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.