A birthday note, to self

This next year, remember...

There will be days dripping in gold,

and others that are just okay,

and some that are pretty terrible.

Try not to be too scared when the ‘terribles’ come along.

Maintain a positive spirit and a kind heart.

Quiet the ill-intended.

Work through the insecurities.

Don’t let anyone mistake being kind, as being weak.

Take care of your body.

Find something that compels you, 

and dedicate time to learning more about it. 

Don’t be so grumpy about the crumbs around the apartment.

The causer of the crumbs makes you really, really happy.

Be someone who, when mentioned in conversation,

is described as good.

Call home. Call sisters. Send letters.

Let friends know you're thinking of them.

Be a #1 aunt.

Keep travelling. Keep adventuring.

Maybe figure out how to get a dog.

Do the best you can this year.

And have the very best time doing it.

To August, With Love

I always write of August. 

Likely because it is my birthday month, 

it is August during which I am most nostalgic and reflective. 

I think of stretches of summer days
spent in Maine with my family, 

and long lazy weekends at the beach with girlfriends. 

I have great memories of swapping stories
and sipping beers with friends, 

late into the humidity of the night back east.

Of sun burnt skin, salt water kayaking and backyard lounging.

A friend recently told me, I often update Big Moon Sky in moments of worry, or apprehension.

And to some extent, this is true.

It is easier for me to process moments of worry through writing, 

and so the blog becomes an outlet for those instances.

But it's all shooting stars and sunshine in this post folks! 

image is my own

This summer has been a real slam dunk. 

A string of weekends up in Tahoe -
barbecuing at the base of the river, 

night skies so bright with stars,
 I have to pinch myself to believe its real. 

Dancing in Golden Gate Park with my little sister, 

with flowers in our hair.and smiles on our faces.

Days with my toes dangling from the edge of a boat, 

cheering on friends and clinking glasses towards the sun.

Sunday cocktails and home cooked meals, enjoyed in the backyard of friends.

Nights filled with music and spontaneity - a new feature in my world. 

And goats. So many goats. 

I am quite content these days. 

A steady sunbeam of happy. 

A constant stream of giggles.

And its the best. 

xo

Happiness Happens!

In it's final days, I waved goodbye to July gently, and sweetly.

The last couple of weeks of July had been a mash-up of highs and lows.

It left me with a funny tummy and a brain daze.
So. Goodbye to July, and hello to August!
August, where I begin to settle into renewed consistency
and start a whole new set of  adventures!

August, most especially,
I have always been fond of you. 
And did you know that August 8th is Happiness Happens Day? 

The number eight is regarded as highly lucky - it signifies prosperity and abundance.
So here's to you, Crazy Eights!
May we all be blessed with an abundance of happiness.
That means baby goats and bare feet and ice cream - all day long.
High fives all around: happiness is contagious!
xo

The Secret of Sweet Dreams...

The truest words of summer...

first penned by author Barbara Kingsolver

and since adapted by me. 

Life has been sweet lately indeed.

Filled with barbecues and bikes rides,

weddings and babies,

 workplace accolades and personal milestones - 

the type of milestones reached by pure and honest sticktoitness and discipline.

The sweetness of summer has elicited flexibility, 

the kind that develops solely from a little more life experience, 

a couple more years tucked under our belts...

what a magical thing to finally understand. 

But often, it is the not-so-gentle or subtle reminders that make life so.

It's a toggle. A balance. 

The sweet also comes from the reassuring shoulder squeeze,

the encouraging coaxing, 

and the simple reminder for friends that although we are not invincible,

we love and we support, and in doing so,

we are loved and supported. 

Wishing you all continued and renewed sweetness in the second half of summer.

xo

Summer’s End, and a Milestone

Mother Nature graced us with a fairly fogless summer in San Francisco; 

a real treat for those of us who savor the sun.

I was traveling more this summer than in those past, 

and that may explain why I feel like the season came and went in a snap.

I journeyed to the quiet of the mountains and dove into shockingly icy lakes.

I conquered one of the most intimidating climbs; 

 during which, my legs felt like jell-o and my mind wasn’t so certain, 

but with the encouragement from friends we crowned ourselves Half Dome Heroes,

taking in the panorama of Yosemite from what felt like the top of the world.

