Lifestyle – A Pursuit of Life – Barefoot& High Heeled

5 tips to simplify your life, live minimally, and feel free

Freedom feels so good. In fact, for myself, it is one of the best feelings in the world. One of the best ways to create more freedom in your life so to simplify your life, and live minimally.

Having and creating more space in your life means you will have more space for new and amazing things to come in. Such as more travel, flexibility to enjoy a little more spontaneity, more money, and peace of mind in general.

Over the years I have downsized more and more. It seems every time I would leave the country to go travelling, I would come home only to downsize even more. Bit by bit my materials became less and less.

Although it is not just about minimizing your materials, it is also about clearing the space in your mind. It all goes hand in hand. But, by simplifying your life and all the various facets of it, you will free up your whole space, and welcome so much more awesome energy into your life.

By taking actions steps everyday to free up your life, it becomes easier and you naturally become in alignment within yourself. When you are in alignment, life won’t just give you lemons, it will give you the whole lemonade stand and a helper.

Here are 5 tips that have been tried, tested and proven true in my life to simplify and create so much more freedom.

Reduce Clutter – I feel like this is self-explanatory, however, it can be so easy to let things build up, and before you know, there is just stuff all around you. I find that not only does meaningless stuff create stagnant energy in our lives, but it also blocks our creative flow. Anything that is just lying around and taking up space, can go. Unless something it has sentimental value, it is not necessary to keep around. Out the door, it goes for me.
Think Before You Buy – ‘Do I really need this, or do I simply want it?!’ That is the question I so often hear myself saying. We have all done it, seen something shiny and pretty, and decided right on the spot that we had to have it, only to get it and have it accumulate dust. Never to be used, and only to be a space taker. When I come across something I like, that I wasn’t in the market to get, I always have a good think about it first. The majority of the time, I will leave and go think about it for a day or more. If a few days pass and I am still thinking about it, then I will go back and get it, and if it was still there waiting for me, it was meant to be, and if it is gone, then it wasn’t meant to be in my life. That helps keep the clutter down in my life.
Choose Experiences Over Stuff – less stuff means more adventure. I don’t know about you, but I live for adventure and awesome experiences. It is so much more enriching then mass amounts of material stuff. My experiences that I have had around the globe are priceless, and if having less stuff means more of that, then I am in it for the long haul. Plus the less money you spend on stuff the more money you can spend on travel and adventure.
Make A List And Be A Doer – accomplishing things just feels so satisfying. No matter where I am, I love being a doer. When you make a list, it helps you visualize exactly what you want to achieve, and will be a sure way for you not to forget everything, it also pushes you to be a doer. You get things done and don’t let things pile up in life. When you let things pile up, it wears a person down, as you are always in a stress state of having way too much to do. Placing those check marks beside the things you finished, feels so good.
Forgive And Release – emotional clutter is a thing. When we hold on to negative feelings or resentment, it holds us back and stops the flow in our life. A lot of time it’s about forgiving ourselves over others. It is so easy to be hard on ourselves, blaming ourselves for our hardships, putting ourselves down for not being as far along in our pursuits as we would like. Also, when we feel others have wronged us, and purposely did negative things towards us, it is all too easy to point fingers and hang onto anger and resentment towards them. The reality is, these feeling are truly only hurting ourselves. By forgiving and releasing the situation, whether it is towards yourself or someone else, and doing it sincerely and from your heart, you open a massive space for amazing energy to flow into your life. That doesn’t mean you need to keep anyone in your life that is holding you down, but you can still forgive and let it go. Total freedom is what lies on the other side of holding on.

When you create space in your life for more freedom, whether that is time freedom, mental freedom, emotional freedom, financial freedom, and so on – whatever it is that freedom is to you, you open up your energy space to many more wonders of life. When you are not bogged down by clutter in all it’s various forms, you then are standing up tall and reeling in the highest and most fulfilling life you can imagine.

For me, I love having the freedom to pack up at the drop of a hat and go explore the world. I love having the freedom to go and help people when they are in need, and I love to have the mental freedom to enjoy life to the fullest.

Freedom, feels amazing.

A Little Bit Of Fall Love

Fall is hands down one of my favorite times of year. From the colors, smells in the air to the temperature outside. With the cooler temperature comes layered fall fashion and warm drinks. I love it all. The only problem is that fall is way to short. If feels as though, that as soon as it arrives, it’s gone. With that said, I am always motivated to get out and take it all in.

