now boarding united flight 930.

i sat down in 38h and this is what i said to myself.

i booked this trip on august 17th. it was a saturday evening and i was home at my parents house. i'm not sure why this detail is relevant to me, but it just seems important that that was the exact moment i decided to hit purchase. 

first and foremost i feel incredibly grateful for this opportunity. two conversations turned into two real ideas turned into two solid plans in two destinations.

traveling solo is a bit scary, yet freeing, wouldn't you agree? i don't know what i am about to encounter along the way, but i vow to have an open heart. to be kind. to accept how people treat me and to do my best to treat them kindly.

i vow not to get to nervous or let any travel anxiety take over my mind. i am alive. i am human. i am in this space. and i will occupy it. and be my best self. the self that is a joyous dancer who really isn't afraid of anything.

i hope to see a whole lot of new things. meet a whole lot of new people. to go home a happier, more well-rounded person. full of inspiration and ideas of what i want to come. what i want out of life. new perspectives that positively impact my life in san francisco. i've been craving some clarity lately. craving newness. craving something. a move. a change. well, i hope to find it here. and if i don't i'll come home knowing that that's okay too.

remember, life is beautiful. people are good. be open. soak it all in.

sincerely,
me

this too shall pass.

apologies, loves, for the verbose post that is to follow. oh, wordy.

to be honest, an injury is the last thing i expected. it's been a total of three weeks and what a wild and emotional roller coaster it's been. i learned a few things along the way {and still am since i'm just one big work in progress} and i thought i'd share them with you.

i learned that it's okay to give in to every emotion you might be feeling and acknowledge it with the energy you have left. for me, it was the fear that this injury was never going to get better. the fear that i couldn't walk or run again. the overwhelming anxiety that i wouldn't get to go on a trip of a lifetime. could i live like this? i thought to myself. when my answer was no i hit panic mode. see, dearests, when the pain is much bigger than us we just have to surrender to it and take care of ourselves in that moment as best we can.

i learned it's okay to be sad, frustrated, upset, and even uncontrollably sob into someones arms because you are so hurt and don't believe it's ever going to go away. you feel defeated. let that person reassure you that it will get better. i promise,  sweet darling, it will.

this too shall pass.  a mantra i learned never to forget.

i learned to attack from all angles. all hands on deck. sometimes you don't know where to start to get help so you go with your gut or a recommendation and you know what? that might not be the right thing for you. it's okay to try as many treatments and visit as many specialists as you need to. they are creating the recipe that will get you better. if one isn't working for you, stop. move onto the next.

personally, i've learned that acupuncture is helpful beyond ways than i thought possible. i am only two sessions in but i can see how it evokes paths to clear health and calming powers in our bodies.

find a good chiropractor. and find a good PT who calls you kid and who warns you that you might cry and wince in pain {i only shed a tear as i gripped to the table and succumbed to the releasing of the muscles}.

i learned that epsom salt baths are a must. sit in that tub. soak it in. clear out the impurities and the inflammation.

sit on lacrosse balls. do the stretches and exercises you're told to do. unfortunately i learned that sometimes turning to a prescription is the only thing that is going to cause immediate relief. if that's the case, i say do it. i also learned the ways of homeopathic medicine like arnica and trammel which should be taken in addition to something stronger.

i learned that i miss yoga and i miss running, but not as bad as i thought i would. funnily enough, there are more hours in the day now so maybe this break has been a blessing in disguise. it turned my rigid routine world right upside down, if you will. and i guess we all need that at some point in our lives. i know when i get back into exercise {which is a work in progress as even a small jog motion leads to discomfort} i'm going to be approaching it differently. listening to my body. what does it need? and not pushing myself beyond what i can handle out of guilt or for any unhealthy reasons. know your limits. you should be your own motivator of exercise, no one else. the body is a temple, treat it that way. everything in moderation, oh so true.

while i'm still recovering, i am so grateful to be better than i was three weeks ago.

and loves, if you ever need any help on injuries, please reach out to me i'd be more than happy to be the person you cry to. i'll tell you it's going to get better, i promise, sweet darling.

*photo credits found on my pinterest here, here, and here.

nashville.

so one time at this party i was told by two different people in the same night completely separate of the other that i looked liked hayden panettiere and then i got a you look like the girl from friday night lights... connie britton! needless to say, i was on doppelgänger cloud nine {and just when i'd pinned myself for not having a celeb lookalike}.

oh, a girl can pretend, because that was far too kind!

naturally, nashville is a show i just had to watch. we all know my love of carrie underwood and all things southern and the city of nashville {oh boy i really need a trip!} so i knew i would be hooked.

ya'll this show is a must-watch. tune in wednesday nights at ten pm on abc.

