namaste. i am good.

so, i have this gal pal. her name is nahmyo.

and, you guys, she said the nicest thing on the planet about me. i can only wish and hope and dream to be this girl that she describes.

she just started a blog of her very own...talking to strangers. follow her, yes? she's got DC tricks up her sleeve and is so full of love and light that it's almost blinding if you stop and stare too long. such a brave adventurer and i have no doubt she'll continue to embrace her gifts and follow her dreams.

we have a special quote that bonds us.

i am a bride in a naughty world. my two shoes are goody-goody. my halo glows in the dark, lighting my way. optimism is my mantra. namaste. i am good.

namaste. we are good, sister.

*this card just makes me giggle.*

quinoa, quinoa...get your quinoa!

...all 365 days of it.

quinoa and i have a little love affair going on.

i would eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner if i could. well, guess what?
now. i. can.




i originally discovered this cookbook over here, and i've been coveting it every since. thank you, mom, for this special surprise!

can't wait to experiment. up first - possibly this long holiday weekend - the quinoa granola.

happy cooking! xoxo.

give it to the universe.

i made a new friend.

make new friends, but keep the old.
one is silver and the other gold.

{enter preschool rhyme that will forever stick with me}.

there is something so sacred about making new friends in our adult years, yes?

she is inspiring in her own right and i want her to be thoroughly aware of the beauty she brings to this life. big things are in store for her, my fellow blogger and long lost soul sister.

i remember my first week on the job she walked into our office and said something of the sort...

gina, i'm really glad you're here.
i feel as if we're kindred spirits.

we are.

it is vital for me to mention her today as she has taught me one of my most favorite phrases.

give it to the universe.

these seven simple syllables serve as the best life mantra for our daily lives. every time i say it in my head {or aloud} i feel better. try it. and remember, it's bigger than you.



may you trust. hands in the air, hair blowing in the wind kind of trust.

give it. own it.

*freedom found here.

where would you wish to wake up tomorrow?

i cannot recall exactly how i found this video. i guess that's neither here nor there.

the point is, every time i watch it, i get chills. and inevitably i tear up.

i thought of this short film my entire week in new york. it so perfectly represents how i feel about that city.

diverse.





if nothing else, watching this will remind you of the power of human connection.

we are all different, yet the same. there is a thread that binds each and every one of us. our raw emotions of vulnerability connect us in a way that should bring comfort and ease. because we are all only human.

each of us may have a different answer to where would you wish to wake up tomorrow?, but the responses all revolve around one concept.

that we will wake up happy.

for me, i'd wish to wake up exactly where i am now. in my little home sweet home apartment. then i'd like to put on my yoga mat and have a blessed practice.

if traveling teaches you one thing, it's to be grateful for the place we call home. i'm thankful for it all...the travel, the journey, the adventure, the encounters with strangers, the opening of my front door to the four walls that shelter me, the warm bed i am able to sleep in.

this amazing short film was put together by fifty people, one question. i love their work and i have faith their message will change the world.

destination blogging.

oh, don't mind me. i'm just dabbling in what i like to call destination blogging. have you tried?

i had a thought today. hands down, travel writing is the best job ever invented. could you imagine? immersing yourself in a big city or tiny beach town and blogging about it. i'll practice my own version for now.

exhibit a.

what is a good running route?

i contacted my two best ex-new york gals {i know they've gone on many a run} who responded immediately. i received more than i could possibly ask for...exact directions! {my friends take such good care of me}.

westside highway along the hudson river it is.



our lady liberty is out there in the distance.

i took in each character i saw...imagined their stories and where they go home to at night.

the group of boys showing off their old school jump rope tricks. the man built of nothing but pure muscle practicing his handstands on the grass. the posh mom getting into a swanky black town car after picking her two boys up from soccer practice at pier 40. the sweet couple getting their engagement photos done as the sunset light shined so perfectly on their "i love you" faces. and, i couldn't help but notice the east coast ivy league male runners. the cutest part if you ask me.

it's such a different world over here. new york is full of independent souls. solo diners, bench sitters, music listeners, picnic-ers, and readers. it seems as if they have no schedule except to indulge in enjoying the simple pleasures of the sunset and the warm air on a tuesday night.

i took it upon myself to meander down the brown-stoned filled perry street in the west village to quench my carrie bradshaw craving.



can't you see her there in the distance running in stilettos to jump into big's car?

