on being brave.

everywhere i turn these days i continue to witness my dearest friends braving it out. seriously, whether it's moving or breakups or separations or new jobs or quitting jobs or death or injuries or new beginnings, i'm blown away how each and every one digs deep to channel their tallest selves to stand up to any tribulation. it's truly inspiring. i can't help but think of this saying...

you are only as good as the company you keep.

true that! let's keep the brave ones, shall we?

i've never pinned myself for being all that brave. small acts of bravery, yes, but big huge leaps, not exactly my forté.

but lately, i'm surprising myself {maybe it's all of this brave company or maybe i'm just a late bloomer}.

i think the best kind of bravery is the kind that sneaks up on you when you least expect it, allowing you to prove yourself wrong. the kind that makes you stop in your tracks and say to yourself, wow! i never knew i was capable.

life can be scary. sometimes we are not completely sure of ourselves {who am i kidding, most of the time we are not completely sure of ourselves!}, but we must roll up our sleeves, trust, and be daring. because usually when we listen to that voice coming from somewhere deep inside of us that says, i can do it, it's right.

*photo credit: lbo photos. an afternoon at treasure island staring back at our city by the bay.

spaghetti squash with sautéed kale.

i try my very best to cultivate innovative, quick and easy recipes, but i always end up with the very basics, or what i'm comfortable with: roasted veggies. so, when a friend introduced me to the spaghetti squash, you can imagine how excited i was. it's like real pasta! but better! it was truly love at first site, spaghetti squash and i. and, is it just me or does it taste the way cake batter smells? {love when that rare aha moment of synchrony happens between your taste buds and your nose - they get each other!}.

on top of it being simple and delicious, making spaghetti squash is so much fun. you feel like you are doing a bit of an arts and crafts project making your very own spaghetti from scratch {in seconds!}.

tonight i was craving something easy, warm, and nutritious due to an impending cold my body continues to fight. so, i put my very own spin on the spaghetti {squash!} by dolling it up with extra veggies and spices.

...voilà!

spaghetti squash with sautéed kale:

• 1 medium spaghetti squash
• 1 lemon
• olive oil
• kale
• chili flakes
• cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper to taste

cut both ends off of the spaghetti squash. slice in half {long ways down the center - i never know how to properly cut a vegetable!}, remove seeds. fill medium-size bowl with about a half cup of water. place half of spaghetti squash in the bowl and cover with saran wrap. microwave on high for 8 min. repeat the same process with the other half. let cool. once able to handle, scrape the insides of the squash with a fork into a long string-like formation. 

in frying pan, sautée a few handfuls of kale with olive oil and lemon juice.

add to spaghetti squash {... i mean, noodles!}.

season to taste: lemon, olive oil, chili flakes, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper.

enjoy! the best part is you can add whatever your heart desires to your base of spaghetti squash, the options are endless.

if you are interested in the nutritional benefits of spaghetti squash like i was, you can check them out here. until our next adventure in cooking, goodnight my little chefs!

proud.

it was a crisp fall morning in november. the sky was bright, the air was fresh, and the leaves were radiating of florescent reds, yellows, and oranges. it was the kind of morning that belongs in your memory forever, a setting so idyllic that you felt like you were reading a picture book of your own life.

two childhood friends took a stroll on this page of this particular book that pictured a fall morning scene discussing life and love and relationships and, well, it dawned on them that one was not herself without the other. after nearly twenty seven years of friendship, one slowed her gait and said,

i'm proud of you.

and the other responded, i'm proud of our friendship.

oh this book, this one's the tale of two friends who know every vulnerable thing about the other, and love each other just the same.

*photo found on my pin board, 'tis the season for pinning. 

giving thanks.

i have a thing for banners, can you tell? be thankful has been hanging in my apartment for all of november, but i am tempted to keep it up all year round. mostly because every time i walk through my door i want be thankful that i am there.

i saw a quote today that said,

it is not happy people who are thankful; it is thankful people who are happy.

this made me reflect on how the act of counting the things i'm thankful for has undoubtedly made me a happier person over the past several years. i've learned that it only takes a few simple ingredients for me to be truly happy. a cozy place to call home. a loving {albeit sometimes crazy} family, a healthy body, a small group of soul-nourishing friends, and the courage to wake up tomorrow with an open heart and curious spirit.

so, on this thanksgiving eve may we all grasp our most basic needs and craft our happiness recipes and be forever thankful. thank you, my sweet pea readers, for taking the time to read my words. for this, i am truly grateful.

essence.

truth be told, i've always been a vision board kind of gal. as i've grown up, collages would magically appear on the inside of pencil boxes, lockers, on the back of doors, and in journals. i find such calm and solace in the act of cutting and pasting from magazines into journals. snip! snip! paste. write a thought or goal or desire. and so it goes...

in the spirit of feeling like i've lost my way a little bit as of late, and wanting to gain some clarity about what is next, i spent much of this rainy weekend curled up in my apartment on the floor with scissors, a glue stick, pens, blank pages, and a stack of magazines.

i felt at peace and at ease. because as scary as the future might seem, there's something about compartmentalizing it into a journal full of images and words that really makes it all seem okay. i finished feeling inspired, hopeful, grounded, and ready for what is to come.

it's funny, as i looked back over my work and re-read goals made over the past seven years, i realized  that the core of who we are never really changes. isn't that fantastic? our essence is something we develop at a young age, which in my opinion is a true gift.

my weekend art project reminded me that it's all falling into place whether i am fully aware of it or not. while things might not happen exactly according to plan or right on schedule, and i seem to be taking some twists and turns along my path, it's all happening. every thing i've ever wanted, slowly but surely, is all happening.

then i realized that's the message of this blog. oh do you see it too? to know that the lives we strive for, the things we wish to fall into place, the people we want to be, it's all happening. all the time. whether we know it or not.

so, may our dreams become our reality. with each year that passes, may we continue to receive the things we've always wanted even if there are surprises along the way.

