May 20 2013

la mia vita avventurosa

So I’ve had a little secret, and it’s time I share it.

There are times in life where you are presented with a forked road.

That moment in life where you know, depending on the path you choose, it will alter the course of your life FOREVER.

There is the safe path–a path where you pretty much know the direction the current will take you.  And then there is the path of the unknown–potentially packaged with a little anxiety, yet it has the potential to reap the biggest personal rewards.  And this time, my family has chosen the path of the unknown.  Let’s face it, I believe the path of the unknown can bring about some of your largest personal growth and most amazing life experiences.

We were presented an amazing opportunity that we just couldn’t say no to.  And let’s face it, I want to EXPERIENCE life!

Drumroll please………….(go ahead, tap your fingers on the table, you know you want to)…………….

This summer, we will be moving to Italy for 3 years!
FOR REAL!

We feel incredibly blessed to be given this opportunity, and I can’t wait to embrace the culture, the people, everything that living in Europe has to offer…and let’s face it, THE FOOD!  We are in the midst of selling our boat, selling our vehicles, shipping our household goods, packing our suitcases, and we will jump on a plane this summer!  We are flying over with just our suitcases, our cat, and each other…with no address to our name.  We will stay at a hotel until we find our perfect little place.  Let’s face it, that’s half of the adventure, yes?!  We will be living in Northern Italy…right in between Verona and Venice, 30-40 minutes from each.  Vicenza will be home.  And we plan to travel until we have no more room for passport stamps!

So make sure you follow my Facebook Page to follow my latest blog posts because I want to take you all on this journey with me!!  I have full intention of pedaling my bike to nearby cafes and blogging my little heart out to you all!

On the business side of things, I will continue to fly back to the States while living abroad to photograph all you Smart Girls that are graduating on a VERY LIMITED basis!  I plan to take this time to travel, write, and blog.  So Class of 2014, email me if you want to get your city on my travel plans for my Smart Girl Intensive!  My Smart Girl Intensive isn’t just about your senior pictures…it’s a whole day worth of fun and discovering ways to embrace your true beauty with your senior pictures as the grand finale at the end of the day!

SO.  It’s time for me to go organize some more closets, pull items for donations, and get ready for this move!  Until then, get ready…because you’re coming on this little adventure with me!;)

Stay Fearless,

May 14 2013

Summer Leap Lists

The key to experiencing life to the fullest is to be intentional about it.

Summer is right around the corner, can you feel it?!  And this means it’s time to start thinking of all the things you want to do this summer!  It’s time to commit to making this a summer full of new adventures and personal growth.

Yes…that is me zip-lining in Whistler, B.C.  I was a little nervous going into the tour, but by the end of the day, they had to yank the harness off of me because I wanted to keep going!

Here is what is at the top of our Leap Lists this summer!

Danielle, Arkansas Intern:  Go camping with friends!

Kathrine, Texas Intern: Learn how to Latin dance!

Taylor, Iowa Intern: Learn how to water ski!

Me: 4th of July fireworks in Washington D.C.  It doesn’t get much more patriotic than that, right?!

What do you want to experience this summer?!  Share with me on Facebook or Twitter!!!  Let’s inspire each other to live life to the fullest.

YOLO,

May 07 2013

Summer Reads

Let me guess, it’s been awhile since you last read “for fun”.  Because who does that when you have enough reading going on for school, right?!  But summer is almost here…and that means you can find yourself on the beach somewhere soaking in the warm rays, smelling the salty sea breeze, and completely escaping to another world through a book…until that seagull happens to fly overhead and SPLAT…right on your stomach (true story…my senior year-I went screaming and freaking out into the water while my friends rolled with laughter).  But take out that nasty moment, and the beach is the perfect place to escape into another world and another time!

 

My interns and I have our book recommendations for you!  And there are some fun ones.  So put these titles on your summer reading list!

Danielle’s Recommendation::  Game of Thrones

I have to say, when we were on our mentor call and I told the girls I wanted book recommendations from them, Danielle’s face LIT UP as she blurted out this title.  You can tell it’s become her latest obsession, and that’s what good books are, an obsession!  (This might just be my summer read, Danielle!)

“This series takes place in a kingdom that is warring over who will be the next king. The book follows the would-be kings and their family members, each chapter telling the story from a different characters perspective. This series has everything. Dragons, war, love, mystery and heroes/heroines. I would say that this series is like Lord of the Rings meets King Arthur meets The Tudors. It is truly sensational! Warning: once you begin reading you may not be able to put these books down! I began reading the first book over spring break and am about to finish the fourth!” -Danielle

Taylor’s Recommendation::  The Secret Life of Bees

If I was being honest, I think I cheated and saw the movie instead of reading the book.  And we ALL KNOW books are WAY better than the movies…just look at the Twilight series!  Can we all agree?!