Nature walks during the fall season, never cease to me stunningly beautiful. The crisp feel of the temperature is perfect for a brisk walk. Not to hot and not to cold.

I enjoyed a beautiful stroll here in Quesnel, BC at 10 Mile Lake.

What a stunner of a spot. I could imagine how fantastic picnics would be here in the summer. I was also totally diggin’ the outside theater.

I would have no problems planning a few awesome events for this little location.

The smells in the crisp fall air was absolutely intoxicating, I could not help but to continually inhale as deeply as possible to take the aromas in. From berries to trees, they were exuding scents of bliss. Nothing like pure clean oxygen to fuel your cells with.

With all the chaos in the world, it can be hard to stay mindful and present, and not let fears and anxieties take over our thoughts.

I always make it a point to ground and center myself. To live as mindfully as possible and stay in this present moment. Mindfulness is a state of being, something that takes daily practice to maintain, but toning that mindfulness muscle will enrich your life and create bounds more happiness for you.

For myself, being in nature is the best place for me to re-energize and be present. Soothing my soul, nourishing my mind, and taking a moment to reflect on everything I am grateful for, so I have endless high vibe energy and love to share with the world.

It is amazing what taking a moment to stop and just appreciate all the beauty that surrounds us keeps your heart open to seeing more and more endless beauty.

I also love nourishing my body from the inside with loving and warm things in the fall.

For instance I indulged in some warm homemade miso soup. It was divine! It’s so easy to make. Literally 15 minutes, and just a few ingredients. Miso, nori, tofu, green onions and water. So simple, and yet so comforting.

Accompanied with a fresh green juice and some of the highest rated cellular nutrition in the world, and you are well on your way to having a healthy high vibe fall.

If you are interested in fueling your cells and having tailored supplementation for your individual needs,to get your glow on, skin rejuvenated and energy soaring you can learn more about that here.

You know, at times it is as simple as taking myself on a ‘me time‘ date and indulging in a warm coffee at pristine location.

I do love my ‘me time’ and I always provide myself with some pretty darn good company. If I do say so myself. Not to mention, I always pick the best places to take myself.

Heck yes to being awesome, and treating yourself to the best. Happy Fall beautiful people! xoxo

Dolly Parton Concert – Legends And Dreams Come Alive

Dolly Parton. I think that is all I have to say. She is a legend.

I can’t just stop there though, so I shall go on. From a very young age, probably starting around 7, I fell in love with Dolly Parton. That was back in the days of VHS, yes remember those?! Well my grandparents were big Country fans, and they had loads of various Country concerts taped on VHS, including plenty from Dolly Parton. Back then we only got about 7 channels on TV, and that was using an antenna and tin foil on top of the TV, you know,the ones that look like bunny ears. So you taped whatever you could when you were getting good reception so you could replay it.

Yah, so I taped whatever I could of Dolly concerts and watched them all the darn time. I also bought her book ‘Dolly – My Life And Other Unfinished Business’ when I was 10, which I read about 100 times front to back.

I was enamored by everything about Dolly Parton. I thought she looked like a barbie, she sang like a dream, and had the best outlook on life ever. I set 3 goals back then. To see her live, go to Dollywood, and one day meet her in person. 20 years ago she came to Calgary, Alberta, to play at the stampede. I wanted to go so badly, but I couldn’t make it. I was absolutely gutted. I knew though that someday I would have another chance, I just wasn’t sure when…… Until now.

A few months ago, I seen that she was coming to Canada on her Pure and Simple Tour, and Calgary was one of those stops. Seeing as how it was in Calgary that I had the unfinished Dolly Parton concert business, it was a no brainer – I had to finish it there.

I am in the Northwest Territories at the moment for a couple of months of home time before I head back to Mallorca, Spain, and it is a 14 hour drive to Calgary from here. 14 hours to complete a childhood dream of 20+ years, is worth every darn kilometer. I booked myself into the classy Hotel Arts, and lucked out when I got 4th row seats to the concert. I couldn’t believe when they randomly came available. I scooped them up the minute I seen them.

Dolly started promptly at 7:30. I was busy getting myself a classy beverage thinking there would be an opening act. Nope there sure wasn’t though. Dang it! I didn’t want to miss one precious second of Dolly on stage.

