Month: January 2017

Love Warrior review

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I finished Love Warrior by Glennon Doyle Melton a fews months ago and have been meaning to write about it since. You know those books that come to you exactly when you need them? This was like that for me. I raved about it to anyone who would listen. While I was reading Glennon’s words, I couldn’t help but feel connected to her.

In short, this book made being me make sense. I am a sensitive, emotional person and reading Love Warrior made me feel like that is okay; that maybe it’s even normal. And that’s a line I’m rarely fed.

How refreshing to read that having feelings – complicated, intense, scattered emotions – is just apart of the game. Whew. What a relief.

I don’t have to live this muted, mundane life with a limited emotional range.

I can cry hard. Laugh loud. Be in lust with my yoga practice. And periodically feel like my whole life’s tale is told in a song so good it just has to be turned up full blast.

Love Warrior is a highly recommended read. But be sure to have another book lined up after, because you’ll be done with this one before you know it.

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** Note this blog went through a rebrand and is now veg vibes; which aligns better with the direction I organically gravitated towards. It’s all about your vibe.**

Staycation vibes

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After Tahoe with Mike’s fambam, we came back to California to explore more fun things.

First up? Alcatraz!

I was born and raised in the Bay Area and surprisedly had yet to do a tour of the former federal prison. Mike on the other hand has been there at least 5 times with all of his visiting friends and family from Toronto. But he was a trooper and made the trip again so myself, his sister, and her husband could check it out.

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After a short ferry ride, we were on the island and ready to start the self-guided tour. Being on Alcatraz was a tad creepy, really interesting, and …surreal. I kept thinking to myself how weird it was that I was standing where former convicted felons were. Overall it is worth it to do once (especially being a local!) but I wasn’t a big fan of the self-guided part and wished we had an actual tour guide to show us around.

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(Of course the I mostly took pictures of the food related stuff there…)

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Ah, that SF skyline… 

After the tour, we met Mike’s parents and little Ella at Pier 39. As to be expected, it started cooling off significantly as the sun went down. We found a place called Fog City were we popped in for a quick happy hour before we continued up North to Santa Rosa for our final Airbnb stay of this vacation.

Once we arrived and unpacked, we headed to Belly for dinner. I ordered the truffle mac n cheese with spinach and sun-dried tomatoes. It was good but I was starving and the portion was small… oh, well! More room for wine. 😉

The next day was New Year’s Eve and we kicked it off with a late morning coffee at My Friend Joe and bagels at Sonoma Valley Bagel. The best Cafè au lait and bagel sammy I’ve had in a while!

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Look at that rooftop garden!

We had a late lunch at Amy’s Drive Thru and everything was SO GOOD. I order a veggie burger wrapped in lettuce and the chili fries. Love Amy’s emphasis on organic, healthy food!

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Bliss!
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Not the best picture but you get the idea..
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Ella and Uncle Mikey coloring

We kept it casual for NYE and stayed in with a variety of apps, drinks, and games. Cheers to 2017!

The next morning, we went for massages and have declared it a new family tradition! Such a good way to start the year.

After our massages we did a bit of shopping and then headed to The Russian River Brewing Company for lunch. We had this massive 16 beer taster before deciding on our beers and pizza. I ordered the Dribble Belt because it was deliciously hoppy but later found out that it was disappointedly only 4.5%. Weak. Although I was already a little tipsy from all of the samples so it was probably for the best.

That evening was an early night for us all (we might have still been recovering from NYE).

On Monday we woke up and packed up in preparation of heading back to San Jose. For breakfast we hit up Grateful Bagel where Mike and I spilt two bagel sandwiches and of course loaded up on coffee.

Full and caffeinated, we were ready to tackle the drive home. It was nice to be back home and start adjusting back to a schedule. Mike’s family stayed in town for the rest of the week and, although we both had to go back to work, we had the chance to take them to a few of our favorite local eateries in the evenings.

