surf musings

When I was surfing with my buddy the other day, we decided to try to catch the save wave so he could take a picture of the two of us on his Go-Pro. "This one?" I asked, eyeing a growing bump in the sea. "No," he replied. "Not scary enough!" The perfect wave, he explained, needs to strike a little twinge of fear in your heart. "This one!" he shouted. As the large swell came towards me, I hesitated a second (eek!); enough to pace me behind the curl and cause me to purl. "What happened?" said Michael, after padding back out. "Aw, man, I blew it," I laughed. As cheesy as it sounds, I've been thinking a lot about this scene as an analogy for life. Hear me out: Most of truly important things in life involve risks, and that's terrifying. But you've got to just go for it, or the wave will just pass you by. And you have to commit, without hedging or waffling. More often than not, you'll get a sweet ride. Once in a while, you'll nosedive, get washing-machined around, and maybe break something. But at least you'll know that you tried!

Pic: My first busted board at Rockaway! I feel like it's a rite of passage. Photo by Vanessa. :)

one happy thing

Today I interviewed an author I admire, who was every bit as amazing as I hoped her to be. I asked her if she had any daily rituals, and her answer was contributing to a "Happiness Jar." Every day she writes down the best moment of her day -- even if it's going to bed -- and slips it into the jar. In many ways, that's similar to the goal of this blog; this bit of bandwith is meant to remind myself of all the lovely little things in life. I'm goal-oriented and a bit competitive by nature, so it's one of my biggest challenges! In honor of the Happiness Jar, I thought I'd make this post about today's joyful moments. Although I pretty much slogged at my computer all day, I have to say my favorite times were connecting with my family. I snapped this pic during a Facetime session with my mom; isn't it the cutest? I also texted with my brother, who is on a camping trip in Utah. And then Erik and I worked together this morning before he headed to the office, and of course he simultaneously distracted me and cracked me up while I was trying to meet a deadline. That's my little family. We might not be the closest clan, or the most functional, but as long as I have them, everything is going to be all right.

Vermont yoga weekend

Home from such an amazing time in Vermont. I headed north with Glenna and Corrie to attend Wanderlust, a yoga and music festival. It's safe to say that we all stepped out of our comfort zones this weekend: We scaled a mountain (and spotted a black bear!); did yoga on paddleboards; meditated in the midst of thousands of bugs; sang, danced, and clapped hippie-style; and burned up our pasts in a fire ceremony. To say the least, it was an...experience! As much as we cracked ourselves up during the more out-there events, it was a fantastic way to push pause and do a little life check-in. Like most New Yorkers, I tend to focus on the tangible, immediate things (finishing assignments, doing races, catching waves, meeting goals, ticking off my wedding checklist). Sometimes I can lose sight of the greater picture or get caught up in the pressure of wanting to achieve. So here's to savoring stillness, letting go of things out of my control, appreciating friendships, and feeling grateful for all of the many wonderful things in my life.

getting there!

See that happy face? That's the smile of a woman who sees the finish line of wedding planning (in front of the built-in succulents at my venue to boot, wahoo!). I'd be lying if I didn't admit that settling on a place was tricky -- and that we didn't have our share of exasperated tiffs. But, in the end, I'm grateful for this whole process: It's forced us to work together, lay our money issues on the table, reexamine our values, and hash out family complexities. It's like a pre-marriage bootcamp! Both of us also have unique circumstances where our families rely on us more than the average 30-something, which has presented new challenges and brought us even closer together. Planning this thing has also been a terrific exercise in staying true to myself; it's all too easy to fall into "others-are-doing-this" and "must-be-nice" traps. Erik is awesome about not caring about convention (for the most part), and it's reminded me that this event, much like a relationship, doesn't have to be perfect -- it just has to be perfect for us. :)

summer in the city

Summer's here, and it's so much fun! This season's goal is not to let work and wedding planning get in the way of fun. And so far, so good: On Friday, I played hooky and went surfing with my pal Michael. The conditions were perfectly glassy, and we had a blast trying to synchronize surf on his Go-Pro. I'll miss him when he moves to Ecuador. That evening was filled with laughs at a movie-and-beer night with the girls. On Saturday, I hit the beach again with Kim; we actually stayed long enough to devour delicious pizza from Roberta's! My pie was topped with ricotta, pineapple, prosciutto, and jalapeño. In the afternoon, Erik and I ventured into Manhattan. We wandered through Washington Square Park, stopping to listen to multiple musicians and watch talented dancers, before feasting on sushi at Blue Ribbon. After checking out some shops in the Village and Soho, we finished the evening by sharing a tiramisu ice cream cone. I don't think I stopped smiling all day!

PS: Happy Father's Day to my little dad, who taught me to always try my best. Miss you every single day!

6 things...

I did this week:

1. Made some headway on wedding stuff. We've got our venue (which includes food, flowers, drinks); my dress; and officiant. The other stuff should fall into place!
2. Rode the A train to the Rockaways. It's back up and running, and I'm so excited. Also, Roberta's pizza just opened up an outpost at our surf beach. Hello, dream come true!
3. Had a perfect biking Saturday with my love: the Socrates Sculpture Park and Noguchi museum, followed by a rooftop Bushwick party and tacos.
4. Hung out in Central Park. The weather's been perfect lately, so I met up with Glenna to run a loop and cheer on Tony's softball game.
5. Deadlines, deadlines, deadlines.
6. Had a cute little ladybug land on me in Brooklyn. Good omen for the future? I think so. Excited about life!