The Non-Definitive Guide To Life

If you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with rain" - Dolly Parton

Posts for friday favorites

PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK 23

BEAUTY & STYLE, WATCH - June 9, 2017

It’s been a really gloomy gray week in Southern California. But this morning the sun is out, and golden rays are flooding my office. I love the crisp cold air of the morning and the unique glow only fresh sun rays bestow on the earth. I feel like a sunflower waking up. Oh, no more floral metaphors. Anyways, this new day is invigorating, and as I watched May Favorite YouTube videos while eating some homemade granola, I really wanted to share some of my own favorites or just stuff I came across recently. This lead me to go “F* it,” it’s time to do weekly check-in’s / progress reports. So if you’re down, here are a few things I’ve been loving, liking, thinking about, and generally want to share.

SHOW & TELL

I have four different colors as my primary color inspiration for my wedding. Each bridesmaid get’s to choose her own color, fuchsia pink, turquoise, marigold, or poppy orange. My sister has been designated with poppy orange, but as she has three kids, a full-time job, and our writing project – I decided to do some bridesmaid dress research for her. I didn’t find the dress, but I did find these, that I’m in love with!! ONE / TWO

 

Recently a friend posed the question how someone can still choose to be Catholic after she’d watched The Keepers. I engaged in the conversation slightly, but Facebook really isn’t the place to have an in-depth theological discussion. Since I wanted to know where she was coming from, I watched the docuseries sooner than I had anticipated. It’s heartbreaking and the retelling of the acts of a truly EVIL man. It was disturbing, and my heart breaks for all the victims involved in this story. This also led me to watch Spotlight. The acts of the Archdiocese is appalling and inexcusable, and I pray that the church is exorcising its demons. I still feel the internet is not the best place for that conversation, but my position is that you can have faith in Catholicism and still oppose the acts of the Catholic Church, they are not one in the same. It’s spirituality versus a system. Anywho, The Keepers and Spotlight are both fantastic watches, and I commend the work of the Bulldogs exposing the corruption in the church. [[and you have every right to disagree with my thought process, and think I’m deplorable – whatevs. oh, and watching these films was NOT the first time i learned of the church’s corruption. ]]

Lighter note! Music – I discovered Rubblebucket this week and their EP “If U C My Enemies” makes me so damn happy.

Jessica Murnane of “One Part Plant” is my favorite human this week. I’ve been listening to her podcast, One Part Podcast for the last month and love her interview style. I also just finished her second podcast, The Cookbook Deal where she documented the process of creating a cookbook during the weirdest year of her life. And it was an intense year, basically, after listening to it all, I was like here have all my money and immediately bought her book on Amazon. Yesterday I made the granola from the book, it was super easy and with a few of my favorite spices (cinnamon & cardamom) super delicious. Definitely, listen to her podcast, here are a few of my favorite episode.

Episode 62: Creating Your Wellness Toolbox + Understanding Lyme Disease With Ally Hilfiger
Episode 53: Turning A Dead End Into A U-turn With Jensen Karp Of Kanye West Owes Me Three Hundred Dollars
Episode 52: Why Healthy Eating Doesn’t Solve All Your Problems + Being An Introvert + Hustling Hard With Laura Miller Of Raw. Vegan. Not Gross.

Hope you enjoyed my progress report & have a wonderous weekend!

Share your progress report in the comments, what’s something you’ve been watching, liking, or loving this week?

LOVE & LIGHT

 

 

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FRIDAY FAVORITES | WK 5 2017

ART, BEAUTY & STYLE, HOME + LIFESTYLE - February 3, 2017

Today I’m going wedding dress shopping! Yay. You can peek into my wedding style inspiration on Pinterest, but I doubt I will actually find a dress like any of the ones I’ve selected. My taste exceeds my budget. I’m approaching wedding dress shopping with an open mind and a desire to capture a sense of glamor and sophistication with a twist.

But here is a quick list of my favorites from the week, as it’s going to be a very busy day! 

Friday Favorites

New Art Vlog: If you’re in Los Angeles try and check out the exhibition at Gabba Gallery. It closes tomorrow, February 4th but I loved the work of L.Croskey and Carly Ealey.