*photo credit here.

wakeup call.

i've been a bit absent here this month, my sweets. truth be told, i'm experiencing a bit of an injury that's occupied a large amount of my energy, leaving hardly a drop for creativity and good words and epiphanies that life is beautiful and all that jazz. i won't lie to you, it's been tough, but i think it's the universe teaching me an important lesson about my lifestyle choices as of late.

i pushed myself too hard, living in a world of too much and not enough {and not a good world at that}. i've been out having too much fun and if we're going to be real here, too much food, too much drink, and all the while counter-balancing it with too much exercise and not enough rest or relaxation. it's a lifestyle i cannot maintain, a pattern i desperately need to break, and my body finally gave out.

see, us libras, we strive for balance and i got lost on one side of that scale. as a result the muscles in my left hip, glute, and lower-back just decided to stop working properly. they clenched up real tight -especially when i decided to keep running through their red flags and hazard lights - making it nearly impossible for me to walk {my therapy!}. quite honestly, they're pissed at me, and i don't blame them.

but i truly hope we can make amends because, dear muscles, i need you. and you need me. we're a team. we keep this body moving and grooving. i'm sorry i tired you out and mistreated you. i promise if you are good to me again i won't abuse you. i'll treat you with every last ounce of love and care god gave us.

sincerely,
me.

and p.s. according to you can heal your life, hip injuries are tied to the fear of going forward in major decisions. hmm... i wonder what that could be? i do have a few things up my sleeve to be discussed at a later date. here's our affirmation: i am in perfect balance. i move forward in life with ease and with joy at every age. 

xoxo.

on birthdays.

there is truly nothing better than birthdays.

i'm still on a high from all the love i felt in just a short twenty-four hours that will surely last for the remainder of my favorite month. while walking home from a-gym-and-coffee-filled-morning, i had this visual that we should all feel like we are lavishly dripping in love on our birthdays. if we looked behind us there would be puddles of love in our path, whatever love may look like to you {silly mental picture, i know. but you get the idea}.

to me love looked like phone calls and texts and emails and voicemails and wall posts. thank you from the bottom of my heart for your correspondence, it means the world to me.

it even meant videos, like this one here. beware, it will melt your heart

to geans! gets me every time. sometimes i can't wrap my brain around the notion that i get to be on the receiving end up this stuff.

to me love also looked like cards and balloons and flowers.

it looked like rotunda popovers and champagne and manicures. even the perfume lady at niemans uttered i love your outfit as i walked by. that's when you know you've made it, right? when the sales clerks at niemans comment on your clothes.

it looked like surprise chocolate covered strawberries followed by an even bigger surprise knock at the door in the early evening with three of my bests outside baring flowers and treats. and finally, it looked like a night out on the town with {eeeek!} some tequila thrown into the mix. thank you for taking the time our of your day to spend it with me.

i can't thank my dearest family, friends, acquaintances, co-workers, yoga teachers, car-wash employees {yup!} enough. you name it, i received it, and i am so thankful for the pure adoration i felt. i love you right back.

oh, if every day could be a birthday! but then it wouldn't be such a remarkable day now would it? and with that, here's some of my best life advice. whenever you're feeling blue, remember what it feels like to be loved on your birthday and count down how many days you have to go. three hundred sixty five and counting...

love.

i've been eyeing this ring for months upon months... maybe even years! and then one afternoon i caved and hit purchase. just like that! i guess it was time. my rational, level-headed self ever so politely stepped aside, and the one that sometimes unnecessarily treats herself hopped in the drivers seat and, well, that was that.

after a phone call to my favorite italian gentleman at phoenix roze for re-sizing {ugh i do not appreciate my ring size!}, a credit card swipe, and confusion over a proof of signature slip from the lovely usps... it's here!

i am oh so grateful i even have the opportunity to splurge. every once in a while, right!? i am absolutely swooning over the delicate gold cursive. worth every penny in my opinion. and, lovelies, us girls need to make our own rules. every time i look down i'm reminded to exude love, choose love, and create infinite space for love.

apartment 24.

i thought i'd take you on a little tour of my humble abode. over the past {almost} three years, i've put a lot of heart {literally} and even more soul into my space, so it's time i share my haven with you {as vulnerable as it makes me feel}. i think it's oh-so-important to make our home sweet homes our sanctuaries. spaces that make us thrive and offer nothing but refuge.

oh, welcome. so nice of you to drop by.

come on in.

make yourself right at home.

need a nap?

or feel free to put your feet up and take in the view.

if you need a snack you can help yourself.

or how about you stay for dinner?

feel free to use the restroom.

and don't miss some of my favorite details like roses and hearts and g's and lucky number fives...

thanks for stopping by! come back any time.

xoxo, g.