settle in.

mid run uphill last week, i thought of my twenty fourteen word. two words, actually. they are settle in. last year my word was manifest, and well, this year is all about actually residing in this life that i've created. to settle in it.

i'm not going to lie to you, new york has been a bit of a love-hate. there were moments when i thought i couldn't possibly last a whole year. on the toughest of days when i felt worked to the bone, i found myself fantasizing about driving across country, starting my own business, and living by the beach. all of which might happen someday, just not yet.

i am whole-heartedly determined to be happy with exactly where i am. and i mean that with every single cell of my being. i'm making this the mission of my life - to honor it, exactly as it is. i think it is absolutely okay to want new and different things. to evolve to the next phase of life. to remain curious. to figure out what isn't working, and change it. to learn what makes you happiest and go for it. to move toward accomplishing what you want. but, once you actually get what you want, remember to relish in it. to treat it with care. to hug and squeeze it everyday. because it's only a matter of time until it's gone.

that's what moving to new york in twenty thirteen taught me. it hasn't been easy, but it has been worth it. and it's time to settle in and stay for a while because this life is all just temporary.

in the spirit of resolutions, i wrote up a few simple things that i want to keep in mind this year. here goes...
do more pilates. lift more weights. reach my goal weight {that i've been so close to for so long now}. fall in love. go on more dates. make a smoothie a day. work a little less, play a little more. oh, and stress less, it's only work. send a few more cards. work on the blog. take time to read blogs. treat my parents with care. call my sister. do feet-up-the-wall pose for two minutes a day {reverse that gravity!}. take a writing class. do more jazz. learn photoshop {once and for all}. dabble in calligraphy. make sleep a priority. go on an exotic vacation. be friendly. make connections with strangers.

...and of course, settle in. get cozy. stay a while. for how much longer, who knows? i do know i will be grateful for and embrace where i am now. the future will unfold exactly as it should.

though posts were a bit few and far between in twenty thirteen, i want to thank you for still stopping by. your loyalty means the world to me. this year i wish for you to relish in the present moment. to gather all the pieces of your life that make it unique and hold them close to your heart. love those pieces. they make you the beautiful person that you are.

*photos found here, here {harry winston}, and here {love you, glitter guide}. 

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!

yoga envy.

yup, i just used the "p" word on it's all happening. how racy of me! it's that good, though, i promise! remember when i gasped at this photo?

well, this video i'm about to show you left me jaw-dropped and wanting more...



if you are able to pull your eyes away from this perfect specimen of a yogi, you'll notice what makes this video even sexier is the certain male in bed and the stunning apartment with a view.

here's to hoping i can achieve every bit of grace, delicacy, and lightness that she has in her practice. add it to the goals, my friends. and, add it to the moments to recreate. kisses!

foundation.

i'm about to share something from the very deepest part of my heart, okay? i know you won't judge me because you're just that special.

so, here's to a little cheers to vulnerability!

do you ever have the feeling you've known who you wanted to be all along?

let me explain.




a few years ago i wrote this goal chart.

i remember being on my bedroom floor in my first apartment in the city. i think it was late one night when i whipped out my box of crayons {crayons are so underrated, don't you agree?} and stole an extra-long piece of paper from the printer at work. pointless details, i know.

the funny thing is, i've always envisioned myself the same. happy and free from anxiety. me, at the center of my own life, grounded, with an open heart living richly and fully. all i ever really wanted was a strong, sturdy foundation. and i found it within myself.

there i am {stick figure, mind you} sitting in lotus pose reaching up to the suns that hold a goal inside each circle of orange, radiant light. because, each achieved goal is just that. a little accomplishment that adds light to your life.

i envision a ladder as the mode of traveling to each sun. climb high, take one rung at a time. step by step. we're all doing our best.

some burning suns i've accomplished and some i haven't quite yet. but the best part is, i've always known who i want to be and what i want to achieve. the essence of my being is constant. i think that's how it is with most of us.




i believe the sun that aligns the most with the birth of this blog is, "write an anna quindlen book someday." have you ever read one?

oh, you must! she is where i began my love affair with kind, simple words. little "life epiphany" talk, if you will.

well, i realized that it's all happening is my version of an anna quindlen book.

this pleases me to the core. who would have thought!?

when you envision what you want out of your life, it comes true. i promise.

my most favorite untouched sun reads...a healthy relationship. love. romance. connection. open myself up and release inhibition.

as silly as that sounds, i love it. never have i ever felt so ready.

i hope this can inspire you to voice and embrace something you're ready for, my dears. there's no fear in it. it's actually quite liberating.

nothing but love. the best is yet to come.

*being alive found here.