Wise Words

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I stumbled upon Anne Lamott's wise words that she wrote for her birthday and I felt the need to share them, if only for myself on a later date. She speaks so much truth and in the most eloquent way! Here is the link for all the words of wisdom but here were a few I especially loved::


1. All truth is a paradox. Life is a precious unfathomably beautiful gift; and it is impossible here, on the incarnational side of things. It has been a very bad match for those of us who were born extremely sensitive. It is so hard and weird that we wonder if we are being punked. And it filled with heartbreaking sweetness and beauty, floods and babies and acne and Mozart, all swirled together.

2. Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.

3. Everyone is screwed up, broken, clingy, and scared, even the people who seem to have it more or less together. They are much more like you than you would believe. So try not to compare your insides to their outsides. Also, you can't save, fix or rescue any of them, or get any of them sober. But radical self-care is quantum, and radiates out into the atmosphere, like a little fresh air. It is a huge gift to the world. When people respond by saying, "Well, isn't she full of herself," smile obliquely, like Mona Lisa, and make both of you a nice cup of tea.

4. Grace: Spiritual WD-40. Water wings. The mystery of grace is that God loves Dick Cheney and me exactly as much as He or She loves your grandchild. Go figure. The movement of grace is what changes us, heals us and our world. To summon grace, say, "Help!" And then buckle up. Grace won't look like Casper the Friendly Ghost; but the phone will ring, or the mail will come, and then against all odds, you will get your sense of humor about yourself back. Laughter really is carbonated holiness, even if you are sick of me saying it.

5. Jesus; Jesus would have even loved horrible, mealy-mouth self-obsessed you, as if you were the only person on earth. But He would hope that you would perhaps pull yourself together just the tiniest, tiniest bit--maybe have a little something to eat, and a nap.

So good, right??

Celebrate the Lazy

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The other day at clinic, my supervisor, a fellow grad student, and I were all sitting around talking about the stresses of grad school and the little nuisances you can't understand until you've done it yourself. And we came upon the topic of busy. In our program, as in many I'm assuming, we become so consumed with success and one-upping each other that we forget about the big picture. We forget about the people behind the masks of insecurities. I'm guilty of this myself. Someone says how stressed they are, how busy they are, and you sit there, get the wide eyed "don't I know it" look and give your complaints about how busy you are. It's a really fun game where everyone feels great about themselves after...

So I had an idea.

What if we celebrated the leisure activities, the productivity, the Netflix binges and with total sincerity said, "Hey! Good for you! You deserve that! Take that time to stop and breathe!" 

Why do we celebrate stress and being overly busy?? Don't we know it only leads to heart disease, depression, anxiety, etc?? Yet we continue to do it! France takes off an entire month to relax and we barely allow ourselves a week! The American lifestyle is fairly toxic and I want to become more aware of when I'm praising my busy and not praising my sweet moments of silence. I've become so used to filling up all my moments with some kind of noise that I can't even sit alone with myself anymore. That's sad! 

I love Kenny Chesney's song "Noise" for this very reason. He says, "we can't sleep, we can't think, can't escape the noise, we can't take the noise so we just make noise." I honestly haven't heard anything truer in a while. I'm tired of all the hate in the world, all the judgement, all the fear and instead want to congratulate the good, the brave and the joyful. Because it's out there but we are surrounded by noise! 

So I'm going to try and be more intentional about my thoughts, my actions and my words and celebrate the quiet moments and the lazy days for me and for those around me. Don't feel guilty! Revel in the lazy!! Because, let's be real, the lazy I'm talking about and what you're talking about is likely looooooong overdue.

Summer Adventures: Painted Hills

There are some places in life that are truly spectacular and the Painted Hills are definitely included in that list. Nestled in eastern Oregon, outside of Bend, sits rocks that alternate in shades of reds and whites and truly take your breath away. The only place I could equate this to was the Grand Canyon. All of a sudden you look to your left and there's this incredible natural wonder just asking to be admired.  

