Winds In The East, Mist Coming In…

“Winds in the east, mist coming in. Like somethin’ is brewin’ about to begin.” To be honest, I don’t think the wind’s in the east. But every time the weather changes, I get the Mary Poppins song stuck in my head.

It’s been raining off and on all day. When you live in a 1943 beach cottage and the rain comes on strong in the middle of the night accompanied by a little thunder and some aggressive wind, you can’t help but wonder if the roof will hold out. As anyone who lives in California will tell you, we need the rain. So it’s all good. But there were a couple of moments that M and I, half awake, nervously giggled and huddled in a bit closer. We have these old windows (see pic below and check out the window to the left) that are slatted. They let in a lovely breeze, but it’s a bit drippy when it rains at an angle. We’re pretty much resigned to that fact that we have to take one for the team since El Nino is coming.

Beautiful light + slatted windows (note: not so great when the rain comes)

It’s been weeks of unending sunshine and warm water temps. We knew the weather was shifting Saturday night so we made sure to run down to the beach for a final few hours of sunshine on Saturday. The swell was coming in from the north yesterday which was definitely a bit unusual. Ohhh, things were a’ changing for sure.

Saturday sunshine…Can’t stop smiling…73 degree water in Oct…I know it’s probably worrisome, but in the moment it feels dreamy!

But Saturday was still summer, so we ran down, body surfed for a bit and then laid out to dry off. The best thing about M and I (one of the many things) is we don’t get tired of hanging out with each other. We chit chat all the time and it doesn’t get old. So we dive in the ocean, daydream about our next vacation and try not to talk about respective work too much. I like to think bikini season is year round. This little number below will be added to the bikini basket. Because who doesn’t need a bikini w/pom poms + fringe? (thank you Maaji)

This! Because I don’t have a bikini w/pom poms + I need it…

My dear friend came to visit for the night so we took her to our favorite margarita spot for tacos + jalepeno margs. We’ve been friends since we were 22 – long enough that she knows most of my secrets (and vice versa). You have to love those relationships where even if you don’t see each other for two years, you can pick up where you left off and feel like no time has passed.

Lifelong friends – well at lease since our early 20s!

One day later (Sunday) and it’s off and on rain and quite different from yesterday’s sunshine beach weather. The SoCal winter uniform – cut-offs, uggs, beanie + flannel were in full force in the neighborhood. I have plumeria my backyard and they were really happy with the showers. It may only be a 1/4 of an inch total, but we’ll take it. So not the most earth-shattering post, but a little glimpse into the weekend and a preview of fall weather. Have a great week!♥

My backyard blooms are loving the rain!

Seasonal Shift…Second Summer

With the equinox this past week and the super blood moon looming tonight around 7pm, there is palpable shift in seasons. Even if it is still 80 and sunny with a water temp of 73 in my hood. I have boots and sweaters on deck, but still rotating through bikinis and cut offs most days I’m not at work.

Trusty One Teaspoons, beach sparkles and quality low tide action…

But there are signs the shift is happening. The sun is setting around 6:45pm, football is on and we practically get the beach to ourselves. Not going to complain about that last bit. M and I have a goal to get in the water as much as possible until the wind changes. It’s good to have goals.

Sunset beach walk and watching on our Friday night trek dinner

We have been in the habit of walking to a sweet little spot called Las Olas for dinner on either Friday or Saturday nights. We set out a bit before sunset and walk on the beach, cut across the street and, voila, ready for dinner. The place is always bustling so you usually have to have a margarita (or two) before your table is ready. But it’s across the street from the beach and you have a cocktail in hand so who’s in a hurry?

Weekend cocktailing at Las Olas. No filter, check out the beautiful light.

I know this all looks like an easy-breezy life. And in a lot of ways it is. We work hard during the week so we’ve made a commitment to each other to create a laid-back life that we truly look forward to being in when we’re home and together. It’s simple, but not always easy. Life throws you curve balls all of the time. Some are bigger than others and it’s amazing how fast you can spin out of control. Or get down because something didn’t happen the way you thought or expected it to. So I take these pictures to capture the really good moments. And as a visual reminder of how much goodness I have in my life. Amazing friends, family, place to live and my love who knows me better than anyone.

A daytime outing on our friends’ boat…how much fun we’ve had this summer!

I love this picture above of M. How can you be that dreamy looking and hate having your picture taken? He is my audacious, funny, intense, good-natured and, even thought I don’t like to admit it, “more patient than I give him credit for” love. Who calmly handles it when I swear emphatically in a frustrated voice, that I’ve set up my new phone correctly and that clearly something is broken when it was me typo-ing a server address. He’ll nod sympathetically, calmly let me spin for a few minutes then take the phone and fix the problem. Some men bring flowers, others fix your stuff. And that has its own element of romance.

The super blood moon tonight at 7pm…photo by Mystic Mamma

So as we drift into the end of the weekend and tonight’ super blood moon becomes visible, I guess it makes sense to be a little nostalgic about some big life changes for us that happened this gloriously, beautiful summer.

