agenda • l e s s

January 17, 2015Leave a comment

Saturday: agenda-less.
Therefore, allowing me the full opportunity to enjoy the vantage point I [so gratefully] corner of the Bartlett Arboretum, begin a book [the girl on the train] & journal.

Moments like these [sometimes] make me wonder if my lazy bone is getting the best of me when I’m not “going” every waking minute. I surely have something to commit to, that I’m already committed to or I should have committed to today. Right!?

But, what about life?
What about life’s moments — large & small, lax & productive alike?
Are our moments equally accounted for?
Or are they mostly a list we check off with bits of randomness thrown in?

Warmer temperatures generate a revived energy in me; the smells, the air, the green & blooming landscape.
I feel electric & rekindled from my winter hibernation.

I would almost argue that it’s not a New Year that prompts me to reflect & prep but rather those first 60 degree days slowing kicking my winter blues.

I’m thankful for this Saturday of enjoying the moment, the view around me, the little things that may not ordinarily get the attention they deserve & for being agenda-less. [ya dog!]

Happy Saturday all.
Enjoy your day & soak up the sunshine.

#HappySaturday.
#Agendaless.

thursday |boost|

January 15, 2015January 15, 2015Leave a comment

• • •
” I noticed you counter yourself a lot.
Don’t let your options, potential possibilities & self expectations overwhelm or confuse you.
Read your personality & see the simplicity of it all.
You are inherently simple, artistic & beautiful.
It’s ok to sometimes life in the gray.
Just have faith.
Keep your head up.
An undeniable law that will work in your favor is simply: you reap what you sow.
You appear to sow bountifully, so you know what that means.”
• • •

To my soul sister Paige: I am grateful for you, your friendship, these words you spoke into me & for allowing me in your awesome bubble.

Happy #ThankfulThursday friends.

“Respond to every call that excites your spirit.” – Rumi

#InPursuit.
#Grateful.
#LiveAuthentic.
#Inspiration.

A & J • 1|1|2015

January 7, 2015January 7, 2015Leave a comment

These two? They’re as awesome as they come. With their own little bubble of cuteness & a whole lotta sunshine … they just tied the knot.

It always makes me happy to witness those who find that “when ya know, ya know” kind of love. The kind where one person may be red & the other may be blue but they make their own kind of purple. The kind of purple they choose to love now, tomorrow & always — Knowing their persons greatness and weakness & among them both, willing to give the same love, compassion & heart. Ready to support them everyday & mostest on the crappy days because who likes crappy days? No one. [obvs]

The kind of purple we voluntarily make compromises, meet in the middle or pick our battles for that in the end don’t feel like trade-offs at all because we love our person more than the concession.

The person you endearingly thank God for sending because they give you perspective, a back bone, a shoulder, inspiration; someone to share coffee with, travel & have adventures with, play Cards Against Humanity with, pray with, cook with…do life with. And then some.

Up & down.
Side to side.
The good & the not so good.
The sure flow.

The kind of purple that knows it may never be perfect but it will be a life spent with the greatest sidekick they have ever known. And what’s better than that?

While A & J inspire me, I hope to spark in them to have a wonderful life, enjoy the moments & always look out for one another — Loving someone & being loved in return is quite special & you two humans are just that.

Savor the journey.
Relish the adventure.
To (A)ngelina & (J). [oh wait, that’s your name!]

#MrAndMrsOtto.
#SicParvisMagna.

“Greatness from small beginnings.”

Wander•Lost

January 2, 2015January 3, 2015Leave a comment

“Ok, I’m moving here.”
My journeying inspiration: Mexico.

No doubt, the accommodations were amazing but more than anything this adventure brought light to the magic of getting lost in other cultures & how much I can learn from those who are native to a different corner of the world than I. Traveling to Mexico has prompted a mini goal to get my Spanish speaking on, reminded me just how awe-inspiring God created the world and brought cue to how much more I need and want to see of it.

