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The Little Things…

I’ll be honest, last week was really rough for me. I came down from a high. My birthday was over and it hit me, I’m 30. I know many of you reading this will laugh thinking how ridiculous it is to feel sad about turning another year older, but the reality is, it was my truth. I felt completely off all last week and it was even brought to my attention that I wasn’t acting my usual self. I tried fighting off my depressed and anxious state, told myself age was only a number, and read my 30 Life Lessons Learned by Age 30 post more times than I can even count because I wanted to believe the lessons I had learned. Nothing seemed to work, until this weekend.

I started feeling myself again. Maybe it was the fact that I attended an amazing 2 hour yoga therapy workshop to help with anxiety, stress, and depression, thanks to my friend Chelsea, who encouraged us to go. Maybe it was the fact that on our walk there, a kind man offered us a free bouquet of flowers because he simply wanted to spread more love. Or maybe I just needed some time. We all go through difficult seasons or moments when we feel anxious, stressed, and/or depressed and it’s so important to take the time to feel what we need to feel, so we can heal, and come back even stronger.

Every Sunday I try to set my intentions for the week, but this weeks intentions are a little different. Instead of fixating my intentions on myself, I plan on centering it on those around me. This weeks focus is of kindness and I encourage you all to set the same intention.

Maybe you’ll decide that you need to be more kind towards yourself this week. If so, I encourage you to try a new class you’re interested in, practice yoga, go for a walk/run in nature, or when you wake up in the morning, say three things that you love about yourself.

OR

Like the kind flower man, maybe you’ll decide to spread your kindness to those around you. If so, I suggest that you buy someone flowers, purchase the coffee for the car behind you, smile & say ‘hello’ more, or give someone a sincere and thoughtful compliment.

Whether the kindness is to yourself, a stranger (or both), it’s important to remember that the little things make a difference.

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Spreading the love with free flowers. Thank you!
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30 Life Lessons Learned by Age 30

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Change. More often than not, this simple one syllable word brings so many of us the feeling of fear, worry, and anxiety. We are creatures of habit that yearn for routine and often cling to consistency. Why? Because change equals uncertainty, and uncertainty equals discomfort. As someone who has experienced a significant amount of change and discomfort in the last year, I encourage you all if you’re not already, to begin viewing change in a more positive way. Change is good. We are meant to experience change throughout our lifetime, so lets start embracing it a little more, alright?

Change is the only constant in life. Ones ability to adapt to those changes will determine your success in life. -Benjamin Franklin

I promise you, the moment you learn to enjoy the process of change, is when you will begin to reap all the rewards of change–that is how we grow!

If we don’t change, we don’t grow. If we don’t grow, we aren’t really living. -Gail Sheehy

As I am quickly approaching my 30th birthday and enjoying the last handful of days left in my twenties, I started to reflect on how much I have changed throughout this last decade. I quickly realized that I spent the majority of my twenties finding myself and learning what I really wanted out of life. At times I definitely struggled. I was fragile, a little insecure, and totally clueless. I spent most of my twenties changing and I can proudly say I have changed for the better, I am not that girl anymore.

This past year, I have transformed more than ever. I took risks and pushed myself more than I ever thought I could. I completely started over in a new city, in a new apartment, and at a new job. If that wasn’t enough, just a few months later, I pushed myself again by hiking close to 80 miles in distance, up to 17,000 feet in altitude for 8 days straight in Peru. I spent my final year in my twenties challenging myself in every way possible–physically, emotionally, and mentally. As difficult as it was, I can’t think of a better way to celebrate the ending of an era and the beginning of a new one.

 

 

In celebration of entering a new decade and in no particular order, I thought I would share…

The 30 life lessons I’ve learned by age 30:

Continue reading “30 Life Lessons Learned by Age 30”

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When one door closes…

Nowadays, it’s easy to showcase your self the way you want to be seen. As people, we naturally want to put forward and show our best possible self. We post our best pictures with our best angles with the most flattering filters. You don’t find many individuals updating their Facebook status when times are challenging or sad and you definitely don’t see people posting to Instagram that unfiltered and unflattering photo that makes them appear 10 pounds heavier. It’s only natural, right? But behind closed doors, we are all real people with real challenges and experience our own personal struggles.

