For the past few weeks, all I’ve heard about is how out of this world beautiful the National Poppy Reserve is; so, naturally, I had to find out for myself. Yesterday, we woke up bright and early with a bounce in our step – we were going to Lancaster for Mother’s Day and I was finally going to get my poppy fix! We jumped in the Dodge Challenger and with a vroooom, off we went!
These are some of my favorite snaps from yesterday; hope you enjoy them as much as I do!
“Hello babies. Welcome to Earth. It’s hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It’s round and wet and crowded. On the outside, babies, you’ve got a hundred years here. There’s only one rule that I know of, babies-“God damn it, you’ve got to be kind.”
There are currently over 200 Million active users on Instagram and between the lot of us, we load about 60 Million snaps a day, amassing over 20 billion pictures to date; of those 20 Billion, about .2% – or 40 Million – are #selfies,a term that as of last year -not only made it into the Oxford English Dictionary, but was nominated ‘word of the year.’ Last year, the Smart Phone Market overran the PC Market with over 1.75 Billion Smart Phone users in the world, including 56% of Americans – up from 35% 2 years ago. Of the 1.25 Billion Facebook users, roughly 25% play games on the daily. Since 2012, the number of Americans streaming digital media like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon has gone from half the population to almost 70%, and digital streaming devices can now be found in 14% of American households; up double from 2011. Between new developments in gaming systems, social media and technology, it’s become all too easy for the majority of us (including myself) to forget that there’s this amazingly wonderful planet that we have the opportunity to explore. 
I firmly believe that each day is a new chance to appreciate the beauty that surrounds you, and that goes doubly so for today, Earth Day. Today’s a day to be in awe of your surroundings, fully immerse yourself in your environment, and celebrate the beauty that surrounds you – a day to honor your relatives, both ancestors and those to come, by embracing nature and all it has to offer; and I hope more people choose to pay attention to the details and take the time to smell the flowers. As tied in as I find myself with all things internet – from my addiction to House of Cards to my love of Caturday pictures, I’ve felt an extreme need to detach myself from these chains that masquerade as wifi signals and find some real, personal connection with my surroundings. 
Back in 1969, a young environmental activist named John McConnell found himself in front of the UNESCO Conference in San Francisco, pleading with peers and mentors alike that the world deserves a day to both honor the idea of peace and rejoice in the Earth’s beauty – and the year after, Earth Day was born. In almost half of a century, the event has manifested from a local, California event into a global masterpiece in over 190 countries.There are ample amounts of Earth Day festivities around the globe that you can take part in, but if you want to do something on a smaller and more personal scale – try these on for size:
In the last month since I’ve moved in with my boyfriend and away from the Miracle Mile area, I’ve seen the landscapes shift around me – both physically and mentally. Admittedly, the biggest real change is that instead of having multitudes of shops and consignment stores to both pop my head into as well as empty my bank accounts – I now have fleeting foliage and blossoms opening up to the sun, tree lined streets and smiling strangers. Over the last four years, it seems I fell into an incredibly comfortable pattern – and truth be told, I probably should have shaken it up sooner; I’ve fallen absolutely in love with my new ‘hood and have the pictures to prove it =) enjoy!
Of all the magical experiences that 2013 had to offer, hands down – my weekend away at Lightning in a Bottle was hands down the best five days of the year. From the creatively costumed concert go-ers to dance and yoga workshops, right on down to the live musical acts, live art and live entertainment – Lightning in a Bottle expertly tantalizes each and every one of the senses and left me both searching and yearning for more out of myself, my life and the community I surround myself with.
Between last year’s fiasco with the outlying community of Riverside County and a desire to please their loyal fans up and down the coast of California, The Do Lab knew that they had to switch something up about the location. When the festival was still in it’s early years, it was held in the Santa Barbara mountains and over the last four years has been bouncing between locations around Southern California. The weekend deserved a location as unique as the culture it emanates, and with it’s new location in the Central Coast – that’s exactly what it’s getting. This year, Lightning in a Bottle is migrating up to the San Antonio Recreation Area in Monterey County and I couldn’t be more excited. Not only is it equidistant from the amazing music communities in San Francisco and Los Angeles, but the new venue boasts more space than at the Live Oak Campground in Santa Barbara and the Lake Skinner Recreation Area in Temecula. To boot, rain permitting we’ll be able to frolic in the lakes of the recreation area in the sweet heat of Memorial Day weekend; a stark contrast from last year when my friends and I got to tell folks to ‘Nama-stay off the lake!’ while trying to stay out of the immense Summer sun.
