Exercise Addict

I’ll admit it- I’m an exercise addict. If I don’t do something each day, even some sit-ups or push-ups, I feel extremely guilty. The other day my 10 year-old brother, Matthew, told my family that I need to find a man who likes to work out and eat oatmeal- funny that my brother characterizes working out as my compatibility with someone. However, most of his life he’s watched me dance but in the past 4 years, he’s also seen me run off to the gym every time I visit home, trying out some crazy new fitness move I read in a magazine (he makes fun of me often for this), and eating oatmeal every morning for breakfast. So what can I say, exercise is a huge part of who I am and there’s no way I’m going to rehab for this addiction ;)

Since living on my own, I’ve been expanding my exercise around the area and thought I’d share some new things I’ve been trying out lately…
1. Running outdoors: For someone who used to dread the mile run in P.E. or any type of run for that matter, I’ve started to run at least twice a week around my area.I guess it all started when I lived in London and couldn’t help to take advantage of the beautiful parks and city so I’d run all over. Now, I live in an area where my runs consist of a garden walking path along Santa Monica Blvd, the beautiful residential area of Beverly Hills, hip, eclectic West Hollywood, and the chic/beautiful shopping hot-spots along Wilshire Blvd. Also, running has been my way of exploration. I-pod on and I’m off to see a new place in my backyard! But I love being outside in the sunshine, and embracing God’s beauty. It’s really one of the best escapes and I’m starting to run farther and longer. I can go for 45min to an hour . ..now that is record breaking for me! New goal: run to Santa Monica Pier!
2. Dance classes @ The Edge in HWood: Okay so dance isn’t new to my exercise, it’s basically part of my genes. I’ve been dancing almost my entire life and after my last performance in college, there was no way this was the end of it! I started taking Jazz, Lyrical, & Hip-Hop over the last month or so @ The Edge and it’s really challenged me more as a dancer but I love it. It’s great to learn from different choreographers, challenge my body with new styles, and gain more inspiration from other dancers. AND it doesn’t bother me that on my first visit I not only ran into some past contestants on So You Think You Can Dance but Ryan Gosling watched most of my dance class! Can’t beat that or the fact that I continue to enjoy one of my passions.
3. Mat Pilates: The best abs workout of my life…why have I been missing out on this?! I just started taking classes at the gym and I love it. It stretches me, works my abs hard core, and it’s also really therapeutic for me (I think it’s all the breathing/control). If you haven’t tried this, I suggest you do! You’ll feel amazing all over.

It’s great that I finally have time to do all of this stuff lately. It’s really helping me explore my area but also work my body in new and fun ways. I’m blessed to have this time right now in my life to do all of this stuff and excited to try something else. I’ve been dying to learn salsa, who’s down?

Much Love
xoxo

Party of 8

Yesterday, I had a last minute surprise visit from my aunt, cousins and sisters. Quite a funny time, considering my little studio seems overcrowded with just 3 people, but it was worth all the shoes everywhere ( new rules in my place: no shoes allowed and no dirty feet) and family scattered in any area they could find a place to sit. In total, 8 of us got very comfy in my little studio until we decided to get some fresh air and head next door to "Millions of Milkshakes." This is THE milkshake place that was all over Perez and E News about a year ago which now has "celebrity" shakes and only features celebrity appearances on their plasmas, as well as a live Twitter celebrity feed...they've really taken advantage of their celeb encounters, can you tell? In honor of Kim Kardashian's fabulousness, Lauren tried the "Kim Kardashian"- vanilla yogurt and every berry imaginable; Erin stuck with a fruit smoothie; my cousin Riley had to get the "Miley Cyrus"-peanut butter cup and cookie dough; my cousins Jules & Rae got the"Lindsey Lohan"- strawberry banana- of course in honor of her jail date, and I stuck with my fav-banana and peanut butter :)

After snapping some pictures to document this touristy experience (aka Lauren) we headed back. It was quite funny walking down Santa Monica Blvd with 8 girls laughing, chatting, being loud, and goofing around- all ranging from age of 3 and above . But if you saw us, you would definitely know that we all come from the same blood. So to top the evening off, we played one of our traditional family games, "Old Maid." Yep, it's one of our favorites and gets quite intense!

