SERIOUSLY. The best question in the WORLD because I could talk about my best humans all day everyday, and also because there is no better feeling on this earth than to be seen, heard, felt & accepted by people who GET you.

My lifelong crew right hurr! <3

Conversely, there is probably no worse feeling than feeling misunderstood, lonely or out of place. Life is meant to be shared with people we love, no matter how much alone time we like to have or how much work there is to be done — at the end of the day, it’s the people we surround ourselves with who make life worth living.

Also, I think those of us in the wellness world can have a particularly hard time connecting sometimes because we don’t necessarily fit the status quo — staying out late, drinking a lot, rolling our eyes about workouts, living for the weekends, you know the drill.

That’s not us — but we are also not necessarily picking flowers in a field somewhere or boycotting restaurants that sell meat. We just wanna hang and have a good time and also take care of ourselves and feel good! Am I right?

This human tho.

Story time.

I have definitely been on both ends of the spectrum. I’ve always been a social person and have had a lot of close friends (many of them I’ve had in my life since I was 5 years old — so I have been lucky to have my genuine ride or dies for what feels like always) — but I have surely gone through phases where I have felt misunderstood and like it’s been hard to connect about the things I love to do and want to spend my time doing.

Mainly when I was at the end of my college career I found it very hard to find people who enjoyed what I loved doing. There were one or two, but most of my best friends were not into the same things that I was. I was kind of over the partying, going out scene, and I was VERY into yoga, healthy eating, travel / adventuring the world, cooking, writing and being creative, early nights and full days, that kinda thing.

And may I add, not in a boring way — I was just kind of ready for the next phase of life! I still liked going out and having fun, but surface-level conversations, being around people who were complaining about their lives or their friends or their jobs, and talking to people who just didn’t GET me or my deep-rooted desire for living an inspired life — it became stale. And unbearable. And very difficult to force.

Luckily, three years later, I have very much gotten over that hump. (But I’ll never forget it — and I still face that issue with going out sometimes.) Overall, I know where to find my people, and I also know how to connect with my true and genuine friends regardless of our interests being the same or wildly different.

Also, some of my nearest and dearest life long friends don’t live in my city. Many live in Nor Cal, many live in New York, and some are all over the place. I live in L.A. now and my closest friends here come from a wide range of places– from college, from the blogging world, from the fitness / workout / yoga world, family friends, and people I’ve gotten close to basically by happenstance.

And I FIRMLY believe that I have cultivated such a rad group of close friends because I am doing what I am meant to be doing. I am where I am supposed to be, and I fill my time with things that I LOVE.

My ride. or. dies.

Let’s talk tips.

1. If you feel like you’re not surrounded by the people who you are meant to be friends with, and by people that share YOUR genuine interests and passions, then examine the way that you spend your time. Where do you go on the weekends? What do you do on the weeknights? Start filling your time with things that make you feel alive — and it’s very likely that you’ll meet other people in those same places. I’ve met some of my closest friends on yoga retreats, at OrangeTheory Fitness (workout studio), through my BLOG (consider blogging about something you’re passionate about!), and by frequenting certain places in my neighborhood that align with my lifestyle… Like Alfred Coffee, Lululemon, Juice Crafters, etc.
2. Say “YES” when you want to say YES, and say “NO” when you want to say NO. The biggest thing I’ve learned is that, if you’re doing something just because you FEEL like you should, you shouldn’t be there at all. Saying “NO” to one plan can actually be a “YES” to another plan (or to yourself!) — one that’s better suited for you and what you feel like doing in that moment. I’m not saying to be flakey… Definitely not that. Just don’t say YES in the first place if you don’t want to be there. Stay home and journal instead of going out if that’s what you feel like doing — sometimes doing that self-work WILL connect you to your core, and then you will be more likely to begin doing things that feed your soul, and surround yourself with people who do also.
3. Quality over quantity. When you feel lonely, I know it feels comforting to imagine gathering all the friends that you can and make plans with everyone you know. But really, that’s not the case. A lot of relationships and friendships can leave us feeling drained rather than recharged. Choose your close friends based on QUALITY… someone you can tell anything to, who you can have a blast with always, who will listen to you on your toughest days and celebrate with you on your best (and that you want to reciprocate that with!). It’s not about having a million friends — it’s about having TRUE friendships.
4. Put yourself out there! This one is hard, but true. You won’t meet new people if you don’t put yourself out there to make it happen. Be OPEN to the universe and the people it wants to bring into your life. I met one of my best friends (YO DANIKA!) because she put herself OUT THERE and asked to be my intern. I put myself out there and met her for coffee, and put myself out there again when I hired her. Over the course of almost two years, a full-blown blossoming photography career (of hers!), and countless ways to collaborate and have fun together… She became a best best friend. Someone I could tell ANYTHING to, and could literally travel the universe with and never get sick of. She gets me. We laugh our heads off together. Also, sometimes all you have to do is ask to hang out with someone. Make plans. Especially with social media these days, I’m sure you stalk people who you think you’d be BFF’s with. Make a plan! More people say yes than you’d think.My Soph!! We put ourselves out there and met up at the Beverly Hill’s farmer’s market 3 yrs ago… And the rest was history!
   
