Ballast Point Park

A couple weeks ago, I had lunch at Ballast Point Park in Tampa. The drive to the park was beautiful as you're greeted with mossy trees whose branches draped over the streets and old homes with vines blanketing its walls. It was a lovely time, hot and humid as Florida is during the summer, but always a lovely time with my lunch companion.

Oh these trying times

Lately, I have been quite happy and I can't be more appreciative of the people I have around me and the opportunities I have both in my personal and professional life. When you life knocks down, you don't just sit there. So I've gotten up and I'm doing something about it, as I always have. But funneling out internal turmoil is no joke; it takes a great deal of strength and perseverance. Still, negative feelings, in and of itself, is a source of energy of which can be channeled into something productive. It is not wasted energy if you can turn it around. We have to practice that.

These days I am adding some life and green into my apartment. Here, I have a few different succulent variations and a bonsai plant. On my balcony I have rosemary and cilantro growing, but they are a little pathetic looking to be honest. Urban gardening is something I am still trying to wrap my head around.

I have a few other projects in the works too! It's very interesting to see how it goes and I am very excited to share as they come together. 

Here are some more words and ramblings on staying positive.

sometimes it's not all it's cracked up to be

It's been a long week, guys. Some days seem like the best days, like rainbows are lighting the sky and a red carpet is being rolled out wherever you go. Not this week. For me at least. I seem to be attracting a lot of inconveniences as of late, including a dead car battery and a blown tire on the way home from work. But I am glad it's Friday and this weekend marks the end and a beginning of a new week. I am always hopeful that it'll be better than the last, and I am preparing for it to be!

Anyways, since my week started off not as I would've liked, I made it a point to take pictures of things that made my day. It's good practice to see the good in non-ideal situations. 

Optimism. It keeps the dream alive.

 

Monday: Cat cuddles

Tuesday: Dinner with good company

Wednesday: Blown tire... but a good soul willing to help

Thursday: A reminder to keep spirits high

Around the apartment

Pillows in disarray from couch-potatoing.
Entry way table rearranging. (it's also a table where I leave almost everything)

I really need to get more art for my walls.

From Over the Weekend: New York

I went on a short getaway trip to New York to visit some friends and to step away from ho-hum weekends here at home. I was hoping the weather would have been much warmer than it was (high 30's and 40's) but it was a lovely weekend nevertheless!

**Apparently Saturday was National Pillow Fight Day, so I had the chance to witness a park full of people clubbing each other with fluffy pillows. There's always something interesting to see and do in the City isn't there?

More on New York later!

What's Up Wednesday

ahem. can that be a thing? What's up Wednesday? Let's just ramble and get to know each other again.

It's spring!

You guys, that means more sunshine, more flowers and more time to be outdoors! Actually, the weather here has been pretty rainy... I suppose April showers are on the way? So I hope there will be more sunshine. so that there is more time to be outdoors. Which would be very conducive to city exploring especially with so many new stores and restaurants set to open here in St. Petersburg and around the Tampa Bay area. 

My parents are excellent gardeners (see my dad's orchid garden and these blooms). Everything they touch seems to be able to thrive. I, on the other hand, did not inherit such talent. My skills in gardening put me on the other end of the spectrum. 

Confession: I killed my rosemary plant... but I have a replacement! It seems to be holding up this time around. But I digress... I've taken a few orchids home with me to my apartment, those that have bloomed from their garden. It's kind of like babysitting the orchids while they are pretty and returning it back to my parents when the flowers have fallen off. 

Weekends are very precious. As a working woman now, I don't have the luxury of a spring break. Those were the days... 

But! I am so happy to have been able to spend a few hours of last weekend with Kristyn, of Milk and Crown blog and jewelry shop, and Angel, of Studio 404 blog and paper shop, for round two of our mini Sunshine Bloggers meet up at the Oxford Exchange. Such talented ladies... if you haven't checked out their work, definitely do so.

I cannot get enough of the OE. Such a beautiful place, a thoughtfully designed retailer, restaurant, bookstore, coffee and tea shop. I wish I could live there. I mean, what doesn't the place have??

What have you guys been up to? What's up on your Wednesday? Tell me something.

Morning Stills

The bed is a mess.

There are dishes that have yet to be put away.

AAANNDDDD there are dirty dishes from dinner the night before still in the sink.

This? This is real life, folks. In my world at least. These pictures were taken on a Sunday morning, a day when it's perfectly fine (I want to say encouraged) to roll out of bed as you are and just.be.lazy. Most of my Sundays have been like this actually. Slow to roll. Hair is a mess. Wrinkled tee with my tea. I am perfectly happy about it.

