greetings old friends

Darling folk,

Well, hi!!!  I’ve been gone a looooong time.  And my dear friends so much has happened this crazy summer!

As I mentioned in my last post I moved up to Northern California for a job (a seasonal job) and I have returned back home (for now!!!, but more on this later) with much more experience under my belt.

Working at Six Flags was beyond incredible!  I was working at the Sea Lion Stadium, with CA sea lions, harbor seals, and asian small clawed river otters!  The amount of hands on animal and training experience I was given during my time with them was unreal, and I feel so blessed.  I also got to play a role in their daily pirate themed show, ARRRRRRR!  So here are a few fun pictures from my summer….

    

Needless to say I had an awesome summer!!  But on to my most recent exciting news…….. I’m moving to MIAMI y’all!!!!!!!!!!

I was offered a position as a seasonal apprentice trainer with their sea lion show and top deck dolphin show team!!!!  It’s all happened so fast, and I leave to drive across the country in less than two weeks, can you believe it??  I will definitely continue to post updates on here as I start my new adventure!!

xo,  Alyssa

breaking away

Darling folk,

Confession time:  I’m watching The Voice and the girl (Amber something) sang Kelly Clarkson’s song Breakaway.  As I sat there listening to the lyrics it dawned on me how completely appropriate it is for my life right now.

A lot has happened since the last time we chatted…  I was offered a job (!!!!!!!!!!) and moved back up to Northern California.  So I am now living up in East San Francisco Bay working at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in their Sea Lion Stadium!  I have only worked a few days, but I can already already tell how much I will love the people and the animals I’ll be working with for the rest of the summer.  I am seriously so excited guys!

On another note, its been pretty obvious that I have been going through some stuff.  I’m not totally over all of it, but I am getting there.  But what I really want to talk about is how the kindness of strangers can make such an incredible impact on a person.  Here is a story of just that:

When I was still down in San Diego, I was out grabbing a bite to eat with some friends.  Out of nowhere one of the employees walked up and said, “I have a note from an admirer for you.  I won’t tell you who its from.”  He handed me the note and walked away.  I was totally confused, left looking around the place.  When I opened the note I was completely shocked and deeply touched by what it said:

Seriously?!  How wonderful is that??  The person who wrote this has no idea how much they moved me, or how much I needed it in that moment.  It is things like this that restore my faith in human kindness.

I will be back soon, with updates on my new journey and hopefully some pictures (eeek!!)

As always, I hope you are all doing wonderful!

xo,  Alyssa

finding peace + personal growth

Darling folk,

I would like to start by thanking you for your patience and support during this time.  It truly means a lot to me.

Why does it seem to take huge events to open our eyes and take action in our own lives?

With the events in Boston this week I cannot help but realize a few things: 1) the human population is full of incredible, inspiring people,  2) my problems are not that bad,  and 3) life is short; and with how much is out of our control, shouldn’t we claim what is?  what am I waiting for?

Like everyone else in the world, there are aspects of my life that I want to improve.  Yeah, I would like to be in better shape and, sure, I wouldn’t mind having a more substantial income.  But these aren’t the things I’m talking about.  I am beginning to work on my emotional strength, personal “effectiveness,” and positivity, and love of myself.  Don’t get me wrong, my life has been filled with so much good fortune and I am thankful every day.  But there have been struggles, and I find myself still dealing with some of them, many years later.

My most recent personal tragedy has forced me to take a good hard look at myself and I have decided to do the work necessary to find the peace I seek.  I feel I am at the perfect place in my life to begin this journey, although I suppose there is never a wrong time to working on self growth.

After much thought and research, there are several resources I have found to help me on this long journey.  I hope you can respect that some parts of this are too personal for me to be comfortable sharing, though I will share what I feel is appropriate.  My hope, aside from growing myself, is to inspire you all to take small steps to begin your own journey.

I send my best wishes to all of you.  And, again, I thank you for your support.

I will be back with regular posts soon!

xo,  Alyssa

life

Darling folk,

Sometimes life’s a bitch.  Sometimes things come at you out of left field and it takes everything you have to remain standing.  Sometimes…

I am going through some personal things right now and will be taking a break from blogging for a bit.

