Staring at myself in the mirror I’m lucky to love what I see. Ever since I was a little girl I had never had a problem with my body as so many other young girls do. My body is my body, and I love it. That’s how...
small, rebellious acts
ciao for now
It has been exactly 3 months and 13 days that I have lived in Italy. The time I have spent here has been so amazing. I have learned, seen, and experienced more in the past few months that I could have thought possible. Italy has been so good to...
manifest your dreams
For a few weeks now I have had the words “manifest your dreams” on a sticky note stuck to my laptop. I am constantly thinking about the things I hope to do and accomplish in my life and have a running list compiled on my phone. Every time I...
lessons from running
I love running. It’s not just something I do for exercise, but something I would voluntarily do for fun. I recognize that this is a foreign concept for most people. There is just something about lacing up my running shoes and getting outside that fuels my fire and makes...
Optimism Now
Recently I was inspired by a blog post by Gretchen Rubin (author of “The Happiness Project” and “The Four Tendencies”) about her twelve “personal commandments” to write my own set of personal commandments. They are just a short list of words or sayings that demonstrate your core values and things...
a new place to call home
It’s been a while since I posted, but for the best reasons. Today marks a month and 6 days since I have been living in Florence and I couldn’t be more happy with my time spent so far. Now, sitting in my 4th-floor walk-up apartment looking out through the open...
an ode to my idols
Idols. I have been so fortunate in my life as to have had so much access to such inspiring role models via the internet. Part of what makes all of these incredible individuals so amazing to me is the fact that when they were my age, they had no medium...
portable magic
There is nothing better than a book. Curled up on the couch during a rainstorm, lying on the grass on a sunny day, in the middle of the day, or the middle of the night. Books give us a way to transport outside of our selves. To experience places,...
into the unknown
This post marks the first of many. One thing you should know about me is that I am NOT a procrastinator. If there is something I need to get done it will be done weeks in advance of the due date. When you create a personal passion project like...