[Oh, Snap] Sunday Funday at Thousand Steps Beach

February 26, 2015February 22, 2016Leave a comment

The tides are in our veins.

Photo by Daniel Leist

Calming and cathartic, the ocean beckons with a quiet roar masked as a whisper – cascading from shore to shore in enigmatic harmony. Growing up in the Bay Area, only a hop, skip and a jump from local beaches like San Gregorio, Half Moon Bay, Santa Cruz and Capitola, and spending a good amount of my childhood on the Oregon coast – I have a plethora of fond memories building sand castles and feeding s

ea gulls while unearthing sea glass and haphazardly discovering beautiful raw stones. And even though I spent my collegiate years right on the beach in Santa Barbara, I could’ve spent a lot more time actually at the beach. So whenever I get the chance to finally hit one up, the five year old trapped in this 6’0 body gets butterflies in her stomach and stars of excitement in her eyes.

Photo by Daniel Leist

Life, as they say, is what happens while you’re making other plans and the other weekend was no different. After a haphazard morning leaving Los Angeles, timing had proven tumultuous and schedules had shifted. Thankfully, it was a beautiful day and there’s nothing quite like hitting the road with some good jams and great friends. Soaking in the wonderful weather over Valentine’s Day weekend, a great few days filled with lots of love and great company, my wanderlust waved me over to Laguna Beach’s Thousand Steps Beach. Located just off of the Pacific Coast Highway, tucked away between two bluffs – Thousand Steps Beach is a gem among beaches with loads of soft sand, caves to explore and loads of blissfully breaking waves for hydrophilic humans. Though it’s not technically a thousand steps to get down to the beach, there are definitely enough to warrant a lazy afternoon soaking up some rays.

Photo by Daniel Leist

We couldn’t leave before Sunset on the beach and as we thought, it was absolutely stunning. Sprinting out to the water to snap a picture, my body tangled in itself and the necklace I was wearing broke and my pendant, a beautiful little piece of Amethyst that I got at the Gem Fair in Tucson, tumbled through my sweatshirt and plunged into the current. I watched three or four waves swoop, swish and rearrange the stone and instinctively thrust my hand into the water. Miraculously, I saved it – and it hasn’t left my neck since. This was almost two weeks ago and I’m still finding grains of sand on it!Last, but certainly not least – as the sun went down, the creativity heated up and we tried our hands on some light painting. Danny took hold of the wand, our friend All Day Jimmy was behind the camera – and the result: magic!

What’s your favorite beach to soak up the sunshine? Let me know in the comments below!

[Oh, Snap!] Exploring The Eagle Rock / Glenoaks Canyon Trail

February 15, 2015February 15, 20151 Comment

In my never ending quest to take in all the nature I possibly can in Los Angeles, the idea of finding lush, green pastures and wind swept trees locally has more often than not escaped me. When I was living in Korea Town and West Hollywood, I was easily and habitually reminded of the close proximity of the heart of the city. I could feel the pulse of the streets and yearned to be closer to nature. So, thank goodness I moved out to Eagle Rock – there’s all the amenities of West Side living but paired with the lackadaisical but passionate work ethic of the modern Renaissance person, advocating equal time for work and play. Instead of being engulfed by the traffic and smog of the city, I’m constantly in awe of the natural beauty that surrounds this area.

For Valentine’s Day weekend, Danny and I had a few friends stay with us and we got to explore a whole new side of the neighborhood. Just over the freeway, where the 2 and 134 meet, there’s a wonderful little trail right on Sleepy Hollow Lane, oh and also – most adorable street name ever. We walked a few miles while the blazing succulent sun-rays rained down on us and I couldn’t think of a more beautiful way to spend my Friday afternoon. What’s even better, is this is just 5 minutes away and boasts a view of Big Bear, Orange County’s Saddleback Mountain, Downtown LA, Santa Monica and the Pacific Ocean.

[Oh, Snap] Eagle Rockin’ and Eagle Walkin’ v6

February 2, 2015February 2, 2015Leave a comment

It’s been a beautiful past few days in Southern California, and I’ve got the pictures to prove it.

Further proof that Winter is simply a state of mind….