5. Be confident that who is meant to be in your life will never miss you, and what was never meant to be will always pass you by. This is very true. There are people I’ve been close to for a period of time that I’m not anymore. People who I wanted to develop genuine, lasting, lifelong friendships with. We either drifted apart or they weren’t who I thought they were (or maybe I wasn’t who they thought I was), and that’s okay. I don’t waste my time wondering “Why?” and “What if?” about people who don’t make an effort to be close to me. That just sets myself up for false perceptions (“Do they hate me? Am I weird? Did I do something wrong?”) and wastes my energy that can be spent on my GREAT friendships that are seamless, easy and true.
6. On the note of confidence, be confident in who YOU are and know that you are worth it. People pick up on your vibes. If you are in a stage of your life where you’re not feeling so stable or confident, you will likely drift toward and attach to people who are in a similar boat. This might create an unhealthy friendship or destructive habits… I.e. talking with each other about how much life sucks, how nothing good ever happens for you, how you hate the way you look, something like that. You want people in your life who are working on themselves in GOOD ways — they don’t have to have it all together (Lord knows that we all have a ways to go!) but they definitely should have a positive outlook. You want positivity — it’s energy-enhancing, rather than energy-sucking!
7. Know yourself!!! Man, this one requires a lot of work and openness. GET to know yourself. You may never know how you like to spend your time, what you’re most passionate about, who you want to surround yourself with, etc. if you don’t take the time to get to know yourself. Guys, I’m in therapy, I have an Ayurvedic practitioner, I journal and meditate, I get facials / massages / spend time alone, read all sorts of books, WRITE, do everything I need to do to get to KNOW myself. I listen to myself. I am able to tune in and recognize when a friendship or relationship is no longer serving me — it’s not always easy to act on, but man is it worth it.
8. Make an effort. This goes beyond putting yourself out there. Once you’ve put yourself out there and started to cultivate good relationships, keep them going! Make plans. Have weekly workout dates if it fits your schedule. Develop routines with people… For example, my BFF and I go to the farmer’s market together every Sunday morning. I usually see her plenty more than that, but if the week is busy or we are both all over the place — we know we have that time together. We both love it, it’s a good routine and it fits into our lives seamlessly. If I haven’t seen someone for a while, I reach out to make dinner plans or go on a walk or get a manicure. It’s not hard to do, but it certainly takes effort and prioritizing those people who matter. With my long-distance friends, it’s phone calls and texts and checking in and making sure to stay up on their lives!
9. Be inspired by other people, rather than comparative. You’ve gotta be able to be happy for your friends. People want friends in their lives who can celebrate their accomplishments genuinely and be excited for them when things are going well. Don’t be a friend who tears others down (even if it’s subconscious) or forgets to congratulate them on a big accomplishment. Set calendar reminders if you have to. There have been HUGE things in my life — like running the LA Marathon, my book coming out, starting my yoga teacher training, etc. and certain very close friends of mine legitimately forgot or didn’t ask how it went or congratulate me. It was very hurtful and opened my eyes quite a bit to do who DID reach out! Sometimes people truly forget, you’ve gotta forgive and not harp on it, but sometimes it’s rooted in jealousy and that’s when you might have to distance yourself a bit.Lex & I run / workout / do a mill things together. This girl is my life.
   