I hosted my little sister’s first trip to the shining seas of the Pacific.

Having her here granted me the gift of seeing my city through fresh eyes; 

it was darn near perfect.

I met friends in Southern California, 

here we ate seafood plucked straight from the ocean at which we gazed. 

We goofed around and reverted back to behavior from our collegiate days- 

a time in our lives which feels too far away in the past to be true.

Independence day brought me back to the mountains that now have taken permanent residence in my heart. 

We boated and basked and made questionable choices

but those after all, almost always result in the most fun. 

Dance-offs were danced, love was professed, speeches were made, adventures were had. 

image is my own

And then came the celebrations! 

Two summer weddings, one on the New England coastline, 

and the other nestled in the heart of Wine Country.

 I felt so lucky to play witness to joyful, blissful love.

Another guest came west in all her glowing glory. 

We dined like queens and drank like Kings. 

Together we marveled at the beauty of Northern California’s rolling vineyards.

And now, here we are. 

It’s been a goofy final month of summer: full of peaks and pits, chaos and calm.

There are many unknowns and even more ‘unsaids,’ 

some of which are up to me, but others, to the universe.

I’m closing out the summer with a few celebrations of my own. 

 I’m turning thirty.

And while I anticipated feeling a certain way about the milestone,  

 I actually don’t feel that way at all. 

And here’s the secret:

I look back on all the things that I’ve done and all the sites that I’ve seen. 

All the places I’ve gone, and the company that I've kept.

I think of the friends and family that have traveled across the country.

 And the friends that are right here in California,

who turn ordinary days into extraordinary.

I am blessed and humbled and incredibly grateful for the summer outlined above. 

To me, it reads like a great book...and I can’t believe it’s my great life.

Thank you all,  for making it so.

Here’s to thirty!

xo

On August...

I’ve always loved August. 

I love the soupy air and the lazy afternoon light that casts a hazy glow on mossy slate patios 

and algae speckled docks.

August is... forgiving. 

It gently lends us the excuse to move a little more slowly,

to linger a little longer after late dinners outdoors. 

August allows for a messy tangle of overgrown plants with droopy, heavy buds.

Whereas June and July bring a flurry of activity, 

August says there is nothing wrong spending an entire afternoon reading in the yard, 

with the summer symphony of buzzing insects and sprinklers in the background.

A friend said she felt August quickened her return to the fall too hastily- but I disagree. 

I think it ushers us into the new season with a calm and seamless ease,

not nearly as abrupt as the turnover into winter.

 

image is my own

 August is filled with trips to places I’ve been countless times before- but always hope to return again. 

My usual adventure-seeking spirit longs for the familiar by summer’s end.

 I’ll be spending the final dog days of August back on the east coast: 

no work; no worries; minimal scheduled plans.  

 It’s been a continuous string of summer weekends filled with guests, weddings, and weekend road trips- 

all of these preceded by work weeks that felt much, much too chaotic for the summer months. 

I’ve tried to mask the more recent stresses of my job as best I could--my poor parents the sole recipients of painful, anxiety laden daily accounts of the day.

I have faith that the choices I am making will help spark change soon enough. 

Until then, I am looking forward to long days and warm nights 

and falling asleep to the sound of the katydids chirping in the moonlight. 

Wishing you all lazy August days...

Pardon the Pause...

Forgive me of my lack of posts as of late. 

I've been working hard- and playing even harder. 

I've been bouncing about 

and journeying any which way the wind blows.

image is my own

But isn't that the greatest luxury of summer?

 I hope you'll join me in lake jumping and sun chasing. 

Until next time...

Speak soon, friends! 

xo

First Day of Summer

“And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, 

just as things grow in fast movies, 

I had that familiar conviction 

that life was beginning over again with the summer.”

- F. Scott Fitzgerald,  The Great Gatsby 

Kennedy Family, August 1963 

Happy First Day of Summer, friends!

Wishing you beach breezes, 

warm nights spent under the stars,

campfires and s'mores and firefly catching. 

