In honor of Earth Day – this Sunday, April 22 – I wanted to go into the weekend thinking about some of my favorite “earthy” places on this Earth.
Here are a few of the most awesome and inspiring places I’ve visited so far.
Mount Haleakala, Maui
Southern Most Top of the United States, Hawaii
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Sunset off of Santa Monica Pier, California
I hope you get find something inspiring this weekend! Happy Earth Day!
Posted in Her Inspiration, Personal, travel
Tagged earth day, jackson hole, maui, mt haleakala, santa monica, travel, travel pictures
To have a sister is to have someone who is just like you, but totally different.
She can call you up and call you out, and either way it is done with love.
She knows your secrets and the funny things your parents do. You share inside jokes that are older than the concept of “inside jokes” are to you. She knows you before a degree, before a resume, before you knew how to put on makeup.
You’ll share clothes, a bathroom, and maybe even your house.
She could recognize your walk. You can recognize her brow.
You’ll look up to her, and she’ll look up to you and you’ll always look out for each other.
When the time is right, she’ll cheer for you, cry for you, fight for you and always celebrate you.
Today I celebrate my little sister on her 24th birthday. Happy birthday, Jules!
Posted in Family, Her Inspiration, Personal
Tagged birthday, julie, little sister, sisters
This morning on the way to work we were navigating Monday traffic and the Monday to-do lists when we heard, seemingly out of nowhere, the beginning notes of Nat King Cole’s Unforgettable.
It seemed like a movie moment where all of a sudden contrasting music fills the air, bringing a lightness to your step and a smile to your face. It turns out that a nearby car was playing this tune, loud enough to cut through the beeps and banalities of a Monday.
In any case, I hope you find a few moments to make your Monday unforgettable, too.
Last weekend I went on an impromptu trip to Florida to see my parents. We cooked, hung out, and relaxed. It was wonderful.
One of the perks of the weekend was enjoying true spring weather and seeing the sun – we haven’t had a ton of sun in DC this winter. Another plus was being able to gorge on fresh Florida spring fruits like strawberries and blueberries. Not flavorless like they are here, and not super tart they were perfectly sweet.
And so, my berry snacks have inspired me for this weekend.
Shop: Dress, Flats, Fruit, Denim, Lip, SmoothieThere is something so lovely about the freshness of a new season and the first crop of sweet fruit. I hope you have a beautiful weekend with lots of sweetness and joy.
Posted in Family, Fashion Inspiration, healthy, Her Closet, Her Inspiration, Her Kitchen, Spring
Tagged blueberries, florida fruit, spring inspiration, strawberries, weekend post
In the life of a woman I think there are a few must have ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day, and if you’re luck you’ve had a few really great Valentines.
First is a little girl’s dad, my dad is a great card giver.
Then come a series of puppy-loves, and their Whitman Samplers.
Then come the girlfriends, the rose wine, the shared meals at The Cheesecake Factory, and teary movies.
Then comes true love. My forever Valentine is always filled with surprises and his thoughtfulness comes through in small gestures and grand ones.
Mark and I have had so many great Valentine’s Days and dates. But, the truth is, we try to make each day special, and make every day Valentine’s Day if you will. This year (next week!) Valentine’s Day is a Tuesday – smack in the middle of the week and so it calls for a cozy night at home.
Cozy and Sweet for Valentine's Day 2012
This sweet little inspiration board is just perfect, something sexy, something soft, something cozy and a lot of somethings that are sweet.
What is your favorite Valentine’s Day memory? What makes your day – are you a homemade cards and cookies gal, or champagne and a little box kind of a gal? Or maybe somewhere in between?
Tell in the comments!
Yesterday was Mark’s birthday. We’ve been celebrating for nearly a week and have a few more celebrations yet.
But this was a bigger birthday and as we often do, we talked quite a bit about the meaningfulness of birthdays, milestones and markers in our life.
We were talking about chapters and how sometimes you don’t realize that one chapter is ending and another one is beginning, and sometimes you’re acutely aware of it.
Mark thinks he is on the precipice of the next great chapter in his life – which is a really exciting concept to think about.
And, of course sometimes the chapters surprise you. One such experience we laughed about is that when you’re graduating from college you think that the graduation moment is the real “chapter change.” But, really its a few months after college, when you’re figuring out what’s next, more independent, perhaps with a job that you realize the significance and gravity of the “chapter change.”
Do you think that milestones can change the chapters in your life?
Posted in Life Lessons, Personal
Tagged birthdays, chapters, life chapters, life lists, milestones
At the midpoint of this winter season I am struck with a real case of wanderlust that the typical stay-cation doesn’t seem capable of curing. DC’s cold, windy and gray days have me longing for a some salt water and icy drinks, instead of salty sidewalks and icy windows.
The New York Times puts out a list of “must-see” places for each year, and they are all across the spectrum and all around the world. That’s a good start for inspiration, but I already have a good sized list going.
What places are on your travel wishlist?
Paris!
Greece!
South Africa!
Maldives!
These are just a small handful of the world I have yet to see and explore. Where are your Top 3 travel destinations?
Two years ago today Mark and I were joined by our families and friends as we exchanged vows and became husband and wife. On that day we joined two families, we toasted each other and the people we love, we danced, we sang, we kissed.
And I got to marry my best friend. Happy Anniversary, Mark. I love you.
This weekend our favorite Yogi, Eoin Finn, is coming to DC and we are maxing out on yoga-time with a session tonight, two tomorrow, and one on Sunday. If that doesn’t have someone feeling the bliss, I don’t really know what will.
I am really excited to have the weekend to unwind, to connect, and flow.
In honor of our yoga weekend, and with a bit of a sense of humor, I share with you this funny video about yoga culture from Lululemon.
Because, really, who hasn’t had yoga hair?
Posted in Her Inspiration, Personal
Tagged Eoin Finn, eoin finn in dc, lululemon, shit yogis say, yoga, yoga in dc
Marilyn Monroe
Do you make resolutions? I know some people really do, and, of course, others recycle resolutions year after year. I think either way is fine, practice makes perfect after all.
On New Year’s Day we went to yoga and our instructor started the practice by talking about resolutions, and she framed it a bit differently. She said in the yoga tradition, instead of saying “I will be healthier in 2012” you might say, “I am healthier now.” This is called a San Culpa and it is an intention, and positive affirmation. It is suggested that you repeat the san culpa often so that it becomes absorbed into your being and your way of life.
Heavy, right? Well, what I thought was most interesting about this idea is that it is really tied to what you’re doing in the moment. Notice you don’t say, “I will be” but “I am.” So, if you’ve set a resolution for yourself and perhaps fallen off the wagon already, you can start over right now.
Every year we set new resolutions. But, no one says we can’t resolve to do better, and better every day, every hour, every moment. It’s your resolution, your rules.
Posted in Her Inspiration, Personal
Tagged new years, New Years resolutions, resolutions, san culpa, yoga, yoga philosophy
The Daily Batch 