tiny beautiful things.

i originally picked up this book when i spotted it on my girl tp's instagram {and oh thank heaven for instragram! i know you're all with me on that one}.

cheryl strayed is a bit of a luminary in my book {no pun intended}. she also wrote wild, a take of her trek up the pacific coast trail alone. she's one of those writers where you simply can't wait to get to the next word because each sentence is filled with such wisdom and honesty that you know you'll be a better person for having finished it.

tiny beautiful things is a compilation of advice columns cheryl wrote in response to hundreds of letters she received at the rumpus. yes, she's an advice columnist. dear sugar...

i'm only sixty pages in, but i knew this book was for me when i read this...

love is the feeling we have for those we care deeply about and hold in high regard. it can be light as the hug we give a friend or heavy as the sacrifices we make for our children. it can be romantic, platonic, familial, fleeting, everlasting, conditional, unconditional, imbued with sorrow, stoked by sex, sullied by abuse, amplified by kindness, twisted with betrayal, deepened by time, darkened by difficulty, leavened by generosity, nourished by humor, and "loaded with promises and commitments" that we may or may not want or keep. the best thing you can possibly do with your life is to tackle the motherfucking shit out of love. 

my most favorite writers are speaking to me, i know it. i am secretly incredibly envious of their ability to articulate thoughts, that i want to devour every single ounce of every single word they've ever written in hopes that their skill will seep into my being and enable me to do the same with my own voice. because, articulation, oh it's the hardest part of this whole writing thing. i want you, my dear readers, to feel as if i'm speaking to you, just as i feel these authors are speaking to me. i owe it to you!

so, pick up a copy today, you won't regret it. and p.s. check out one of her many interviews with oprah. in honor of cheryl's token endearment, goodnight, sweet peas.

on friendship.

lately i'm learning that getting to know our oldest friends again is a true gift we must not take for granted. it's important. and so much fun. see, we aren't the same people we were back then, we've evolved into the people we want to be. more comfortable versions of ourselves. let's meet again, whaddya say?

i've struggled a bit in my adult years letting go of friendships that aren't serving me. it's a hard lesson to endure, yet i think we all go through it to some extent. while i've learned that parting ways is simply part of growing up, i can't help but feel guilt when things aren't in-sync with those who were once so near and dear to my heart.

however, the older i get, the more i realize that friendship doesn't have to be hard. in fact, it should be the most natural thing in the world. when i'm grounded in that notion, i have faith that people are in my life at the exact time i need them, and they need me.

so, wherever we are in our friendships, it's okay. in fact, it's perfect. if it's not our time now, it will be when we both need it. all we can do is be kind and be open to new beginnings.

*girlfriend gang found here.

flower power.

over the weekend i got inspired to channel my inner florist and make a few bouquets. it all started with a trip to the flower mart on sixth and brannon... and then came the added charm of the mason jars. flower arranging turned into a therapeutic saturday afternoon activity.

i must say, i am quite proud of my work!

i started with pale pink gerbera daisies and then craved a rich, deep, burgundy dahlia. to make it pop i added what i'm calling {because this is clearly not the correct floral nomenclature} yellow puff balls, and finally balanced it out with a breed of delicate white daisies.

ta da! try it, it's so fun!  

{hoping they'll stay fresh all week long and keep my home feeling homier}. xoxo

*all photos taken with my iphone 4 and enhanced with the photobucket editing tool.

feelin' groovy.

you know what i say today? if you're having a kind of a crummy day... if things are annoying you a little more than they should be, play this song.



or, opt for this one. and bring out your inner jazz dancer. it's instant happiness.

tonight i'm going to bed assured that there are truly kind individuals in this world. people that care about you more than you think you could possibly deserve to be cared about. they fill you up with love when you've been feeling a bit empty. so grateful.

on creating traditions.

we were mid walk...

so, what can you do to make your home, homier? i ask.

create traditions.

thank you, wise friend.

it's sure beginning to feel a lot like fall around here. the air a bit crisper, the sun a bit brighter. this saturday marks the autumnal equinox {aka first day of fall}, when the tilt of the earth's axis is inclined neither away from nor towards the sun. the night and the day have approximately equal length. farewell long days of summer daylight, hello cozy fall nights. seasons are funny, don't you think? they sneak up on you right where they left you last. something's missing by john mayer really sums it up perfectly.

october also marks my anniversary of being born, so might as well get in the birthday spirit and remind myself how lucky i am to be alive every time i walk through the door. 'tis the season. traditions are sacred, my friends. namaste.

fridays are for...

this phrase frequently pops in my head on friday mornings, so i'm going to start a series entitled fridays are for... because that double f really has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? and sometimes only fridays are for certain things.

early morning yoga.

afternoon soy lattes.

becoming an official mac convert.

anticipating a very special soirée.

the end.

until next week...

daily moments.

whenever i feel a bit stale in my writing, i remember what this blog is really about.

gratitude.

then nothing else seems to matter. the words flow, and i can reflect on all of the goodness that exists. gratitude garners words, and they are perfect just as they are.

there are several things that stand out to me in the past day or so to be thankful for. one is a moment on a typical post-work, pre-yoga walk to catch the bus when i stumbled upon three young gentleman serenading a hostess with their rendition of justin bieber, boyfriend. {oh, i would do anything to have captured it on video now!} the adorableness of that moment was so overwhelming and took me by such surprise, i could not wipe the smile from my face if i tried. i mean, how good is that chorus? and now i'm officially convinced it sounds way better as an acoustic guitar song. sorry, biebs.