 (the three sisters)

My friends and I drove the 4 hours there and the 4 hours back all in one day and would do it again in a heartbeat. It was absolutely worth it. On the drive there, we took the Mount Hood route (always beautiful) and took the Santiam Pass on our way back so we were getting different views throughout the day. We stopped in Sisters, OR for some coffee and ate dinner in Salem, OR to break up the ride home. 

Driving through Oregon never ceases to amaze me. I am definitely a west coast girl through and through. 

Next up on my list of Oregon wonders is The Wallowas and Crater Lake!

The One Day Guide to San Francisco

 I recently showed two friends from Portland all around San Francisco and the day went so smoothly that I had to share. It not only was smooth though, it was a blast! So here is my one day guide to SF! 

We started the day at around 11/11:30 and went straight from the Bay Bridge to the Golden Gate so we started at the furthest end of the city first. This way we wound up towards the Bay Bridge when it was time to head back into Sacramento. I absolutely love Chrissy Field and the old military buildings so we started here.

We then followed signs for the walking path that leads you to the Golden Gate and walked halfway across the bridge. It was such a beautiful day and the city was truly showing off. This was, somehow, something I had never done before (at least from what I remember) so it was fun to incorporate something new for the person who has done almost everything in the city.

 We then drove over to the Marina District/ Cow Hollow for some more incredible views and lunch. My friend Stephanie had seen that a coffee shop recently put in Rifle Paper Co.'s pineapple wallpaper in this area so that was our main attraction. We walked to Umami burger from the coffee shop and had the most amazing truffle burger as well!

 

 How fun is the wallpaper?? The coffee shop is called Wrecking Ball Coffee and you should definitely stop in next time you're in the city. 

 We then went to Alamo Square to see the Painted Ladies! Unfortunately the park is under construction so you can't sit and admire them from the park slope but they're still fun to look at! 

 San Francisco has the largest Chinatown and exploring this area was something the three of us had never done so we figured, why (k)not?! (had to) It was quite the experience to say the least. We also walked into Little Italy and the church of Saint Francis (the patron saint of San Francisco) just to look around. I felt like I was back in Italy for a minute and walking into all the little churches in tiny alleyways throughout Italian towns.

We ended the day in the Mission District at Dolores Park. We picked up some smoothies and Acai Bowls from a place right down from the park and ate them sitting on the stoop as dinner. I think sitting at a park and people watching is one of my absolute favorite things to do. 

There is still so much more to see in that beautiful city but we definitely hit some great spots and never felt exhausted. I don't recommend doing a city like SF in just one day, but if you have to, I think planning it out a bit like this is the way to go! 

95% of these photos come from my talented friend, Dominique!! Check our her instagram HERE!

Crossed off the List

See Mumford & Sons in concert

Sky dive

Road trip up the California coast

Get into graduate school

Go to a major music festival

Go to a film festival

Find fulfillment in my career

Visit Alaska and Canada

Drive cross country (and not get sick)

Listen to someone's life story

Visit Charleston

Learn some southern hospitality

Live in the south for some time.

Live in Europe for some time

Learn to be a better cook

Fall in love and get married

Mission trip to Africa or wherever I'm called

Earn my degree in Speech and Hearing Sciences

Live in a "big" city

Find happiness everywhere

Put a smile on someone's face everyday

Help a complete stranger 

Travel to London


Study Abroad


Celebrate Mardi Gras in New Orleans

Visit Niagara Falls

Ice skate in Rockefeller Center

Travel to Australia

Visit the Grand Canyon

Visit Prince Edward Island

Travel to Ireland

to be continued...

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One of my favorite things to do is to cross off items on any kind of list I've made. It makes matters even better when I'm crossing off items on my life goals list! The list above is in my Life Goals page but I thought it would help to show it above before I explain which ones I've recently crossed off. :)

First off:

 

I finally saw Mumford & Sons in concert!! It was unlike anything I've ever experienced and I doubt I'll ever be able to top that kind of concert experience again. I was jumping up and down, screaming the lyrics and waves of nostalgia washed over me as I relived some high school moments. It was such an incredible moment and everyone deserves to see them live someday. 

