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Relationship Talk
Hey guys! Thanks for reading. Today we are talking love- with Valentine's Day next week, it's on the mind :) As you know, Lo is married to her best friend, Jason, and we thought it would be fun for her to dish on their married life! Keep reading for more! xo
MARRIED LIFE WITH LO //Jason and I have been married for a little over two years, and I must say first that being a wife is the best gift I have ever received. My abs have improved due to my consistent belly laughs, my character has strengthened from being lovingly challenged, my walls have slowly been knocked down due to feeling safe to communicate the good, the embarrassing, and the hard. I moved to an apartment in California six months before we got married, and have lived here over two years now. I must admit, marriage is such a learning process. It took us time to truly get each other on the most internal level and create a rhythm as a couple (and we are still learning and adjusting!). It took productive fights and misunderstandings and vulnerability to get there, but man is it worth it. I know we still have so much learning ahead of us, but it has been the most enriching journey to experience thus far. Not to mention, these two years have created such a solid foundation. Our priority is creating intentional time together to talk deeply, to not talk deeply, to crush, to flirt, to be adventurous and random, to lay in bed all day. We were both saying last night that we have never enjoyed spending time together as much as we do now! Jason is truly my best friend and my favorite travel partner, and life is so much better with him + living with a boy is so much greater than I ever imagined! I am thankful for how he leads our family spiritually, supports my passions, loves me fully despite my quirks, communicates with his whole heart, listens, takes care of me emotionally, intentionally develops community, and makes me feel like a priority! I am often overwhelmed with gratefulness that the Lord chose me to be his wife.
SHOP THE POST:
denim jacket | shirt | the jeans | sunnies
*images by felicia lasala
[show_shopthepost_widget id="2406395"]
Valentine's Day Wishlist
We are big fans of Valentine's Day. It's such a sweet, love-filled day and we can't help to get giddy over it. Below is our Valentine's Day Wishlist- it includes a few girly items that we would love to receive + they make great gifts for your bestie, sister, or mom. Links are below to shop and feel free to send this link over to your guy...:) Ideas can be so helpful! XO
stranded dry shampoo powder
french girl lip polish
voluspa candle
kosas lipstick
love themed undies
slip silk sleep mask
+ the denim jacket featured in the main image :) XO
*featured image by felicia lasala
I Think Therefore I Am … Purposeful
In the second part of her semi-autobiographical book, Eat, Pray, Love, Liz Gilbert travels to India where she learns the devotion of her faith in the practice of yoga. During her three months of dedicated practice, Liz exposed more about herself, discovering her worth, potential, and validity. However, her journey in self-discovery subjected her, at times, to growing pains and circumstances that would convict her spirit and test her strength. For Liz, she underwent the bulk of her growing pains in refining her practice of yoga. Liz described this practice of devotion and how it affirmed her purpose in life, saying,
“Yoga is the effort to experience one’s divinity personally and then to hold on to that experience forever. Yoga is about self-mastery and the dedicated effort to haul your attention away from your endless brooding over the past and your nonstop worrying about the future so that you can seek, instead, a place of eternal presence from which you may regard yourself and your surroundings with poise. Only from that point of even-mindedness will the true nature of the world (and yourself) be revealed to you. True Yogis, from their seat of equipoise, see all this world as an equal manifestation of God’s creative energy- men, women, children, turnips, bedbugs, coral: it’s all God in disguise. But the Yogis believe a human life is a very special opportunity, because only in a human form and only with a human mind can God-realization ever occur. The turnips, the bedbugs, the coral- they never get a chance to find out who they really are. But we do have that chance. ‘Our whole business therefore in this life,’ wrote Saint Augustine, rather Yogically, ‘is to restore to health the eye of the heart whereby God may be seen.’”
By mere virtue of being human, we each have significance, worth, and purpose. Because we are human, because we have the capacity to think, feel, dream, achieve, and inspire, our lives have meaning. In light of our humanity, we are powerful and impactful. It is what we choose to do with our power and impact, then, that will define the purpose of our lives. Until we believe in the power within us, in the purpose that is driving us, we will not see our lives lived to their fullest potential. For Liz, her trip to India summoned her to discover her purpose. As much as she tried tirelessly to force herself into a pure devotion of meditation, she could not arrive to a presence of self-awareness; she could not see who she ought to be. It was not until the moment she surrendered that she ultimately found herself. The same, in a sense, goes for us. We can try as relentlessly as we will to arrive to the people we want to be, to force ourselves to climb up the corporate ladder, to impress our family, to find the love of our lives, and to acquire whatever American dream we have reinvented for ourselves. But, until we believe in the purpose inherent in who we are, until we come to discover who we truly are, even attaining those aspirations will seem void and incomplete. 
