self love in 2018

always, around the new year i feel this surge of creativity.  this hint of inspiration to write and to paint again.  it must have something to do with all the time off from work.  it frees my brain up to think about and to feel the energies that make me tick.  

i really dislike nye itself, but what i do love about a new year is the chance for a clean slate.  the opportunity to create new goals.  2017 was rough for a lot of people.  it brought a lot of challenges to my life both personally and professionally.  2017 really, in all sense of the word, challenged me.  it also brought so much love and sense of purpose to my life.  it brought the decision to spend the rest of my life with the man i spent my life waiting to meet.  the man that makes me feel incredibly loved, supported, and respected.  2017 really shook things up.  i think when we get comfortable in life we tend to coast.  we tend to forget about things that excite us and entice us, and it's hard to remember the things that we are passionate about.  what i'm trying to say is that 2017 drudged up a lot of painful bad feelings but it brought a lot of people to life again and gave them a sense of purpose.  

my new goal and resolution in 2018 is simply to be kind to myself, and this means a lot of things, and i'll list them out..

• stop insulting your body
• love and appreciate where you are in life 
• know that you are intelligent (as i spell intelligent wrong about 3 times)
• trust your gut
• don't allow yourself to be bullied
• don't feel like you have to react if someone challenges or confronts you.. you owe it to yourself to gather your thoughts
• stop overthinking other people's possible actions, thoughts, or behavior.. you can only control yourself so stay peaceful and mindful 
• work out simply because it makes you feel confident and good, inside and out
• be thoughtful about what you consume both physically and mentally
• know that you have a skill set that can't be taught 

zach and i recently started leasing a car and now have sirius radio.  we have been listening to a lot of howard's 'best of 2017' interviews and it helped me realize something that is both obvious but important.  i learned that no matter who you are, how famous you are, what your job title is, how talented you are, everyone and anyone can feel intimidated by someone or insecure, or second guess themselves, and feel like what you have to offer just isn't good enough.  i'm sitting there listening to these people who i see as confident, smart, and insanely talented feel less than and i'm like completely dumbfounded by it.  but it shows me that i am not alone in my feelings and that as an outsider it seems crazy.  i want, in 2018, to look at myself the same way i see other people.  i want to see myself as a talented, inspired, smart, confident woman.  i want to be my best self, especially as i enter into marriage. it is a process but i've been my best self once before and i can do it again.  2018 will be about self love and respect and i will enter in as i enter every new year, with optimism and love.

it's been a while

wow.. it has been some time since I've written anything on here. a lot has happened since i last checked in! what's ironic, is the last post on here was a few days after my wonderful friend of 22 years told me about zach, and just 6 days before our first date.. fast forward a year and zach and i are engaged, i have a new job, and we have a new home!  it's really crazy how life works.  

as i mentioned, i  have i left my menswear bros for the wonder-filled world of event design.  i have met some of the most incredible women (with a sprinkling of some truly amazing men). this next chapter in my career has pushed me, creatively, in ways i thought i would never experience.  this world is truly magical..  and it puts a whole new pressure on planning a wedding!  i am completely up for the challenge.

now.. onto the new space!  though we stayed in the same building, sadly the cozy studio did not provide enough space for the stuff of two people.  zach moved into my studio last july, and in september we moved upstairs to a one bedroom, better known on IG as the #antonioucohenhaus!  i wanted to share some photos of the new place, and as of yesterday i think we are finally as finished as we will ever be!  we still don't have a bed... but you know.. we'll get there.

happy sunday!

first grade flashback

Yesterday was bring-your-friend-to-work day (as well as pajama day) for Mrs. Dangelo, and I had the honor of teaching her first graders how to draw pet portraits! It was so much fun and the kids did SUCH a great job.  They watched me draw Bunky (Nicole's cat) on the smart board and then they went around the room and told us what animal they were going to draw.  They were just so excited!  It was also really cool to see my friend in action.  The way she runs her classroom and interacts with the kids was so inspiring to watch.  Below is some of the artwork (my favorite is the Elf on the Shelf).  Too cute! 

Happy Christmas Eve everyone!  I hope everyone has somewhere to be and people to see.

interior inspirations: upscale industrial

I don't typically talk about my "day job" on here but I recently had the amazing opportunity of designing my company's new office on Wall Street.  From concept to completion it took about 6 months.  It was a very aggressive timeline to say the least.  It aged me by say.... 10 years... but it was and is my proudest moment.  There were a lot of moving parts and it was definitely a team effort.  