Now we are into the new year and trying to detox from all of the indulgences!

** Note this blog went through a rebrand and is now veg vibes; which aligns better with the direction I organically gravitated towards. It’s all about your vibe.**

2017

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The New Year is a time of reflection. Last year I wrote this post and, in summary, really wanted 2016 to be about living an authentic, creative life. It was a year about my mind as much as it was about my body. (We all know the drill come January 1st… More toned, less flab. More greens, less booze.)

As with every year, I’ve learned a ton about myself. I’ve grown. I’ve made mistakes. I’ve vowed to do better only to mess up the same way the very next day. I’ve forgiven myself. I’ve been both easy and hard on myself. Some insecurities have been squashed and others have deepened. I’ve traveled, cried, laughed, and danced. A few relationships have been tested but, thankfully, they have passed the trails. Overall, I think this year has been more of an evolution than anything else…

Towards the end of the year, I started to feel more “nestled” into myself. I started to recognize a lot of things that make me who I am. Some of these things I love. Others need a bit of rewiring and tweaking before I am happy.

For example, I’ve learned that I have a hard time saying “no.” I have a tendency to shy away from transparency. Even if I know I don’t want to do something, it’s not my first inclination to say so. For whatever reason, I feel like I owe an explanation for not wanting to partake. This is frustrating for both me and people I make plans with because as soon as I commit to something I don’t actually want to do, I feel anxiety about it (not good for me) and then, inevitably, end up canceling or flaking (not good for my people).

In 2017 I want to be more true to myself. It will take a lot of reminding, but I know that it is reason enough to say “thanks but no thanks!” simply because it’s not what I feel like doing. Life is just too freakin’ short to dole out time because of “duty” and obligation. (This is all within reason, of course. Birthdays, special life events, etc. still require showing up!)

This year, I also want to concentrate on and – most importantly, enjoy – the journey! Far too often, I’m more occupied with the destination. The end goal. The timeline and the lists and the mental clutter that consume my mind. For example, Mike’s family is still in town and yesterday we came home from a weekend away in Santa Rosa. As with all vacations, the bags, laundry, and general To Dos were piled up when we arrived back at our house. In typical fashion, I was unpacking and frazzled the second we walked in the door.

While I was organizing my refrigerator, everyone in the family decided to go for a walk. At first I declined to join, thinking of all of the things that still had to be done! As Mike kissed me goodbye, he told me to call him if I changed my mind. And what do you know? midway through cleaning the bathroom counters (because yes, I get distracted with other chores as I’m putting stuff away), I was like, what am I doing? All of these To Dos will still be here after a family walk. So, I called Mike and met everyone midway through their walk.

Merging into another family is hard work (especially if you have a mind like mine) but that’s the journey. It’s what is happening right now and it’s important to me to be present for it. One day Mike and I will be married and we could label it as “the detestation” but it won’t be. Not really. We have these marks on our life maps – like marriage and babies and new jobs – but they are just that; markers on the path. They do signify important events on the journey but they are as much as the destination as the next one.

My point is, I’m learning that the momentum – the daily push and thrust forward in time getting us to the next moment – is as important as the milestone itself.

So this year, I want to focus on the now. The momentum. The little things we sprinkle our lives with in-between the big moments. Like having a cup of coffee or really savoring those first few sips of wine. Or splurging for the expense chocolate and having a bit each day. Taking the long way. Walking.

Fully submerging myself in whatever the weather currently is and being really happy about it. Raining cats and dogs? I want to cozy up with a good book and my softest blanket. Hot as hell? I’ll be grabbing a glass of bubbly water with lime and sitting outside in the shade of a tree.

I want to be present. Cook often. Stretch everyday. Bring brightness to the world.

And love. Love, love, love, love, love.

** Note this blog went through a rebrand and is now veg vibes; which aligns better with the direction I organically gravitated towards. It’s all about your vibe **