How timely that I stumbled onto a great read about what the super moon brings. For those more skeptical about astrology and symbolic meanings, take it with a grain of salt. But I usually find these explanations bring me some peace and calm when my rational mind is struggling to make sense of things. And I thought it was cool. So, if interested, you can read more about it at Mystic Mamma…read the entire thing here. The part below really spoke to me and the things I’m working on these past few weeks.

Usually, full Moons help us become aware of something within us, some feeling or belief that we keep hidden. At a Lunar Eclipse, these feelings and beliefs come out unconsciously. You could say, our shadow is showing. So look for your Shadow turning up this weekend, and instead of pushing it back into the Unconscious, embrace it, name it and allow it into your life. This is the ultimate choice—stay open to all of yourself and own it. Then take it into your relationships and work consciously to include those rejected parts of yourself. If your partners are strong, they’ll accept these elements of your personality and learn to work with them. The point is to keep your standpoint, try to find the compromises that work for both of you, and communicate with grace, openness and love….”

Happy Blood Moon Sunday xo

Back to Basics: A Ritual of Radness for the Week

Life is funny. I know what kind of lifestyle works for me when I’m at my happiest, most relaxed and inspired. It’s not rocket science. Some basic ingredients and habits executed on a daily basis typically lead to pretty amazing results. So why is it I can so quickly ditch these easy breezy things to spiral down the rabbit hole of stress, indecision, fatigue and worry? As I sit here typing this, I’m smiling and shaking my head at my silly self.

Last week I read a simple post by one of my lovely blog favorites, here about unplugging your morning. I did a quick mental run-down of my current weekday morning routine. Ready?

• Alarm goes off on iPhone next to my head
• Hit snooze 2-3 times depending on level of sleepiness
• Turn off alarm (finally) and immediately check email (yes, while still in bed! Literally the first thing I do)
• Answer emails and jump in shower
• Pour cup of coffee
• Multi-task drinking coffee and getting ready
• Jump in car and start making calls on way to work
• Head into meetings
• Maybe eat breakfast (lately frozen gluten free waffles w/honey) around 10:30am if I remember

Eeeks! I get stressed just reading this nevermind actually living it. Of course I’m fatigued. No wonder I feel like I can’t take a deep breath. Literally the first welcome to my day is an onslaught of work and sale notifications for my favorite brands telling me the booties I put in my shopping cart last night are still waiting for me. When I read the simple ‘unplug your morning’ I sighed a great, deep, satisfying sigh and said okay, enough. Let’s change some things and see how it goes. I have a feeling the people I work with may be on board with this plan too.

Here’s my schedule for this week. I started yesterday, but the real test will be tomorrow morning. Ready?

• Get up and turn off iPhone (now safely across the room on Airplane Mode)
• While up, proceed to kitchen to make green juice (M does this religiously every am and he commutes to Tustin so I have zero excuses about time – plus I just gained 15 minutes from not hitting snooze 3 times)
• Cook an egg. It takes all of 3 minutes. I did it this morning. Not a huge fan of breakfast first thing, but I’m going to try it for a week. I’m guessing my metabolism will thank me
• Jump in shower
• Get ready (I used to hang 3 outfits on hooks by bed ahead of time on Sundays so that’ll get re-instated)
• Pour coffee in to go cup
• Check emails right before I leave (to reduce temptation of checking phone at intersections)
• Drive to work enjoying coffee in car (as M put it, “coffee is your dessert and reward for a good start”)

My current favorite: lemon, kiwi, banana, spinach, ginger, turmeric

Avocado toast, lime + eggs…delicious. Photo: simplegreenmoms.com

Taking more quality time in the morning to set the tone for the day can’t possibly be a bad idea.

This really works – pick some outfits on Sunday…bonus – it looks pretty!

Annnd no stress picking my outfit in the am…accessories included

I’m better after work. Recently I started writing a little each day in a journal. Even if it’s just recording a workout. It’s an unplug from the tech world. Right now, it coincides with sunset watching which, amazingly, I can do from my back yard.

Love this journal! It makes me laugh every time I grab it…

I have set a routine for consistent exercise so I have a plan. There are times in life when being free-spirited and flexible work great. But I know for right now, I’m not in that space. I need the structure. The muscle memory (both mental and physical) is there so it’ll come back. And when it does that will be a fun phase too. This phase has me feeling inspired and ready.

The irony of kicking off ‘un-plugging’ by writing a blog post when I have written one in six months isn’t lost on me 🙂 But I see it differently. Writing is cathartic. And I haven’t felt able to write or post anything because I haven’t felt like there was anything I wanted to say. At least not out loud. This post is my note to me more than anyone else. It’s a great little check when you put something out into the world to follow through. So there it is. A little love note to myself to take better care. And to enjoy the week ahead because I have a feeling I’m going to really like it.

A little Saturday morning magic

Thanks Miss GFK for the lovely little reminder that arrived at just the right time…♥