10. If you blog, remember that this blogging world is a COMMUNITY — so support others & that’s how you will make friends! I have a ton of friends who are bloggers. We met because we mutually support each other. Maybe we even mutually stalk each other. Never start thinking you’re better than someone else because you have more readers or because you have been doing this longer… The MOST successful bloggers are the ones who are supportive of others in the field, communicative with their readers, and open and humble about what they do. Point blank!

AHHH there we have it! I hope this helps. Finding my tribe has been a life changing and WONDERFUL thing. I have my old friends, my new friends, my soul sister humans, the loves of my lives, my family… And I feel VERY full. Very full. I am lucky AF. And I want you guys to have the same feeling!

PS lots of amazing peeps un-pictured in this post, but DEAR to my heart and in lots of other blog posts, hehe.

( BTW: The pics in this post will be full of the fab people I get to surround myself with in my “work” life, because I am so lucky that they make even the fullest, busiest of days so much fun and downright inspiring… Because they all rock hardcore. )

I am one of those girls who thrives off of having a lot on her plate. I like to wake up with a full schedule on my calendar, places to be, people to be with, things to do, blog posts to write, projects to work on, fitness classes to take, recipes to try out, photos to edit, events to attend, yada yada. I like to do that as a general rule — but on the flip side, I also like to have days where I can chill and think, “What in the world do I feel like doing today?” It’s HEALTHY to have days off.

I want my “busy” days to be a choice. Something that I am energetically ready for because I’ve conserved energy in other ways, and also something that is going to make me feel productive & baller rather than emotionally or socially DRAINED. There is a massive difference there, as well.

At a Juice Served Here event last week with the beautiful Mariah Perkins & Tara Sowlaty <3

As a side note, I have grown to despise the term “busy,” because let’s face it: we’re all busy. We glorify the word busy because it is often associated with being productive, successful, social, and having a life full of interesting things. All of those things are awesome. But what I don’t like is the way that people use the word busy as an excuse for not being available, or as the first word that comes to mind when you ask them how they’ve been lately. In all honesty, I DO feel busy! I have to catch myself from being one of those people who can’t make it to things because I am “busy” with work and blog stuff.

But instead of busy, I say “My plate is so full this week!” and “I have a bunch of commitments this week” or “I already have a ton of plans this week, but what does next week look like for you?” Because that reminds myself and the person I’m talking to that it’s all positive. My plate is full with things that I have CHOSEN to do. If I didn’t choose any of it, then yeah, I’d be “busy.”

BUT back to the point! Having a full plate vs. being straight up overworked.

This summer has been a pretty major combo of both for me. I began the summer with a ton of travel, lots of commitments, and my usual full-to-the-brim schedule. And honestly, for the first time in a while, I felt pretty burnt out. I felt like I couldn’t keep up. I was forgetting deadlines, missing Hudson terribly while I was away, being less than present around certain people I love, realizing I hadn’t cooked at home in forever, and basically not putting myself first.

So I reevaluated, and I can safely say that the last few weeks have been full of a lot of the “down time” I was really craving. I have been saying “yes” to coffee dates, workout dates, catch up seshes with people I don’t get to see often, and staying out later on the weekends (when I am in my super-productive mode, I don’t like to stay out too late — my days are FULL!). I have also been prioritizing my workouts, and have been steadily reincorporating yoga into my routine, and also doing OTF 4-5 times a week. I have been reading a lot, planning things that I REALLY want to do, and getting used to my new yoga teacher training schedule. I was also sleeping in more, hittin’ up the farmer’s market and cooking at home a ton.