somehow i found my way home. that's the thing about this city. you always do.

amen for nights like these. they are the kind that stick with you forever.

felicty.

felicity: (noun). the state of being happy, especially in a high degree; bliss.

did you know i want to name my first born daughter felicity? so her name can be a mantra for her own life. to seek happiness.

this is what i was feeling meandering around at dusk in manhattan. there is an energy here unlike anything i've ever felt.

i paused on a bench in washington square park to sit and take in the view and the moment.




all the while, i channeled the dear keri russell. yup, she's my girl crush of all girl crushes. this park reminds me of the show and her strive to be independent in new york.




i am so lucky to be here right now. period.

my walk tonight was one of utter bliss. thank you for giving me this life and this opportunity.

nyc.

adventuring this week...




wish me luck {i'll need it}.



open hearts, open mind in the big apple.

ready to learn. xoxo.

dad.

my dad has a kindness about him towards his daughters unlike anything i've ever seen.

for a big macho football player turned entrepreneur, he really does have a soft spot for the two people he helped to put on this planet.



he cares about us oh so deeply.

in my adult years, i'm starting to realize just how lucky we are to have loving fathers. father-daughter bonds shape who we are.

from the days of "high ball" played late into the summer evenings, to the grown up life advice he is always there to give, he treasures us more than words could possibly express.




i am so grateful to have a one-of-a-kind dad like you. thank you for exuding true, unconditional love.



happy father's day.

in the words of the card, i love you a hole punch! {a whole big bunch}.

on playfulness.

i was once told to visualize myself walking down a path to the ocean. i swim far out from the shore and there are dolphins there to play with.

i dance in the water. i am happy and free and weightless and comforted and taken care of by these dolphins.




i grab onto one of them and he safely returns me to the sand where i calmly bask in the sun.

there we have it...fear transformed into freedom. just like that. open your heart and you shall see.

may you find your inner vibrant and powerful dolphin this weekend.

i'll miss you.

be good {but maybe not so much}.

let's braid.

i spotted this.




and i thought to myself, i can do that!

...out came this.




ta da!

adventures in braiding.

loving the waterfall braid. thank you for all the sweet compliments.

{kiss kiss}.

oxygen.

i haven't taken a big deep breathe in a while. have you?




{it's okay, sometimes we forget}.

i think you should. ready? go.

in...one, two, three. hold it. out...one, two, three.

feel better?

oxygen.

this simple word somehow became my intention tonight. my body needed a little extra cee-ohh-two to nourish every ounce of my being. every sip, in each pose, worked it's magic and quenched my thirst for air. i kept repeating the word oxygen. it served as some much needed natural medicine.

i started thinking how lucky i am to be able to experience the simple act of breathing deeply. we are given the choice to inhale big and exhale bigger. it's quite underrated if you ask me. the breathe is a gift.




breathe deeply, my dears. get your daily dose of oxygen. allow yourself some calm.

"pinteresting" my little heart out here and here.

mon jour, mon lundi.

every monday {lundi} i think of this...




i've also been daydreaming en français as of late.

turned this monday evening into my monday. much needed after a jam-packed weekend.

bonsoir.

follow me over here, will you?

dance, sing, floss, travel.

feast your eyes on this vintage lululemon manifesto.




it's been with me since the beginning. back when i was their second employee. currently, it's hanging on the quote board in my closet. one of my many quote boards {there's six in my apartment alone including my fridge}. i guess that's my thing. we all have a thing, yes?

it all started with lulu.

i've read this manifesto through hundreds of times. and every time, it still gets me. there is a new lesson to be learned.

one i'm focusing on this week is dance, sing, floss, travel.

i definitely danced. and sang. and promised myself to floss extra well. and finally, i'm traveling to santa barbara.

it's been a good week.

may your weekend have tricks up its sleeve and catch you by surprise. love, me.

i love you more than girlfriends.

don't mess with girlfriends.

look what i received in the mail today!!!




let me explain.

our guardian angel girlfriends are right up there with exactly what this card reads. booze & chocolate.

but, our bestest girlfriends can specify even further.

they are right up there with wine and chocolate covered quinoa and oprah and yoga.
i think this really hit home after the text conversation linds and i shared this weekend.

g: i like my peaceful non-partying lifestyle i guess. is that so bad?

l: well, it's saturday night almost. just spent the afternoon making bran muffins. now i'm sitting at my table with a glass of wine, chill music, and a stack of mags.

g: i came straight home and am having chardonnay on my couch with whole wheat crackers and glee.

l: will you marry me?

i had a good laugh over this one.

we both have served as a crucial piece to the puzzle in one another's lives, as we've figured out who we are and who we want to be. for this, i am eternally grateful.

i know she will find someone worthy enough of all the goodness she brings to this world.

isn't that what we're supposed to do?

find someone to love. and for that someone to love us right back? all of us. love the bran muffin making, dark chocolate-covered quinoa eating, cozy living quirks that define who we are?

i think so.

it's bigger than you.

i think she said it while we were in warrior one. virabhadrasana I.

