By revering our own life. By reaching for the best within ourselves.

By taking chances and stretching our boundaries. By leaping into the unknown.

By going places we’ve never been.

By having faith and staring down our fears.

By embracing our uniqueness.

By doing things for the fun of it.

By slowing down, so the important things can catch up.

By breathing in wide-open spaces and walking in nature’s wildness.

By appreciating each day, moment by moment.

By learning to live it all, not only the joys and triumphs but the pain and struggle.

By being there for others, and allowing others in turn, to be there for us.

By making a difference.

By doing things with meaning. By giving the things we do meaning.

Because when we are living a life we love, our souls are singing and dancing.

Are souls are filled with light.

And we find happiness.”

via Internal Acceptance Movement

p.s. I’m taking a quick vacation from blogging while I’m visiting friends/family in Ohio. I have posts scheduled like usual every day, including a few from some fantastic guest bloggers! Thanks for understanding and have a great couple of days.

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“Where you invest your love is where you invest your life.” The lyrics from a lovely Mumford and Sons song rings true when you start to reflect on your day, your week, your life.

When Andi suggested that I write something for her blog, I knew I wanted to talk about investing my love in my life. A recent cross-country move, Chicago to Denver, helped me prioritize what I love right now. The decision to move came from a realization that if I didn’t invest in myself, my surroundings, today and tomorrow, than I wasn’t going to live the life I wanted to live – a life full of love. To start this three part series, I want to talk about your most important investment.

Invest in yourself – what do you love? What makes you love yourself? Invest in those things, guilt-free, and know that you are investing in your life.

• Nail polish: I feel darn good with a fresh coat of polish, so I’ve invested in one manicure per week (home-done on my budget, love none-the-less)
• Good sports bra: I feel sexy when I do any sort of physical activity, and it isn’t because I’m good at it – it’s because I love how it makes me feel! Proper equipment makes me feel even better, and a good sports bra is at the core.
• Exercise: I want to love this more because I love myself, and I’ll admit, I’m investing in this slowly, but the returns in the long run will pay off.
• Getting lost in a book: the ultimate escape of any kind, literary prowess of said book is not required, this is about investing in what you love.
•  Spirituality: I don’t care if you find it looking at pins on Pinterest, spirituality is like a good body scrub for the soul.
• Laughing: the best cure for all that ails and an natural expression full of love. Laughing is like an MBA in life-investment.
•  Education: you will get further with it and new perspectives have the ability to let you love in a new light – yourself and the world around you. In case you were wondering, this doesn’t have to be academic study. Education in yoga, the arts, foreign language, wine, anything that you have an inkling of love!
•  Travel: Even to the town next to you, traveling helps me love myself because it creates a memory, often with someone I love.

In the next part of this series, we’re going to talk discuss investing in your surroundings. Check out this video in the meantime about life-editing. It’ll set the stage for my thoughts on investing in surroundings.

- Eliza

2. CELEBRATE OFTEN! Who says that celebrations are reserved for birthdays and holidays? In May, I’m treating every day and every experience as a celebration. I think spending some time in Ohio visiting college friends in Athens + my family {THIS WEEK!!!} will make it extra easy to celebrate on a daily basis.

3. FLOSS. Annoying {but necessary} things like flossing don’t become habits until done every single day. There’s no way around it; I just need to force myself to floss more often!

4. GIVE MORE COMPLIMENTS & HUGS. It’s sad to me when I meet or talk to people who haven’t ever been told how wonderful and beautiful they are or how much better life is with them around. I’m vowing to consciously compliment people more regularly and tell them just how special they are to me. Along the same lines, there’s something so special about big hugs and I’m giving more this month! Period.

5. SPEND MORE TIME WITH THOSE THAT I LOVE. I absolutely LOVE meeting new people, but I don’t want to neglect the people that mean the most to me in the meantime. This month, I want to spend more time with the people I love the most. I couldn’t be happier to spend time with my parents, grandparents and little sisters {one below!} later this month.