Since moving to San Diego, I have done a good job showcasing my happy and exciting moments on social media. I have to admit, the majority of the time here has been pretty picturesque. Every day is definitely not perfect though and some days are much harder than others. It’s been a big change and like everything else, adjusting takes time. I believe in order to overcome our personal struggles, we have to be real and true to ourselves, experience these emotions and know it’s all part of the journey. Today’s post is one of those posts, it’s real and it’s vulnerable.

Continue reading “When one door closes…”

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I Moved to SAN DIEGO!

You heard it right! I actually did it. I moved to San Diego! I’ve talked about, I’ve dreamed it, and now I can finally say I’m living it!

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I moved to San Diego January 1st. What a way to start out the new year, right? Now that I have been living the SoCal life for the last two months, I thought I would share a little bit of my journey moving to the Golden State.

Keep reading to hear why I chose this new life path… Continue reading “I Moved to SAN DIEGO!”

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The 7 Best Trader Joe’s Products Of All Time

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One of the amazing locals I met on a trip to Canada, was telling my friend and I that she and every other Canadian wishes Trader Joe’s were located in Vancouver, B.C. She went on to talk about how Canadians go crazy for Trader Joe’s products and that in fact, there was a guy that would drive down to the States, buy Trader Joe’s hot ticketed items, and return to Canada and sell to the residents of Vancouver, B.C. I at first thought this was a simple case of the ‘wanting what you can’t have’ concept. It made me think of when my brother and dad visit Southern California and want In N’ Out Burger for nearly every meal. They claim because it’s delicious (which is true), but I think it’s mostly because In N’ Outs aren’t located anywhere near where they live.

I soon realized that Trader Joe’s is different. With a jam packed parking lot and some of my favorite items selling off the shelves at my latest Trader Joe’s shopping trip, I couldn’t help but think, “What makes Trader Joe’s so compelling?”

As I shopped the store and looked around, I was able to fully observe what makes this store so different from the other leading grocery stores. With a Hawaiian/tiki themed atmosphere, a budget friendly price tag, happy & helpful staff, already chopped fruits & veggies, pre-made & pre-cooked products, to original items that other stores don’t carry (like a pb&J chocolate bar or their famous cookie butter), it’s no wonder Americans and Canadians alike are going crazy for this store. I was able to reflect on the products that can’t live with out, the products that I return to Trader Joe’s for week after week and I immediately began to appreciate this unique store and all that it has to offer. After this shopping experience, I felt compelled enough to share with you all, my must have, absolute favorite, Trader Joe’s products. You may recognize some of the items. For the items that you don’t recognize, I hope on your next shopping trip you decide to give some of these items a try, but more importantly, I hope you enjoy them just as much as I do!

In order from least favorite, here are the 7 Best Trader Joe’s Products of all Time:

Continue reading “The 7 Best Trader Joe’s Products Of All Time”

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How to Make the Perfect Açaí Bowl from Home

The Açaí Bowl–Maybe it’s the idea that it reminds me of being on vacation, somewhere warm and on a beach or maybe it’s the fact that I get to indulge in a sweet treat and call it breakfast, either way I am completely obsessed.

After a recent experience of getting sick and only wanting to eat these tasty snacks because of their cold properties that soothed my sore throat, I found myself on more than one occasion paying nearly $15 for a bowl at a local juice bar in my neighborhood. And although I love to support local businesses, the budget-savvy girl in me couldn’t help but cringe with every purchase. So this lead me to wonder how I could make a more cost efficient version in my own kitchen, but still taste as good as the ones made from the pros. After several attempts, I feel like I have finally accomplished how to make the perfect açaí bowl from home. Scroll down to get my yummy recipe. Continue reading “How to Make the Perfect Açaí Bowl from Home”

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April Intentions: 3 Tips for Practicing Self-Love

Happy first day of April! For those of you that don’t already know, before every month I like to set my intentions for the upcoming month, which means coming up with tasks or goals that I feel like I need to work on. I have set my intentions for the month of April and I strongly encourage you, my friends, to do the same.

For the last week of March, I have been consistently practicing the following three self-love tips. I plan on carrying out these tips and making them my primary focus for the month of April. I hope my intentions bring you motivation to do the same or at least give you a little inspiration to find other ways to practice some form of self-love every single day!

Continue reading “April Intentions: 3 Tips for Practicing Self-Love”