We started with a raw space as seen in the photos below.  It's so cool to see where we started and where we ended up.  The over all concept was clean, upscale, with just a hint of industrial.  The goal was to encompass the aesthetic all three House of GANT collections with a nod to downtown NYC... and maybe I threw a little LA vibe in there as well.  

So as you can see I got to start with a blank canvas!  I have to say everything came together better than I imagined.  

The floors are a sprayed concrete which were a great contrast to the white brick walls.  Since we are in a commercial building an actual exposed ceiling would have been an eye sore.  It would have looked like popcorn ceiling central.  To achieve an exposed ceiling look, while running like hell away from a dropped ceiling tile situation, we built out a soffit that echoes the existing beams.  We then applied a grey stucco so that the ceiling has more of a concrete look to it.  The exposed pipes were painted a matte black which added to the whole clean industrial details of the space. 

The lighting fixtures are a mix of School House Electric, Urban Archeology, and my personal favorite, Workstead.  The pieces that excite me most in the space I would say are the couches by Stephen Kenn.  I saw them at a GQ party right around the time I was starting to source the furniture for the office.  I felt like they really encompassed the brand from the indigo dyed cushions to the vegetable dyed leather belts.  They are also super comfortable and if I could take a nap on them everyday I would.  The desks are my other favorite pieces which were designed by a company called Sawkille. I had found them one day while I was browsing on Instagram.  Jonah Meyer, who I believe is the owner/founder, is just so talented.  They built our tables in the large showrooms as well.  They are absolutely gorgeous. 

I also really love how the reception area came out.  The danish modern pieces are by OX Denmarq out of.. you guessed it.. Denmark.  The couch was a vintage piece I picked up from Brimfield as well as the carpet.  The carpet was from a company I really fell in love with called Nomadic Trading Company.  They had some really cool finds. 

The kitchen is really what got everyone in the office excited.  The blue tile came from our specific color of GANT Blue, but it also reminded me of the exterior of B Bar.  It looks pretty awesome, especially against the white marble and black cabinets.  The brass hardware in the kitchen is by Lewis Dolin.  These ones I discovered on good old Pinterest! 

I can't forget to mention the beautiful plants that are sprinkled throughout the space.  These plants and pots were provided by The Sill.  I have wanted to work with them for so long now.  I am so excited to have their pieces in our space.

And lastly..... the custom pool table..... that.. pool table.  I lost so much sleep over this pool table.  All I can say is that it exists, it is here, and I can finally move on with my life.  In all seriousness it really looks great.  We use it waaaay more than I thought we would, and no one has shot a ball into a glass window... yet.

Just recently we had the talented Mr. Alastair Casey come in to photograph the space with all of its final touches.  He did such a great job capturing all of the details.  

This was definitely a unique experience and I feel like a proud mamma!  I hope you all enjoyed the photos.  If you have any questions about any of the pieces please leave a comment below!

mountain creek cottage

My 30th birthday weekend was everything I hoped for.  All I wanted was to be in the middle of the woods, in a cabin, far away from the city, dancing around a fire pit like Max from Where the Wild Things Are, and I got it!  All of it!!  I found the most adorable little cottage on Airbnb.  It looked like it was plucked out of a fairytale!  After booking it (all I cared about were the aesthetics) I then decided to read about the place.. I'm not a researcher, I've never claimed to be.. and yes I judge books by their cover.  After reading I saw that the cottage was located in West Kill off of Devil's Path... so naturally the girls and I were convinced that we were going to get murdered.  Of course, we fast forward and as soon as we got to the house were in love! Even after getting to there at 10:30 at night.  Call me crazy but I'm very sensitive to energies and spaces and I get creeped out very easily, but this place felt SO nice.  There were great vibes happening between those walls.  (I still lit a little sage just incase!)

The owners, Kim and Robert, had just renovated the 1950's cottage and the decor was perfection!  They had pour over coffee drippers, flatware from Fishs Eddy, Danish modern furniture, a brand new grill, and the most comfortable beds!  At night you were falling asleep to the babbling brook beside the cottage.  No cell service, no TV, no internet, just a land line!  It was SO refreshing.  Kim stopped by Saturday morning with fresh veggies from her garden and homemade jam and gave us some hiking tips for the day.  While Sadah and Nicole went out to buy some food for the cottage, Ash and I ate snap peas and planned out our trail.   