It all comes in ebbs and flows. I felt awesome after taking that time to recharge. I was still working of course, but doing it on a smaller scale and not letting it totally dominate my day. This week, however, it’s been a bit diff. I have been working myself to the bone and feeling overwhelmed at the mere idea of everything I have on my plate for the next week and a half.

Part of that is due to the fact that I am doing a full Ayurvedic Pancharkarma starting on Sept. 3rd (I AM SO EXCITED. CAN’T WAIT TO TELL YOU GUYS ALL! More deets to come– I’m sure a lot of you are like WTF is that?! Hehe), so I have a lot of ducks to get in a row before I head off to do that. I will be totally off the grid — TOTALLY — so there will be no “light work” on those days. I am taking time off, like realllllllyyyy off, for the first time ever ever and I am beyond stoked.

But my point is: even with my recharging time, I feel overwhelmed right now. I feel overworked. I have partially done this to myself by accepting too much at once and overcommitting myself and also trying to make all of my plans happen regardless of the epic mountain of work that I have to do, and that’s okay.

It’s OKAYYYY.

You catch my drift?

It’s all about how we attach ourselves to things. Yesterday, I felt ridic attached to how stressed out I was starting to feel. It felt like one thing after the next. No matter how I tried to imagine how I would tackle it all, it left me feeling psycho and in way too deep. I was just stressed out. It even carried over into the first part of today.

& I COULDN’T BE PRODUCTIVE BECAUSE I WAS STRESSED OUT!

But if I had been less reactive, less sensitive, and more go with the flow, I could have been WAY more productive. And happier. In one fell swoop.

With my boo Aerial at yesterday’s Alo Yoga Beach House yogi day

I even ranted and raged on the phone to my mom for a full 45 mins on the way home from Malibu yesterday… #yeah.

As I said, carried over into today. Went to a Soul Cycle workout with tons of my favorite humans, and still felt like sobbing.

And then something hit me: just cross things off your list. One thing at a time. One STEP at a time. That is all you can do, and inevitably in the process, it all starts to seem easier and easier.

Life has so much to do with attachment. To work, to being stressed, to being busy, to other people, to ideas about ourSELVES, to goals and ideas that we have and situations that we want to predict the outcomes of. And I am the ultimate attacher. “I want things to happen THIS ONE WAY and if they don’t, I will be extremely upset and hurt and confused about why they didn’t work out the way that I wanted them to.”

So truly, my work is to detach. Yesterday and today, I had to learn to detach from the crazy looming stress that I felt about having too much work on my plate for the next week and a half. I had to detach from the fact that I don’t always have control. I can try to have that control, but at a certain point holding onto that control becomes an attachment issue in itself.

I am also having to detach a bit from what I envisioned the beginning of my teacher training to be like, because it turns out it’s going to be a LOT more work and emotional energy than I anticipated. I am game for it, and excited about it, but man — it is not what I expected exactly and I have to let go of the attachment to what I thought it would be like. I also have to let go of attachment to the kind of teacher I thought I was — because it turns out, folks, I have a lot of practice ahead of me. Again, that’s okay… Letting go of attachments.

Basically, the key to finding balance between being busy & being overworked / stressed is… letting go of the emotional attachments you have to what it means to be “busy.” Also, letting go of attachments and reactions to the little things that happen throughout the day. One thing leads to the next, and if we can remain calm and content regardless of the little triggers — we will never get to the point of feeling full-blown upset and stressed out.

For me, my new FULL PLATE now includes teacher training. It includes being a kitten mama. It includes being a business owner and a blogger and a friend and a sister and a daughter and an aunt and a yogi and a runner and a writer. See how business owner / blogger is only a PART of that?

Full plate is no longer “blogger” the way I once would have defined myself and ATTACHED myself to.

