thanksgiving

12.25.2015


As I sit here basking in the glowing warmth of Christmas Day, I'm finally getting a chance to process photos from Thanksgiving. My favorite holiday held up again for an amazing vacation. We took our annual Thanksgiving Day hike with the dogs, we drank good beer, and shoveled our bellies full of home-cooked favorites. 

The vacation lasted for a full four days. Amidst the recent chaos, I had no idea quite how busy I was until I took the time to hit pause. I was reminded what boredom felt like. I enjoyed it too. Had it gone on longer, I might have gone crazy. Instead, its brevity gave me just the right amount of time to process. You don't realize how fast you're running, how much you're putting out instead of taking in, until you s-t-o-p. Sure, yoga allows me to pause each day, but it also involves rushing to the yoga studio, getting in my physical practice, sweating, and then biking home to quickly wrap things up before bed. It's not exactly stopping. 

So, thank you Thanksgiving for giving me the break I needed. For reminding me that the best creativity is born from moments when you have nothing to do. For surrounding me with fresh air. Let's remember to stop every once in awhile.

Happy belated Thanksgiving.

an oasis all my own

5.08.2015

This past month, a fire lit under my ass. I started rearranging, cleaning, discarding, and putting my home together a new way. So many things had been put into place with a 'that will work for now' mentality, but it was time to wipe the slate clean. I needed a refresh. I wanted to look around and feel calm...inspired in my own home. Bit by bit, I worked through it. I finally went and bought the things we'd been needing. I added a few plants to the collection. It started to come together. Slowly, I was building my own personal oasis. 

There is nothing liking having your own space. A retreat where you can escape to at the end of the day. Surroundings that fill you with happiness. You set the accoutrements, each object placed, each decoration intentional, and then you fill it with the people you love, the animals who give you companionship, the food that feeds your body. Your personality and your movements imprint themselves on the walls. Evidence of life sprinkles throughout. You have all you'll ever need, right there.

I'm a traveling soul -- drawn to adventure, but at the end of it all, there is nothing like coming home. Build your oasis. Leave it. Return to it. Appreciate how it supports you.

open space

2.24.2015

The other day, I read an article that talked about negative space. It described a hand. The negative space in-between each finger defining the edges, and allowing our brains to make sense of physical matter. "Without nothing, there cannot be something," it explained. The negative space allows us to make sense of what is.

It got me to thinking about other ways in which this is true. I decided that it also holds beyond the physical. Without sadness, we could not understand happiness, and moments of quiet help us make sense of the chatter. That, is why it's so important to relax, to meditate, to do yoga, and to get out and hike in nature -- even if it's the middle of a snow-ridden winter. We need moments to free the mind, so that we can then reign her in. We need mother nature and her wide open spaces, so that the world and all her clutter can make sense.

That is why I return.

weekly scenes: a winter hike

12.11.2014

Our first snowfall happened over Thanksgiving this year. We went home, hoping it would come. Crossing our fingers and holding out for its magical presence to start sprinkling down. Sure enough, rise and shine Wednesday morning, and there it was -- flurrying in the skies and making its presence known. All day it snowed, and bit by bit the landscape was blanketed. Come Thursday, we strapped our hiking boots on and went out to enjoy it. Off to Highland Forest with three dogs, Adam, and my brother. We hiked the expansive trails for about three hours. Working up a sweat with the uphill climbs, and losing our breath from the utter beauty that surrounded us. There is something about a snowy landscape that makes your heart drop. It's a quiet presence. The snow brings peace and sheer awe in one fell swoop. 

Upon arriving home, we warmed up in front of the fire and set some cider to brew with cinnamon and clove. It was truly one of those days. You know, the ones where you feel like everything is just perfect.

united by blue

11.24.2014

Get up. Go. Adventure.
Leave the plans behind. Ditch the maps.
Step inside. Ask directions. Follow the lines scribbled on a napkin.
See where it leads you.
Then find your way home.

weekly scenes

4.17.2014

Life has taken a turn for the busier. You'll have to forgive me for the silence that has ensued because of it. I know I've barely shared a peep, but I must admit, I don't feel entirely horrible about it. It's important to get out and experience life that is not set behind a computer screen. With the recent shift in weather, I've been making it a point to do so. I've been chasing dreams, laying in the grass, cooking up a storm, biking EVERYWHERE just because I can, and trying to make it to as many yoga classes as possible.

I do want to call out a few special moments that have happened recently though....
1. Adam's band had their first show! It was such a fun night of free beer, free souls, and free rock n' roll.
2. We finally bought a vine! Now I just want more. :)
3. This little one is back in my life and we've been having a ball. This shot was taken while enjoying the weather at Penn Treaty park on a Saturday afternoon.
4. My new favorite thing is to pick up fresh fish from Ipolito's Seafood. They got what's good.
5. Check out this post I did on cream vs. oil moisturizer! I'm a total convert.
6. Yes, succulent vines do exist. And yes, I will own one someday.
7. God I love this girl. She is one of the best, kindest, funniest, good-to-be-around people you'll ever come across. Anyone who gets to meet her in their life is damn lucky. I'm so happy to have been one of those people!
8. I almost started a chicken farm in our way-too-small of a backyard when I met these babes (or should I say chicks) at Greensgrow
9. Adam & I started a food blog! Go check it out!

Oh, and I'm heading to San Diego next month! Anyone with suggestions of where I should go, visit, stay, eat, etc. please drop me a line in the comments! I hope everyone's spring is off to as glorious a start as my own. Much love. xx

thanksgiving, you were perfect

12.04.2013

Dogs, fresh snow, lots of love...what else does one need to make a great Thanksgiving? Adam and I headed up to Syracuse where the air was ten degrees cooler and the ground covered in powder. It made for great snow shoeing weather, Adam and Marley's first time. Poor little Marley was very chilly towards the end, but she got over it quite quickly when we arrived back home where the fire was blazing and a cozy dog bed laid out in front. She, along with the rest of us, splayed out to relax in the living room before we got to work. Us humans enjoyed an amazing spread of fine cheeses. Finally, it was time to help my mother finish up the meal. All hands were on deck - chopping, peeling, setting plates. When we all at down a bottle of wine had already been finished. It was a great crew with interesting - enlightening - conversation.   I will speak for everyone and say that we all went to bed full of food and happiness that night. It was a great day. For the dogs, for the snow, for the immense love, I am beyond thankful. Here's to many more perfect Thanksgivings!