"it's bigger than you."

if there's one phrase that keeps bringing me back to earth, it's this one. i've been thinking about it all week.

because you know why? it's that simple. it's bigger than us. than all of us.

the force. the pull. the higher power. the divine. the universe. god. all of it.

it's such a humbling feeling. when you surrender the need to control and worry and offer it all away to the universe. because it takes care.



we must be ourselves.

we must trust.

love and peace.

while i wish my hands were up to hand model status {thanks mom, i love you}, they most certainly are not. however, i still have a ball adorning them with treasures.


today was filled with some big sparkly peace and some love {on the ring finger, of course}.

this takes my obsession with painted nails to a whole new level and reminds me of the night before valentine's day in junior high when my best friend and i stayed up late painting red hearts on each and every one of our white nails.

some things never change.

every time i look down, i get such a sweet bubble gum candy store kind of feeling.

**nail polish: sally hansen, mint sorbet. hand-painted heart: essie, tart deco.**

a visual life.

you never know what it is, what that thing is that draws you to that person. but you just let it happen. it seems odd, but it's almost like going out there and letting yourself fall in love a little bit everyday. letting yourself be seduced a little bit every day.

this speaks to me.

a look into the visual mind of the sartorialist.





i discovered this short documentary earlier this year and it continues to inspire me on a daily basis.

the visual life of one of my favorite photographers slash bloggers may not be my profession {in a dream world}, but i think we can take his message to heart. we must challenge ourselves creatively to uncover what it is that we are drawn to. be free to discover even the littlest things to fall in love with. they make us who we are.

let these words be as great of a lesson for you to live by, as they've been for me.

be in the world that you're in.

see it.

keep your eyes open.

and really relate to what you're seeing.

react to what you're seeing.

call of forgiveness.

remember this?

that's how my favorite ever-inspiring yoga teacher learned my name.

your water bottle says peace love gina on it. did you make that? that is so cool.




i told her today that her class is my religion...it's like church for me. she totally got it. we hugged.

in honor of anna, please listen. broken social scene - all in all. my favorite song playing in her class right now.





i tracked it down using shazam when it came on at the gap today, of all places. dropped everything and held that iphone high up in the air to capture this magical tune. an adorable little canadian band.

i am not feeling like my usual awe-inspired self these days, but this song helps bring it back.

so do unfiltered life chats. with the bestest of friends. it made this sunday oh-so-sacred.

can i tell you one of the greatest compliments i could possibly receive?

it's when people expend the energy to tell me they enjoy reading this blog. since it is truly the window to the raw essence of me, i believe what you are saying is that you like my soul. which, in my book, is the sincerest gift i could possibly ask for. i receive this compliment with the utmost honor.

beyond any words i could ever write, thank you. i am grateful for your complimentary thoughts and words.

namaste.

{namastay, namago}.

sisters.

everyone deserves a sister.

even if it's not a blood-related one, i hope that in your lifetime you can experience what it's like to have that deep sisterly bonded unconditional unspoken love. it's oh-so-special. i call my bestest bestest friends my sisters.

but there is really only one.

isn't she the most gorgeous dollface you've ever laid eyes on?




she's graduating...college!

she's all grown up.

the thing with amy and i, is that we are the same, but different. that doesn't make sense, does it?

although, i think that might be true for a lot of sister twos. at the core and essence of our souls we are so alike. {cut from the same cloth, if you will}. but on the outside, we have our own unique character.

even though we don't verbally talk everyday, we're still talking constantly. this hidden energy binds us together. no matter what, i know i have her. and, she knows she has me. i am her biggest fan, and her mine. if that's not pure comfort, i don't know what is.

amy is my sister guardian angel, and for her i am grateful. every ounce of my being is proud of who she is and who she is growing to become.

happy graduation, sis. i love you!