Say hi to Christina. Snapped by the fab Danika. My women. <3

Also, giving ourselves that little time to relax and recharge… Dayum, if I hadn’t done that for the last few weeks, who knows how stressed I would be right now!! I had my heart rate niiiiice and low and steady, and now I’m all over the place again.

But I’m breathing.

And I am looking forward to my Panchakarma like NO other.

And I am feeling really grateful for the awesome people I get to spend my days with. I had the best morning at Soul Cycle, and a great day yesterday at the Alo Yoga Beach House in Malibu. Being surrounded by so many fun, inspiring, people who I love certainly helps make juggling this “life” thing quite a bit easier.

ALSO, AND LASTLY: Don’t do anything you don’t want to do! I have been steadily weeding things out of my life that I don’t want or need. Work commitments, partnerships, even people (rare tho, but sometimes), and anything that feels like it’s energy DRAINING rather than energy ENHANCING.

So. Let’s list it up. Tips for Keepin’ the Stress Levels Low:

1. Let go of attachments. Let things unfold as they are, and focus on having calm, realistic reactions. I can be a drama queen and can also get hurt / upset very easily, but controlling my reactions and letting go of attachments is HUGELY helpful for me.
2. If you are super overwhelmed, take a step back. Nothing productive comes from trying to cross things off your list when you are in full-blown panic mode. I tried to take pics this morning
3. Give yourself time to relax and recharge. You MUST balance those full, busy days with quiet, chill, recharging days. Read a book, get a massage, go on an adventure with a friend, turn the TV on and zone out, whatever makes you feel balanced as opposed to the energetically crazy days.
4. Say “NO” to things you don’t want to do. If you fill your plate strictly with things you enjoy (even if they are work related they can be enjoyable ENOUGH), then you will not get burnt out nearly as easily. It will become impossible to be overworked… Just busy.

Did I miss anything?! Surround yourself with good peeps?! HUGE-HUGE.

Anyway, if I’ve seemed MIA this week… That’s why. Just chasing my life around and trying to be a chill human.

LOVE YOU GUYS.

Soul sista twin workout buddy life lover Laura Conley. <3

One of the ONLY things that I have ever kept secret from my family, close friends and YOU GUYS until it was fully, fully, fully done was my BOOK! Now it comes out on November 15th, and some of the closest people to me have now just recently read the final copy. That was the first time my mom, dad, sister and best friends had read even one single word of the book. Pretty crazy if you ask me, since I normally can’t take five steps forward without informing my mom exactly what I’m doing and how I’m feeling and why it’s great or why it sucks. Yes, I’m one of those people. Very verbal, very communicative, very “ON” — with my tight knit crew, at least — and I’m cool with it.

Something else that I have managed to keep (pretty much) a secret over the last several months is the fact that I am HOSTING A YOGA / SISTERHOOD / MINDFULNESS / DISCONNECT TO RECONNECT RETREAT in Costa Rica this March with one of my dear friends and true inspirations, Emily Nolan.

Emily and I are straight up soul sisters. Before we even met in person, we’d decided to host this retreat together. She is a body image crusader, the Chief Empowerment Officer of her very own non-profit women’s empowerment organization #TOPLESS, a yogi, a writer, a soulful being and an all around badass. She is, in a nutshell, what everyone I know aspires to be. She is comfortable in her own skin and she radiates that EVERYWHERE she goes. She is supportive to a fault and she cares deeply about the people in her life. And she also does what she loves on a daily basis while empowering others to do the same.

COOL, RIGHT?

Emily and I connected immediately, and we knew right away that we wanted to share our love for sisterhood (friendship, empowerment, support, mindfulness, deep rooted connection), soul and YOGA with as many other women as possible. And why not do it in a beautiful location to boot?

You guys know that I attended a yoga retreat in Costa Rica last April, and it was life changing to say the least. We are going to be headed back to the same area for this retreat, this time at The Sanctuary of Two Rivers retreat center in Santa Teresa. Their motto is, “Where transformation happens naturally.” Um, can we all go, NOW?!?!?