There were soo many pictures, so I split them up into sections!

Saturday, after our hike, the girls set the screened-in porch up for a little birthday celebration. They did such a great job!  Sadah had made the cutest succulent cupcakes in little tera cotta pots.  There were presents and champaign and hot dogs! All the best things!  After dinner we had a little Craftermoon session and made our head pieces that we would wear around the fire pit. 

Our main activity Saturday was our hike.  Our 10 mile hike.... and we are not hikers.  We knew we were in trouble when this old man who worked at the fire tower said "Well you girls must be experienced since you're doing this trail."  Seven hours, several marshes, one rolled ankle, one bum knee, one snake, two panic attacks, zero walking sticks, and one beautiful waterfall later we were out of the woods!  I immediately started singing Taylor Swift.  

The views were stunning and I personally think it was worth it.  

After the hike we showered and then I had two personal firsts.  I successfully built a fire (thank you Alfredo) and I successful barbecued!!  Ash kept the fire going which was the hardest part. We were very proud.  I then had my Max moment, we played with sparklers, and then ended the night by staring at the stars for about an hour before bed.  Even back home the stars don't look like that.  It was so nice.

On Sunday we said goodbye to the little gingerbread house and made our way over to the Phoenicia Diner, then to Woodstock, and then to our final destination..... the World's Largest Garden Gnome at Kelder's Farm.  I made friends with a cow there.  Her name was Sally.  

It was the perfect way to honor 30 years. 

“let the wild rumpus start!”

— Where the Wild Things Are

london town

London, the final trip of my travels!  

Landing in England gave me butterflies.  Their land is so lush.  The trees and the gardens were overwhelmingly beautiful.  We stayed at the Hoxton Hotel in Shoreditch which definitely has a Brooklyn vibe going on.  I highly recommend staying there.  They did a great job with the overall design of the hotel.  The service was great, their drinks are strong, and the rooms are perfection.  

The highlight of the 3 days in London was hands down Sunday's High Tea at Sketch.  Yes, the place with the egg pod bathroom.  You walk into this place and you feel like you're in a fairy tale.  The first room you pass is the The Glade which looks like an enchanted forest.  It literally made me gasp.  High Tea was served in The Gallery which was the pink room.  The room made you feel like you were in a dream.  It was an Interior Designer's heaven.  An entire room with a theme that was carried out through every little detail.  Everything was rose gold and pink. They had the perfect coupe glasses and rose gold miniature table lamps at the table.  The food was delicious, the cocktails were really tasty, and the tea of course was great.  I loved the dinnerware and tea sets.  At the bottom of your tea cup it said "forget about it." Loved it. There was a little surprise around every corner.  And yes.. the bathrooms were so cool. It felt like you walked into Milk Bar in Clockwork Orange.  I took a video... it's fine.  Each pod/stall had sounds of birds chirping.  I think I was in there for about 15 minutes just taking pictures and videos. 

We of course squeezed in all of the major sites in between my work schedule.  Seeing these structures and the architecture gave me goosebumps.  When I see buildings that I have only seen in photographs it's as if I'm seeing a celebrity.  My stomach drops and I get a little girl on Christmas morning excited.  And the ravens!  The ravens were so huge.  Seeing them in person made me feel confused. Like they were only supposed to exist in Edgar Allan Poe stories. They are gorgeously creepy animals.  I was in awe of them.

The final stop of the trip, which was my favorite site of the entire week, was the Abbey Road crossing.  My parents were SO excited when I shared my photos with them.  The crosswalk is a pretty busy intersection so you had to walk quickly. 

I absolutely loved London.  It also made me realize how much I speak in an awful fake British accent on the regs.  I had to stop myself each time or else I would get horrified looks from people...... something.. to work on.

father, daughter + norman rockwell

I think today is an appropriate day to share a recent trip I took to Stockbridge with my dad.   My dad had gone up there for his birthday last year and sent me about 50 photos on his phone, pretty much every painting and illustration he came across.  All he has wanted to do for the past year is take me up there to experience it with him.  

