SINCE WHEN DID TRYING TO CONVINCE TURN INTO A FREAKING SCIENCE RESEARCH PROJECT?
Here is how a typical day goes in my household....and this happens all before 7:30 AM when I have to leave for work.
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So many of you ask how you get started in living a more mindful life. While I don't think it takes much to learn how to practice mindfulness, I always like to encourage others to create a space that will inspire them to meditate.
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It's all going entirely too quickly. I can't believe that in two months, my sweet Winter will be two-years-old. There are so many moments during the day that I find myself begging for time to pause so that my memory has time to etch every single detail of her into my soul. I want to savor every bit of time that I have with her while she is this little. Gosh, where is that darn pause button??! Slow down, time!!
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We have lived in our house for a year now and I am excited to say that it is almost completely furnished and decorated. When we moved in, our family room (which is a converted garage) needed some TLC to truly make it ours. Perry built these shelves, and I must say, it feels like it grounds the room and frames our credenza quite well. We still have some minor tweaks and stuff that we want to add to this room, but for now it functions as the perfect space for my daughter to play in and for us adults to enjoy. We hope you like our take on a bohemian zen family room.
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The other day I had the privilege of creating and delivering a professional development presentation to my entire school staff on mindfulness and how trauma effects the brain. I was blown away with how well it was received and I am hopeful that my staff will not only begin to use it themselves, but use it with their students as well.
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I was born and raised in Arizona. I don't know if its the desert sunsets, the shades of green found in the various types of cacti, or the mild winter time, but something about the desert has always spoken to me.
When I saw this removable wallpaper from Coloray Decor, I almost spilled my wine all over the phone while trying to zoom in on the details. It was love at first sight. It has made this living room feel so complete. The Peel&Stick adhesive made this wallpaper super easy to install. It took us about 45 minutes to get up from start to finish (including cutting out the holes for the light fixture and outlet). The best part about this wallpaper is that you can remove it and stick it somewhere else and the quality of the adhesive will remain in tack. No wall damage and no fuss!
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I have so many photos from our time in Paia, Hawaii. I think that this post will be more of a visual depiction of the depth that I felt while I was there in lei of my words. But to set up this post, I have to write a little bit about my experience, because lets be real...I ALWAYS have something to say.
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I have had this lingering feeling that unsettling thoughts and emotions about returning to work are in my near future. I know that I am beyond blessed to get the opportunity to stay home with Winter during the summer, but once I begin to get so used to it, it seems like I am already staring at the end of summer on a calendar. Before I can even blink, I am back to work; 10 weeks is not long enough.
I have written a few blogs on the topic of being a working mother (which I will link below), but this blog feels so much heavier, less optimistic, if you will.
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When I wrote this post, my view consisted of the beach, waves, and people enjoying the sunshine and beautiful palm trees. There was absolutely no reason to complain. Except, I keep sitting here thinking what could have been and romanticizing the video clip I had imagined in my mind. You see, about a month ago, I looked over at Winter and something came over me. This emotion that I had never felt before, the longing of another baby. Before, when people would ask, I would cringe at the thought of another child. The idea of it all made me feel sick to my stomach and full of fear. Postpartum depression hit my family like a banshee out of hell and I could not, would not, risk putting myself or my husband through that again. Fear would win in my mind, and for the longest time, I thought our family size of three could be complete.
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I am really hoping to kick it up a notch on sharing more of my home designs with you. I have always loved patterns and textiles, but it wasn't until we bought our first home in 2014 that my love for learning about interior design and shooting ignited.
Instagram has led me to some wonderful designers out there that inspire me and push my creativity. Here are the 5 top interior designers to follow on Instagram. I know you will have a blast following along with them too:
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After completing a 10 week course in mindfulness last fall, I have been trying out different apps to make sure I keep up with my practice. Mindfulness is just like working out: If you don't use it, you lose it so to speak. It's important to make a concerted effort to practice on a daily basis to reap the benefits. It doesn't have to be a huge chunk of time. I typically aim for at least 10 minutes a day and can tell a difference when I don't get it in.
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After I wrote that blog title I looked down and saw chills all over my body. You see, when Perry asked me to marry him, I didn't have one inkling that we would be a couple that would struggle as much as we did after having Winter. Sure, there were things we needed to work on, but our foundation, how in love we were, and our hopes and dreams for the future, were never signs that we would begin to crumble like the weight of the world was set upon us. But we weren't immune to stress. Our relationship bent and withered and frayed. We had to fight long and hard to keep it from breaking and now that we are on the other side of it all, I couldn't be more proud of us.
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For the longest time I dreamed of creating an eating space that is both inviting and playful; one that really allows our love for the outdoors to shine. While we know that this is not our forever home, more than ever I am wanting to nest. I want our space to reflect our mindset and what Perry and I often crave---serenity, curiosity and zen-like vibes. In our last home, I was perhaps too quick to put things on the walls, so this time around, I have been very mindful of what we bring into our home.
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We are just a few days from our Hawaii trip and couldn't be more excited. Perry has always wanted to go to Hawaii and for his birthday, we decided to take the plunge and book a trip. The timing is perfect because Winter still flies for free. Despite her free flight, it's crazy to think that we are essentially paying the same amount for a two week vacation as we did for a six week one when we went to Cambodia and Thailand back in 2014. It's a tough pill to swallow how much our trip is going to cost, but we know that it will probably be a once in a lifetime trip and we couldn't think of a better time to do it.
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Whelp. I did it again. Just a month after getting my roman numeral 11 on my finger (read about the significance, here), I went and got another tattoo that means the world me: a tiny origami crane. Okay, now I think my tattoo collection is complete.
You may have noticed that my blog logo has always had an origami crane. It's been a symbol that has played such an intricate component in my life. So what's its significance?
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In December 2016, I decided to take Love & LaRock on with full steam. I post to Instagram at least six days per week, put a blog post up twice per week, and shoot content every Friday. I have noticed that while Insta-Blogging brings so much joy and has connected me to many wonderful people and brands from all over the world, it’s also had some negative ramifications on my mental state.
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I have always been quite the worrywart. It’s probably my least favorite personality trait of mine. I have always heard that worrying can become even more in the forefront of your life once you have kids and that has undoubtedly been proved to be my experience thus far. I have been working very hard to squash the worry bug because I while I think some fear serves purpose, letting it dictate your daily thoughts is not a way that I want to live.
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I’ve been thinking a lot about how and what I eat. I think we all have moments in our lives when our relationship with food becomes somewhat detached and we forget to stop and really think about where our food is coming from and what it tastes like. Do you remember your last meal? What did it smell like, taste like, look like? As I am typing this, I realized that I just inhaled a cold bagel with cream cheese while simultaneously petting my dog with my foot and pausing to check the ding on my phone. Ugh, that was definitely not a satisfying experience. It makes me think of the many times I have been at work and I have just shoved food in my mouth while walking from one meeting to the next or while typing up reports and answering emails. I think in a culture that views multitasking as efficient and busy as good, we are perpetually living in a state of doing and chaos, which leaves us feeling run down, exhausted and always feeling like we should be accomplishing more.
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