A huge ambition of mine for this global trip is to visit a spa in each city. Not because I’m a pampering princess but because for about 10 years now my interest with my interior design education has lied within the pampering industry. If you read my bio you’ll see that I talk about how I believe in and am “fascinated by the things that make us feel beautiful and pampered while remaining as natural and creative as possible.” The ambiance and experience that is given through the actual space and procedures of a spa are beautiful thing to me. (I hope to one day make that a more affordable thing for all.) Just as I find yoga hugely beneficial to ones demeanor and overall longevity, I find allowing yourself to be pampered by another, a beautiful treasure. And enjoying such a zen-filled space and experience is a beautifully manipulated thing of this world.

My first stop along my one month journey is in Miami. I asked my girlfriend Amanda, whom I am staying with, where she recommended (being a local) and she said The Standard Hotel & Spa. I looked it up and was smitten.

I flew in on the evening of Saturday July 4th and 9am Monday morning I made my way to my first spa visit of this trip. Upon arriving to the picturesque hotel, I was welcomed inside by the concierge who opened the doors with a gracious smile. The sweet girls at the front desk, made of driftwood, in the very casual – and large – lobby, pointed me to the elevator that would lead me to the spa on the third floor.

As I stepped off the elevator I walked into a space filled with natural sunlight and bright colors. The receptionist and my masseuse for the morning were promptly waiting for me, bathrobe in hand. I was escorted down the otherworldy hallway…where thin wood lat beams lined the left, right wall and ceiling – paired with appropriate ethereal lighting. We made a right into another hallway that led to the massage rooms. We entered the quiet space of the room where she asked me to undress and lie down and she would return shortly.

The service I chose that day was the Body Detox Scrub with massage. I had yet to have experienced an exfoliant service at a spa and considering I love any sort of exfoliating, especially since my dermatologist has told me my thick skin could always use a good, and often, rub down…I looked forward to experiencing how this was performed. Using exfoliant gloves and an oil she scrubbed/massaged my backside first, then massaged with her bare hands and then did the same to my front side. It was 60 minutes of rejuvenation.

Afterward, given my purchase of a service, I was granted access to the grounds of the hotel which included the rest of the spa, the gym room, the juice bar cafe, the lounge gardens, the pool, bar and adjoining restaurant. I first decided to walk the whole spa…checking out it’s warmed marble stair-stepped tile room that housed steel bathtubs for relaxation. Another sector of the spa included a steamy, super sunny, steam room, a shower outside of it and then a room where more messy exfoliation scrubs (think mud) could be provided. Down the opposite hall there was a really neat round room tiled in all blue tiles with an almost eerie skylight shining down from above. In that same area was the dry sauna. The layout was easy to maneuver in and very thought out when it came to intricate details, color pallets, and room layouts. I loved every bit of it.

By this point I had worked up an appetite so after walking the grounds, sitting in a hammock, swinging in a hanging chair, grabbing a picture of the awesome pool area, and seeing all the hotel had to offer, I stopped at the Juice Cafe to enjoy a little brunch-like meal. All-in-all this spa experience was worth every penny and highly recommend not only an experience here but a stay at this beautiful little oasis in Miami.

I hope you enjoy my photos!

Today not only marks Americas 239th day of freedom from Britain rule but it also marks the day I liftoff to embark on a month long globe trotting trip. And I couldn’t be more excited or feel more liberated.

I shot these photos with a friend and peer of mine from San Diego State University at the infamous Black’s Beach (an American nude beach) on one of its cliff side mountains. We set out for the short hike early one summer morning a couple weeks ago and went for it. It started out a bit misty and grey with the marine layer… and then the heavens opened up and gave us the most beautiful rich blue colors to work with.

The older I am getting (I’m 28 if you didn’t know) the more I am realizing the short amount of time we are given – and the beauty that truly lies within every little thing, experience, breath, our bodies and string of words. We humans are such creative beings. And I believe that if you let your creativity out in everything you do – you will emanate your true soul…it will be so very evident of who you really are and what you believe in. Which also means tread lightly and be aware of your thoughts and be sure your decisions are made consciously. Set yourself up for success. There is a great quote that I found in a book about spas sometime ago and it went something like, the reason we adorn ourselves is to share with others our inner beauty.