While in Quantana Roo we had the opportunity of jumping on a private Catamaran. (whaaaa?! yes.) We coasted a couple hours to the reef [where we snorkeled], caught a dinghy to the beach and grabbed a Sol from the locals; all before hiking up to the Tulum Ruins.

The Tulum [walled city] Ruins of the Maya were a sight and even more, a piece of history. The mystery behind the disappearance of the Mayans is intriguing; all theories of their disappearance seem reasonable to me.

Although snorkeling gave me a bit of anxiety, I knew I would regret not soaking in the moment and braving it. Therefore, I held a starfish, saw a stingray & felt exhilarated all at once! [With salt water in my nose, in my eyes & was intentionally focused on my breathing since I was a panicked spaz.]

All in all, WORTH IT peeps.

It’s funny how even among the amazing culture & views it still feels too good to be home. Maybe moving to another country isn’t in the cards for me but rather a travel visa for my vagabond bones.

Three months seems just long enough to live, laugh, learn & explore different territory before retreating “home sweet home” once more.

#Wanderlust.
#Vagabond.
#Seeker.
#InPursuit.

2014 | 2015

December 29, 2014January 1, 2015Leave a comment

“Wellllllll…that was a year of transitions.” … [And I say this. Every. Year.]

New jobs
New friends made
New geographical whereabouts
New adventures
New growth spurts

I was once afraid of transition or change. Believing that we are supposed “to know” our direction, set forth to find it & stick with it. But that’s so unlike my life?

And this year was no exception.

However! This year I acknowledged the comfort in knowing:

Tests turn into testimonies
Struggles turn into stories
Trials turn into triumphs

The will, the plan, the flow of life…

It’s sometimes hard to understand & always easy to fight — but my mind and soul are at ease when I take it in stride & know that whatever is happening is for a specific reason & I’m thankful to be a work in progress.

So while I love the idea of resolutions, history continues to prove itself that it just doesn’t seem to work out the way I [maybe you too?] originally thought it would. Therefore, I aim for mini goals, improvements, adjustments I can make to my everyday behaviors, my everyday flow of life.

• begin each day with thanksgiving, prayer & meditation.

• serve in the House that serves me. LifeChurch continues to fuel my thankful heart for an amazing House to call home.

• I am switching yoga studios in order to increase my knowledge, strength & ability; [mini goal] I plan to go confidently despite my insecurities.

• learn a new skill & this year I’m striving for Spanish.

• rekindle an old joy: sitting down to play the piano.

• become an even better dietician to myself & continue working toward an alkaline body. [Bulletproof Diet]

• give into my wanderlust & experience new cultures.

• listen more, talk less.

• look people in the eye.

• say thank you.

• unsubscribe from junk mail, any company I no longer want mail from & GROUPON. [you know what I’m talking about.]

• remember that the log in my eye is much more important than the speck in someone else’s.

• to be a continual seeker of goodness, light & my maker.

Cheers to 2015: May it be a year of thankfulness for all we have, serving those who need us, growth, continuous laughs & adventure.

#HappyNewYear.
#CelebrateLife.
#Adventure2015.

“What you seek is seeking you.” – Rumi

#InPursuit.

Celebrate Me Home…

December 23, 2014December 27, 2014Leave a comment

This is my favorite time of the year & my first holiday season back in Kansas from my stint in Texas; chalking up another journey of “self discovery”.

Five years ago I would have laughed in the face of anyone who told me I would ever reside in Kansas once more; and this time, it’s by choice.

My journey in Texas collected miles & I missed my family & loved ones more & more. I was absent from graduations, birthdays, reunions; the absence from simpler day-to-day excursions was just as annoying.

Seeing as this wasn’t the first time I packed my car & went vagabond, I knew these yearnings for home were coming from a different place.

Maybe a “grown” place.
A “seen enough” place.
To some, a “quitter” place.
But in fact, a place of “growth”was ensuing.

