From Domestikated Life:

I thought this was so funny and true... simply because, I wish peonies were in season year round.

image via The Domestikated Life

The lesson is love.

Happy Thursday all and happy birthday to my sweet mama. I was supposed to be with her today, but I had a change of plans, when tragedy struck in my friend's family earlier this week. Last night, as I was sitting in my hotel room, I couldn't help but think back to all the times I had spent with this family that I had been so close to during my childhood. It's funny when life pulls you apart, and then something like this happens and I couldn't bear the thought of not being by their side on this day. I wasn't sure whether I should come or not, but then I thought to myself, "What would love do?" Sometimes it doesn't matter how other people receive you, sometimes you have to do something simply because it feels like the right thing in your heart. My mom told me that. :) So for today, send people some love. Friends, family. If we don't share our love, then what are we doing?

On a side note: I have some exciting news, that I will share with you all soon. I saw this quote this morning and I thought it was very appropriate: The good stuff can scare us. Change, even good change, can be frightening. In some ways, good changes can be more frightening than the hard times.”- Melody Beattie **This is so true! 

The voice, the song...

I'm a huge fan of this song right now. For one thing, I feel like it really resonates within me at this moment, but his voice his also, so good.
I don't watch idol, and my mom introduced me to this song, and I'm so glad she did. I'm lovin' it.

What do you think?

And for the moment:

In the moments in between here and there. Happiness and sadness. Fear and growth. Surrender and power. We can love all the little things...

And for me that means this awesome bathroom from Lonny Mag. A beautiful dress with some red lipstick inspiration, from modern hephburn. And... a quote to remind us to enjoy all the little things in between. 

L.O.V.E. ONE A.N.O.T.H.E.R

Good morning! First of all, I want to say happy birthday to my older brother. You are an awesome friend. I am so lucky to have someone as wonderful as you in my life. You have always been there for me without fail, advising me, guiding me, being there to laugh with, have fun with, cry with and most of share the joys and sorrows of life with. On that note: one of my very best friend's lost her brother this past week. The great sadness of his passing is profound, and to my dearest friend, I can't pretend to know how you're feeling, but I am here. It is weird to acknowledge these two things in the same post, but my life lately has been a dynamic blend of heartache, healing, joy and sorrow. It's the ebb and flow of life. Nothing is constant on this earth, everything is ever-changing. But, we have this moment. This moment to enjoy the little things, to embrace life and all that it is. We can't pretend like it isn't painful, because it is. We can't pretend like it isn't full of things that knock us down, but there is some miracle in it all. We can have compassion for each other. No one has a perfect life. Everyone on this earth is learning the same things and I think as soon as we can recognize the light and dark in each other, we will be able to accept the light and the dark in ourselves. In a world full of people who all at some time or another have felt alone, or like no one knows what they are going through, or understands how they feel, just remember that every human being has probably experienced some sort of pain. It just might be labeled differently. But, in the end, we're all here to support each other, love each other, and recognize our own humanness in each other.

Lots of love to all of you on this Tuesday.

image via The Little Red House

Monday Morning Thoughts

I wanted to share this with all of you, because when I read it I thought to myself how true it is. I spent a long, long time traveling around... I went off to college and afterwards, while I was trying to find my place, I would spend months here, months there, a year here and a year there. After being away from home for so long, I never really thought I would want to go back home. That is until I started realizing how much time I've spent not really sharing myself with a whole lot of people. I think somewhere a long the way, I lost myself, I became afraid... afraid of people, afraid of failure, afraid of truly being known, so I just stayed in places where it was okay to hide. Not really hide, but you know... it's like starting fresh all the time. No one knows you, or your family and there's a part of that which can be very exhausting, while there's another side to that which can be very liberating. I think there's a part of me that knew I had to go get myself, heal myself in some ways, and gradually begin to trust myself and other's before I could ever imagine returning home. It's been a long time, and as I've moved toward myself, I've been able to move toward home. I think maybe I've always been scared. Scared of losing myself again, scared that I can't stick up for myself. Yet, something inside of me says, "I've got you, you've got me. Don't be so afraid to go back to where you came from, it might be the part you still need to heal." In a yoga book I read for teacher training, it talks about how our lives are meant for healing. The universe is always trying to bring us into balance, into wholeness, so we have these experiences to do that. At Wanderlust, I took a class with Seane Corn and the theme was Everyday Miracles. Basically, she talked about how our lives are constantly unfolding. Each moment brings you to another moment, and it's all for something bigger. Anyway, I just thought I would share that with you all. If there are ever uncertain times, or times when you wonder... just remember everything is unfolding. Hope you have a great Monday! :)

image via modernhephburn

Summer Street Style

Love...

images via mystylepinboard