GRATITUDES + BREAKTHROUGHS // April 4, 2017

Gratitudes

Thank you to everyone who reached out to send me good vibes and well wishes for my birthday! I was overwhelmed by the thoughtfulness through text, voicemail, email, Facebook and even Instagram. Y’all really know how to make a girl feel special!

Friday morning my phone rang early, I knew who it was. My Dad every year leaves me a birthday voicemail. Years before I used to pick up the phone and listen to it live, but the last few years I let it go to voicemail so I can save it and listen to it throughout the year. If you’ve ever met my Dad you know how playful and silly his sense of humor is, he also can’t hold a note. This has easily become my favorite birthday tradition.

Shortly after the phone call, I was able to Facetime with my boyfriend. We shared a cup of coffee, he sang me happy birthday and I got to rip open my presents. I can’t believe I actually waited to open them, I always open them early! I swear I don’t know how people survived in LDR before Facetime, it’s such a treat to get to see each other especially for these special celebrations.

To personally celebrate my birthday I went with my sister Katlyn to get new tattoos. I’ve been wanting this tattoo for months now. On my first trip to Italy Grandma Jean slipped me a note inside it had $20 and it said “See all you can, and have a great time.” I’ve loved that note and that message for years. It’s simple and so honest. I was going to get it done in Rome this past summer but realized with the language barrier I probably wasn’t going to be able to express what I wanted exactly. I waited and went to see my fav tattoo artist Thomas Mendoza at La Mano Ink in Manassas. He was able to take the note and outline my grandma’s handwriting so now I have “See all you can” everywhere I go. Travel as you all know is so important to me and this is the perfect reminder to keep my eyes open to new experiences. It’s adorable and I’ll be showing you as soon as it’s all healed.

Sunday I had to say goodbye to a dear friend and writing mentor. When I worked at the magazine I met one of our writers and he instantly took me under his wing or more appropriately out to lunch. George Rowand was such an inspiration. He lived a full life that included writing, horse racing, travel and a love for his community. One thing that always stood out to me about George, besides his hauntingly beautiful ice blue eyes, was the way he spoke about his wife. He would jump at the chance to speak about how much he loved her, how they met, how he chased her before they got married. Always words of kindness, thoughtfulness and love. He touched through his writing and also through his baking. He found a love for cookies, and that included baking. He would try new recipes weekly and baked on average 140 cookies a week to hand out to people in town. I can’t tell you how many times he would stop by my office with a dozen or so. He truly was a lover and giver. I’ll miss his smile and the way he told stories.

After George’s funeral I headed over to my parents house to celebrate my birthday with the family. Our tradition is your favorite home-cooked meal, mine is always tacos. Always. We had a taco buffet and sat around and caught up. That’s basically it. My Mom did surprise me with a banging dessert instead of cake. She make funnel cakes with a toppings bar. They were so yummy! Along with dishes, a french press, new coffee mugs I got a bonsai tree for my sun room. As my Grandma Jean put it, I’m growing quite a green thumb!

Nail polish might seem a bit off for a post birthday celebration but I was happy to snag it at TJMaxx. “Liv” in the Gray, from the Washington DC collection by OPI. This medium slate gray is sophisticated just as the website described but I also think it’s a good yearly color. I’m positive you could get away with in the summer and wear it for weeks in the colder months. It’s cream so only two coats are needed! Check it out!

Breakthroughs

Every year around my birthday I get hit with a small case of the birthday blues, I tend to look back on things I didn’t accomplish, places I didn’t go, and things I wanted to do but alas never did. This year though, when those thoughts tried to come in and steal my joy as I celebrated my second sweet sixteen I shifted my perspective and focused on those things that I did.I did take a leap and move in with my boyfriend. Together we did adopt a lovable pup named Mosby. I did buy a brand new Rav4 that carries around my photography equipment and the two pups. I did go to Italy for a month and travel around the country that I love so much. I visited Maine for the first time and swam in the cold but refreshing northern Atlantic. I did finish yoga teacher training and have been deepening my personal yoga journey. Those are just a few of the highlights. When I really sit and think about it I have so much more to be thankful and impressed by than those few things that I didn’t accomplish in my 31st year; here’s to 32 and all of the abundance, joy, love and adventure it can bring!

As always, thanks for reading! xoxo.