6. EMBRACE CHALLENGES: Really bad things happen and we go through rough patches in life sometimes. Rather than view challenges and ups and downs as a roadblock, I am going to embrace the not-so-good times. Embracing challenges, rather than be defeated by them, gives you the encouragement and motivation to move forward to a better and happier life.

7. SAY YES MORE: When I first moved to San Francisco, one of the best pieces of advice I received was to say yes to every opportunity. Pretty great, right? How exciting and cool would life be if we experienced more by saying YES? In the past year or so, I’ve slowed down and noticed myself “passing” on situations and indirectly saying NO to experiences. That has got to go! This month and moving forward, I’m saying yes more and more!

8. LIVE LIFE ON PURPOSE: This may sound cliche, but I don’t want to look back on life and realize I just let things pass by. I want to be an active participant in my own life! It’s important to do things purposefully and for a specific reason. This month, I want to live life {both the little & big things} intentionally!

9. BE JOYFUL. It’s a pretty simple solution = Happiness + Joy > Negativity and Grumpiness. I want to be full of out-of-control and unexplainable joy this month; I want to be as cheerful as possible!

More monthly resolutions here: September, October, November, December, February, March

Image 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Mom – I love you for loving me unconditionally, for being patient, for taking me “first bra shopping” and prom dress shopping and dorm room shopping and “real apartment” shopping, for reading us books before bedtime, for staying at home for years to take care of us girls, for being my #1 cheerleader, for praying for me, for taking us on family vacations, for sacrificing, for taking us to VBS and Sunday School, for often making five different dinners for five different picky eaters, for scratching my back, for believing in me, for not letting us quit {anything}, for telling me I’m beautiful, for picking out the perfect Christmas presents, for randomly and frequently sending me cards in the mail, for playing referee, for being confident, for appreciating and recommending good books, for passing on your love of jewelry to me, for being a role model, for always knowing the right thing to say at the right time, for showering everyone in kindness, for being love.

Thank you for being you, Mom! I love you so much. Happy {early} Mother’s Day! xo

Everything beautiful thing always begins with a willingness to suffer.

How many windows and lamps and dishes and gizmos did we break and how many times does a mother’s heart break to fix a world and I heard you cry sometimes behind the hollow panel door.

Because believing in the miracle of metamorphosis is the sum total of a mother’s job. The theological term for that is faith.

To have faith that the baby in arms will become the toddler toilet trained before 18, that the cocky juvenile hipster with the big attitude will become the concerned citizen with a baby on the hip and a big heart on the sleeve, and that kid who can never find his shoes or matching socks or math homework will be able to find a girlfriend, job and Jesus.

Thank you. Mothers give up much and never give up.

Thank you. Mothers never stop being with child. You always make a space for me within you.

Thank you for brushing yourself off and the tears back and always opening the hollow panel door again. Mothers can be more courageous than entire military squadrons.

So how could I let the sun set today without thanking you — for my beginning and your endurance, and for all the thousand ways you shaped me, and for being a one in a million because you were mine, and my today is in part because of all of your faithful yesterdays.

via Ann Volskamp

*Last year’s Mother’s Day post here.

Walking from inside to outside in perfect weather
Little kids swinging as high as they can
Empty streets on a Sunday morning
Perfect Saturdays in the park
Champagne dates with A & C
Sun peering through the trees
Birds chirping
Being able to help tourists with directions
A new favorite blog
Flea market treasures {I need to show you a pic of my new trunk/chest!}
Taking a good photo

Passion Pit ON REPEAT all week
Swimming more this week
Wearing heels one day & flats the next
Being able to laugh at myself
Uncontrollable laughter
Consistency
Colorful sandals
Life to-do lists
Walking barefoot
Afternoon lunch in the sunshine
When a weird, stressful situation goes away smoothly
Anticipation of a good thing
Funky necklaces

Walking to work!
Replaying old music that reminds me of high school
EVERYTHING about this article. Read it!
Brunch outside for Cinco de Mayo
Hazelnut coffee
Seeing a cute dog in the park
Healing {physically and emotionally}
Takeout sushi
When people confide in me
Cute cards in the mail from Mom

Winter-flavored candle
Getting lost in a good book
Reading advice articles for recent grads {even though I graduated a year ago}
Ice cream cones
Hot showers
Checking the forecast in multiple cities at once
Gardens
Patient people
Waking up without an alarm clock
Edamame
Advice: “You can still be nice while being forward.”
When the gym is empty!
PositiveThursday.com
Familiarity
This wonderful guy!

