learn to unlearn

for those who believe in god, most of the big questions are answered. but for those of us who can't readily accept the god formula, the big answers don't remain stone-written. we adjust to the new conditions and discoveries. we are pliable. love need not be a command nor faith a dictum. i am my own god. we are here to unlearn the teachings of the church, state and our educational system. we are here to drink beer. we are here to kill war. we are here to laugh at the odds and live our lives to well that death will tremble to take us 

| charles bukowski | 

we adjust if we let ourselves. we are pliable if we stop sticking to rigid ideas of what is. beyond unlearning the teachings that we see in our every day, i think the hardest part is unlearning the teachings we create within. unlearn our habits, our methodologies, our philosophies, or standards that really aren't serving us anymore. unlearn what isn't working. unlearn the crazy, unlearn the hurt. 

and then we can laugh at the odds. we can challenge the people that tell us no. we can live our lives so well...

so it goes.

because life happens. ultimatums are put out there. big life choices apparently have to be made. 

so you just embrace this song on repeat and consider it a sign from the universe that kombucha went on crazy sale at whole foods. that's right lovers- case of kombucha for $21.60. you have time. get to whole foods before this magic vanishes and we return to $3.69 kombucha tomorrow. i'm hoping my case lasts me 'till wednesday. optimistic? yes. 

| bon iver i can't make you love me | 

beyond bon iver and kombucha, something big is going on that will make this week not suck. my bestie/partner-in-crime/mom/best maker of pb-nana toast/trilogy queen/ life teacher has her first week teaching. middle school science kids in northeast prepare to get your world rocked. miss anne is going to change the world in the best ways. 

keep it small.

this saturday. keep it small, keep it local. do the small business saturday thing. this whole concept was learned into me at a young age and is one of those things that makes more sense to me than say, being able to tell time on a clock with roman numerals. but it just makes sense, right? shop the stores in your hood, shop the stores where they know you by name (and kombucha flavor). shop the stores that give back, enrich and sustain your community.

i could go on forever about my love for the small guy so here are a list of my go-to's. and clearly a last minute realization but after you small business your saturday away come home and watch this movie by the fire. ultimate underdog local biz. 

and, i would love to hear some of your favorite small businesses. share away. 

| spruce mn |
recently have fallen in love with this place. the instigator of this love fest  was the fact that they create beautiful simple bouquets and put them in beautifully simple vases. because seriously, who wants a flower arrangement is those ugly, tacky over-the-top typical vases that floral studios use. yeah, you know what i am talking about? spruce is the studio doing something different, and doing it well. girl's gotta appreciate a nod to simple taste done right. 
ps. how fun would it be to take one of their holiday classes 

| midwest mountaineering |
i literally have never left this place empty handed. and whenever my sister is in town she always makes sure she gets a midwest run before her flight home. second floor will blow your mind. and the workers know their stuff. which is so refreshing and at a place like this, super interesting. 

| hunt & gather | 
a new gem that i have recently been exploring. and a gem that you could explore again and again and find new nooks and crannies every time. this past visit,  sarah scored the coolest bright yellow window shutter that was all worn and patina'ed in all the right places. we hung it over her couch the long way for a cool wall installation peace.they just have so much cool reclaimed stuff. AND a room full of succulents. loot heaven. 

| patina white | 
whenever i am home and get to go to this studio i am blown away and every time i drive down the gravel driveway i think to myself that beth is like the emersonmade of minnesota. she does some unreal stuff. with loads of lake life style. too good. 

| rock paper scissors | 
my favorite paper store of all time. i feel like i have talked about it before. but man, it's killer. 

| home |

the sense of place that brought me to appreciate and love the small.

how do you know?

frances hodgson burnett | overheard at giant steps

like seriously.

how do you know

which one are we supposed to believe...

soundtrack to my morning.

| la blogotheque. take away show. lump sum. | 

this was my waking up song. aka i am driving at 5am and get to places and don't even realize how i got there. enter bon iver soothing my morning bones to come to awaken. 

| same love | 

this was my jam out, fully awake, get riled song that i played at that moment that you are almost to the place you are getting to. and you have to have just the right song for your last moments in the car to get you ready for whatever you are about to arrive to. yeah, that's this song.

| anything could happen | 

this was that song that when it comes in a yoga class you have to look up from your downdog with a huge smile on your face because you are loving on this jam and it just came on in sun b. day maker. 

| my life would suck without you | 

took me a while to remember what song this was, because it was that song that we burnt our arms out to. push-ups, triceps, biceps, madonna arms. rinse and repeat. rinse and repeat. my arms and shoulders were screaming at me that i think i blocked out the song for a bit. but it came back to me. my life would suck without fusion yoga and gitte. 