Here’s what Emily & I crafted together to give you more info on the retreat (because we all know I could go on and on rambling in the meantime):

#SISTERHOOD Retreat, March 2016

March 13 – 19

You deserve it: Adventure, empowerment, self-confidence, connection and seven days of uninterrupted you time.

What We Know

As women, we are infinitely more powerful when we support one another. To own who we authentically are and celebrate our uniqueness, we have to trust that we are good enough just the way we are, and that act alone takes courage and a leap of faith. We’re asking you to leap with us. And more importantly, take some time off with us to reinspire yourself.

What Can We Expect?

Together with Emily Nolan & myself in the jungle of Costa Rica at The Sanctuary at Two Rivers, we’ll experience practices and adventure that guide us deeper into our own self-examination: Journaling, beach bonfires, hiking to waterfalls through the jungle, surfing, yoga/meditation, river swimming, intimate sharing and a beautiful waterfall ceremony led by Liz Lindh.

There will be relaxing downtime for a lazy beach day, shopping in town, getting lost in the jungle, or simply lounging by the pool with a good book.

Who Should Ggo?

If you’ve been looking for a sign, this is it; specifically if you’ve struggled with body image and dieting like we have. Emily and I will teach you the routines we’ve developed that helped us both overcome our personal struggles around the relationships we have with food and our body image.

This retreat includes daily physical activities like hiking, swimming, yoga, surfing (optional).

What’s Included?

#SISTERHOOD is an all-inclusive retreat. From the tree top jungle houses to the organic vegetarian food and thoughtful group activities and excursions–we’ve got you covered.

All meals are covered on the property, but there may be times that you want to eat at a delicious local restaurant in town. In those cases, you will be in charge of your own expenses.

I don’t know who else is with me on this one — but I’ve always thought that the bloopers were the best part of videos / movies / TV shows / everything I’ve ever watched that involves real people + behind the scenes funniness.

Plus, if you don’t make your own videos very often (or ever) then you might not realize that for one little 4 minute video, there can be hours and sometimes even days’ worth of work and filming behind it! For the Nut Butter video I filmed with Sophie and our fab Enjet team a few weeks ago, we powered through filming in an hour or two because Sophie & I have a crazy connection where everything on and off camera seems to run pretttyyyy freakishly smoothly.

But still, that’s an hour or two of filming for a 3 minute and 42 second video! I imagine that some people think that took about 10 minutes to shoot- but nooo, no! Not the case.

And when you have a fabulous video editor (hi Tiff!) everything comes together so seamlessly that you almost forget about all of the funny things that happen behind the scenes while filming.

So, yesterday Tiff sent me this hysterical video that I had no choice but to title “Betches Love Nut Butter” because… wellll.. clearly, we do.

Watching the video also reminds me how lucky I am that I get to work with my close friends & make magic go down in the kitchen and connect on a really cool level with them– producing something that we can all be proud of. Sophie inspires me to no end.. She is a mama of two beautiful little boys, an amazing wife to her awesome hubby and somehow she finds the time to not only run a business (PHILOSOPHIE SUPERFOODS!) but to be there for me as a super close friend who is available absolutely always. And she reminds me to be my true self when I need to hear it most.

With that said… Check out this funny behind the scenes blooper reel from our nut butter video! Because betches loooove nut butta.

PS, if you haven’t subscribed to my YouTube channel yet, please do! I am having so much fun with it and want to keep bringing ya fun content!

Does anyone else have a friend they get to work with that inspires them both in and out of the blogging world?! Davida + Lee, I know you two do (each other!)– tell me!!!

I am filming four videos this Friday & Saturday with a production team from San Diego – I. Am. So. Excited. But don’t worry, that doesn’t mean the impromptu Photobooth-style video content will be going anywhere. I still love throwing myself in front of the camera at any given time of day to share from the heart and chit chat it up with you all.