While these dreams, aspirations, and habits that we create for ourselves may not be bad in and of themselves, they still will not lead us to realizing the purpose we wish to live out. So, instead of being driven by the dreams, ambitions, and ideals we wish to achieve, we should be driven by the people we believe to be. When we reorient our mindset so that we see our purpose and our worth first, we may begin to see the journey of achieving as an achievement in itself. For, when we come to believe in our worth, we will notice opportunities we may not have seen otherwise. When we are driven by our worth in this moment in time, rather than in any future time, we will find purpose in any circumstance. When we discover and believe in our worth, our purpose, and in the people we have come to be, we may not be easily faltered by disappointment, discouragement, tragedy, heartbreak, or failure. Instead, in light of our purpose, and in realizing that we are being refined in each moment that we live, we will hold fast to our worth and we will believe in our inherent power to use that worth to influence the people, places, and situations around us. You may have found yourself asking, “What do I need in my life to find purpose?”, “Who do I need to become in order to be worthy?” When we assure ourselves of our inherent worth, when we believe in the power within us, and when our eyes are opened to all that we are, those questions become irrelevant. Instead, we may find ourselves asking, “According to my worth, what can I make of this moment?” “Because of my purpose, what will I do with this instance, with this year, with this life?” Our purpose, then, does not become something that defines us, but it remains something that continually enlightens us. So, instead of waiting to arrive to our destiny, we may use our own power and the belief we have in our purpose to redefine our destiny. In the power of our conviction, we may, just then, ask ourselves: “What is my purpose? And, how can I use my purpose to influence the way I live?”
This Little Love of Mine
I visit coffee shops quite frequently to write. Sometimes, as I break away from my zone, I observe the people and conversations around me. As I scan the room, I see friends catching up and work meetings underway. I find some people sipping their coffee, contently in solitude while others are waiting for their other party to arrive. Among the various people, it becomes easy to spot those that are with a loved one- the couples. They distinguish themselves from the rest with only a light in their eyes, an airiness in the way they carry themselves, and a discernible love for life in their demeanor. Next Sunday is Valentine’s Day, and as boyfriends, girlfriends, partners, husbands, and wives prepare to spoil their loved ones and show them their appreciation, I thought we would take some time to reflect on how we can share in each other’s love, not just on Valentine’s Day, but on any day of the year. Last week, we discovered the importance of discovering what brings us joy. As we grow secure in seeking out opportunities that reveal our joy, we should become inspired to assure the joy of others. When our revealed joy transpires to bringing joy to others, that might change the way that we share our lives with those around us. So, as we come upon the holiday of love, how do we share in love no matter what our relationship status may be? How does our love for the lives we live become so distinguishable, so evident among all the rest? How do we use our love of life, our joy in finding what brings us pleasure, in order to help others in the pursuit of what brings them joy? Two days ago, Coldplay performed in the Super Bowl 50 halftime show. In the opening of their performance, Coldplay’s Chris Martin spoke to millions of viewers, saying “... Wherever you are, we’re in this together.” Joined by Beyoncé and Bruno Mars in the finale, the three sang the band’s Up&Up lyrics, “We’re going to get it, get it together right now. // Going to get it, get it together somehow. // Going to get it, get it together and flower. // We’re going to get it, get it together I know. // Going to get it, get it together and flow. // Going to get it, get it together and go.” We may not be world-famous singers, we may not be in a position to display our influence in front of millions of viewers around the world, but we all possess a light and a joy. In a relationship or not, performing in front of millions or not, we have that light in our eyes and that joy in our hearts. While we may not be able to share our joy with the whole world, we can certainly share our joy with those around us, and that is enough to influence the world. As we begin to discover and grow in our own joy, we will become more confident in extending that joy to others. Once we realize the power in the presence of shared joy and of spreading our own love to influence those around us, we may witness world-change. In exploring the influence of our love and joy, we may pursue relationships, experiences, or opportunities that allow us to expand our joy to the rest of the world in order to serve the joy of others. We may, then, start by being more intentional about the people in our own lives. How are we serving them so that their joy is evident? How are we loving them so that the light in their eyes has an evident twinkle? How are we supporting them and enabling them to be all that they can be and to love the lives that they have been given? Let us not stop short of investing in the joy of others. While we work to discover and secure the things in life that bring us joy, let us go farther and push past boundaries in order to discover and secure the joy of others. This may begin to change the way we think and act, so that the decisions we make do not just affect our own lives, but they influence the betterment of another person. We may, then, become intentional and sensitive in the way that we act. We may begin to create a habit that focuses on the joy of others, instead of just the joy of ourselves. We may even find joy in a painful situation, realizing that our own circumstances have the power to harbor an influence or affect on someone else’s life. Finding joy for ourselves, then, becomes more than just a quest for our own betterment, but it becomes meaningful in influencing positive change in the lives of others.When we truly believe that we are all in this beautifully complicated life together, despite differences of race, ethnicity, gender, religion, socio-economic status, opinion, thought, or belief, we will discover our powerful capability to influence the lives of others. We will, then, realize our potential in discovering and assuring joy, and seeing how that joy can spread throughout the world. We may also begin to assure our own joy and the love we share for those around us despite our circumstances, whether we are in a relationship or not, whether we acquire fame or not, whether we find the perfect job or not. For, we may begin to believe that our own joy and our own love do not only illuminate the light in our own eyes, but they allow light to break through the darkest corners of the earth.