[Oh, Snap!] Eagle Rockin’ and Eagle Walkin’ v4

October 2, 2014October 2, 2014Leave a comment

If there’s one thing to be said for our weather in Los Angeles, it’s that we more or less don’t have any. Seasons ebb and flow between too hot, moderately hot, incredibly hazy and is that fog or mist? But with the shift from Summer to Autumn, there’s a coastal wind that’s reaching inland and the sun is rising just a little bit more to the South for a slightly more pleasant wake up call. The best part for me is that with the weather just a bit cooler, I’ve been on the rise and grind and out the door for morning runs on the regular. It’s the perfect hat trick of confidence – physically, mentally, and emotionally – and I’ve been making it a point to get lost in a place where I’ve more or less found myself. Enjoy!

[Oh, Snap!] Eagle Rockin’ and Eagle Walkin’ v3

August 28, 2014August 28, 2014Leave a comment

All sorts of reasons to love my neighborhood =)

[Traveling Tales] The Journey to Shambhala

August 12, 2014February 22, 2016Leave a comment

Not even a few weeks after we arrived back in Los Angeles from our epic journeys to Red Rocks and Zion, Danny and I were feverishly packing our car and getting ready for what turned out to be the best weekend of our young lives so far. Blessed with amazing connections and peers within the dance music scene, Danny and I were both asked by The Confluence to cruise up to Canada for their famed Shambhala Music Festival out at Salmo River Ranch in British Columbia, Canada – and you all know how I am when threatened with a good time, so when they asked I immediately and obviously jumped on this amazing opportunity with pep in my step and more bounce in my boogie.

Once the car was packed to the brim with camping supplies – tents, tarps, blankets, pillows and a cooler – we were off to the races! What originally was a 23 hour drive got broken up into three simpler sections: a 6 hour drive from LA to SF to visit my father, a 9 hour drive from SF to Corvallis to visit my Step-Mom and then another 9 hours until we found ourselves across the border and at Salmo River Ranch in Canada. What started as an unassuming adventure to both a new country, and new music culture, culminated in a warrior-esque journey to a new mindset, absolutely engulfed by the serenity of nature and enthralled by the beautiful expressions of humanity that surrounded us from every angle. There was never a dull moment, and at each and every turn there was someone or something to interact, connect, dance or laugh with and for every stranger we met – we walked away with two new friends. The Shambhala story – and trust me, it’s an EPIC one -won’t be coming later this week; so, until then, enjoy some of these pics from our roadtrip and Shamble-on!

[Oh, Snap!] Fun with Macro Lenses

July 7, 2014July 7, 2014Leave a comment

Last week, when I was feeling all down and out for myself – or as I like to refer to it, being an ‘Emo Kitty’ – I wanted to treat myself to something nice so I took to the interwebs for a little bit of retail therapy as part ( ps. believe it or not – it actually works). It might be the thrill of crossing things off and that warm feeling of accomplishment after finishing a difficult task, but I’m a huge fan of lists and mental checkpoints; and as my mother always preached – everything in moderation (including moderation). So, instead of going on a glorified and financially stimulating shopping spree, I pick and choose a few key things to compliment my life that I’ve had on my wishlist for a while (yes, I have wishlist; yes, it’s amazing; yes, you should make one – we’ll chat about that later though!). Even though I’ve been following the Brandy & Melville clothing line and adamantly pinning their cute, comfortable and all too adorable wardrobe and accessories on my Pinterest board for the last two years, the only items I’ve ever owned from them were hand-me-downs. I took a gander at their website and gleefully picked a few of the things I’d been eyeing, I filled up on some new books that I can’t wait to dive into and a few art supplies off of Amazon, candle making supplies from Candle Science so I can finally open the first vertical of my new ETSY store that I’ve been planning for over a year now and last but certainly not least – I snagged an awesome and incredibly inexpensive universal smartphone photo lens package so my boyfriend and I can explore more photography options before we commit to a fancy-shmancy, upscale Professional camera. Needless to say, my mood has been completely elevated – and speaking of, the new lenses have most definitely pushed my photography to the next level; I can’t wait to play around more!

Plants