Weekends

Weekends have always been a time for relaxation & rejuvenation. but recently, weekends have taken on a new meaning for me. Weekends are a time to reconnect with my husband after a long week of barely seeing each other. The army life is not for the faint of heart, I'll tell you that. During the week while Danny is working, I spend my time working from home and connecting with friends, but our weekends are sacred. Over the weekend, we get to put our distractions aside, unwind, and get out into nature. I love our simple days of going to the farmers market, surfing or riding our bikes around the neighborhood. We love eating Thai food, playing with our cat, and having game nights with friends. This weekend, Danny had to work on Saturday but we still made the most of our Sunday! Danny surfed, we went to our favorite coffee spot, checked out the view at Kaena Point, and hiked Ehukai pillbox. It was simple & perfect & just so "us".  I treasure these weekends and any time we get to spend together. I never want to take It for granted. The nature of military life is hard & unstable & ever-changing and so I will hold onto these weekends and be thankful. I am so thankful. 

-Lo

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

RECIPE: The perfect bulletproof coffee

I remember when I started hearing about the "bullet-proof coffee" craze. I had no idea what it was or what was in it, but I had heard it had good health benefits and so I wanted to try it! After searching online, I found a bunch of complicated recipes with ingredients i'm not exactly sure I wanted to drink with my coffee! I've tried numerous different recipes but I've finally found my perfect cup o' joe! My recipe is simple and allows for some experimentation if you want to get even more fancy with it.

Also, I do NOT drink bullet-proof coffee as my entire breakfast and I suggest you don't either! Breakfast truly is the most important meal of the day and so making sure you eat with your coffee is crucial. It will also make sure the coffee isn't too hard on your stomach!

Lastly, I want to add that I do NOT support the diet and lifestyle that was made around this drink. I am not a supporter of a heavy fat diet! I simply love the taste of this decadent drink and believe I have been able to come up with a recipe that is yummy, nutritious, and gets your brain goin'! 

Soooooo... here goes! 

What you need:

- blender

-8-10oz of hot coffee

- 1 tbsp Organic Coconut Oil

-1-1/2 tsp Blue Agave

- 1 tsp Organic, pasture-raised Ghee

- 1 tsp- Your superfood of choice! This is where the experimentation comes in. I LOVE putting Moon Juice's "Sex Dust" into my coffee because it helps with regulating and balancing women's hormones! I know many other people that put in collagen, amino acids, and many other things but I have found that this powder not only makes my coffee taste yummy (think, chocolate) but it really gives me energy and gets my brain going so I can have a productive morning! 

All you have to do to make the yummiest cup of joe is to put all of the ingredients in a blender or NutriBullet  and blend for 15 seconds! What will come out is a frothy, rich, decadent cup of coffee that is, in my opinion, guilt-free!

Making New Friends

Since coming to Hawaii, i've been really focussed on getting settled into our new home, building my skincare business, going to yoga school, and starting this blog. Its been a busy and productive few months but one thing I have really missed is quality girl time. I live in a small town and i've found that meeting people isn't as easy as it was in grade school when all my friends were in my class and we would pass notes to each other. I keep in touch with all of my close girlfriends via FaceTime dates but its still not the same. I met a new friend (Heather) on instagram and then another friend (Lauren) while surfing and they happen to be best friends with each other! Us and a few others (including another Lauren) went on a sunrise adventure to one of the prettiest hikes on the island this morning and it was just what I needed! 

Despite the pouring rain that drenched us and mud that seeped into our shoes, we had a blast exploring Gods creation, collaborating on creative ideas, and getting to know each other better. I'm loving these new friends of mine and i'm excited for all of the adventures to come!

Hugs + Kissees,

Lauren

Travel Diary: Sedona

This past weekend, my best friend and I had the best weekend up in Sedona, Arizona. We both work for an amazing company, Rodan + Fields, and the company treated Jenna to pick a luxury weekend vacation of her choosing! She chose to go to the beautiful Sedona and she picked me as her guest! It also happened to be her birthday weekend and so we had lots to celebrate. We spent tons of girl time drinking wine and overlooking the beautiful view at our resort, we had a spa day, went on a jeep tour, shopped in the town, and aimlessly drove and explored new places. We also seamlessly listened and danced to the new Selena Gomez and Kygo son on repeat. It was basically the best weekend ever. 

During the trip, I had a lot of time to reflect on life and everything thats happened over the past two years since starting my skincare business. I have grown personally and professionally so much and I would have never been where I am now without it. I would have never have met Jenna or my many other friends I have met through this company and there's no way I would have been able to go on such an incredible trip. Hard work truly does pay off and I feel like this trip was just a small example to me that we can truly do anything we put our minds to and work hard in!

No matter what you do, I hope you do it fully and with everything you've got! It is the most incredible feeling to wake up each morning and know that you are doing EXACTLY what you are supposed to do. If you aren't doing that now, set some goals for yourself and your future and so eventually you can start doing what you LOVE!

I'd love to know, what is something you have ALWAYS wanted to do but never have been able to? Comment below and let me know! 

Have a great day everyone!

Lauren