almost all of april was devoted to our wedding then traveling for our honeymoon. to put it mildly, i feel like i’ve been living in a very, very good dream, one that i didn’t much want to wake from. but our re-entry back to our lives in venice has been lovely. coming home to our pup, who didn’t punish us too much for being away so long; to our amazing friends, who we shared many bottles of red wine with; and to our home, which we really came to miss as we traveled and lived out of suitcases for a few weeks.

every hour and dollar spent planning and paying for the wedding was beyond worth it. every worry i had seemed really silly in retrospect because it all unfolded exactly as it should. and the immense love we were surrounded with that day was nothing short of transformative.

so with a couple of backpacks and some major fatigue, we boarded our flight to thailand with some trashy magazines and junk food (yay!) and continued living in our little bubble as we traveled all over the south. all we had were our flights there and back, and not a single plan. we had so many adventures, like riding an elephant in the jungle, celebrating thai new year with water guns and singhas, and living in a jungle treehouse, all of which matt referred to as some “bucket list type shit.”

we are home, carrying worlds of gratitude and love (i seriously still have butterflies from it all), and every day working to co-create a beautiful, conscious life.

i have no words. what happened this weekend has transformed us both and we are bursting at the seams. so much more to come from me, but just thought i’d update with a couple of photographs. heading to thailand in a love bubble and i’ll see you on the flip side. xo

my bachelorette weekend was promptly followed by a weekend of decadence with my honey in las vegas. i haven’t been to las vegas since i was fifteen and honestly i’m more of a jeans and dive bar kinda gal then fancy shmancy club scene but we had an amazing time. it was our last “dating anniversary” and we did it up right with dinner at joel robuchon’s l’atelier (matt has been waiting to eat here for years), a little gambling (i just sit there and enjoy free drinks! definitely not a gambler.) and then out for the quintessential crazy club evening.

the best part?

coming home. as much as we will always be down for a good time and i will always spend a couple of evenings in a pair of stilettos and a hot dress, we love our little family, our little house, our not-so-little dog and our big, beautiful life here in venice.

next stop: marriage. then thailand. and i so cannot wait.

blessed. 

my family. these two goobers make everything better.

5 ways to survive going gluten-free. really great advice for those of you that are ditching wheat (i highly encourage it!).

nuxe huile prodigieuse. i bought this amazing oil in portgual and it’s changing my skin.

cooking. seriously! who knew?!

365 til 30. a new, very inspiring blog read. (thanks erin!)

i’m sitting on the couch with sweatpants on, smart wools pulled up to my knees and a scarf. (yes, matt is a very lucky man.)
he just made me a delicious pour-over cup of coffee (i got it from santa.)
and i’m taking a moment to sit, to write, to catch up blogs and websites.
to just enjoy the morning. it’s what i need. completely.

i have felt beyond tender this holiday.

it’s absolutely nobody’s fault. it was a beautiful holiday with a letter from santa, stockings, lots of wine and laughing, but it’s felt a little overwhelming.

could it be?
{the full on head cold hit me with my period close behind. (amazing timing, santa.)}
{that i came in with a silver tray full of expectations balanced on a pinky finger.}
{that i adore my family so much, and it’s hard knowing that we are all across the country.}
{that i am creating my own family, and in that there’s a lot of excitement, fear and a little loss.}
{that i need to be alone a good amount of time in order to fill back up. (introvert, baby!)}

it’s a beautiful terrain to be navigating and i just keep tripping, learning, then looking up. there’s so much to be grateful for, even when things gets a little mucky.

happy holidays.

hope you have a lovely time celebrating this time with those you love.

taking a lil’ break to soak it all up. see you soon.

my parents’ love.
i am immensely grateful for my parents’ love for one another. it has been built very carefully brick by brick, and has been so beautiful to observe as i get older. it’s rare. whether they are picnicking in the living room watching bad reality tv and eating whole foods’ sushi, or wandering venice beach hand in hand, or even traveling the globe, my parents inspire me to keep at love when it’s hard, enjoy it when it’s great, and practice mad gratitude for even getting the chance.

my brother, john barnes larue.
i am pretty positive there is NO ONE funnier than my little brother. when i am with him you can guarantee that many inappropriate things have been said, and there are likely tears streaming down my face. (the photo above is him demonstrating his own version of yoga for me.) on top of that, he has a huge heart and is my best buddy. love you john.

my first family.
yes, i’m building my own family now but these are the original gangstas right here. i cannot even put into words how much these three mean to me. when we are all together all we do is laugh. laugh, and drink wine actually. they have put up with/supported/loved me through so much, and i cannot imagine a better crew to have behind you. major, major gratitude for my dad, mom, and brother.