“This book is set in South Carolina 1964. A young 14 year old girl named Lily Owens escapes her abusive father with the African American woman who takes care of her and works for her father. They seek care and shelter from the Boatwright sisters who live in another town in South Carolina. Lily learns the art of bee keeping and discovers her deceased mothers past through the eyes of the sisters. This book is a powerful read that sets you in the harsh discrimination of African American people in this time period and is told through the heart of an abused and lost young girl.” -Taylor

Kathrine’s Recommendation::  The Sunflower

“The Sunflower by Richard Paul Evans is a light-hearted and touching read about love found on a humanitarian mission in Peru. The jungle setting keeps things interesting and Evans weaves a story of a picking-up-the-pieces romance. Perfect for the beach or a long summer roadtrip!” -Kathrine

My Recommendation::  The Divergent Series

Oh my…on your next trip to Target, just promise me you will go through the book section and BUY.THIS.BOOK.  I can pretty much guarantee you will be back within the week to buy book 2!  And guess what, book 3 comes out this fall!  I can hardly wait.  I’m planning on re-reading the series this summer so I’m set to be “in the flow” of things when the 3rd book comes out.  If you were a fan of Hunger Games, this is a series you need to read.  And if you haven’t read the Hunger Games, just read it already!

The Divergent series is set in the future.  And yes, there is a heroine in this story line as well!  It takes place in Chicago, but it’s not the Chicago you would recognize today…sadly, it is an area that has been war-ridden and represents a sad past and a new kind of normal for the area.  Society is divided up into factions representing different virtues (Candor-the honest ones, Abnegation-the selfless, Dauntless-the brave, Amity-the peaceful, and Erudite-the intelligent).  When you turn 16, you need to choose which faction you will live in.  This means possibly turning your back on a faction you’ve been raised in and that your family belongs to.  And this is only the beginning!  The book moves pretty quick as well!  If you’ve read it, what faction would you choose?!

How to make reading fun this summer:

  • My cousin and I would go grab a breakfast from Starbucks and go down to Asilomar beach and have breakfast on the beach while both of us reading the book!  We’d hear each other gasp and immediately say, “What page are you on?!  DON’T TELL ME what happens!  But is it good?!”
  • Create a book club with your BFF’s to get you through the summer months.  Get together for a sleepover to discuss Peeta VS Gale and the Tris and Four storyline!  Hey, it’s an excuse to get-together with your friends, right?!
  • Traveling?!  Have this be something you read along with your friends while you’re all traveling with your families this summer.  Reading the same book together as a group will make you still feel connected to each other even when you’re not.  Set up a Skype date to chat about where you are in the book and what you think will happen next.   You can text each other in the mean time to make sure everyone is keeping up…no stragglers allowed!

Stay Fearless,

May 02 2013

90 Second Makeup

Let’s face it…you want to sleep in as much as you can before going to school!  Yet, it never hurts us to spend a couple extra minutes in front of the mirror to make sure we put our best face forward while walking the halls of school.  Well, this is me…coming to your rescue!  This tip will allow you to sleep in AND have a glowing face before your first class!

Let me introduce to you my secret weapons to create a 90-second face!

3 products, and you are out the door.  I dare you to time yourself…I don’t even think it takes a full 90 seconds!

The first thing we are going to do is apply foundation.  Now don’t get all weird about foundation…it doesn’t have to be heavy.  My favorite one is by Benefit.  The reason I love the Benefit Flawless is because it simply evens out the tones in your skin without looking heavy.  It leaves your face glowing and looking flawless…you will look like you got an extra 3 hours of sleep even if you WERE up until midnight working on that project!

Remember…foundation is not meant to mask you!!

When you are wearing the right shade, no one should even be able to tell you are wearing foundation!

My second secret weapon we are going to use is mascara.  Let’s face it, it makes your eyes look bigger and more alert.  And it lengthens them for when you need to bat those eyelashes when asking your parents to stay out a bit later on Friday night!  My favorite is L’oreal Voluminous Naturale.  It’s been my favorite for years…I try others and always come back to the L’oreal Voluminous brand!  However, I specifically love the “naturale” one because it is that…more natural.  I’m not a fan of overdone eyes with clumpy mascara…that’s so 1985.

The goal is to not be obvious with your makeup!

The finishing touch on the 90-second face is lip gloss!  Just something that looks natural and adds a bit of color to those puckers!  I am not married to any brand.  Just a regular lip gloss from the drug store will do the trick; you don’t need anything fancy.  A tiny splash of natural color is all we’re looking for!  The great thing about lip gloss is the fact that even the darker colored ones (like the photo above) go on looking really natural.  If you have a favorite gloss you swear by, let me know…I’d love to try it out.

And there you have it, the 90-second face!  I dare you to try it–You get to sleep in AND look amazing for school, SWEET!

Stay Fearless,

 

 

Apr 25 2013

I LOVE ME Campaign:: PGHS Breaker Girls

Meet the latest alumni of the I LOVE ME Campaign!  These are the Pacific Grove High School BREAKER GIRLS!  I first saw them perform while at the Shoe Game this past fall, dancing it up on the sideline!  Watching them at practice the day of the I LOVE ME Campaign may have made me want to go back a few years and start dancing again like I did in high school!  But they had mad skills, so I’ll leave it to them!

Girls, whether you realize it or not, there are SO many other girls that look up to you.  Never take that for granted, there is true power in this…use it in a positive way.  Embrace being leaders and inspire other girls to love who they are.  Be proud of who you are, and in return, you will inspire countless others to fearlessly embrace their uniqueness as well.

Let’s meet this wonderful team of girls!

 

 

Be who you were created to be and set the world on fire.

-St. Catherine of Sienna

Stay Fearless,

 
M O N T H L Y   G O S S I P   C O L U M N