For now.

xo,  Alyssa

closet :: stars, stripes, & studs

Darling Folk,

This morning was full of errands, mainly the kitty getting his hair cut.  I am in kind of a funk today and, as usual, my outfit showed how i was feeling:  rebel against the funk.

[ outfit details:  ‘Murica sweater – Tobi; studded boyfriend jeans – BDG @ UO (old); blue purse – target;  sunnies – forever21 (old) ]

Sometimes you just gotta fight the frazzle and the funk.  Also, where did March go?  Doesn’t it seem like its just flown on by?  Well, regardless I am excited to see what April brings.  Happy Easter my friends!  Happy April to those who don’t celebrate it!

xo,  Alyssa

closet :: video killed the radio star

Darling folk,

Sorry my schedule is all kinds of wacky right now!  I will try to be back and ready to go for next week!

In the mean time I have a relatively unimpressive outfit for you.  I have been playing around with the idea of video outfit posts, rather than just photos.  It seems to me like it would be more alive and exciting.. maybe I’m just a little weird.  What do you think?

I’m still learning the features and tricks of iMovie.  I’m not sure I like it, so if you have any other programs you would recommend please share with me!

Thanks friends!

xo,  Alyssa

at home gel manicure

[ hair, make-up, nails. oh my! ]

Darling folk,

I’m gonna teach you the ways of my diy gel manicure today.  Can I get a woot-woot?!  For reals though, this is the best way I’ve found to make my nails last for a real length of time.  At work I am require to have “professional looking” nails (i.e. no chips, crazy patterns, etc.) but I can’t afford to go get them done.

I easily get 7-10 days out of my nails this way.

PRODUCTS ::

1. ORLY bonder base coat  ;  2. any nail polish you fancy

3. American Classic Gelous nail gel  ;  4. Sally Hansen Insta-Dry “Clearly Quick”

5. Sephora crystal nail file

STEPS ::

1. File and shape nails as desired.  Lightly file the surface of the nail.

2. Apply ORLY base coat;  let dry.

3.  Apply a thin layer of your color; let dry.

4. Apply a thin layer of Gelous; let dry.

*Note:  be careful not to paint onto skin with this because it will cause your polish to peel off easier later on*

5. Repeat steps 3 + 4 until you reach the desired color/shade/appearance; Keep in mind less is more!

6. Apply your top coat generously.  I usually paint my top coat over the edge of my nail to prevent chipping.

And you’re done!!

So easy right??

Let me know what you guys think or if you have any questions!!

Comment, share, send love!

xo,  Alyssa

less stuff // more freedom

Darling folk,

Do you ever feel like you’re drowning in things?
Like stuff, meaningless stuff, is taking over your life?

This is something I’ve been seriously thinking about lately..
To say that my room is crowded would be a serious understatement.
Part of this is because I have moved back home with my parents;
So instead of my stuff being spread throughout an apartment, a larger bedroom, and a huge walk-in closet,
it is now all in one room with a bitty closet

Still, my reality is that I will be living in a small place for a while, even once I do move out.
I’ve decided it is imparative that I reduce the clutter –
both for practical reasons and for my sanity.

I’ve created this image to provide a constant reminder:

(inspired by an unknown creator on pinterest; background image is my own)

Have you been doing any thinking about life, balance, freedom, etc.?

xo,  Alyssa

four :: #2

[ 4 things I’m loving each week ]

ONE ::

I am desperate for one of these ecospheres – it would look so great on my desk, don’t ya think??

TWO ::

I just discovered Holly’s wonderful blog!  I just love her style (and her bows!)

THREE ::

The FITOCRACY app!  I will probably go on and on about this in another post. But I love it!

FOUR ::

I am dying for this blanket from Pendleton – it belongs on my bed in lieu of a comforter!

What are you currently lusting after, my dear darling folk?

xo,  Alyssa

jen gold photography

Darling folk,

I’m just stopping by today to share with you a beautiful piece by my dear friend Jen Gold Photography!

The original image was shot about a year ago for my graduation announcements.  She just recently created the image you see above, and included with it my favorite quote about the ocean:

“The ocean, once it casts its spell, holds one in its nets of wonder forever” – Jacques Yves Cousteau

Please go check out her other work!  Its all wonderful.  And if you are in the Southern California area and are interested in booking her please feel free to contact me and I will give you her information!

xo,  Alyssa