the next is about kindred spirits. life has a funny way of putting them in our paths, wouldn't you agree? if you translate the term literally, it means a person who shares beliefs, attitudes, feelings, or features with another. i think if nothing else in life, we must constantly strive to surround ourselves with those kindred souls whom we feel like we could talk to for hours... because it's just one thing after the next that is perfectly in-sync. we can measure our deepest friendships in the amounts of me toos, exactlys and i knows that are uttered in a single conversation. how oh-so-very comforting.

and finally, genuine acts of kindness... on the same day! how did i ever get so lucky? you know i am a sucker for philosophy grace and of course any form of snail mail.

the living grace philosophy reads: through cascades and waterfalls, still waters and breaking waves, the deeper we dive the more remarkable we become. and in the end, the one truth that rises to the top is that our tomorrows belong only to this day. the lesson we learn is to passionately express our daily moments with living grace and gratitude.

the fragrance is meant to inspire us to embrace the beauty of living in the present moment of each day. how fitting for it's all happening!

the smell reminds me of being young. in the best way possible. i cannot thank you enough!

*via here and, of course, my instagram.

one in, one out.

i've decided that one of the best feelings in the world is de-cluttering your closet. i feel organized and in control, as every item has it's own special place. and color-coded, too! sounds similar to my feelings about keeping a day planner.

somehow putting things away becomes infinitely more manageable. in fact, it's a piece of cake and i now jump at the opportunity to put an item back where it came from, while before... oh wow did that pile grow oh-so-tall.

 

reassessing my wardrobe taught me that i really need to step up my fashion game. people people, somehow i got best dressed in high school. lordy, i do not feel like i am living up to the full potential of that superlative title anymore. 

moving forward, i am going to apply the lessons i learned from gretchen rubin's happiness project and try my absolute best to stick to the one in, one out policy. if i buy a new article of clothing, one that i do not wear has to come out of the 'ol closet.. great way to keep the clutter and the wallet in check. 

in the meantime, i am grateful for my closet space. it's nice to walk in and get comfy.

happy weekend, dolls, and happy closet purging!

texas is so close to the sky.

austin really captured my heart, darlings. to be honest, it barely had to try though. one moment after the next, it continued to woo me in and shamelessly flirt with me so that upon leaving i was right in the palm of its hand. right where you wanted me, huh austin? gladly.

i am beyond grateful to have such a dear, true, and inspiring friend in austin willing to open the door to her box and let me jump right in and embrace life from her point of view {just like we did on my turf back in june}. and oh boy, do i just love the life she's created for herself along with our nurturing, stream-of-consciousness, unfiltered, therapeutic conversations.

so, here's what i learned in austin.

it fascinates me how two women can be at completely different junctures in life - single in the city and married to your soulmate ready for the universe to give you babies - and have many of the same triumphs and challenges. austin reminded me that life is one big classroom no matter what phase of life we are in. we navigate through our days trying to communicate clearly, set boundaries, and grasp what we want out of life. it is so comforting to know that maybe we never perfectly figure it all out, but instead constantly strive to live with purpose. i've decided that a day-in-the-life of each of your soul sisters is a mandatory exercise. learn from them, soak in their routines, and allow them to positively affect you.

visiting old friends forces us to reflect on our big pictures. ya know? we must summarize days, months, and years into an overarching feeling about our lives. talk about a good way to check-in on your happiness level!

there is nothing quite like a quintessential summer day. i said this exact line aloud as we drove home from a hundred degree day filled with whole foods, hike & bike trails, countless shrieking jumps into barton springs, cherry limeades from sonic, and uninhibited fits of laughter. it's days like these we are reminded that life is good.

it's okay to frequent whole foods four times in one weekend {i mean, it is headquarters after all!}.

austin has the yoga scene i thought might only exist in san francisco. i'm so glad i was proven wrong. yoga studios {and every kind of fitness studio really} seem to populate every corner. health and wellness is a way of life. see austin, here you go again speaking my language! to top it off, labor day happened to be a city-wide free day of yoga instigated by none other than lululemon.

sweating buckets becomes a natural and unavoidable occurrence that you just have to sort of start loving.

the most perfect cities have just the right mix of driving and walking.

if you keep your eyes peeled austin loves their wall art in the most mysterious of places.

i wish i felt comfortable saying y'all. somehow it doesn't feel the slightest bit natural, but oh a girl can hope {and practice in the privacy of her own home}.

try playing crazy eights to make you feel young again. it's funny how card games flood you with memories of the first time your grandma taught you how to shuffle.

pausing for open discussions during oprah's life classes makes it a whole lot more meaningful {okay okay, i need to call comcast and order more channels, i'm finally caving}.

finally {and most importantly} friends who believe in you and think higher of you than you could ever possibly think of yourself are the best kind of all. if you are lucky enough to experience this kind of friendship in your lifetime, well, consider yourself blessed. while i learned this long before austin, allie is one of my guardian angels. the kind that pick you up from the airport at one am, leave you welcome baskets full of magazines and snacks on your bed, and make you hot chocolate for a cozy treat. she's the mine is yours type with a special spot in her heart for the ones she loves the most. i admire her unlike any other. she knows what works for her and what doesn't and she embraces that with reckless abandon. she is not afraid to be who she is, grow from her experiences, and remain curious about the world. al, you remind me of the simple things i love most in life and i always part ways from you with a fearlessness to be the very best that i can be.

thank you for being the best host a girl could ask for. in the words of our friend joseph campbell, it is a privilege of a lifetime getting to be who you are. thank you for always helping me be who i am.

gioconda said that when she began practicing yoga she didn't have a lot of room left in her life for things that were part of her previous lifestyle. if her life was a lake, yoga was the drop that created a ripple effect allowing her to only include beautiful things and good habits. that's a bit how i feel whenever i spend time with allie. she is my good luck drop creating a positive ripple effect to keep only the good. namaste, soul sister.