Also, I’m going to be working on a video series called “Ask TBB Anything” in the next month or so, so send me questions that you have for me!!! They can be food related, recovery related, health/nutrition/fitness/yoga related, style related, blogging/writing related, Los Angeles/NYC/Nor Cal questions… anything! It’s obviously an “Ask Me Anything” type of format. I am so excited about it!

Now, without further ado… let me tell you allll about what I am loving lately!

** ALSO… I’m keeping the descriptions of each loving lately shorter than usual because my previous LL posts were LARGE & IN CHARGE a.k.a long as eff, and sometimes nice & simple does the trick… **

Loving Lately ▷▸▹►

 ▷▸▹► The Coffee Shop Life 

One of my favorite things about blogging and working almost entirely from the computer is getting to switch up my office location every single day. I am a creature of habit, so I have to push myself to try new places – especially after I’ve found places I love. It helps that I get to meet with so many awesome local entrepreneurs and health peeps that also have THEIR favorite spots, which has helped me broaden my horizon.

Lately I’ve been dividing my time between working from Equinox West LA, all sorts of coffee shops in Santa Monica/Brentwood/Venice/Beverly Hills/Malibu, the BEACH, the airplane, the Equinox hot tub (for real), my apartment for food photo shoots, outside, at friends’ houses & cute little restaurants. I love switching up my scenery as much as possible, and I work well with white noise around me so win, win.

 ▷▸▹► Chai Tea Lattes with GLOBS of Cinnamon

 Yeah, I’m talking about chia tea lattes with full-fat cow’s milk. If this comes as a surprise to you, watch my latest YouTube vid. And yes, I was trying to avoid caffeine for a while because of my stomach ulcers, but I’ve found that the minimal amount of caffeine in chai tea doesn’t bother me a whole lot (yet, at least) and the taste is so great it’s worth the experimenting so far. I also have been loving dumping oodles of cinnamon on top and then getting warm little cinnamon chunks in each sip… I realize most people try to avoid cinnamon clumping in their hot drinks, but hey, I’m different. I accept it.

 ▷▸▹► New Raw Organic Restaurant in my Hood

There is a FAB new raw organic vegan restaurant in Brentwood, and it’s pretty much the first of its kind out here in La La Land. Yes, there are great vegan spots and even a raw spot or two, but the superfood smoothies, cleansing options and amazing food at Beaming in Brentwood blows the others FAR out of the water. I’m only sharing this because I wholeheartedly believe in what they’re doing and I think you all will absolutely love their food, juice, smoothies, coffee, acai bowls (!!!) and soups. AND I’m doing a 3-day solid food cleanse with them this week. Boom.

 ▷▸▹► Exercise as THERAPY

Being the extreme chica that I am, I get really into exercise in times of stress/happiness/whenever I find a routine I’m really into. I am on one of those kicks right now, and I’m not complaining. Between running at Equinox, yoga at Yogaworks & Corepower, running and interval training at Orange Theory and hiking on the weekends… I’ve been an energizer bunny and it’s working wonders on my soul (and bod!).

▷▸▹► Good Freaking People

I can’t say it enough. The people in my life are phenomenal. My BFF Tara has to deal with my morningly texts about my food freak outs, my mom and dad are so patient with me and give me the world (not to mention my mom also serves as somewhat of a personal business manager to me most of the time which is absolutely amazing), all of my friends are so supportive and wonderful and fun, my nieces make my heart explode with happiness daily, my TBB team rocks, my readers are incredible. I just feel lucky. 

▷▸▹► Working on the Book… And…

AND something else exciting in the book-related world that I’m not fully ready to disclose yet but let me tell you it’s gonna be GOOD.

▷▸▹► The Power of Morning Light

Morning LIGHT (read this) can help you lose weight. Not that losing weight should necessarily be a goal, but hey, who doesn’t love a good cup of coffee/tea/juice/water with lemon in some beautiful morning light? Light is everything to me.