When we got up there it was warm and pretty overcast, which of course I love.  We went through the museum and watched a video of Norman Rockwell's life.  Getting to see his pieces like The Gossips and Freedom of Speech in person was really special.  Seeing all of the prints of the Saturday Evening Post lined up was inspiring.  One person did all of that work.  It gave me a little bit of anxiety thinking about all of those hundreds of deadlines, haha.  The amount of detail that you can see in his work is absolutely amazing.  It's inspiring and intimidating all at once. 

We also got to see his actual studio that was picked up and moved from the center of town to a quiet little patch of land behind the museum.  Everything was still intact.  It was beautiful. We learned about his process and how you can spot it in some of his work.  For instance in The Marriage Counselor you can see that he used models in his studio as reference because it is the exact same couch from his studio, just in a different color, and the books in the marriage counselor's office are all art books which actually exist on the bookshelf next to his couch in his studio.  Something I'm sure not a lot of people have noticed while looking at that illustration.  His studio was spotless, which if you're an artist you know that isn't realistic, but in this case that is how he kept his space.  No paint on the floor, everything in it's place at all times. 

After we left the museum we found a cute little restaurant in a neighboring town for dinner.  It was a perfect day with dad. 

Happy Father's Day to all of the amazing, hardworking, caring dads out there! 

xx

3 days in sweden

We took a train from Copenhagen to Stockholm.  The ride was beautiful and just as I expected.  Rolling hills and farm houses. Horses and cows and lakes.  Fields of flowers.  It was definitely a ride to clear the mind.  

Sweden was more of a work trip for me, but work in Sweden doesn't ever feel like work.  We had a large conference down in a beautiful seaside town where we barbecued and danced on a dock till around midnight. The sun of course barely went down.  We stayed at the Miss Clara Hotel in Stockholm.  It was so beautiful.  The rooms each had tall windows with a comfy little window seat.  

I was also very excited to see my friend Katinka's store for the very first time in person. It is called.... Katinka's Store haha.  There is a mix of second hand and local designer clothing.  Her dog Zoe is the cutest pup.  She just follows you around and when you go to try on shoes she'll hop in your lap.  She is hysterical.  I ended up purchasing these little wooden butterfly coasters that Katinka found at a local flea and these shoes that are made from recycled plastic and hemp.  They are THE most comfortable shoes I have ever worn.  Katinka is the sole distributer in Sweden and Denmark I believe.  She has an online shop which is katinkasstore.com.  

I of course had to visit the GANT Rugger store!  They now have pour overs!!  The coffee was delish but it unfortunately did not cure my hangover from the night before.  The store was beautiful, as they always are.

We definitely partied hard in Stockholm and still managed to get a lot accomplished.  My favorite night was when we got out of this club early early in the morning and saw the most beautiful crescent moon over the water.  It was jaw dropping.  As was the whole trip.

copenhagen day 2

It is day 2 and I am exhausted! We managed to fit in everything in!  We saw the smallest hotel in the world, The Central Hotel + Cafe.  With only 1 room above an adorable cafe it is definitely the cutest hotel I've ever seen.

We then ate breakfast at Granola (thank you AGAIN Hannah!) and the food was of course... so so good.  YUM!  We then walked over to Nørrebro and found this little cafe owned by the nicest man called Arabica.  He was so friendly and hospitable and the furniture in the space was really cool.   After some lemon ginger tea we went shopping for home decor!  I found some great additions for my studio.

After some light shopping we went over to the Assistens Cemetery where Hans Christian Anderson is buried.  It sounds morbid but the cemetery was jaw-droppingly beautiful and the Danes have picnics and treat it as a park.  It's actually a nice idea to bring life and happiness to a normally sad place.  Sadah and I laid in a patch of daisies for about an hour.  It was lovely.

Next on the list was "Paper Island" or Papirøen.  We took a little ferry over to this spot and it reminded us a lot of Williamsburg.  It was a warehouse on a dock that had food trucks and food stands from all over the world inside.  The food, per usual, was fantastic.  Sadah got this gin drink that was the most beautiful thing we've seen all trip.  And it tasted as good as it looked (that matters to some people I guess).  

After finishing our drinks with our legs hanging over the dock we marched on to Christiania.  Christiania is a magical place filled with graffiti, overgrown plant life, and little stoners and photography is NOT allowed (which was obviously kiiiilling me). The large scale paintings of cameras with lines through them got the point across.  Christiania is a self-governed society that has its own flag and currency!  It was pretty cool to see.  This little fairy park was my favorite.  There was a tree with a red heart painted on it... and I couldn't take a picture.. and it shall live in my dreams forever.  