I GOT INTO GRAD SCHOOL! 

I don't know how I didn't cross this one off earlier but somehow it slipped past me! This one is a biggie as it made me move to my current city of Portland! Everything about this school and this city feels right and each day that I'm here makes me more and more sure of that. I'm constantly in awe of Oregon's beauty and I can't wait to experience more and more. 

I moved to a pretty big city!! It's not New York, San Francisco or Chicago, but it's my kind of city. It's the perfect size, has the best food and drinks and there is nature all around. I never feel trapped with all of the thousands of trees around and the Colombia River Gorge a quick 30 minute drive away. Also can I talk about the people I've met so far!!? They are incredible! And the pace of the city can't be beat. This is a slow city on the weekends and every where you go, even waiting in line, people aren't feeling too rushed. 

Do you keep some kind of bucket list? It's so fun to set goals, even lofty ones, and watch as you cross one off. :)

A Little Blush

glasses, minimergency kit, bag, sweater, phone case, shirt, blush

Lately I have been lusting over everything and anything blush. I think it's such a subtle hue from the pink family and yet can add a fun punch of color to an otherwise bland outfit. How amazing are those Warby Parker glasses? I love the tortoiseshell design but with different tones than normal. I am going in for an eye exam soon and maybe they'll tell me I need a new prescription and therefore I need new glasses. We all know where I'm headed if that's true!

I'm sorry for the radio silence lately but I have had a nasty bug the last 4 days and have been in and out of bed and that's about it. Fun times around here! But it wouldn't be a normal winter without at least one cold, right?

I'm hoping to get some fun new content up next week! I miss being consistent on here!!
Thanks for staying with me! :) Oh, and how's March treating everyone so far?

Friday Inspiration

via

I love this so much. I miss doing Friday Inspirations! 

Go out and enjoy your Friday because there will never be another 

one like it. :)

Friday Inspiration

{Found here}

This is so, very true. Nice one Conan. 

We have rain in the forecast for this weekend and while it may get in the way

of a football game, I couldn't be more excited. (It's actually raining right now!!) So I 

plan on enjoying the rain and then on sunday I'm attending a Friendsgiving! 

I hope you have a wonderful weekend and also a big hello to my new followers!

It's very nice to meet you all. :) 

Friday Inspiration

I found this off Pinterest and I absolutely loved it. Growing up we all heard the question,

are you right or left brained and I love reading this and realizing we are not

one or the other but a beautiful mix of both. 

Have a great weekend you left and right brainers! :)

Friday Inspiration

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“You are not weak just because your heart feels so heavy.”

-andrea gibson

Friday Inspiration

I found this adorable list off Tumblr and it's pretty great. 

I really do love Fall. 

Have a great and relaxing weekend!! 

Friday Inspiration

{image}

"The only way to find true happiness is to risk being completely cut open."

-Chuck Palahniuk, Invisible Monsters


As always, some Friday Inspiration for you. :)
Have a lovely weekend!

Friday Inspiration

{I couldn't find who made this but I found it on Pinterest}

So, so true. But boy it is hard sometimes. 

I feel like this upcoming semester is a huge leap of faith in some ways.

And it all begins now because I am back in Tucson and Junior year starts
on Monday!!

Have a great weekend!!

Friday Inspiration

{here}

Have a happy weekend friends!

My friend Kylie is flying in from Arizona to hang out with me for the last few

days that I'll be in California till I head back to Tucson. 

It'll be a weird transition going back into regular schooling after having studied

abroad in one of the most beautiful countries in the world but I'll find my way. 

And I'll of course be updating on daily life on the blog! :)

Friday Inspiration

I don't know if the new New Girl poster counts as inspiration but guys...

I AM SO EXCITED FOR THIS SEASON! 

Countdown to September 17th with me??

Also can we please acknowledge how Nick is doing turtle face? Perfection. 

Friday Inspiration

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I couldn't agree with this quote more. 

Happy Friday!!

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