A place where I had realized that my geographical whereabouts do not define me; nor does my status, things of monetary value or the job that I possess. That my spirit is not hindered or altered by my surroundings but by my own mindset, insecurities & inhibitions.

That because He is within me I am able to be the vessel He has created me to be; present & purposeful, no matter where I am.

The change I was once praying for, in fact, would be a change of my own heart.

It took nearly a year of patience & courage but I was able to wave goodbye to Texas knowing that my growing pains lead to growth that lead me home.

#GratefulHeart.
#KansasChristmas.
#CelebrateMeHome.

Sun•Day (Yay)

December 8, 2014December 23, 2014Leave a comment

Sundays are the best days (my fav in fact)…especially when you have the pleasure of spending the evening with an awesome group of warm, wise folks, yummy food and [near] endless vino. An event hosted by the wonderful Robin, owner of the Bartlett Arboretum along with husband Kenny, who delivered her true to form specialty: delight.

In her speech to friends she expressed gratitude for their support, reminisced stories & uncovered lessons learned from longstanding friends she now calls family.

The woman has a way with words & I admire it so much because I am a lover of vocabulary.

During her speech she shared a few key words & phrases that stuck with me as I began to reflect on experiences & loved ones of my own:

•Patience
•Tenacity
•”Do it anyway”
•”With the end in mind”
•”Have fun & enjoy the view”

In the last year I have been a student to patience while being reminded it is a virtue for a reason.

My patience was tested while trying to decide whether I was being called to stay in Texas or come back to Kansas where my heart was. To make a long story short, patience eventually lead me home.

It was also tested when I met my Tree. I had no idea when we met that I was stumbling upon a wonderful human with the greatest heart & soul; that he would later teach me so much about letting go, letting God & the flow of life take it’s course, to believe in myself & my gifts. We began as friends but patience proved to bring us together in it’s own time. #thankful.

My yoga practice continues to test my patience as well — rather than envisioning where I want to be in my practice, yoga helps bring me back to the present moment to notice just how far I have come. I know one day I will be as developed as I envision but for now I am learning to be thankful for the voyage, setting my intention on trust & continued diligence.

Chutzpah, spunk, guts, backbone, willfulness…tenacity. Does anything worthwhile come to fruition without it? Or without the acknowledgment that sometimes despite our mindset, mood or plans we have to just grin, bear it & “do it anyway”?

I was a fan of listening to Robin reflect on times of “doing it anyway” especially on days where #TheStruggleWasReal.

There have been times when I’ve needed reminding that the situations I’m in are temporary & that without my personal tests I would never have my own testimony. “Doing it anyway” has offered me growth and has provided me with “entertaining” stories of my journey [typically after the storm, of course]; suggesting along the way to not necessarily be focused on the “end result” but rather keep “the end in mind”. We always hear people referring to the journey rather than the destination; go figure, they’re right. But sometimes the journey isn’t dang roses & Earth, Wind & Fire but rather a pain, rocks & glass [thank you Kid President]. I suppose life calls for us to get our hands a little dirty on occasion.

And lastly, she spoke of “having fun & enjoying the view”. A self explanatory reminder but how easily we forget.

Sunday adventure.
Monday jots.
Daily reminders.

Thankful heart, always.

#HappyMonday.

Journal(er) Once More

December 4, 2014December 4, 2014Leave a comment

Journaling: my remedy, my creativity, my authenticity, my ingenuity; in the words of my Tree: my art.

I gave it up for some time but as of late it’s what I take to on a daily basis to exhibit all of the above, once more.

Among all things in my life, I’m thankful for my gift & art; why be stingy with it?

What I suppose you can expect: two cents’ worth from a girl in a flyover state.

Until next time. #HappyThursday.

Everyday Beaut

Salon and Shop. Clean beauty + Mindful goods

Author: Everyday Beaut