Friday, January 29, 2016

found.


so much yes.

"one of the greatest tragedies in life is to lose your own sense of self and accept the version of you that is expected by everyone else." 
- k.l. toth 


Monday, January 25, 2016

wandering to the west


{phoenix wandering}


{flagstaff & grand canyon: mather's point and GC village}


{downtown sedona}


{tlaquepaque, modeled after a mexican village}


{desert botanical garden in phoenix}


{historic scottsdale}


{taliesen west: frank lloyd wright's architecture school}

last week, i had many firsts: 
  • driving a convertible
  • skidding out on the ice on a highway in said convertible
  • taking a trip in the US by myself
  • seeing a cactus
  • laying eyes on the grand canyon
on that thursday, i flew to phoenix for a work meeting, and made the most of it by extending my trip until mlk day the next monday. i had always heard that consultants can fly wherever they want when traveling after a work meeting, but the moment had never presented itself until now. all of my consultant dreams - a pretty short list - were coming true!

in arizona, i drove from phoenix to flagstaff to the grand canyon to sedona and back to phoenix. i really enjoy driving. many people wrinkle their noses and say really?? when i tell them this, but for me, it's very therapeutic. this may be (and probably is) a result of not owning a car since my senior year of high school, and not having to even think about oil changes or flat tires (thanks, dad!). despite my love of driving, i've tried as hard as i can to live in cities that do not require a set of wheels. right up there with driving is my love of exploring a city via foot, something that is still new and exciting to this orlando, florida-bred girl (read: not walkable). 

highlights of this trip: a visit to taliesen west, frank lloyd wright's winter home from 1937 to his death in 1959 and home of his architecture school; all of the hole-in-the-wall southwestern taco joints i could find; cruising down the highway and giving in to the only genre of music available on any radio station (country); seeing the grand canyon for the first time = literally in awe; striking up random conversations with strangers on the top of said canyon; meeting up with second cousins in scottsdale and having a happy heart.

"those roads provided breath-taking views. there's something special about an empty road going on and on and on to the horizon where the sun burns the world away a dancing, shimmering heat haze that reflects the crystal blue sky, literally blurring the line between heaven and earth."
- dave gorman 

Sunday, January 3, 2016

two thousand and fifteen


going through these pictures was very weird. i feel like the last time i saw snow was twenty five years ago, and living in new york feels like thirty years before that.

2015 was an odd year. i graduated with my masters degree, traveled around the world, moved to a new city, and started my first real job. these milestones really helped to solidify a few things that i probably knew already. the biggest one, that i'll be grateful to have in my back pocket for years to come? that home is a feeling, not a place. home is where you feel alive and happy and excited to take on the next big thing. home is with the people that keep you going.

a recap:
  • jan: i stayed with my sister in miami and then came back to snowcopalypse 2015 in nyc
  • feb: it continued to snow, i continued to explore 
  • march: snow, cont.
  • april: j and i celebrated three years; i ran my first quarter-life-crisis half marathon
  • may: we graduated, we headed to cape cod, i ran my second quarter-life-crisis half marathon
  • june: chiang mai and koh phangan and bangkok and all my elephant-petting dreams came true
  • july: LA to SF, then a move to DC and my first job
  • august: adjustment, cont.
  • sept: back to my city, my N-Y-C
  • oct: a visitor from the west (arguably best) coast; i bought a kitten
  • nov: flew south to give thanks
  • dec: i turned 25 and have no idea what i'm doing next. 
"sometimes i need only to stand wherever i am to be blessed."
- mary oliver

Saturday, January 2, 2016

2015 panoramaaaas


new york city


govna's island and montauk


new hampshire exploring 


first visit to LA: runyon canyon 


hotel in hollywood 


malibu 


pacific coast highway 


hiking in malibu


hiking in santa barbara 


downtown santa barbara 


coit tower in SF 


a second trip to LA: december 


and back to florida for the holidays. 

Design by | SweetElectric