Reflection//body shaming

Photo by Shea Hussey, OKC

Last night, during dinner with a friend, we had a conversation about what we want to give up for Lent. The first thing that came to my mind was all of the things I can give up so I can lose weight.

As a yoga teacher, I am always preaching to my students about loving yourself and being comfortable with where you're at right here, right now. So, as our conversation continued and it was obviously centered around food, I thought, why can't I practice what I preach and appreciate my body for what it is?

So, we decided to give up a mindset. Body-shaming.

Every day, when we look in the mirror, it is so incredibly easy to pick ourselves apart. I'm huge. My skin is gross. Where did this cellulite come from? Now, don't get me wrong. These are all parts of being human. However, in today's society, there are so many rules about what we should and shouldn't look like, and it's made us even more critical on ourselves. And, last night, we decided that's just not okay! If you are healthy, happy and proud of who you are... then you've got yourself a beautiful life.

Cheers to loving yo'self.

Hosting//the holiday rush

Via Apartment Therapy

I'm the "baby" in the family, so although I don't host many holiday events at my place, I often contribute in different ways to the events being hosted elsewhere. Below are my best tips on how to keep it cool during the hostiest time of the year. Yes, hostiest.

1. Use as much of your own stuff as you can get your hands on.
Not only is it more eco-friendly to just use your own glass plates, cups, wine glasses and silverware, it looks much prettier. I am also a big advocate for the classic cloth napkin (seriously, what's easier than just throwing it in the washer when you're done?)

2. For a pretty centerpiece, go outside.
Gather pinecones, twigs, holly, spruce, or just-fallen leaves to decorate your table. My suggestions? Use the twigs, berries, or spruce as a centerpiece (with candles or small pumpkins if you have them leftover from Halloween) and place large, brightly colored leaves on top of each place setting.

3. Don't use a huge decanter for red wine.
Okay, this might be a personal thing, but last Thanksgiving I spilled red wine all over my aunt's brand new tablecloth because the decanter was extremely hard to pour from. Keep the bottle out or on a pretty bar cart to pour from! Besides, that avoids everyone asking what type of red it is, and leaves room for other options if you don't have multiple decanters (I mean, who doesn't have two-to-four decanters? Me, that's who.)

Happiest of holidays!

Work break//Internet things

Via Birchbox

Third try's the charm, I finally got a Twitter that I intend to keep!

Things I want to ask my dog.

Good tips on where to live if you're a recent grad in NYC.

I love this look for winter.

This is a super cool app for travel.

Dream homes

Use other people's solar panels to power your home. Cool!

I like the style of this up-and-coming activewear company.

It pays to be a people person.

Breaking down some popular Emojis. Hilarious!

Adventure//Santa Fe Getaway

If you follow me on Instagram you'll know that one week ago today, I booked a completely spontaneous trip to Santa Fe. The drive is about 7 1/2 hours from OKC, and it's somewhere I've always wanted to go. Financially responsible of me? No way, but B and I needed so badly to escape for a bit, and Santa Fe was absolutely perfect.

We stayed at the Las Palomas, just two blocks from the historic Plaza where we spent a lot of our time. I booked the hotel through an app called HotelTonight which offers special discounts on rooms booked within one week of your stay. Since I booked so close to our trip, I was able to save quite a bit. Upon arrival, we had been upgraded to our very own casita, which was basically an apartment!

The area around the property was absolutely beautiful. Our casita was about a block and a half away from the hotel office (where, I'll add, the complimentary made-to-order breakfast with live music took place.) On the walk to the plaza, you could see mountains peeking out from behind the buildings, and the weather was ridiculous--so perfect.

Walking to our casita was like a walk through a small village. It was all part of the hotel, yet each casita had it's own originality. I'd never seen anything like it.

A few hours into our drive, I realized I had left almost every piece of clothing I wanted to bring hanging in my closet. This meant basically wearing a different variation of the same outfit every day. Talk about bummer, but it was so beautiful I didn't care.

Soon after we arrived on Saturday, we immediately walked to the Plaza to explore. Live music was about to start and groups of people were picnicking in the large park in the middle of the square, with the smell of the fresh fajita stand wafting through the streets. Although there were plenty of tourists to be found, it still felt homey there. After dinner on a rooftop patio, we got the best sleep we've had in weeks.

Day two, Sunday, we booked another night in our casita and continued our walk around the square. This thing goes on, and on, and on! We made a brief visit (we wish we would have stayed longer) to the Loretto Chapel, home of the miraculous staircase, and shopped from local merchants.

Sunday afternoon, we went on a hike at the Rio En Medio Trail. We ended up attempting to find it two different times, after returning back to the casita once because we nearly ran out of gas... this place is seriously hidden in the mountains. No cell reception for miles, so if you're lost, you're on your own. A lot of "I hope this is worth it!" was being said during this time. Spoiler: it was!

The hike was about 3 hours round-trip. Close to the end, our path got a little murky and we ended up climbing all the way up the side of a mountain. Turns out, this was not a part of the trail, but it did lead us to the best views of our endpoint: the most amazing waterfall. Problem was, we didn't know how to get there! It's all about the journey, right?

Finally, we made it to the end. The water was freezing (like, really cold) but we ended up taking off our shoes and running across the rushing water to where we could stand underneath the waterfall. This moment was particularly rewarding.

Money well spent.

Style post//beach tomboy

Sweater//Tilly's (My favorite sweater of all time. On MEGA SALE!!!)
Criss-cross lace bralette//Tilly's (old)
Boyfriend jeans//local OKC boutique Lush Fashion Lounge
Sandals//Old Navy (old)

With summer in full swing here in OKC, I can't help but feel nostalgic about the rainy, cloudy days spent at the beach. The salty, foggy air brought a special kind of peace+calmness to my spirit and I was never happier on that whole trip than I was on this beach, in this moment, with dirty feet and messy hair.

Siesta//I took a short blogging nap

Wow, it's been so long since I've done this that it almost feels unfamiliar. In the three months its been since my last post, I've been up to a few things that are worth noting:

• I graduated college (what?)
• I accepted my first full time job position at Kickoff Couture as the Director of Sales and Operations (what? So official)
• I moved into a really hip, really cool, really AWESOME apartment in Midtown, OKC

As you can assume, I've been needing to point my energies in other directions, truly being present in the change that's ensued. However, with change comes inspiration, and I hope to be able to get on here a little more often in the coming months!

Flat Iron Beach Waves

Separate hair into three sections. Starting with the bottom layer, clamp a 1-2" section of hair with a flat iron and twist the wrist in one direction; forwards or backwards. Move to the next section, twisting in the opposite direction. Continue with each layer and finish with dry shampoo at the roots and sea salt spray all over. Tousle with fingers, listen to a rock song, whatever you must do to mess it up a bit and voila!

PS//This style is perfect for the sassiest hair flip if you wanna go for a deep side part after a few margaritas on a Sunday. Or, ya know, whatever.

Most wanted//DIY projects

DIY Hanging Macrame Chair//Apartment Therapy

With my college graduation creeping (more like speeding) up on me, and with spring finally in the air, I've begun to nest a bit. The thought of moving out and into my own space in just three short months has me searching for DIY's on DIY's on DIY's, and I must say, I'm feeling inspired! Check out my favorites below, and visit the Do It Yourself Board on my Pinterest for more ideas.

DIY hand-stamped napkins via Fyn//how to make a hammock via Kinfolk//DIY yarn art via Oleander+Palm

DIY wooden dowel coat rack via Emily Henderson//10 ways to decorate with string lights via Apartment Therapy//Free People inspired DIY paper plane mobile via Buzzfeed