayer beads found here.

what i know for sure.

june has been a bit of a light month in the post department, my dears. only four! and how is it half over already? to sum up as of late, i'm going to have a little oprah moment. at the end of her o magazine she leaves you with what i know for sure... so, here goes.

friday nights in are the most relaxing nights of all. there's a mischievousness about staying home while the majority of people are out and about that is slightly thrilling... like i'm up to no good secretly unwinding.

when thirst arises, sometimes it's okay to pour yourself a big glass of chardonnay before the glass of water.

a good mani pedi is one of the best treats you can give yourself.

good bosses are hard to come by, but you know when you've found the one when the words i work for you are uttered.

get to know what you really need to be happy in life. the simpler the better... for me, it's running shoes, a yoga mat, and an open heart.

it's okay for saturday morning yoga to be your own version of sunday morning church.

popcorn quickly becomes an obsessive snack.

reconnecting with long lost friends can spark something deep inside of you that makes you feel whole again.

henna tattoos are a great way to practice for the real deal.

*wild thing found here. the rest are my instagram. kisses and hugs. 

doors.

i come up with my best blogging material while i am walking the streets of san francisco. the solution to any form of writer's block... walking shoes and an ipod. sometimes i think, if i could adventure every day, what thoughts would pour out into words...

undoubtedly it's when my head is the clearest. my thoughts are the richest. life makes sense, and everything is as it should be. walking is the cheapest therapy there ever was, and as silly as this sounds, i never want to take my own two healthy legs for granted. they sure do get me around town.

the other eve ago i took the chinatown route home, and as i walked uphill {of course} behind two elderly asian women walking hand-in-hand {yes i was moving slower than they were} each disappeared behind a door one block after the other. i started thinking about the lives behind those doors and that amos lee song came to mind. do you know the one? shout out loud.

 a thousand empty windows

and only half the lights are out

i wonder what these people's lives

what they might be all about

do they got a lover

and could they have a family

could it be their just as lonesome 

as you and me

 i wanna shout out

shout out loud

why don't you all just come on out

and we can tear it all down

it's about people living in different houses in between walls and behind closed doors. think how many different lives there are in one city. thousands... millions, even. then multiply that by every city in the world. billions of stories and worlds created behind these doors. and yet, while we are separated into our own living spaces, we unmistakably endure the same emotions and life experiences. we are isolated and unified all at once.

if only the walls could come down and we could shout out loud.

wow, that's hard to articulate. whether i got the point across or not, somehow it's beyond fascinating in my head. i decided being perfectly articulate is the true art of a good writer. but man, it's tough sometimes.

*vintage sf photo {route of my daily walks} found here. 

promise.

never lose your passion for people or your positive outlook on life.

okay, she said. i promise i won't.

*twirl.

atta girl.

i have an awesome experience i need to get down on paper because sometimes storing it in the 'ol brain isn't enough. and, this warrants a note on the gratitude pad.

let me start by saying, i love my job {can you believe those words came out of my mouth!? i'm still pinching myself just to be sure, and being irrationally superstitious that once i admit it, the joy will vanish. no jinxing please, universe}.

a few months ago, a co-worker told me to start keeping an atta girl file. the kind where you keep all of your best work and biggest pat-on-the-back accomplishments. i loved this idea. well, i will add this program to my folder.

signature sounds is a tour through six music capitals across the u.s. - seattle, atlanta, nashville, new york, chicago, and la - all sponsored by t-mobile. the fabulous allison hagendorf could not be a more perfect host to portray the musical history of each city. i told her so when i got to meet and thank her in person! in all seriousness, she does a rockin' {no pun intended} job exploring the capitals from interviewing her musician friends and locals to attending open mic nights to popping in record stores to walking the streets to eating good food, she is just beyond cool. watch the videos! you'll love them. and learn a thing or two. i promise.

i strongly dislike tooting horns, but i helped build this program from the ground up... long nights, lots of brainstorming, and hashing out all the nitty gritty details. it feels so damn good to see it come to fruition and be a part of something great.

monday night i flew down to la for the big closing bash. fun. performed a great show!

grateful for surprise hotel room upgrades, meeting new friends, reconnecting with old and being part of such a wonderful experience. finally, let's not forget, bumping into sara barielles at the house of blues {you guys know she is basically my all time fave and she's made my daily gratitude list before}. i was completely starstruck and actually worked up enough courage to say god knows what to her {hopefully nothing too embarrassing!}.

p.s. have you heard fun. cover 'call me maybe'? it's so rad.
p.p.s. thank you for reading this terribly long post. i love you for it.

heads and hearts.

i adore a good concert. especially when seeing the band live makes them all the better. well, that's exactly what happened last night at the fillmore {on top of making me repeatedly wish i could be a singer/songwriter}.

i love everything about them... their seattle indie-chic style, their passionate lyrics, and their sweet interaction with the crowd. just downright good peeps.



the combination of their voices is divine. i can't help but swoon over their band name, too, as we constantly strive for balance between our heads and our hearts when choosing what is right for us. i vote heart, always heart.

this video makes me smile. just jamming by the bay, no biggie. hope you enjoy as much as i do! happy sunday. xo.