*pictures of my favorite journal given as a gift from this one with the inside covers already collaged. oh, you know me so well!

up up and away.

not long ago, june it was, a dear friend came to town. this dear friend is d. we went to dinner after not having seen each other for well over five years, but it was one of those reconnections where i felt like i saw him just yesterday. oh, i'm sure you know the kind. within seconds i was laughing and within minutes we were going down our lists of places to travel and brainstorming where on this globe we could rendezvous next.

i truly believe if it wasn't for d and our dinner date that i would have never been inspired to go abroad. d is a gem in every sense of the word. he is kind. actually, he is more than kind. what term is worthy enough to give to people who are sweet and patient and giving? those who ask true questions because they are genuinely interested in your answer. those who make you laugh when you need it most, who listen with a compassionate spirit, and who let you be your silly self. because at the end of the day these more than kind people are comfortable with who they are, okay with being vulnerable, and downright honest with facts of the matter.

see, d and i, we just fit. i'm not sure how or why or when, but we just do.

so i paid d a visit in edinburgh and he was gracious enough to let me stay with him so i could experience the oh-so-magical, scotland. there's a dew that hovers over the ground at dusk in the fall that reminds me of childhood winters. i never experienced snow, but that dewy frost, that's something that stuck with me. i found it comforting on our sunday evening stroll through edinburgh.

in three days i was able to have some quality solo time exploring, and grasp the city by walking as far as my legs {and sore hip!} would take me. this included the royal mile to edinburgh castle and up, up, and away to arthur's seat where the views were nothing short of breathtaking. have a look at my best recap of scotland.

hike up to arthur's seat {which i never really made it to, so i found my own}.

view of edinburgh from my makeshift seat.

hike back down looking up.

edinburgh castle from the street.

you better believe i tried some traditional scottish whiskey before our underground ghost tour!

and sat in a tiny coffee shop enjoying the morning light, book, and pot of tea {scone not pictured}.

i can't thank my host, d, enough. you truly are my glass half full.

until next time, g.

one lump or two?

i'm home sweet home after the most perfect trip i could possibly ask for. i feel so blessed to have been able to experience two cities that are absolutely magical in my opinion. i'm even luckier that i had two of the best hosts on the planet.

let's start with london, shall we?

i heart london. it's so easy. so walkable. such a seamless system of public transportation. oh that tube! genius. to be honest, i didn't plan a whole lot. i went with the expectation to not be too touristy, but to simply experience the city as if i lived there. and, well, that is exactly what we did!

you may have heard me mention one of my favorites, jamie, who took the exciting leap of moving to london in july. i think of her daily and i admire the brave step she took of living out one of her dreams to live in a foreign city. i've known jamie since i was able to sing and dance, which is really all my life. i consider her a sister, someone i look up to, and truly cherish. she's the kind of person that when you know you're one of her bests, that you matter. like really matter.

i was completely spoiled to basically have her all to myself as a personal tour guide for london and partner in crime for a whole week! oh walk we did. and talk. and laugh. and eat. and drink! and repeat every tube stop name {well, that was just me!} after the lady announced next stop, south kensington. next stop, goodge street. next stop, sloane square. oh i could do that all day.

i've decided that the best way to discover a new city is with one of your oldest, lifelong friends. you take a little bit of home with you wherever you go.

i could write you a novel of our adventures, but i'll let a few pictures speak for themselves and do my best to capture some of my favorite moments {there were just so many!}.

first off, i love the guards. they are so fascinating to me!

it wouldn't have been a proper trip to london without a stop at the queen's digs, buckingham palace, to see where william and kate had their smooch.

oh, benny...

harrods, you had me at hello.

there she is! it really is her great britain.

me, the whole trip: i love pounds! it's like fake money! {the only sane way to view the british pound}

mind the gap!

i heart you, notting hill.

and you too, primrose hill.

high tea {with a champagne appetizer} was a truly divine experience. i haven't giggled that hard in quite some time! one lump or two, darling? please notice the two men in the background. that is guy ritchie and the british {and extremely good looking might i add} actor, henry cavill {apparently he's the next superman!}. 

you guys, is it just me or does this look exactly like me? this poster was all over london promoting a new musical. the actress is named eliza hope bennett {we guessed kenzie! pretty close}.

fireworks in battersea park to celebrate guy fawkes day.

best night with these two!

in all honesty, these pictures don't do the trip justice. we had so much fun and did so many things it was just mental {my favorite british term}! and for an even better recap check jamie's post here.

take me back! truly counting down the days until i can make another visit. sending so much love. xoxo.

where in the world is...

i hope you can mind the gap in postings as of late. i'm currently on an adventure in the uk - a truly magical place! i'm having an absolute blast and i can't wait to tell you stories and learnings and all of the little things that are making this experience so special.

until then...sending love from across the pond.

*photo: london leaves - my iphone4.