Eat Pray Love

In honor of one of my favorite books, Eat Pray Love and the recent film, I realized how appropriate my life at the moment fits in each of these words..

Eat- Lately I have had so much time to actually cook and try new recipes. Okay, so I'm not the best chef or baker, but I'm the best attempter :) and as the saying goes, practice makes perfect. In the past couple of years, I've really developed a love for cooking...I partially owe that passion to Giada De Larentis on Food Network. On top of that, I've been following a blog on Self.com called "Eat Like Me" by Registered Nutritionist Cristin Dillon. She shares everything she eats every day, even with pictures and recipes. It's actually helped me change my horrible habit of calorie counting. I enjoy that how she eats is how I've been eating in the last 3-4 years and she's a nutritionist!

So the other day she shared an amazing salad recipe that sounded/looked so good that I immediately went to the market, bought all the ingredients and made it myself. It's called panzanella salad ...try it out! ( http://www.self.com/fooddiet/blogs/eatlikeme/2010/08/cook-like-me---panzanella-sala.html )Her blog helped me overcome my feelings of deprivation and actually appreciate the quality of ingredients instead of worrying about the quantity of calories.

Pray- God has always been present in my life. Ever since I was a little girl I can remember praying every night before going to bed and it's still a tradition today. In the past couple of months, prayer is no longer a habitual thing but a conversation with God I look forward to every day. I've also seen the power of prayer work more in my life recently than ever. When I least expect it, God blesses me in disguise.

On a side note: when learning about new religions, I find the one commonality is prayer. Though we all ch0ose to communicate prayer differently, it's beautiful that amongst the many religions of the world we all are connected through words, thoughts, release, repentance, requests and thanks.

Love- A word too many of us question and contemplate the meaning of. For me, love is all about actions; about doing rather than feeling; and truly putting others before yourself. Lately, I've come to appreciate and understand this word more because of all the countless visits, phone calls and gatherings with family, old friends and new friends.  They have showered me with love by simply caring and spending time with me, and in moments of life, sometimes that's enough. 

Despite much alone time in my studio, I've come to love more than ever. Whether it be spending a day with my sisters, playing football with my brother, try out new restaurants with my dad, simply treating my mom to lunch and coffee and enjoying days with friends, it's  about cherishing those times and living in that moment with them. Listening, laughing, talking, and sometimes acting completely silly, I've grown a stronger love for my family and friends. 

 

Right now I am truly in love with my life. I finally feel centered and ready for anything that comes next. Once we seek the world with an open mind and open heart, we will see and feel love. 

So eat without guilt, pray without hesitation, and love without fear. Letting go is maybe one of the best remedies for any situation. 

Much love

xoxo

I Love Summer

There is a strong tie between my favorite season: summer & winter. I love winter because of the holidays and summer because of the sunshine, beach and always having a reason to be outside. Well after this weekend, I think summer is slightly out-beating my winter feelings. It was probably one the best in a long time and I owe most of that to one of my best friends, Sara.

Started out with a yummy, healthy dinner with some good friends in the OC on Friday and then later heading over to Huntington Beach to visit Sara. Although Sara has a distaste for the bar scene in Huntington, we headed over there out of convenience and to Sara's surprise, had a great time! We cut the night a little short to save some of our energy for Saturday... the U.S. Surf Opening! We woke up, rode bikes to the beach, tanned a little, ate at a good sandwich place, walked through the vendors hoping to grab some free stuff (lines were way too long for a dumb sticker), and then chilled on the beach until Weezer performed. So who cares about a free dumb vendor gift, when you get to watch a free Weezer concert on the beach! It was so good, especially when they played one of my favorites, "Holiday." That song could not have been more perfect for this relaxing, fun summer weekend.

After a long, fun day at the beach, we got dressed- up pretty quickly (Sara and I are pro at doing this) and headed to other side of town- Hollywood. Sara has some great friends who invited us out to a fun club in Hollywood. I couldn't have asked to end a better day with one of my best friends dancing the night away to "Show Me Love." (Can I say, that if that song comes on anywhere, I will dance! It is my ultimate favorite dance song.) Sunday was very relaxing- walked to the market, tried a new salad recipe (which turned out amazing...I'll share it soon), watched Pretty Woman, and ended the night with an inspiring message at church. All in all, I'm loving my age right now and this place in my life. God could not bless me enough and for that, I hope to share some summer sunshine on others.

Got to love summer for weekends like this...

Much Love
xoxo