Taiko Drumming: I’ve had a busy and inspiring work week and to help me focus I’ve been listening to a lot of Taiko Drumming. Taiko is a traditional Japanese form of drumming. Whenever I’ve seen a Taiko performance live, the energy is intoxicating, I never want the performance to end. I highly recommend listening to and seeing Taiko drumming.

Kiehl’s Turmeric & Cranberry Seed Energizing Radiance Masque: Dan gave me this mask for Christmas. I had been wanting this mask for months and it has not disappointed me. It really helps to soften my skin with the cranberry seed exfoliation and adds a vibrancy to it. I’ve noticed how my sleeping and eating patterns can affect the quality of my skin and turn it sallow; this mask makes me look like a raw foodist.

Happy Friday! 

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Friday Favorites : Beats Edition | WK 4 2017

HOME + LIFESTYLE, LISTEN - January 27, 2017

The theme of this Friday Favorites is “BEAT” because this week had me beat and I listened/watched some great beats. Unfortunately, due to work, I was unable to film a Friday Favorites video this week. And honestly, I’m not so certain about my ability to keep up with creating a series on YouTube because of my unpredictable work/life schedule. At one point this week I had only slept 2 hours in a 24 hour period. But I will commit to weekly uploads and Friday Favorite posts on the blog each week. So let’s get into it….

Friday Favorites Beats Edition

The Get Down: I totally missed the train on this show. It came out in August 2016 and I was never inspired to watch it. All I knew was that it was about the 70’s and I’ve never been a huge 70’s person, consider me traumatized from the era of That 70’s Show. But I remember hearing a little bit of buzz around it and after reading the show was directed by my man Baz Luhrman,  I started watching the show. It’s AMAZING! The music is on point, the acting is fantastic, and the writing is sharp. There are only 6 episodes in season part 1 and part 2 is coming out 2017. Sadly, the show is expensive to produce and didn’t receive optimal ratings, so its future is unknown. But I’m excited to see what happens next. They really hook you and I am totally cheering on the main character Ezekiel, I want to see how these kids turn out.  Oh, and the show is about the transition of the Disco Era to Hip Hop and social issues in the Bronx, NY.

Childish Gambino: Now if I’m late on The Get Down. I’m like a lifetime late to the party on Childish Gambino. I attended the Coachella festival Gambino had performed in the past, but missed his performance and never looked him up. All I knew about Childish Gambino was he was the guy from Community. This past week I ended up reading an article on him and finally was curious enough to look up Childish Gambino on Spotify. Man, I was missing out. His lyrics are smart and his beats are unique. I’m a fan and that’s all I can say about that. His latest album “Awaken, My Love” is inspired by the music he listened to growing up and you can hear him exploring and growing as a musician.

*Serge Normant Dry Shampoo: As it was a crazy week, I was using a lot of my favorite dry shampoo by Serge Normant. I love this brand because of its woodsy scent. Most dry shampoos are floral or smell like baby powder, but Serge Normant has a completely unique scent that is more my style. It’s not a cheap dry shampoo but I’ve had the same can now for over two years, can’t complain about that! (* the link is an affiliate link, meaning if you purchase the shampoo through the link I will get a friendly commission)

This week’s Friday upload: 

 

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Friday Favorites : New Age Edition | WK 3 2017

HEALTH & WELLNESS, HOME + LIFESTYLE - January 20, 2017

After having filmed my video and reflecting on the concept of new age, consciously knowing that many of the new age concepts are really just remixed adaptations of eastern cultures and philosophies, I still decided to name this Friday Favorites a new age edition because it sets a tone for what I’m talking about and hopefully inspires independent research. New Age is scoffed at, but honestly, some of the principles that have been adopted into this western movement from eastern thought are very powerful and are needed during this time of turmoil. I’m all about that higher consciousness while having a little fun. Let’s not forget about FUN!! Check out a few more of my favorite things that are all about a cleaner, happier, wellness or “new age-y” lifestyle.

