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You Be You
You be you. This is so much easier said that done, isn't it? But, why? I have really been digging into this ever since I moved to Los Angeles, as I initially felt surrounded by people that just didn't "get me" - they didn't know me growing up, they didn't know my twin, they didn't know my parents, or what healing was like after the accident like my best friends did at "home," and the list continues on.
This is such a real feeling but a binding excuse to keep falling back on. After countless conversations with my sweet husband, I realized I was trying to take the easy way out. I would avoid the effort rather than the pursuit; I was seeking easy comfort (AKA watching Friends cuddled on the sofa at home), which in turn, developed into loneliness. I was exhausted from the daily adjustment to a brand new city and often depleted of energy to put in the effort of being vulnerable with new friends. Not to mention, the root of the problem was fear of man coupled with the desire to be accepted as I walked into a community of Jason's friends who felt like family to him, but not to me yet. This all seemed so intimidating at the time, but Jason encouraged me to just be me. Simple clarity: that is what everyone desires. For you to be you.
What I came to discern is that I was making this so complicated. It really is quite simple. How do you act around your best friend or your closest family member? You can be free and honest and thoughtless (in the beautiful sense of the word). I still have to remind myself to be this way sooner rather than later with new friends. What are your fears of being fully who you are? What holds you back?Tips to be you:
- Keep it simple. Take it at your own pace. Have grace on yourself for not doing it perfectly. New friends are not being your harshest critic.
- Go outside of your comfort zone. You will be so glad you did!
- When you are overwhelmed, remind yourself of why you are grateful. This mind set has changed my life and depletes so much negativity!
- Don't doubt yourself. It is so easy to get in your head, questioning if people like you.
- Admit your fears and aim to conquer them.
I have to share with you this brilliant Ted Talk where Renee Brown discusses the power of vulnerability. #gamechanger
OUTFIT DETAILS
jacket (and here) | top | denim | sunnies | boots (similar)
images by felicia lasala
sterling vineyards
If you follow me on instagram, you probably saw that I got the opportunity a week ago to take the trip of a lifetime to Sterling Vineyards in Napa. Words cannot describe how beautiful this vineyard is, and it was hands down the best wine I have ever tasted in my life. I wanted to recap my experience for ya'll today!Before I go through the amazing tour we had - I wanted to share a bit about Sterling - so you can fully comprehend how amazing it is (and so if you're ever in Napa, you'll know why you need to visit Sterling)! Sterling Vineyards is one of the most iconic and celebrated wineries of Napa Valley. The winery itself is an architectural icon - it sits 300 feet above the valley floor and provides the most stunning views of Napa Valley. Sterling Vineyards was also the first winery ever built with the visitor in mind, and the only winery in the world with an aerial tram! (You have to take a gondola up to see the view!)We started our tour with a private viewing of sorting at Reserve Winery with the winemaker. We got to see the grapes being "de-stemmed", the process of punching grapes, and so much more. It was so cool to see this process - and everything smelled amazing!
After taking the gondola up to the top of the winery (which was the most beautiful gondola ride I've ever taken), we got to see the winery behind the scenes: see the tank pump overs, sample wine from the tank, and learn all about the process. We also spent a good amount of time in the barrel room and learned how different types of wood/barrels can give wine different flavors.
We enjoyed the most beautiful lunch and tasted 3 different wines with our meal: platinum chardonnay, platinum proprietary white, and platinum cabernet. They were all amazing but my favorite was the Chardonnay - it was so refreshing on such a hot day!
Next we took the gondola back down for grape stomping! It felt very "I love Lucy", and I loved it!
After the grape stomping, we spent the afternoon and evening at the Rutherford House. If you're ever in Napa, I highly recommend visiting this house. One of the most beautiful houses and properties I have ever experienced!
Side note - this is my friend Courtney from A Thoughtful Place - definitely check out her blog! She is amazing! One of the highlights of this trip for me was getting to meet her and get to know her.We had the most equisite dinner you could ever imagine at The Rutherford House. We got to do an interactive dinner prep with Chef Joey Altman which was so much fun! With dinner we tried 3 different wines - a 2012 Reserve Chardonnay, a 2012 Sterling Carneros Pinot noir, and a 2009 Platinum Cabernet. The cabernet was my favorite hand's down. It had such an intense fruit taste with well-integrated oak.
Stay tuned for more posts featuring Sterling Vineyards' wines and inspiration from them! I highly recommend this winery to anyone planning a trip to Napa. It's definitely a "bucket list" trip in my book!
Shop my outfit from the wine tour!:
[show_shopthepost_widget id="1059576"]Photos by: Julia Szendrei