▷▸▹► T. Swift’s “Out of the Woods”

I’m obsessed and it makes me think of a whole lot of things in my life and it also makes me think of the woods in general (I understand how literal of me this is) and I also just love everything about Taylor and want to be her friend. Desperately. PS… Here’s me in the woods.

▷▸▹► The Perfect New Years Outfit / PJs Always 

That cross body though…

▷▸▹► Birthdays

Happy birthday to my sweet lifelong best friend TG. So proud of you, so lucky to have you, thank you for being you and shining your light on us all. If everyone could have your heart, the world would be a better place.

What Are YOU Loving Lately? It’s almost Christmas… Yippee!!

I have been reeeal lucky in this life to be blessed with the greatest friends on the face of the earth. I actually believe that. To me, it’s never been about the quantity of friends but rather about the quality… and somehow along the way I have been amazingly lucky to be surrounded with a high quantity of incredibly quality human beings.

And that’s not just a coincidence! You get what you give, and I try to give a whole lot of love and energy to my people because… without them, I’d be nothin’.

And as far as people go, my sweet Katie not only tops the charts but skyrockets them. I am so lucky we met as five year old blondies in the sandbox, because she set the bar real high as far as friendships go. When we were little we were adventure buddies, putting on old boots and stomping through muddy backyards (that did not belong to us), and that sense of adventure extended all the way into our college years when we lived in Italy for the semester (two diff cities, but two amazing cities nonetheless) and then when we moved to NYC together when we graduated.

Katesy Kate, thanks for inspiring this post. It’s easy to talk about quality of friendship, but when you have someone who truly embodies that it makes life that much more wonderful.

10 Signs That Your Best Friend Is Your Soul Mate

1. You can go weeks and even months without seeing them face to face or catching each other on the phone (especially if you have an annoying time difference), but the moment you are together again it feels as if no time at all has passed. And catching up with them is wayyy more fun than simply chit chatting about work, life, relationships with pretty much anyone else.

2. They know you so well that even if you try to keep something from them, they guess it anyway. And then you end up spilling your guts to them without even realizing that there was something you were that upset about in the first place.

3. You do goofy things together in public without giving it a fleeting thought… and even goofier things when no one else is around. Plus, you’ve developed a bit of your own language together so sentences are cut down to fractions of their original meanings and you always totally get it.

4. They are part of your family, and you are part of theirs. People have been mistaking the two of your as sisters for years, and your parents find it odd when they aren’t with you on the holidays.

5. It gives you anxiety to think about living far away from her when you’re older for fear that she won’t be your neighbor and your kids won’t be BFFs, so you resign yourself to the fact that wherever she goes, you’ll probably end up too.

6. Every time there is a set of best friends in a movie, you automatically assign each of you a role. There is a Blair and a Serena, a Walt and a Jesse, a Nemo and a Dory, a Romy and a Michelle and obvi a Regina and a Gretchen (depending on the day).

7. When you start dating someone, you know it’s only a matter of time before they meet your BFF so they can get the official stamp of approval. When one of you is dating someone, it’s pretty much the both of you sooo if your BFF doesn’t like him, adios. But good thing you two are similar enough that if  one of you likes someone, the other is sure to like him as well (for her).

8. You know that no matter what, if you are excited about something your best friend will be happy for you. There is no jealousy, no competition and no weird underlying issues. They love you like family, and they always want the best for you.

9. Being reunited after being away from each other for any duration of time is probably the most glorious feeling in the world. Annndd you never have to worry about getting sick of each other, because you already know each other way too well for that to ever happen.

10. Even if you’re super upset and overwhelmed, or if you have a falling out with another friend/boyfriend/family member, or if you’re totally down in the dumps about pretty much anything… you know everything will be okay in the end because you have a bestie who totally gets you, so all the trivial things don’t really matter.

Aren’t best friends glorious?! Who feels the same about their besties? The awesome thing about this list– it doesn’t have to be limited to one person. Katie is my person, my sissy, my everything, and I also have a big handful of incredible close friends who fit this mold. Tell me your thoughts on the peeps in your own life!