| drop it low | 

i feel like songs like this do better with no explanation. no judging necessary, you will re-fall in love with it. trust me. it was most enjoyed today on our drive to run the trails at lebanon hills. talk about a hidden gem. this place is pure magic. 

love list: city

because every city has loves, and all the loves need a list.

| peace food cafe | 
(image source: peace food cafe)

my sister has only been talking about this gem for months now.this past weekend the pilgrimage to the famed peace food cafe happened. and a love affair was cemented. i had a roasted japanese pumpkin sandwich with walnuts, cashew paste and greens. it was out of this world. the speed in which i finished it was pretty astonishing. and their juice repertoire, wow. i had green lemonade- greens, apple, lemon and ginger root. yeah, that happened.

| organic avenue | 
(image source: organic avenue)

confession, i was attempting to hit up peace foods for plane snacks before i headed to the airport but they don't open 'till 10am. this across the street, doesn't suck as an alternative though, yeah? (also should note, me seeking out plane snacks is a common ritual, that normally results in me almost missing flights. this was no different). and again, the upper west side just killing it with fresh juice bars. in a weak moment, i bailed on the green juice and got organic avenue's chocolate love smoothie. Purified Alkaline Water, Dates, Cashews, Irish Moss, Hemp Seeds, Cacao Powder... i don't even know what alkaline water means but i'm into it now.

| le pain quotidien |

Le Pain Quotidien, doesn't take long for this place to feel like home. my obsession began summers ago and has not faded. it's one of those places where i literally could eat everything off the menu, and be forever happy. and super important to note that all le pain's have a huge communal table, barn wood, reclaimed, awesome. ga, i could go on forever on how much i love this place. i get real nostalgic for the place this time of year too, in london there was a le pain around the corner from the school i studied at. and we would go there to study, well mostly just eat, and drink endless coffee out of their pot of french press. sense of place. dam, i love le pain. 

| otto | 
(image source: otto)

i first came to otto my first summer nannying in the jerz. my aunt does not mess around 

with good food. (read more about her food and life gypsy genuis status here: devil & egg). i don't think i have been back to the city since that first summer without a trip to otto. yes, we have a serious obession with this place. but their pizza, their bellinis... not worth missing. this time around, hurricane sandy left otto out of commision for a few days and when they were back up and running they had to make slight adjustments for that gnarly little storm. their swiss chard + goat cheese pizza was sandy-affected, so my sister and i had the tomato + pecorino + egg pizza and then loaded the arugula salad right on top. stellar. otto, you never cease to amaze. 

| eataly | 

eataly, wow. i really can't even to express this place in words. didn't have adequate time to take it all in. the conversation between my sister and i pretty much sums up how stoked i was to check this place out though. 

N: we're at eataly.

K: ahhhggggg WAIT FOR ME. 

what's your anyway?

i was lucky, lucky to take a last minute long weekend to nyc. who knew that when a hurricane is anticipated to rock the east coast, one can find a crazy cheap non-stop round-trip flight to jfk. (confession: took me the longest time to realize this was the case of me scoring a cheap flight last minute)

it was a weird feeling surrounding this trip though. the east coast was rocked. the marathon was cancelled. shores had been changed forever, power was out, gypsies were cold (i.e. my lovely jersey gypsies), gas "was being hoarded like it was the fucking hunger games", champagne and candles were the go-to.

i was trying to use this city weekend as a means to run away from stuff here, but then i was like well whaaaat am i doing, i am flying to actual disasters, mother nature disasters. flew out early on a saturday,  had an interesting trek into the city, a total mixed bag of public transportation, cab sharing with strangers, trekking with the backpack.

but from the moment i sat down to lunch at le pain with my sis and parents i knew some pretty serious weekend fun was about to happen. i suppose i should mention that the original intent of this weekend was for marathon weekend, in which my super fast mama and her running pals were signed up to take on the boroughs and race the city.

but something beautiful happened. sunday thousands of people showed up to run what became coined as the #runanyway marathon. i got to walk over to central park with my sister, dad, aunt, uncle, cousin, baby charlotte, and friends and watch thousands of people from all over the world run anyway. my mom and her crew ran 28 miles. so badass. and so cool.

think about it. what would you do anyway... if all bets were off, the pressure was lifted, no one was watching, it became an intentional choice instead of a 'have-to', you could do whatever your heart was wanting...

what's your anyway?

mornings.

because sometimes all you need is to burn out your arms doing crazy pushups and burn out your core to some nights by F.U.N. 

and then walk over to dunn bros for a big cup of black coffee.

i have found a new sense of place. Fusion Yoga, the love affair begins.