Sunday mornings have got to be the best time of the week. Unconvinced? Not a morning person? At least try it out once! I feel a little essay bubbling up about this topic. Keep an eye out!

On storms and such, metaphorically anyway.

 

There was a storm brewing, and you could see it miles away. 

Unexpected clouds to cover a beautiful thing. The rain came and thunder roared. The storm rippled through uncontrollably, and we couldn’t hide from it.

I couldn’t hide from it. 

But the thing about storms is that the sun eventually comes back and your world is lit again. Even though the tragedy of everything it ripped apart and damaged lingers, the sun comes back. There is light eventually. It’s what I remind myself. I repeat it over and over again.

There were days I drove over a long bridge… where I used to see the clouds coming from the distance. These days, they have been replaced with the sun. And there’s something calming about the sun rising over the ocean. The way its golden glow reaches out over the skies and reflects off the water to double its power. It brings me out of a dark place and gives me confidence to see things through; that the light at the end of the tunnel is real. Because you know what? The sun comes back and lights the world that was once dark and riddled with storms. 

Photo cred.

5 Ways to Simplify

Over the weekend, I spent a lot of time at home. These days it’s pretty uncommon for me to do that, as I seem to pack as much activity as possible during my two days off from work.

As I sat around being bored because of my lack of plans, I quickly realized that it was actually really nice to do nothing and have nothing to do. When you’re always on the go, sometimes you just need to sit and enjoy the moment. It was then that I realized that I needed to simplify my life so that I can have more moments like these - to be at ease with my surroundings, relaxed from not having anything to do and finding peace with myself.

So to get right to it, here are few simple ways to simplify:

Unplug

It seems that we are always connected wherever we are. It’s definitely made easier with the world in our hands from our phones. We have Internet friends, social networks and e-mails we have to keep up with, notifications from this, that and the other, the list goes on. Take the weekend or even a few hours of your day to unplug. Live in the present.

Purge

You know that junk drawer you have? Maybe your shelf is overflowing with things you don’t even remember you have? It’s time to purge. Get rid of things that you don’t need or use anymore. You can probably even make a little money from it by selling it on eBay or an old fashioned yard sale. You wouldn’t believe how good it’ll feel to have more space, a cleaner space at that, and maybe even a little extra cash in your wallet.

Closet Cleanse

To go along with purging, think about a closet cleanse. Remove the extra headache of not knowing what to wear, digging though a closet with clothes you’ll never wear and doing extra loads of laundry. Simplify your closet and keep staple, good quality pieces you’ll want to wear over and over again.

Learn to Say No

For many, like me, it can be hard to say no. Sometimes saying no means disappointing others, but in order to have time and focused energy to do things that matter to you, you have to say no. Respectfully of course.

Find Solitude.

In other words, make time for yourself. Do what makes you happy.

Life is simple, but we insist on making it complicated. What are some other ways we can simplify?

August: The Month That Was

Dinner with a girlfriend at Bazille | Vintage tray from Brocante Market
New favorite ice cream from Steve's Ice Cream | Oxford shoes <3

Nothing says "Hi" and "I'm back"like a photo dump. It's been a bit quiet in these parts; I've been keeping myself busy with a lot of things. I am very thankful to all those who wished me luck on my big day! I am hoping there are good things to come. And soon! 

But can you believe August is over already?! Remember when the sun started setting around 8pm? We'll have to put those long, summer days behind us now that fall is fast approaching. But first, let's take a look back at August!

I encourage you to play along too! If you do a photo round up of your August, please share it in the comments! I'd love to catch up :) 

Aunty and niece day at Flying Pan in Tampa that continued with shoe shopping.

I had a marathon craving of Cheetos... I couldn't help myself

Double rainbow 

There was a time I signed up for a toga fashion show, where I was literally dressed in a bed sheet and walked down a runway. They did my hair and make up. I made friends while making a fool of myself. :) 

 I met up with some fellow Sunshine Bloggers at the Oxford Exchange in Tampa: Kristyn of Milk and Crown, and Angel of Static Romance.

Don't forget to share your August photo round up if you do it! :) Happy Friday!

Let's be happy it's the weekend!

I am so excited for this week to come to a close! There are so many things happening this weekend that I have been waiting for. One is the opening of Brocante, which is a new vintage market opening in St. Petersburg that happens only two days of the month. It’s a beautiful venture and a collaboration of like-minded vintage enthusiasts and treasure hunters. I’m WAY excited for this. 

I’ll also be on my way to Orlando afterwards to visit some college friends traveling in from across the country for a mini reunion.

A couple links worth mentioning:

Check out Brocante’s website, maybe you’ll see a familiar photo? J

This Paris loft with a tree!