I am not what is considered a typical model but who’s to say I can’t get in front of a camera and capture the physical vessel I have been given and take care of so earnestly? So here I am, expressing myself through the media of photography with the help of my friend Marconi Torres. Take it for what you you’d like. I’m proud of and grateful for every part of my healthy body and greatly appreciate being able to express myself through these virtual mediums. Because, why not!? Documenting life through pictures, journal entries, keepsakes and more, has always meant a lot to me and with encouragement from close friends and family I am finally going to avidly produce content of my #neveradullmoment life.

So with that said, I hope you can appreciate my photos for what they are, an expression of one persons freedom, and can now look at other people and appreciate and take them for what they are trying to emanate. Have a fabulous Fourth of July! & please stay tuned because there will be lots of content happening here in the next 4 weeks. First stop Miami! After that is….well, you’ll just have to wait and see. 😉

Being a person who appreciates all things sustainable as well as a child who went through a divorce, I have always felt inquisitive about the psyche behind marriages, relationships and interdependency. I definitely feel it was the best conclusion for my parents. I felt that then and I still feel the same way. However, I do recognize how that divorce has driven my life in a direction that can probably only be related to what I went through in those detrimental developmental years as a teen; I believe in being financially independent of the person you are with (hence achieving a Bachelors Degree), I believe you should most definitely have hobbies and interests (be an independent and interesting person), and I believe taking your time to build a foundation with anything is crucial.

What I find even more interesting are some of the things this article from The New York Times points out. To start with, The New York Times lists birth control (I am an advocate, see that link) as a reason for less divorces (the article elaborates), later divorces (Do you!), and the rise of so-called ‘love marriages’….marry for love! Marry your best friend. And how ironic that those last two points are so opposite. ‘Doing you’ and having a best friend – or are they opposite? Depends on the dynamic two people acquiesce to, I suppose.

Perhaps the articles later point about the working class having more traditional notions toward the male being the breadwinner explains why in current and past economic times, this model of marriage either leaves the man struggling to find work or never marrying because he has not achieved that level of stability. Unfortunate. Which is where I feel some of our Generation Y mentalities should change.

I am a risk taker. & I believe in love. I am an open-minded person and I do see the future of marriage looking different than it has in the past. The article makes a node toward that by pointing out how the feminist revolution has changed women’s expectations. I can only speak for myself when it comes to my expectations, so what I will say, and repeat, is that I am open-minded and try my best not to have expectations. Although, I do have a moral compass and holdfast to my values. What those are, well, that’s for the man in my life to come to know, and my readers to surmise. 🙂

The article is enlightening, and it may instill a bit of faith back in you, or help you understand your dating life a bit better. Here is the link: The Divorce Surge Is Over, but the Myth Lives On – NYTimes.com.

Here’s something close to my heart, and something I think more people should try to understand…GMOs. The scientists say that the level of chemicals that were found in these family members (pre cleanse) are “acceptable” when eating GMO food – but, my worry has always been the ‘cocktail effect’ – and whats more, there still hasn’t been a longitudinal study on GMOs being in our food/diet. Quite simply, the human body may be able to absorb, break down or process these things, but was it meant to? Noo. And what harm can it do to our reproductive health on all levels? Thought provoking. I say, when in doubt, purchase organic if you can!

Here’s the article: Swedes show how eating organic eliminates a family’s pesticide load : TreeHugger.

If you’ve been to college, or experienced an Ah-Ha! moment, then you might know how it feels to be drained of all enthusiasm after weeks of computer labor – and foot work – and then find a new muse that you can then fuse into your design.

I’m going to attach a really cool TED video that I once watched that spoke of the Greek “Genius” that would fly into your vicinity like magic, whisper you a genius idea, and off he went. Or it went something like that. Here’s a woman talking about her genius: TED TaLK

Back to my Ah-Ha! moment…check out this Wikipedia link I stumbled upon when just purely thinking about what the Japanese call their bathhouses…surely there be a name I could pronounce. And this stems from my fascination with the constructing of words: etymology. Did you know Chinese is a ‘futureless’ language when it comes to speaking of any thing? Its a rapturing idea when it comes to the power of the minds way of thinking about the future (and outcomes of things) when it relates to how you speak about it. Here’s the talk: Etymology TED TaLK. Press play and listen to all of them on the page.

