2018

I've been reading so many "2018" blog posts recently talking about "new year, new me" and the "10 things to do in 2018" and I have found it all completely uninspiring. We are halfway through the first month of the year and I have spent more time reflecting than ever before on the direction my life is going in and if I'm happy with it. What I've found is that I'm more than happy with it. I'm thrilled. I'm ecstatic. Of course I have goals and intentions for the new year but this year it just feels different. My goals are less concrete and are based more on the way I feel. Am I doing something I am passionate about? Am I loving others? Am I doing work I'm proud of? Is the direction my brand inspiring and uplifting? Those are the things that matter to me this year.

It seems like for so long I was been searching for "my thing" to do in life. What I've found, though, is that "my thing" isn't out there for me to find. I am supposed to create it. I am creating it. I love health & wellness & helping people feel confident in their skin & encouraging other entrepreneurs. I also love taking pretty photographs, riding my bike at sunset, dropping all responsibilities for the day to be present, & the occasional glass of wine. My personal & professional life are completely interwoven. There is no balance. There was never meant to be balance. Somedays I work 10 hours. Somedays I leave my phone on airplane mode. I just decided to stop focusing on reaching this unreachable expectation I had put on myself for so long and start focusing on LIVING. It's been working out much better for me. 

I want to encourage you to stop trying to fit in a mold. Create your mold. Just do what you love & keep doing it! Don't stop. It will lead you to where you need to be eventually. 

Here's some photos from last weekend, on a beautiful boat, with beautiful friends, exploring our beautiful home. Some were taken on my iPhone and others were taken by my incredibly talented friend, Heather. 

So here's to 2018! May you live & love well! 

10 things I am loving right now...

I like most of my blogposts to have some time of educational or informational aspect to them but I just felt inspired tonight to share some of my favorite things that I am currently loving! These things will probably be extremely random but I love reading these types of blogposts and so I hope you enjoy it! 

PS- these photos are pretty much unrelated but they were taken by my extremely talented friend and if you follow any photographer on Oahu, you probably follow her. She's amazing! 

1. THESE sunglasses!!!! (all the heart eyes). I keep trying to justify buying them...Someone tell me I need to! 

2. Riding my bike at sunset. Recently, I've been taking a break from work around 6pm to ride my bike down the bike path near my house. Its such a refreshing time for me to reflect and process the day and enjoy the beautiful sunset. 

3. Thai food. To be honest, there isn't a ton of good food options on the North Shore (unless you want to spend an arm and a leg) but there is so much amazing Thai food! I could eat Thai food everyday if I could. Tofu Larb is my jam.

4. Turquoise oceans. The water has been extra beautiful and clear recently. I am absolutely loving it and trying my hardest not to take it for granted. I don't know how I ever swam in the ocean before moving to Hawaii. Nothing compares! 

5. 12 hour adventure days. The longer I live here, the more I've been learning that a "work-week" in Hawaii basically just means "work unless the weather is good". It's actually been a hard adjustment. I'm used to working hard during the week and playing on the weekends. Last week, though, I spent two days out of the week hard-core adventuring. From waterfalls and five mile hikes to giant swings with friends and swimming with sea turtles, we did so much in two days and it was definitely worth unplugging from work and just enjoying the present! 

6.  Sun Bum Leave-in conditioning spray. I swear, this spray is the only reason why I haven't chopped all my hair off yet! It makes brushing through my hair bearable. And that says a lot. 

7. Rose Tea. When I was in Sedona, Arizona I stumbled upon this amazing little tea shop! They had an amazing tea selection and I came home with a Rose black tea that is an everyday must-have for me now.

8. Plane Tickets. I've lived in Hawaii for only four months and have already gone back to the mainland twice. I also just booked a ticket to another island for next week. I definitely have the travel bug in this season of my life!

9. Face Sunscreen.  Did you know that sun exposure is the #1 skin ager?? It is SO important that you use a face cream with SPF every single day, even in the winter! This one is currently my fave because its light-weight, non greasy, and is SPF 50! 

10. Early Mornings. I am definitely not an early riser but recently I have been going to bed earlier so that I can wake up earlier. I am absolutely loving quiet mornings sipping coffee and getting a head start on my day! 

What are YOU currently loving? Share in the comments below!

Hugs + Kissees,

Lauren

Jet Set

This past week has been a whirlwind! I flew home from Arizona on Monday night and today I am flying back out to the mainland. I haven't been as consistent with blogging as I would have liked but I have a month break from my yoga teacher training and so I am trying to fit in as many adventures I can into this month! On Wednesday, my neighbor Denise and I decided to explore Chinatown in downtown Honolulu and it was so fun. My favorite thing to do is to go to a new place and people watch and so I was totally in my element. :) Here are some photos from that day! 

PS- I have gotten so many inquiries on Instagram about my dress! I couldn't find the exact dress online but I found some other super fun over the shoulder dresses that are linked down below. <3 

I hope you all are having a wonderful weekend! I will be blogging lots more soon! 

-Lauren