aerie love.
Ever since the “heart fairy” covered my bedroom floor with colorful candy hearts when I was little, Valentine’s Day has always been one of my favorite days in the world. What’s better than twenty four hours dedicated to celebrating love? I know some people are resentful toward this holiday, but even if you are not in love, there are so many ways to make this date so enjoyable!
Ideas: make cute heart shaped pancakes for your roomies, fill your home with beautiful flowers, or send your friend an adorable valentine telling them how much they mean to you! Even better: cozy up in these Aerie heart socks or fancy up in these cat eye sunnies and military romper, plan a fun dinner with your close girlfriends and celebrate what you are thankful for!
Aerie and I have partnered up to make this holiday even lovelier than it already is! This chambray dress immediately caught my eye considering it is so cozy to run errands in or tidy up the house! Not to mention, I am so honored to support the #AerieReal movement, which promotes anti-photoshopping. I hope everyone comes to notice their true beauty during this season of new beginnings and the start of a new year.
What are your plans for Valentine's Day? Jason and I are escaping to the beach (our happy place) for a few days! I haven't thought about a swimsuit in a few months considering this chilly weather, but I found this adorable one along with this panama hat and roomy poncho. Oh! And naturally these heart sunnies. 
P.S. Need some adorable Valentine's Day gift ideas? A coffee mug is always a perfect present; this cupcake kit is beyond darling; everyone needs a cute first aid kit; and can we just all talk about this tumbler? #cutest
long weekend = big sales!
I feel like every retail store uses any and every excuse they can for a sale. Which I'm completely okay with. This weekend in particular, was Valentine's Day, and President's Day tomorrow! I've done a little shopping guide for you of all the amazing sales going on (with some of my favorite pieces included). For the winter sale items: this is the perfect time to grab some adorable sweaters for next Fall or buy that coat you had been eyeing all season. A lot of stores too (LOFT) are doing sales on their new arrivals as well! Happy Shopping!
- LOFT - 50% off select new arrivals, an additional 60% off sale!!
- Madewell - Extra 30% off sale styles with code "AMOUR"
- ASOS - 20% off with the code "PREZDAY20"
- Milk & Honey Boutique - Free shipping with code "BEMINEXO"
- Nordstrom - up to 40% off shoes! No code needed!
Here are a few of my top picks from these sales![show_boutique_widget id="223155"]
Valentine's Day Giveaway!
valentine's day gift guide
Hard to believe that Valentine's Day is now less than a month way! Everyone has different opinions on this holiday, but here's mine: it's the greatest day ever. A day to celebrate love and eat chocolate and everything is red and pink. Lo & I have put together a little gift guide for anyone who needs some ideas for their man!1) gin rummy glass // "they are so cool and masculine // jase loves ours" - Lo2) steak knives3) whiskey rocks4) Habanero Escobar Beef Jerky5) the yummiest coffee6) for the photographer7) a cool duffel bag for weekend trips8) a new pair of running shoes
I am also in love with this new pullover we got for Michael this weekend. It's Patagonia - so it's super sporty and athletic, but the buffalo check makes it so on trend and great for a casual date night too!Shop our Valentine's day gift picks here, or check out my gift guide on Pinterest![show_boutique_widget id="214280"]
feature on the style line.
I am so excited to share this adorable Valentine's Day feature on The Style Line discussing true beauty and the fashion industry. {Written by founder of Packed Party, Jordan Jones, and photographed by the lovely Kat Harris).