That in one week I’ll be in Ohio {!!!!!!!!!!!!!!}
Big hugs
Being sore after a good workout
Milkshake breaks
Avocado toast at the ferry building
Sleeping through the entire night
My library card
Inspiring friends
Leggings
Flowers from Passion Works
Beach trip this weekend!!

Looking for a few other things to be thankful for? Click here, here, here. xo!

I think there is something to be said about being excited. I am someone who constantly likes to have something – even if it’s a small thing – to be excited about and look forward to at all times. Today, I’m excited that there are only three days until the weekend and that one week from today I’ll be heading to Ohio and that days at work seem to be flying by and that the weather has been gorgeous!

Today’s Words for Wednesday is all about being excited and embracing excitement. The Hank Green quote below is what I’m all about: “Read books. Care about things. Get excited. Try not to be too down on yourself. Enjoy the ever present game of knowing.“

Write down five things you are excited about this morning – it’ll help you remember the little {and big} things that make life so much happier and better! xx

p.s. I have that top image “Today I am excited about everything” printed and hanging at my desk at work! What a refreshing reminder on a daily basis.

Enjoy!

By 30, you should have:

1. One old boyfriend you can imagine going back to and one who reminds you of how far you’ve come.
2. A decent piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in your family.
3. Something perfect to wear if the employer or man of your dreams wants to see you in an hour.
4. A purse, a suitcase and an umbrella you’re not ashamed to be seen carrying.
5. A youth you’re content to move beyond.
6. A past juicy enough that you’re looking forward to retelling it in your old age.
7. The realization that you are actually going to have an old age—and some money set aside to help fund it.
8. An e-mail address, a voice mailbox and a bank account—all of which nobody has access to but you.
9. A resume that is not even the slightest bit padded.
10. One friend who always makes you laugh and one who lets you cry.
11. A set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill and a black lace bra.
12. Something ridiculously expensive that you bought for yourself, just because you deserve it.
13. The belief that you deserve it.
14. A skin-care regimen, an exercise routine and a plan for dealing with those few other facets of life that don’t get better after 30.
15. A solid start on a satisfying career, a satisfying relationship and all those other facets of life that do get better.

By 30, you should know:

1. How to fall in love without losing yourself.
2. How you feel about having kids.
3. How to quit a job, break up with a man and confront a friend without ruining the friendship.
4. When to try harder and when to walk away.
5. How to kiss in a way that communicates perfectly what you would and wouldn’t like to happen next.
6. The names of: the secretary of state, your great-grandmother and the best tailor in town.
7. How to live alone, even if you don’t like to.
8. How to take control of your own birthday.
9. That you can’t change the length of your calves, the width of your hips or the nature of your parents.
10. That your childhood may not have been perfect, but it’s over.
11. What you would and wouldn’t do for money or love.
12. That nobody gets away with smoking, drinking, doing drugs or not flossing for very long.
13. Who you can trust, who you can’t and why you shouldn’t take it personally.
14. Not to apologize for something that isn’t your fault.
15. Why they say life begins at 30.

*Image here

Saturday afternoon was spent laughing and lounging in Dolores Park {along with almost every other person in San Francisco} enjoying the fantastic sunshine-y weather. I recently discovered the Hipstamatic D-Series photo app and wanted to play around with it during our park day. The app is similar to a disposable camera; you have to snap 24 photos before you can view your film. Here’s a few of my favorite photos from Saturday in the sun! What did you do Saturday? And do you have any fun photo apps that you always use? xx