August Bucket List & Intentions

Happy August! I can't believe the last month of the Summer is already here! Summer has gone by way too fast for me but I'd be lying to say that I wasn't excited for a new season. Fall is my absolute favorite season of the year! There's something about Fall that reminds me of new beginnings & possibilities. Okay, now I'm getting carried away... lets talk about August! 

I've decided to start a new series on the blog and share my "bucket list" and intentions each month! I wanted to call it a bucket list because I want to add things that make me go outside of my comfort zone and be intentional! I added some things to my list that I have wanted to do since I moved to Hawaii and so this month I am being intentional about making them happen! 

A big theme in August for me is intentional. I want to be intentional about my work, my possessions, my friends, my money, etc. This month I want to step back from the hustle, bustle, clutter, and noise to gain clarity and stay focused on my priorities. 

1. Log off all social media every Friday night to Saturday night

This is probably the most important intention I have this month. I LOVE social media but recently it has cluttered my mind and brought too much excess "noise" into my life. I have found that I am most creative when I have time to let my mind wander and so I am committing to a social media free 24 hours every week to give myself time to reflect! It may seem like nothing to you but for someone who works completely online, 24 hours away is HUGE! 

2. Read 30 minutes a day

One thing that I have slacked on in July is reading! I feel the most inspired when I am constantly reading and so I am committing to taking a work break and reading 30 minutes a day even if I have a million things on my to-do list! 

3. Snorkel at Sharks Cove

One thing that has been on my Hawaii list since I moved here is to snorkel at a popular free diving spot outside of Sharks Cove in North Shore Oahu! I'm determined to make it happen this month though because there are no waves this time of year so the water is perfect for snorkeling! 

4. Invest time into new friendships

I have made some amazing friends in our new home but there are still so many people I have met here that I would love to get to know better! This month I want to intentionally plan coffee dates and beach days to deepen friendships and get to know new friends better.

5. Buy Nothing

I would be lying to say that this won't be a hard one for me. If you know me, you know I love to shop! Since I am working on being more intentional with my possessions, I want to spend the month de-cluttering and minimizing things that don't bring me joy and so I am going to make it a goal to buy nothing as it comes to clothes, shoes, etc! The only exception to that will be when I host a Noonday trunk show for a friend later this month! ;)

6. Surf on the South side 

One of the things that my husband has been trying to get me to do since forever is to surf the South shore of Oahu. I have only surfed at one spot on North Shore and I am super timid to go surfing anywhere else! I know that I need to get out of my comfort zone and just DO IT, though, so I'm aiming to cross it off my list this month!

7. Eat greens in every meal

Eating leafy greens is SO important for your health and it's sometimes easy to go an entire day without those amazing nutrients! This month I am aiming to eat some type of leafy greens for each meal, every day. I plan to put spinach into my smoothies every morning and then add greens into salads at lunch and steamed for dinner. 

8. Create a Capsule Wardrobe

I have been watching and observing the capsule wardrobe life for years and have never tried it out myself! Since I am aiming to be more intentional in every area, I want to try out a capsule wardrobe and see what I think of it! Would you want me to write a blog post on my experience? Let me know in the comments! 

Thats it! Those are my intentions, goals, and bucket list experiences I want to accomplish in August! I want to encourage you to make your own bucket list & intentions! Share one of them in the comments below- I would love to know what you are aiming to focus on next month! 

xo,

Lo

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

Getting back into the swing of things...

One of my biggest flaws is that I am an over-achiever. More like an over-committer. I like doing it all, and doing it all RIGHT NOW. I don't like saying "no" to things or putting projects on the back burner. I'd like to think I can get it all done but life has hit me smack dab in my face over the last few months and I've had to learn a hard lesson.

I watched a training video for my skincare business the other day and it hit me like a ton of bricks.  

"Don't let anyone tell you that you can't have it all. You CAN have it all; you just can't have it at the same time." 

 I  realized that there was no possible way that I could be in yoga teacher training five days a week, spend the time and attention needed to grow my skincare business, adjust to my new home, nurture new friendships, invest in my marriage, and spend the hours needed to blog it all at the same time. Something had to give, and it was this blog, for a season. Dreaming this blog into fruition has been such a fun creative process for me and I have so many future plans for it. Plans to share travels, beauty, fashion, food, and the more serious things like marriage, friendships, faith, and work.

I have big plans and lots of fun content to share this summer, I can't wait! For now, enjoy this moody playlist that has been making me feel all the summer-time reflective feels.

Speak soon!

Lauren

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