Great night with some of the best people in my life. Sleep over is in the works :/ Now that I am worried about. haha

much love
xoxo

My New Home (Semi-Complete)

Welcome to my new pad! (Semi-complete but slowly getting there.) I swore I wasn’t going to post pictures until it was entirely finished, 

decor and all, but who knew decorating such a 

small space could take so long! However, being that I have an eye for detail and ve

ry particular about design, it’s been a process. Now I’m kind of scared to own a house because it’s going to take me forever to decorate! Well that’s definitely not for awhile, so for now, my cute, charming studio is perfect.

This studio and I had a connection at first sight. The moment I clicked on the Craig’s List link, read the description, and checked out the website, I knew I was going to live here (ask my mom…I e-mailed her instantly). Smack dab in the middle of Beverly Hills, in between the large, swanky apartment buildings, sits a 1920’s, art-deco 18-unit studio complex. Complete with the most charming and vintage details, such as the pedestal bathroom sink, the glass knobs on all the doors and cabinets, the tall ceilings, the little window in place of a peep-hole, a refrigerator turned into a cabinet, and the classic ironing board that pops out of the wall, it makes me so happy to live here. The details sold me over!

I found this place before my parents even saw it, and after my dad helped me move in, he was astonished at the maintenance of the building (being that it is very old)but also curious as to what its purpose was before. Since the entire building has been completely maintained, we wondered who in the world used this small space in the 1920’s because it definitely could not accommodate a family let alone 2-people and each studio is complete with a kitchen and bathroom.

So I did some investigating and here's what I discovered…

The building once served as a womens-only apartment complex in the 1920’s because during that time it was unheard of women and men living in the same building. A housekeeper also used to live in the building with the women, cleaning their studios and kind of being their live-in mom. And if you walk through it now, you will find unique marks of history such as the square outline in front of each studio, which used to be where the milk man delivered each tenant’s milk, an old trash chute and the remainings of an old telephone which probably was the phone booth but now serves as our laundry room. So now it all makes sense why these are studios instead of bedroom apartments. 

(this side note is for you dad :) )

Fast forward 90 years later to 2010 and now I’m living in a studio that probably a thriving young girl close to my age cherished during the roaring 20’s (with most of the same features). Funny how in some ways history can repeat itself. God’s simple treasures are divine.

Much love
xoxo

Goodbye college, hello real world?

So I haven’t been in the blogosphere since my European adventure last year, but I’ve closed the chapter of college and have slowly entered into the world of adulthood. Figuring that I love to write and found a new appreciation for blogging  last year, I thought this moment in my life would be a perfect place to start a new journaling journey.

In the past month, I've experienced so much change. I sadly said goodbye to college, class, practice till midnight, good friends, summer break, and very little expenses and instead, welcomed a a full-time job (Monday-Friday), living on my own in an entirely new city/ area I never imagined I’d end up in, very few close friends around me and paying for EVERYTHING. I have been blessed with an amazing job in the PR industry that I love (at a fabulous hotel) and can completely support myself.  

 Since the day I walked across the stage to receive my diploma, the "real world" has been a phrase repeated way too many times to count. On top of all the congratulations, people smirked and laughed about this next chapter in life as if it was all downhill from there. I get it- bills, full-time job, etc. but why does the real world have to seem so bad? Yes, it's been hard since I officially started renting my own studio, paying my bills, working all day, and trying to figure out this entirely new lifestyle and where I belong in the middle of Beverly Hills, but I feel like everyone is trying to damper my spirits, my youth, my discovery. I'm happy to say that the real world may seem daunting for some but for me, it's been an entirely new, enlightening experience. It's weird living by myself but I have had a lot of time to think, reflect, and most importantly, grow as an individual. And even though I'm still figuring my life out, I've been blessed with dance classes, support from friends and family, a great job, a charming new home, a new church,  new friends, endless little independent restaurants, cafes and shops around me (which are my favorite!) , culture and time for myself.

So I can no longer say I'm a "college student" (so weird!), but I'm still only 21 years old and figuring out this real world for myself. It's how we choose to embrace the world; because after all, it was given to us to enjoy. 

Much love xoxo