During the day, your mind is opened in so many directions with the plethora of enigmatic speakers and workshops. They’re on everything from urban foraging, sustainability, sexuality, your infinite potential, inter-species communication and much, much more. last year, speakers for the weekend included visionaries like Alex and Allison Grey, John Perkins and the author of one of my favorite books ‘Breaking Open The Head’ Daniel Pinchbeck; workshops ranged from ritual movement, hooping, sacred dance and slacklining. Scattered throughout the festival grounds are amazing, living works of art that evolve with the weekend with phenomenal artists from across the country and some of the most fun I had was routinely stopping by my favorites to see how they’re coming along.
As the sun starts going down, the beats begin to pick up and the community truly comes alive – spinning fire, gathering to admire live art and dancing to the infectious, underground sounds that are throbbing through the epic sound systems of the three main stages (the Woogie, Bamboo and Lightning) or one of two smaller stages at the Lumi Lounge and the Temple. Each stage boasted a different assortment of acts, community and culture – at the Bamboo stage, you could get your grime on with gLAdiator, Griz, Kastle, Andreniline and the mud people (like, really though), the Lightning stage held the more theatrical productions like Emancipator and Nicolas Jaar and last but certainly not least, the Woogie got you to boogie with deep house DJs like Lee Burridge, Pumpkin and Marques Wyatt.
I went to Lightning in a Bottle with an open mind and no expectations; what I left with was an enhanced world view, self confidence and an amazing support system of friends new and old.
With a little something for everyone, this is an experience that I truly want all of my friends to be part of. Tickets for this amazing five day experience go on 24 hour discounted sale on 2/18, and on 2/19 they’ll go on sale for full value. Make sure to get yours quickly, this is one weekend not to be missed!
“And still, after all this time, the sun has never said to the Earth, ‘You owe me.’ Look what happens with a love like that – it lights up the whole sky.”
Hello, hello my pretties! It’s been a while since I’ve given my blog a proper update but that’s because of how damn busy things get lately. John Lennon once said that ‘life is what happens when you’re making other plans’ and after the monster few weeks I’ve had, I whole heatedly agree with the man.
The Disney Studio Lot Getting Ready for the Holidays
At work, we just finished up Fiscal ’13 and are starting the new fiscal year; which means projects, reports and thanks to a coworker leaving the team, a brand spanking new account – that happens to be one of our most visible. Nothing wrong with that, because with great power comes great responsibility and respect – but it’s a lot more on my plate and sometimes I admittedly eat like a bird. But that’s only because there’s so much more going on underneath the surface of my life – there’s been some moving and shaking in pretty much every area of my life: from my romantic life to my home life and back to the writing front – there is simply so much going on but I’m waiting til everything’s set in stone to share and celebrate the good news; and trust, it’s all good news.
Over the past three months, there’s been an emotional shift inside of me – back in September, there was a night that both changed my life and reaffirmed that I’m becoming the woman I wanted to be. But, since then – I’ve pulled back from a large portion of my social circle and have seen more of the inside of my eyelids at 11pm on a Friday night than I’ve seen of flashing lights and crowded rooms. Then again; everything in moderation, right? I’ve been an incredibly bouncy kitty over the course of the last year and with three major festival weekends (EDC weekend in Vegas, Lightning in a Bottle and HARD Summer) crammed into one summer, it’s absolutely no wonder that I to reset myself and reevaluate the world I’ve been cultivating.
Sunrise from my Roof
And last, but most definitely not least – it’s the HOLIDAY season; cheer, family, festive drinks and decorations galore! It probably has a lot to do with being a California girl and not being exposed to weather like I’m getting now (SO COLD!), but I’m a huge fan of the days ranging from Thanksgiving through the New Year. Usually, my family has Thanksgiving in the Silicon Valley or up in Corvallis but this year, we flipped the game and flew out to Massachusetts so we could spread the holiday cheer from Coast to Coast. And with my boyfriend’s family out in New Hampshire, we got to kill a lot of birds with just one itty bitty stone – I got to show Danny off around my aunt, nephew and cousin and then I’m meeting his dad and step-mom. Nervous? Sure, but where there’s whiskey – there’s a way.
Above the Clouds
It’s been cold cold cold; the temperature here ranges from 10 to 35° so if you can imagine, I’ve been freezing my ass off out here. Remember, I’m a California girl; this right here, this is cruel and unusual punishment. However, I’m seeing snow for the first time in since middle school and am absolutely enthralled by it! I can’t wait to see what this week of family time will bring, so hold tight – can’t wait to dish!
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