After Christiania we went over to the Dome of Visions which is by far one of my favorite spaces.. in life.  The dome is in existence to create awareness and more importantly initiate action and solutions when it comes to sustainable design.  The space is basically a lounge within a greenhouse with a bar to top it off!  Right on the water.  In Copenhagen.  So.. heaven.  Loved it!

Now it is time for bed once again, for tomorrow I am off to Stockholm!! 

inspiration trip: copenhagen day 1

My friend Sadah and I landed in Copenhagen this afternoon and to be honest it felt like a city or town in New England, but as the day went on we definitely discovered some unique little treats.  The food so far has been absolutely something to write home about.  The smørrebrød at The Royal Smushi Cafe (thank you Hannah) was SO good! The setting was perfect in this back, brick lined alleyway and the caffeine was just what I needed.  

We then took a boat tour to get, as Sadah would say, a lay of the land.  It was beautiful.  I found some house boats that I wouldn't mind calling my own one day.  

Finally we went to Tivoli, the 2nd oldest amusement park in the world.  The same park that Walt Disney himself used as his muse for Disney World.   It was very magical.  We ate cotton candy that was double the size of our faces and I road on the carousel.. by myself.  Yes.. I was quite literally the only one on the ride.  I sat on top of an elegant elephant as I pretended I was Princess Jasmine from Aladdin.  

We ended the night with some wienerschnitzel, rhubarb ice cream, amber lager, and a light-show on the pond!  

We are now sitting with face masks on about to pass out.  Weeee look like something out of a horror movie.

Night night everyone!

inspiration trip: brimfield

The first Brimfield of 2015 was perfect.  The air smelled of lilacs and the sun was shining.  I was there for 3 days and met so many talented vendors and designers.  

For those of you who are not familiar, the Brimfield Antique Show is this massive flea market filled with acres of antique vendors and collectors, as well as furniture designers, from all over. It happens 3 times a year in western Massachusetts and you get a little taste of small town countryside.  It is so nice!

3 days is definitely the way to do it.  Day 1 was about taking it all in and seeing what was out there.  I didn't pressure myself to buy anything.... and so I bought a couch.  Day 2 my dad joined me and it was adorable.  He loved seeing all of the antiques and loved spending time with me and experiencing a little piece of my world.  Day 3 I knew exactly what I wanted, did my final purchasing, and explored the vendors on the other side of the street that I had missed the other 2 days.  3 days and I think I made it through 75% of vendors.  And that guessing on the high side. 

I walked away with some brass ship sconces, a pair of 1930's industrial floor lamps, a stunning royal blue and cream wool rug, hemp pillows, over sized hand-carved wooden kitchen accessories, and a danish modern leather couch.  That was all for a project I'm working on.  For me, I scored a handmade barn wood frame and this really cool vegetable scientific print.   My favorite vendors by far were Nomadic Trading Company and eneby antik. 

I was very selective in my picture taking this time around.  I'm getting better at editing my eye, if that makes any sense.   For more photos check out my Instagram on @thecrabandthemoon!

interior inspirations: paris round 2

The Paris room is going to look SO good.  I stepped away from the sophisticated graphic boutique look and made it more of a fun, floral, pastel-ly cafe concept, which is what the adorable 7 year old came up with.  I love these girls already! 

Since the bed will have a canopy, the overhang can become an awning with thick stripes.   We can also transform her closet doors into cafe shop doors!  I am picturing her windows to have flower boxes where we will have a little bistro table and chairs set up.  Since there are so many places in this city to purchase props I really would like to get her some fake macaroons and cakes and cake stands to put on her dresser!  This is going to be so fun!

interior inspirations: beach house round 2

There were some changes made to the gypsy nook.  It has taken on more of a surfer girl aesthetic.  I really would love to have an ombre wall like the one pictured (where it's darker in the corners and then fades out) and have the quote "you can't stop the waves but you can learn to surf" large scale in white.  The details will be muted and washed out colors with images from She Hit Pause Studios.  I also picture a vintage surf board in the corner of the room, beach wood on the wall behind the bed, and some type of floor seating area.  I want this little sweet pea to feel inspired, calm, and like a little ocean goddess in her new space!

interior inspirations: paris

Now THIS... is the second theme for the children's rooms that I am styling. Paris. This was the first concept board that I came up with. My first step was to get far away from the cheesy Eiffel Tower furniture and accessories that you would find in Homegoods and create a more updated and modern design concept.   I wanted it to be graphic and bright and super girly! Oversized floral with details of gold against thick black and white stripes.  I think for an initial jumping off point it was great and it got the creative juices flowing.  After analyzing it a bit it was a little too "girl in her 20's".  When I go back in I will be sure to sprinkle some innocence and cuteness into the mix!  