The Sento was a Japanese Bathhouse. It was the type of space both male and female would walk through together. Interacting. Observing. Roaming. Being quiet. Being respectful. Enjoying beauty. Ahhhh, how much I would give to experience a true Japanese Bath house. Maybe I’ll save for a whole year 🙂 Hunker down. I’m good at that.

Anyway, my current and final project as an Interior Design undergraduate (with a Minor in Environment & Society) is to retrofit an 18,000 square foot metropolitan historic building in the heart of East Village, San Diego, California and turn it into Coastal Southern Californian metropolitan destination spa. I have my idea. Which I made into floor plans (construction documents). The renderings are currently being worked on. Toiling on them as much as I can in hopes they come to fruition with my allotted itinerary. Needless to say I have a bit of anxiety. Which is where this idea of Sento popping into my head (due to all things bouncing around in there) comes in. Thank goodness. Thank you little genius. Hope you enjoy the links I’ve provided above. They’re enlightening. That is all. Ciao!

I’m a pretty traditional girl. And I have definitely been called an old soul more than a handful of times. So when it comes to looking and feeling healthier there is no better piece of advice that I could give someone than the age-old saying of, “you are what you eat.” In addition to looking and feeling great, my next recommendation would be: get active! But first and foremost, know what you are putting into your body and what it is or isn’t doing to nourish you, and secondly examine your diet and figure out what you might be missing or need more of. Also, time of day is oddly enough, a key factor too.

Here are some more tips to feeling and looking great in other ways than just through food: 8 grandma-approved beauty habits to adopt now : TreeHugger.

I’ve always thought and felt that I would want my children to have the opportunity to travel the world (alongside myself) and attend different schools and/or be independent studies with a teacher here and there, following their little hearts while learning our world’s history past – and looking to the future. Having children is an abstruse idea for me still to this day, but this topic serves to be quite interesting. What if the regimen we so considerately have set forth for our youth isn’t the best way to go about developing those that are our future? It’s quite the subjective topic but worth delving into. Here are two sources that: 1) Explore through experimentation with technology/computers (a form of learned sciences) the cognitive determination of children and 2) A child himself advocating being able to follow his pursuits while adhering to a prescribed curriculum.

Would this give a whole new meaning to the “stay at home mom”? Is this the way of future education? How do your children currently learn if you have any? If you don’t, how would you like to go about it? Or have you thought thus far?

1. What if students learn faster without teachers? – CNN.com.

2. TED Talk by 13 year old Logan Laplante – “Hackschooling”  http://tedxtalks.ted.com/video/Hackschooling-Makes-Me-Happy-Lo;search%3Alogan%20laplante

If you were looking for some “pretty beats” (as I like to call them) with a faster, happier pace mixed with a couple more alternative rock jams, a little reggae and a good “dirty beat”, then this is your playlist.

Here’s the link to what’s in my ears on Soundcloud as of February 13, 2015.

The last one is a playlist. Best listened to when you are training to be a ninja. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. FAST and happy.

Betsey Johnson is my girl. I have always thought, as an individual character, Betsey was sooooo unique. And she made herself successful based on that, and has such an out of this world brain that has steadily continued to put its signature on everything it does. In one of my required community college classes (Intro to Textiles) my end project was (chosen by student) to design the interior of an RV (motor home) for Ms Betsey, with RV floor plan colored in and all. I based it off her New Mexico oasis, and her NY flat. I don’t know where the picture of it is, but I’m on a mission to find it here soon. I will post below this paragraph if I ever find it. And, fun fact: she’s been known to show off her splits skills at the end of her runway shows.

Here nor there…I cannot for the life of me remember where I stumbled upon a video of Ms. Betsey Johnson saying, “I think designers, if they’re called designers, will have to be scientists in the future.” I agree! There have been so many times where I am on a mission for a certain color, or fabric, or design and I just can’t find it out there in the retail world. I’m a picky woman.

I can only imagine the excitement it brings to someone who makes fashion daily, and has the ability to possibly meet with these scientists. Talk about making leaps and bounds in your life for evolution. I definitely think cotton, leather, denim, silk, wool and fur need not go anywhere anytime soon though. Here’s the article: Future Fashions Are Not Quite Ready To Wear.