H&M online store finally opens in the US.

These breakfast burgers… maybe one day I’ll make it for my Sunday breakfast.

Have a great weekend! What are your plans?

#InstaShoes

Have you ever looked through your Instagram feed and noticed an unintentional pattern or pictures of something similar? For me, I noticed a lot of shoes. It’s interesting because I only have so many pairs of shoes that I wear regularly and without even thinking about it, the IG shots of shoes on my feed are all different.

What theme have you noticed in your IG feed?

Photos from my Instagram @meowlynn

Morning Details

Happy Monday! This weekend I found myself going from one place to the next without much of a hitch. It mimicked a weekday, just without working and a lot more adventuring. So I’m thankful for quiet and sunny mornings like this to start off the day.

Life Lately

photo via Life is Beautiful

Happy Friday! It's been a real snoozer over here lately with life catching up and all. Time is flying fast and already we are at the end of March!

I have a couple exciting things happening personally and I'm really hoping that it will be a good change. For months, I've been living in a monotonous routine. The only thing keeping me inspired is exploring little corners of St. Petersburg and getting out of the house. I have a need for travel, adventure and a new challenge. Now that we are in a new season and new things are sprouting all over, I'm making a break towards a new change. 

On Hair and Bows

1 | 2

I’ve been looking at a lot of different hairstyles on Pinterest lately. Mainly because come Tuesday, my hair will be 12 inches shorter (!!!) and I really need some inspiration before I go ahead and have it all chopped off. I love my hair when its long, but it takes so much time to maintain and it’s sooo heavy. And this couldn’t have come at a better time! I’ve always wanted to donate my hair to Locks of Love, and now I’m glad I finally have the chance to. It’s going to feel so good to have a new `do and to have my hair go to a great cause.

While I was going through these photos, I really found myself loving the daintiness of adding bows to your hair. I’m really bland when it comes to hair ties. Black. Elastic. Done. Definitely think I’ll have to buy some ribbon. It's such a simple way to dress up ponytails and braids isn't?

Have you ever donated your hair to Locks of Love? 

Backseat Basket

I’ve been taking Lulu all around town. Over the weekend, I slung my yoga mat over my shoulders and headed to the studio and even went grocery shopping with her and this new basket. It is so liberating not having to drive to places so near my home.  Wind blowing through my hair, breathing in the fresh air, saving on gas, and not to mention the added bonus of an extra workout. Lulu the Bike, you are helping me get one step closer to a greener, healthier lifestyle. 

**Still need to find her some handlebar grips... but I did get to scrub away a lot of her rust! 

Happy Weekend

It's been an incredibly productive week and I am so glad to have the chance to relax for a couple days. We've gotten our Christmas tree up and I was really bracing for disaster from my cats. Thankfully they haven't attempt to climb it or knock down the ornaments. 

This is Koda's first Christmas, so he's just curious about the tree and often sits underneath it; breathing in the pine scent, as I do. 

What are you up to this weekend? Can't believe Christmas is almost here, I'm counting down the days and taking full advantage of doing all things holiday-like. Tonight, I will be participating in The Jingle Bell Run at the Pier, my first race ever. It's supposed to be a candlelit path, and sounds really romantic. I am excited! 

Have a great weekend! 

Fall Comes Slowly, But It Found Its Way

Yes. Finally the leaves on my tree have changed colors and are beginning to dot the ground with a little yellow and brown. It's a bit late into the season, but hey... better late than never!

Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

I am back from my mini vacation with the boy and had a wonderful time. Thank you so much for all of your sweet comments while I was gone. *big BIG smile*

This weekend also crosses two things off my fall bucket list: exploring the wilderness and the mini vacay with my guy. I’m getting closer to completing it!

On our last day together, we spent the afternoon visiting the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. It’s famous for its 2.25 mile boardwalk that weaves through the prairie, marsh wetlands and pine forest. The forest was draped with hanging moss, massive fallen branches and trees that are as old as 500 years.

(The trail takes about an hour and a half to walk. Joshua and I took nearly 3 hours. We love nature and reading all of the signs.)

{A sign that leaves do actually change colors other than green and brown in Florida.} 

It’s also home to hundreds of animals, so we heard! We only spotted a few critters, mainly those we see normally living in Florida: alligators, turtles, squirrels and birds. But Joshua did spot an owl, that's a bit different than our norm!

The thing about exploring the wilderness is that you are surrounded by the songs of the wild, the crunching leaves beneath your feet, little critters scurrying through the brush and all the beautiful things Mother Nature has to offer.

However, note that if you do go explore, bug spray will be your best friend. Karma has its way when you forget your best friend.