Speak soon.

xo

The Siren Call of Summer

Hello, friends.

It's been too long since I last shared a tale.

You see,  the air has been thick

-heavy almost- 

with the anticipation of the season to come.

And I got carried away with my daydreams and summer time schemes. 

I love this time of year. 

Like a steady, rhythmic drumbeat

signaling the eruption of a rock anthem, 

May's last few days are the siren calling summer.

 Hot off the heels of my last post, 

I've been treating Northern California

as if my time is limited, but my adventures- limitless.

There have already been ferry rides and road races, 

fancy galas and lunar eclipse watching.

image is my own; ferry ride to Tiburon

Summer's itinerary includes hiking Yosemite's Half Dome 

and heading out on long, lazy bikes rides in the hills of Santa Barbara. 

There will be Memorial Day  in the mountains, 

and a star spangled July 4th spent in the those same Sierras.

Summer brings my little sister's first trip to the shining sea,

and a best friend weekend in wine country.

And all the while I'll be zipping back and forth 

over amber waves of grain,

towards the Atlantic and then back to the Pacific

to celebrate weddings, birthdays, and beach days. 

Here's to summer's official launch.

May your days be spent in sun and surf, 

surrounded by good friends and family.

xo

Empire State of Mind

I realize now that my love for New York is truer than the ocean is blue.

Being back on east coast soil this past week has been the tops. 

It's difficult to articulate

just how perfect everything has been.

And I know it's not for lack of trying by my family and by my friends.

I love that on any given night, you can walk out of work and into a Broadway show.  

I love that a friend is always free for dinner, and an evening stroll.

I love commuting with my dad,

meeting my sister on the sidewalk.

I...I forgot how much I loved walking home

to decompress after being in the office all day.

I forgot how magical Gramercy Park is-

and Madison Square Park and Flatiron:

I love you!  I love you!  I can't say it enough!

image is my own

I forgot how much I loved seeing men in suits,

and forgot about babies and nannies on Park Avenue.

I forgot about flocks of friends heading to happy hour.

And how everyone in this muggy haze of August, shares a knowing smile on the subway.

The camaraderie of New Yorkers.

How? How could I forget all of this?

New York, my heart never swayed ...but my memory got foggy.

And for that I am actually grateful.

Because it's made this trip so very special.

To rediscover the things I used to take for granted.

I thought for a moment there, that I'd lost my inner New York compass...

my first day or so, I was clumsy, confused.

But, it's there.

It's always there,

tethered to my heart.

Pointing east, from west.

xo

Summer Sabbatical

Almost...

East Coast Bound, Baby!

I've dubbed my upcoming departure as my 'summer sabbatical.'

I'm off on a nearly 2.5 week jaunt back in the northeast.

I could almost squeal!

There are sisters to goof around with,

and parents to hug very tight.

image

Cats to snuggle,

flowers to smell,

and a chaise lounge chair in my backyard that has been

calling my name since last summer.

The biggest pieces of the trip though?

Two whoopers of weddings.

I can't wait to boogie with my buddies,

and share a toast of love.

A few short days more...

xo

Sails Are Set

Exhale on three.

Aaaaaah...

I hope you find yourself perched on the top of a sailboat,

hanging around in striped bloomers,

via Tomboy Style

letting the sun warm your toesies.

Nice way to spend the day, isn't it?

So divine.

Happy Weekending!

xo



Lazy Days of Summer...

Hello, Friends.

Happy lazy days of summer.

It's been a while, since we swapped stories, hasn't it?

July is full of magic and promise, wouldn't you agree?

Friends and I had a star spangled July 4th- in every sense of the phrase.

We let the sun kiss our faces and inhaled that crisp mountain air.

Bared it all and jumped into the icy waters of Lake Tahoe,

and slept under the stars...

Friends back east are firefly catching and corn cob eating,

I am sure of that.

My mom and sisters are exploring the garden and

eating tomatoes and basil picked from the yard.

It is summer... everywhere.

I wish I could bottle up the season from both coasts,

and take a deep breath each morning when it gets cold and foggy.

A reminder of carefree days.

Happy Summer, my friends.

xo