My weekend trip to California with my mom and sister was unreal.  I have always liked California, but this time was different–I now love California.  I haven’t felt more content, present, and genuinely happy in a while, and this beautiful place revived me.  There is something positive about California, and I want to totally immerse myself in it.  Hopefully I can visit again soon, or live there even sooner!

Here are a few shots from the trip, from San Diego to Newport Beach!

Swamis Beach, Encinitas

 Hotel La Jolla–beautifully decorated Kimpton Hotel (with amazing s’mores!)

Cheers! Wine time with mom and Lauren at Herringbone in San Diego. (Lauren gracefully got her heel caught in a grate, had the whole restaurant laughing!)

Two blondes–Lauren and mom–at my favorite coffee shop in Bird Rock

Beet juice and the best açaí bowl at Swamis Cafe

Inspiration Point, Newport Beach–one of the aerial shots on The OC!

Lauren and me (Penny too!) at Swamis Beach : )

Summer is coming around the corner (okay, maybe I’m just telling myself that). However, being from Florida means that our seasons consist of summer and spring, which means we wear bright, happy colors and dress casual pretty much everyday.

I have naturally straight hair, which many argue is great, but I have longed for messy, beach waves. After going through multiple salt sprays, curling irons, and even not washing my hair after swimming in the ocean, I finally found the secret! These goody spin pins are my new hair staple (pretty much my only hair staple actually). In addition to having a sleek, clean ballet bun hairstyle, the pins hold in place overnight and create the perfect beach waves.

I recommend making two small buns (yes, the Miley bun) and sleeping on them overnight. Take your damp hair and spin the piece away from your face, then wrap into a bun and insert the pins. They don’t poke you in the face and hold in place all night. The next morning, your hair may look a bit poufy at first, but it relaxes soon and can be held with a little light hairspray. Voila! You now have the perfect beach waves!

I know, how cliche of me to title this post as ‘wanderlust’ but it could not be more accurate. 

I have this desire to explore the unknown–to be immersed in a totally new place with no plan, nowhere to be.  When I traveled to Sedona this past summer for yoga teacher training, I felt this sense of freedom being on my own.  Before the training program, I spent the afternoon in the town of Sedona, wandering aimlessly and learning new things on the go.  And as for the teacher training, that was a whole new experience itself, something that changed me forever. (more details later!)

Ever since then, I have found a desire to continue this path.  What better feeling then to be somewhere totally new, with no plan, and to simply explore?  I am so excited to go to Australia in a few months to continue my journey.  For over four months, I can start out a stranger and soon become a settler–who knows, I may never come back! 

As for now, I am enjoying every second of being in Southern California with my mom and sister.  I can’t wait to show you all the places we’ve explored!  I have a new appreciation for this place, I can really see myself living here in the near future. 

This desire to explore new places is shared among many, and feared by some as well.  I believe that getting out of the box is the most important way of figuring out yourself and what you want from life.

I’m off to California for the weekend!  I can’t wait to meet with my mom and sister in DFW and visit some of my favorite places in San Diego and Newport Beach.  Maybe I’ll run into Ryan Atwood…

I hope you all have a great weekend! Can’t wait to fill you in on our adventure : )

Oh, and summer is in almost a month! I can’t believe that I will be going to Australia in 3 months!!

Compass pose: Watched the instructor show it, pretended I didn’t know it… 

I mean, how can I do THAT?!

Well, as the saying goes, weakness makes you stronger.  So I tried the pose, fell a few times, then managed to make some sort of a pose that you could call compass pose.  This pose is my next focus (along with mastering handstand, almost there!) 

When I taught yoga last summer, I used the quote “fall seven times, stand up eight” to my students.  I’ve been practicing what I preach, not only by applying it to yoga, but also in life.  In order to succeed and figure out what I want most in life, I have to put myself out there.  In doing so, I may fail a few times, but that will not hold me back-it will make me stronger. 

I hope you all have a happy week this week!  If you don’t hear from me in a while, I may be stuck from attempting compass pose! 

I put together this quote and picture this past weekend. Many people who know me would say that this quote needs to be engrained into my head, and I agree! Most of us spend a lot of time worrying, and that will not change the outcome. As I face a tough few weeks left of the semester, I hope to take on this way of thinking. I hope this will help all of you too! 🙂