This is SUCH  fun project.  I can't wait to meet the little girls!  Their mother tells me that the oldest loves to draw and has been looking through my illustrations.  That seriously melts my heart. 

interior inspirations: beach living

I am very excited to be working on a very inspiring + fun side project. I will be styling two adorable little girls' bedrooms. Each with different themes, beach house + Paris.  Pictured above is the very first concept board for the beach house theme.  I want the room to really encompass a calming and whimsical feel.  There will be lots of twinkle lights with cozy little nooks.  Perfect for a little beach babe!

I'll be sure to share the 2nd theme very soon!

xx

from illustration to reality: yoga with adriene

Now I KNOW  that I'm being a nerd, but I couldn't help but be so excited when I saw the latest video that Adriene put out.  She looks just like my illustration that she so lovingly shared with all of her followers (@adrienelouise)!  I smiled the entire practice... through the sweat and the pain!

I've started doing Adriene's Yoga for Weight Loss videos and they are kicking my ass.  But if I plan on wearing my new yellow bikini in a few weeks I have to keep on truckin'!

Namaste loves!

interior inspirations: kids rooms

Interior styling for kids and baby has come a long way.  I am loving these spaces that I've seen on Instagram. There may be a new project coming up!  Excited to see where it goes.

Photos by: @littlepeainteriors . @sophie_vine . @shinasiconcept . @maecocointeriors . @kristinplanskymurals . @bexyylou . @sweetcreationsboutique . @bebe_sac . @alwaysme_baby . @littletotem . @littlegatherer . @roxyoxy_creations . @genwoocraft . @tralalagifts . @littlewillemsens . @houseofhawkes . @the_wild_unknown . @chairishco 

day 30: find what feels good

It's day 30 and I feel a lot of feelings!

This last day was kind of sad but very rewarding.  For the first time ever I led my own practice! Well, there wasn't much leading as it was only me, but still.  It felt really fulfilling that I could do my own thing and feel great after.  It was actually more therapeutic than when I follow someone else.  Your mind focuses on what you're going to do next or how your body feels at that moment. There's no room for the BS of your day to sneak in.

On day 30 I think it is so important that I look back and think about where I was when I started and where I am now.  I was feeling so stressed and anxious, my body felt tired, and my mind felt cluttered. Every time I practice yoga I feel lighter and happy so I knew this journey would help heal, and it did.  My mind feels happier and healthy, my body feels stronger, and I definitely feel less anxious.  All positives and I couldn't ask for more.  

There will always be stress out there and there will always be things that make you sad or angry or aggravated but what's important is to find something that can wipe all of that away, even if it is just for 20 minutes.  

Thank you so much Adriene for helping me find my center and feel good about myself once again. This was so fun and I strongly suggest participating in the challenge if you can.  Adriene is such a great teacher.  She moves at a slow, steady pace and you don't realize that you're building muscle until you're doing things you could do before. Also she is funny and weird and we would totally be besties.

K, I'm going to go eat some healthy homemade tacos now.

Be well, namaste, and FIND WHAT FEELS GOOD! 

day 29: sweet surrender

I can't believe it's already day 29.  The journey is almost over.  I'm a little sad about it but excited to dive into her other videos.  

This challenge has brought be so far from when I first started.  I got some of my flexibility back and I'm back in my groove of doing good for my body and my mind.  I have definitely found something that I know will center me when I'm feeling a little off balance and something that will clear my mind and help me to focus on what's important.  Health and happiness. 

Stay happy and namaste loves!

day 26 + 27: finding my happy

During yoga I find that my mind tends to wander and it always finds its way to a happy place. A popular vacation spot for my mind to go is to this photo.  I took this one day last summer when my mom and I met some friends on a beach in Gloucester.  The sky was gorgeous and the water was so blue and.... freezing because it's Massachusetts. Thinking about it makes me calm and it makes me smile.  

Enjoy your day and enjoy your practice.