The whole purpose of religion
is to facilitate love and compassion, patience,
tolerance, humility, forgiveness.
Dalai Lama

#compassion #love #religion

missing nicole and meredith

Ok. this post is specifically for my wedding brigade but if you want to answer any of the fun questions feel free! It just hit me this week that we have less than a year before the wedding! Yahoo! That means I must start planning, seriously now. So I started with our wedding site. Check it out: Stacey & Amber!

Lil, Lex, Nicole, Mace, Brit, Shelbs & Mere- 

Questions about YOU——>

1. What is your favorite thing to do right now? Mine is exploring wedding blogs and/or yoga. I think Nicole’s is making furniture.
2. Are you excited about fall? I am!
3. Do you have a favorite quote? Mine is “all good things are wild and free”- HDT or “advance confidently toward your dreams”- HDT
4. What do you dream about everyday? I dream about hiking the AT. Lillie dreams about New York, am I right?
5. What are you passionate about? I love the outdoors and animals. Shelby loves taking care of her little brother.
6. Has anything happened since the last time we talked? I made a living wall yesterday and its bad ass.
7. Drink of choice? Right now mine is vodka water with lemon. Mmmm
8. Do you consider yourself an idealist or realist? I’m a dreamer through and through
9. Do you like cats? We all know the answer to this

Questions about ze wedding———>

1.)  Is there a specific area you want to help with?

(baking, music, organizing, social media, crafting, thrifting, atmosphere, decorations, games,  writing, food, drinks, photography, hair and makeup, jewelry, flowers, socializing the day of, coordinating, bachelorette party)

*you can answer on here through, FB, phone or e-mail (paintbycoffee@me.com)

enjoying a new job

enjoying new friendships

shuffling schedules

contemplating a tattoo

testing new recipes

starting a new book adventure

searching for a perfect wedding venue

listening to strange cat sounds

I finally had time to put together clips from our CO trip! I’m really diggin Fleet Foxes right now so I used one of their fantastic indie folk songs. I think it turned out swell. All the video was filmed with my sony cyber shot so its a little shakey in some places. We had lots of fun despite my altitude sickness and the lack of snow. I love any adventure with this guy. Oh, and this is from December 2011, not Dec. 2012. Whoops. (see end of video)  

#Denver #Stacey #video #Boulder #fleetfoxes #Colorado

I still find each day too short for all the thoughts I want to think, all the walks I want to take, all the books I want to read, and all the friends I want to see.

One day I will do it all . . . when I’m on the AT 😉

this is a great tune by one of may many favorite bands. a perfect wedding song and a perfect song for my new AT playlist!

i will thru-hike the AT

i will open my outdoor store and it will be very successful

i will travel to new zealand

i will have the most perfect wedding on a budget

i will live the life i have imagined

I am a dreamer. I dream new things daily. Most of them become wishes. But there are a few that I can not get rid of now matter how hard I try. It is safe to say my life would not be complete if they are not seen through. Therefore I must advance confidently in their direction.

#vacation #tvscreens #travel #computerscreens #importantthings #minuets

“The hardest thing in the world is to simplify your life–

it’s so easy to make it complex.” – Yvon Chouinard

Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia

To the brilliant man who brought doing good and having a blast into the heart of a business like no other-

I have gained buckets of inspiration from your biography. You are a true hero and ideal role model. You reminded me the importance of true authenticity and that there is hope for change. Thank you  Mr. Chouniard  for thinking about the planet and doing your thang. I will forever be a supporter of Patagonia!

If you are a wannabe entrepreneur I highly recommend “Let My People Go Surfing” by Yvon Chouinard. It’s an easy ready and so beautifully brilliant.

#business #trueauthenticity #yvonchouinardfounder

the world needs more passion.

more hearts yearning to give, to love, to make a difference.

more feet anxious to move, to leap, to take the first step.

more souls eager to believe, to grow, to share some kindness.

and less fuss.

to live more passionately  give up the fuss. there’s simply no time for all that.

Perhaps one did not want to be loved so much as to be understood.
George Orwell

when you plant yourself in this moment and make the most of it, you are free. 

"Energy Follows Thought"

You know what is completely and utterly amazing about life? Choice, the freedom to choose between things every minute of every day. You choose what to wear each day and what to have for breakfast. You decide who you spend your time with, whom you share your body, your life, your money and energy with. You select where you will go to school, eat, and shop. You can choose the music you listen to and the books you read. You can choose how you will view unexpected things in life— will they be challenges or opportunities? You can choose the words you use and the tone of voice in which you speak to others. Most of all, you can choose your thoughts.

With beautiful thoughts you can turn your world into a magical place. Learn to control your mind. Learn to select your thoughts like you select your clothes every morning.  Feed your head with happy thoughts, because remember—  you have the power to your happiness.There are many things that are out of our control, but my goodness, there are also so many things we can control!

a favorite happy thought

My favorite “happy thoughts” exercise is writing down all the things that bring a smile to my face. I have countless papers, napkins and post-its covered with themes of words and phrases. Whatever mood I’m in at the moment usually inspires the theme.

I’m a romantic, so most of them go something like this: Lace. Paris. Sundresses. Audrey Hepburn. Pastels. Taking pictures at dusk. E. E. Cummings. Fresh fruit. Sun-kissed skin. Napping in hammocks. English tea. Matinee movies. Girl nights. Ingrid Michealson. Peonies. Forehead kisses. Night time runs.

Ok..I think you can get the point.

So it has been a while… some of you may be wondering why the daily happiness has stopped. I would love to tell you that I was off traveling the world or following my favorite band or even volunteering  at the local zoo; unfortunately, none of that is true. Heck, I haven’t even been that busy with school work. Nope, life has been somewhat average. But you see, that has been just the problem. Average life to me is so completely uninspiring! Doing the same thing each week, seeing the same people, listening to the same music…the same ole song and dance with no break in the routine!!! Which brings me to my truth I re-realized while I’ve been away. 

INSPIRE TO BE INSPIRED

If you are feeling dull and are so bored with your life, well, it is up to you to do something about it! Don’t sit around like I did waiting for a gust of inspiration to pick you up because it may or may not come. We are lucky on days when the world drops inspiration right in our laps, but most of the time it is up to us to search for it.

So where do we look? Where can we find inspiration? My favorite places to find inspiration are people. My oldest source is my best friend, Lillie. She radiates creativity. I wish I could spend everyday with her. (She is a whole post in herself, I need to put that on my to-do list.) Connecting and sharing ideas with people are my first go-to during my inspiration hunt. I feel my best when I spend time with my creative friends— the writers, the photographers, the idealists, the painters, the musicians. You are all great inspiring people.

Other top inspiration places include (but are definitely not limited to):

Places, go somewhere, see things, experience cultures! Get the travel bug. Music- ALL music. (especially live) The saxophone is my favorite :) Reading. Poetry, your old journal, biographies, quotes, romance novels. Doesn’t matter— whatever strikes your fancy .Art museums, Your neighborhood, these are sometimes the best. Walks around the block are great to clear your thoughts.

So the answer to the question really is, everywhere. You can find inspiration everywhere.

Live with a goal to inspire others and you will be inspired, I promise.

On days when your inspiration tank is running low, try to inspire someone else. I warn you- this is not easy. It takes a lot for you to even realize that you are in need of inspiration. Which is clearly why it is important to stay inspired! Keep doing the things that make life interesting to you. If that is building statues out of your food, do it. If it is writing down your thoughts, do it. If it is driving the scenic route on the way home, do it. Think outside the box, open your mind, create inspiration.

You Can Make A Grey Day Pretty.