Friday Favorites Week 3 Yoga Good Vibes

 

A few of the links below are affiliate links. this means that if you make a purchase through the link I get a small commission, it’s like a friendly finders fee. Affiliate links are marked with an *.

Good Vibe Earrings: These adorable earrings from Ban.do are too perfect because I’m all about putting out good vibes. The price is a little shocking ($70), but they are super unique and if you have the funds – treat yo’ self.

Green Juice Tote by Simply Sweet Vegan: When I saw this tote I immediately thought of my sister and I’m equally in love with humor. ($18)

Artist Alex Grey: more details in video

Hindustani Music: more details in video

*Jade Yoga Mat: I was lucky enough to receive this mat for free at a fitness convention, but I am genuinely obsessed with it. If you want to take your yoga life to the next level of comfort, invest in this amazing mat.

*Aura Cacia Awakening Yoga Mist: It’s made for your yoga mat, body, and room. And I seriously spray this stuff EVERYWHERE! Especially, in the morning when I walk into my home office. I love to spray the room to awaken my mind and senses.

Yoga with Adriene: If you are looking for awesome at home yoga videos, Yoga with Adriene is my favorite. She’s incredibly relatable, welcoming, and all about finding what feels good for you. She encourages you to create your own space on the mat and her current yoga revolution challenge is becoming a daily (almost) practice.

 

 

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FRIDAY FAVORITES OR FINDS | WK2 2017

EATS & DRINKS, HEALTH & WELLNESS, HOME + LIFESTYLE, LISTEN, WATCH - January 13, 2017

New year, new ideas – welcome to Friday Favorites or Finds

*this post may include affiliate links, those items will be marked with an asterisk

The new year always brings on a surge of inspiration and motivation for me. My creative engines are revving and I’m seeing the world with a new vibrancy. Given the collective emotional hangover that was 2016, I am taking a zen approach of letting things be and approaching life one choice at a time.

So, one of my choices was to add a FUN category to the blog. I wanted to create a space on here for more silliness, randomness, and plain old fun.  And I think it would be fun to share the things that I found or fell in love with on a weekly basis. I truly believe sharing is caring.

Each post will be accompanied by a video highlighting the art, music, and life adventure aspect of my Friday favorites or finds. Then here I’ll sprinkle in some more awesome items and things I think you should know about. So here it goes!

Friday Favorites

 

*Plant Believe It Earrings: Adorable little cacti in pink pots! I just love them and they are 60% off.

Sakara Morning/Beauty Water: It’s a total luxury item but I LOVE this water. It contains rose water, silica, and 72 ionic trace minerals to hydrate and keep you glowing. It’s silly, but I feel prettier drinking the water because it tastes so pretty. p.s. I purchased a whole reset program from Sakara that I will be reviewing later this month.

Brain Dust From Moon Juice:  I raved about the Brain Dust over on Instagram. As it says on the box, it’s an alchemy to align with the mighty flow for great achievement. It’s made with organic and wildcrafted herbs, adaptogenic plants, and bioactive minerals. So basically, it tastes like bitter dirt for the first five cups, but by your sixth cup, you’re hooked and feeling good!

Ubrand Monterey Ballpoint Pens: $8.00 for two pens might seem like a lot but when you have this pen in your hand you feel ready to take on the day. It has a substantial weight and writes like a dream. I’m an office supply nerd and this pen has earned a whole sticker sheet of gold stars.

Oliver Hudson’s Instagram account : Oliver Hudson is an actor, Kate Hudson’s brother, Goldie Hawn’s son, and the honey badger of Instagram. My sister turned me on to his account and it’s hilarious (or at least my kind of humor). At first, I didn’t understand why my sister told me to check out his account, but after watching a few videos, I was totally hooked. Plus, both Kate and Goldie comment on his posts and it adds to the absurdist comedy.

Pixie Geldof’s I’m Yours: review in my video

Magical Universe: review in my video

 tweet it -“Don’t let mild inconvenience get in the way of your joy!” 

I’m still unsure of what name I should commit to, so if you have an opinion feel free to take my poll!

 

Love &  Light

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