Last week my friends and I took a two day work trip to Palm Springs and stayed at the Ace Hotel.
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Palm Springs
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Picturesque
Hi everyone! Here are this weeks pics:
Farrell – Los Angeles, CA
Valley Cruise Press photoshoot
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Family lunch
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Friendship Facetime
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Lauren – New York, NY
Oil Paints
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you’re due for breakthrough in your relationship with yourself
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Sunday night dinner
Twenty-Six Palms
Instagram filter on iPhone photo || Oil on canvas || Chalk pastel on paper
Coast to Coast
The avocado tree outside of my office
L: Hey! What’s up with you this week?
F: Oh, hey!! This week has been busy at work. I had a crazy migraine yesterday which left me a bit bedridden. Today and Friday our office is being used for a bachelor party (believe it or not!) so my friends and I decided to work from Palm Springs! It’s so fun and spontaneous.
L: Have you seen anything good online lately?
F: I mean, it’s the internet! We are getting bombarded by data and images all day long. It is pretty rare that there is anything good. However, when I was trying to make a little special someone laugh recently, I stumbled upon this gem:
L: What color nail polish did you get on your toes this week?
F: When in doubt, I always go to the trusty Essie Shearling Darling.
L: Do you ever think about getting a pet?
F: We watched Oscar for around 3 weeks and a friend’s dog in-between. There were times when I thought I was excited to be dog-less. There were times that I loved having a dog. I guess the answer is that I do think about it. A lot.
L: What is the hardest thing about surfing?
F: Wow. I am not sure how I could pick. I think the hardest park is wiping out time and time and time and time again. It is completely exhausting. For me, it is very clear that guys have stronger upper body strength than women, so in a way I feel at a disadvantage. Those are the two hardest parts for me. It has motivated me to continue building my upper body strength “off the board.”
Mediterranean Farro
I made a pretty delicious summer meal over the weekend, if I don’t say so myself. It included a Mediterranean farro salad based off of this recipe. I really love farro for its density and slightly nutty flavor. Of course quinoa is always a great go-to grain but I think I’m going to keep branching out in my grain exploration.
After preparing the farro, I added tomatoes, sliced onion, kalamata olives and French feta cheese, which I’m not sure I’d ever had before but really made the salad. I mixed it all together with a little olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lemon, salt and pepper and voilà! The salad accompanied baked salmon with a cucumber dill yogurt sauce and a glass of rosé. Summer never tasted so good!
It’s Working
I think I told you before that I have been going to meditation on Monday nights at a Buddhist center. I have come to find this to be one of my favorite activities throughout the week. I am always eager to hear the topic of the day and excited to listen to whichever teacher speaks. The teacher tonight was the founder of Against the Stream, Noah Levine, and was my favorite so far. The theme was not so specific, but more general in asking why we meditate and what we can expect. It is an always welcome reminder to me not to stop meditating – to keep practicing every day. The reason that we all meditate is to help us cope, deal and detach from suffering. Most people are brought to this practice to lessen pain. For me, it has truly helped lessen a discomfort in life. It has given me a tool that gets me through in a smoother and more peaceful way. These reminders might seem redundant and simple, but they are usually the best ones. Just keep on keeping on with whatever you do to make yourself better. It’s subtle, but it’s working. Trust that.
Picturesque
Happy Monday! We hope you enjoy some summer fun today. Here are this weeks pics:
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Farrell – Los Angeles, CA
I did some walking..
…some shopping,
…and surfing.
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Lauren – New York, NY
Reading & writing
Snake on the street (plus a couple more being held by the guy in the black hat)
Unexpected visit from my college roommate and lifelong friend. We hadn’t seen each other in seven or eight years and it was like not a day had gone by. Such a treat!
Still Life with Herring and an Oval Plate
Still Life With Herring and an Oval Plate. Chaim Soutine (1917)
As I’ve mentioned, I’ve been taking an oil painting class this summer (my first ever painting class). For our first assignment we picked a painting out of an art book to try to replicate. I opened a book of Chaim Soutine’s work to this page and went with it. I’ve been taking pictures each week to show this great piece come to life! 🙂
Ta-da! I actually wanted to keep working on it a little more but that might not happen for some time, if at all. So in the meantime I’ve nestled my five little fish in my bookshelf to keep me company at home.
Homesick
Photo of Lake Erie taken by the lovely and talented, Michele Zychowski
Living in California has really been a dream come true. I have become a hiker, a surfer, a 29 year old, a planner, a beach volleyball player, a paddleboarder, a party thrower and countless other things. California has given me sunshine, new friends, old friends, more family time (with Oscar!), more knowledge, more confidence – the list goes on. However, there are times when suddenly I am struck by homesickness. I am not just sick for my house that I grew up in – though that place is my paradise – but I am sick for:
Visiting my Suzie
Laughing with my cousins
Seeing my dad pull in the driveway
Kissing Kendall
Laying in bed with my Mom
Looking through my old room
Being at either of my grandma’s houses
Watching the lake change everyday
Walking down the street to the Zychowski’s.
The sound of the train passing when I am sleeping
There are so many other small things I miss tonight. So, yes, Los Angeles has been awesome. It has given me and Albert so many wonderful pieces of ourselves that we will have forever. However sometimes there are so many people that I miss at one time that I feel like I am drowning. Dorothy was right. There IS no place like home.
Coast to Coast
F: Where would you like to visit in the US (that you never have) and why?
L: I’d really like to take one of those quintessential trips cross country. I’d like to go to New Mexico and Arizona. I’d like to check out Nashville. I’d like to stop for a few weeks in Montana or Wyoming. Why? Mostly because they are places I think I know about but have never been. Might as well take a look and check them out myself.
F: What is your favorite snack to make for yourself?
L: Though I’ve only made it once, I love chia seed pudding. It is SO easy to make and I really like its simplicity and texture. I’ve been holding on to this recipe to make it again for myself.
F: How is your painting class going? Is it fun?
L: I love it! I really enjoy mixing colors and the class itself is super relaxed. I’ve started doing some painting at home too. It’s a new activity I find I can spend hours on and that is coming in super handy lately. I want to add a few finishing touches to my first painting, then I’m going to post it. If you’d like, you can take a sneak peak here.
F: What is something that made an impression on you this week?
L: I was with some people I don’t really know when we all learned about Robin William’s death. One of the women commented, “What did he have to be depressed about?!” I don’t mean to come off righteous but I find this type of thinking to be super ignorant. People are people. Rich or poor. Successful or not. Everyone struggles and making assumptions or judgments about those struggles is shortsighted. I’ve been trying to check myself when it comes to making comparisons lately. There is no value that comes from thinking someone else has it easier than you do.
F: What is your favorite thing you did this summer in NYC?
L: Relaxing in Hammock Grove on Governor’s Island is the first thing that comes to mind. It was more secluded, smaller and with fewer people there than I expected; that almost never happens in NYC.
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