The photo on the left is the first photo booth picture we took 11 years ago. The one on the right is from two weeks ago.

Today marks 9 years with this sweet man. We have had so much fun together and I couldn’t be happier.

I love you, Al.

We lost our dear friend Bethany to stage IV lung cancer this past Friday; we are both so heartbroken.  Like all of Bethany’s friends and family, we keep returning to the memory of her luminosity and amazing laugh. These photos are from when we first met each other on a trip to India with our mom’s in 2003.

We are so thankful for having had the chance to know and love Bethany.  We will always cherish our time with her.

FORGING a new path.  Yesterday was my last day at the job I’ve had for close to eight years.  I’m taking some time off over the next few months and am excited about things to come!

SNAGGING a pre-release vinyl copy of the new Monster Rally collaboration with Jay Stone.  Listen to the album’s first track here & don’t overlook peeping that cover art!

GETTING by with a little help from my friends (and family). #strengthinnumbers

BLASTING the Amelie Soundtrack. It is the first thing I listen to when I am trying to get work done. It has been my go-to for years. Listen here.

LIFTING weights every Monday, Wednesday and Friday and killing it. Hit me up if you want to know my workout routine which was created by my trainer, Albert Cook.

PONDERING the universe, space and time and all that is in-between.

Bringing you this week’ round-up of articles, videos, websites and other know-how that has recently captured our attention.  We hope you find something you l’ll like and pass it on!

1. Brittany Maynard’s choice to die with dignity (via cbc news) I know that it is heavy, but this young woman is very inspiring and I can’t imagine I could be as brave in her situation.

2. Susan Miller’s October forecasts (via Astrology Zone) This October has already been a whirlwind! Check out what more it has in store.

3. Parenting around the world (via kottke.org) We love this quick round up of different parenting styles from around the world.

4. Try This: Make Photo Booth Strips With Old Photos (via A Beautiful Mess) I love taking photo booth pictures and have been thinking of a way to put mine up. This is a great option!

5. The 3 Things I Look for on Ingredients Labels (via Healthy Crush)  A quick and helpful guide on how to read food labels.

6. Art Amnesty (via MoMA PS1)  Toss your old art work and art supplies into the dumpster at MoMA PS1.

7.  Building a Brand in Fashion (via americanexpressOpen) Our homie, Celina Paiz’s fashion line, La Selva is being featured in featured in TLC’s web series “Breaking Out In Fashion!”  To celebrate this video La Selva is giving 15% discount at our online shop. Just use the code breakingout123 at checkout!

8. This Guy Probably Recorded a Song You Love (via All Songs Considered).  Yes, in fact, he did!

(Image found here)

You know what they say when things get weird? Mercury is in retrograde! I think it might be living in California, and being surrounded by wellness junkies, that contributes to the fact that I hear that all the time. It also helps that Mercury seems to be in retrograde ALL THE TIME.  So between this blood moon (did you see it?!), and Mercury going backwards, let’s just say I have had a week of lessons so far.

It all started out on Monday. I was faced with situation after situation where I needed to speak up and I dropped the ball.  It was one thing after another and I just ended up doing things that I didn’t have time for or that made me feel completely uncomfortable.  Again, this happened to me last night.  I got a massage that was borderline unbearable.  This woman walked on my back for what felt like an eternity and I didn’t say a word, even though I was struggling not to throw up or pass out.  What gives?!  Am I that big of a baby? This week has proven to me that yeah, maybe I am.

I am not going to act like here I am, four days later, and just speaking my mind everywhere I turn.  That is just not the case.  Learning to speak up for yourself is really hard.  At least for me.  I think that it is a mixture of being a woman, being raised with midwestern politeness, and also being from a family where the woman do it all and don’t say a word about it.  If you blend that up in a big ol’ pot, you get me.

So I guess I am going to try and say what I am feeing to people when I am actually in the situation.  Because mostly, I call my sister, or someone else, right after and tell her how uncomfortable or weird a situation was instead of excusing myself in the moment.

Cheers to Mercury, the Midwest and genetics!

[posted by Farrell]

photo: Gene Tierney and her sister, Patricia, 1940’s

Wearing Suz’s jewelry to remind me of her style and her fondness for sweet things.

Reading Everything is Illuminated by Johathan Safran Foer

Checking the waves at Santa Monica beach everyday.

Dusting off my leather clogs for some fall wardrobe wear.

Assigning action days to my to-do list in hopes of increasing productivity.

Repotting a few plants in my my mini-tea-cups-made-planters.

I was out to brunch this past weekend and my friend randomly asked me if I was happy. I thought about it before I answered and I told him that I feel full of joy. But then I started to explain that I also feel deep sorrow from time to time too. I started to think of this poem by Khalil Gibran that my cousin recently sent me. I do not think there is a better description than this of the actual depths of sorrow and joy.

On Joy and Sorrow

from The Prophet by Khalil Gibran

Then a woman said, Speak to us of Joy and Sorrow.
And he answered:
Your joy is your sorrow unmasked.
And the selfsame well from which your laughter rises was oftentimes filled with your tears.
And how else can it be?
The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.
Is not the cup that holds your wine the very cup that was burned in the potter’s oven?
And is not the lute that soothes your spirit, the very wood that was hollowed with knives?
When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy.
When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.
Some of you say, “Joy is greater than sorrow,” and others say, “Nay, sorrow is the greater.”
But I say unto you, they are inseparable.
Together they come, and when one sits alone with you at your board, remember that the other is asleep upon your bed.

Verily you are suspended like scales between your sorrow and your joy.
Only when you are empty are you at standstill and balanced.
When the reassure-keeper lifts you to weigh his gold and his silver, needs must your joy or your sorrow rise or fall.

[posted by Farrell]