I was in awe from the moment I set eyes on her. Actually I was in tears.

Famous people don’t even phase me, ever. To me people are just people. However, Dolly Parton was someone whom shaped me growing up. Well her and Marilyn Monroe. I had no idea how touching seeing Dolly was going to be. Not only was her voice totally perfect, sitting there listening to all her stories that I read in her book, coming from her own mouth, was beyond words. For the first time in my life, watching someone live, brought tears straight to the ol’ peepers. Especially being in 4th row. Her energy was emanating. She was so damn amazing. Leave it to Dolly Parton to be as inspiring as always.

Man did she put on a good show. From 7:30 – 10:30 with a 20 minute intermission, she’s definitely a go getter that one.

She pretty much played every instrument under the sun.

Even after the show it was hard to leave.

And also hard to believe what we just experienced.

This is something I will absolutely never forget. Hands down best concert of my life.

The closest I came to getting a photo with her.

What did I take from all of this? Don’t ever give up on your dreams. I waited 20+ years for this one, but gosh darn it, it happened – and it was unbelievable.

Next stop, Dollywood.

Trust me, once you start checking the boxes, you just can’t stop.

A ‘FashionBeautyPurpose’ Event By Studio15

Fashion, women empowerment, humanitarian work and social conscience. They are all things that speak straight to my heart. So does wine, but that’s a whole other story.

Recently I had the pleasure of attending a fashion event here in Calgary put on by an fashion forward online boutique shop based out of New York called Studio 15. The event was held at 80th & Ivory on trendy 17th avenue.

A chic location to showcase some very chic fashion, and yes, in case you were wondering, there was wine there too. Clearly, I had to indulge in a vino. Twist my little wine loving arm why don’t you?!

I love the fun, chic and classy feel of every piece. They are all so versatile and can be worn on an everyday bases, whether you are looking to glam it up, or even just keep it tame – these outfits can suit any occasion. Studio15 has plenty must have pieces for every fashionista that will make sure you are dressed to kill no matter what the occasion.

The FashionBeautyPurpose event was so well put together, and had lots of fun little perks added to it.

There wasn’t solely fashion to be appreciated at the event, you could also see the lovely Kristen to get some Rodan & Fields products, specified to your skin type to get a radiant glow on. Chic fashion and glowing skin obviously compliment each other.

When I learned that the philosophy of Studio 15 was to not only create high quality fashion that is affordable to women from all walks of life, but also to give back by donating a portion of every sale to help fund women entrepreneurs in Uganda in starting their own business – my attention was instantly perked.

Collaborating with Kleos Microfinancing Group, Studio 15 has built a strong endeavor of philanthropy in fashion.

Upon meeting Jia Wertz ,the owner and founder of Studio 15, I was enamored and beyond impressed by her fashion, vision, character, and all that she stands for.

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Born in Africa, and growing up in Calgary, now based in New York, she has some very incredible history and experiences.

Jia has had a life long love affair with fashion beginning about as soon as she could put one foot in front of the other. She is not only a designer, but a fashion writer and photographer, whom spent 16 very successful years having a career in corporate fashion for well known brands such as Aldo and Bebe.

After an inspiring trip to Gulu, Uganda, along side Kleos where she volunteered in helping local women develop sustainable businesses, Jia decided it was time to break away and begin her own venture, then seeing her vision come to fruition with Studio 15. She loves giving back, just as much as she loves fashion, and her soul wanted to combine the two passions.

Africa has been a large part of my life, I have spend almost 2.5 incredible years of my life in Africa. The first time visiting I completed over a year solo trip from South Africa to Egypt on local buses, and spending a couple of those months in Uganda, I also returned to Africa a second time for another year, it is an extremely special place to me. Africa changed my life forever. So the fact that we shared this, and the love of philanthropy, ignited my fire inside.

Not only did I love this little event, I loved even more learning about Jia, and what Studio15 stands for. Feeling beautiful in my apparel, and sharing the gift of success with other women whom wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity – is a winning combination if you ask me.

As Studio15 would say, ‘Giving back is always in style’.

Why I Signed Up For A Library Card

First of all, intelligence makes people more attractive. Not to mention expanding your mind is cool. Don’t let anyone tell you different.

I love reading, you know, there is nothing like getting lost in a good page turner. As much as I appreciate the functionality of a kindle, the feeling of holding a real book in my hands is something special. There has even been numerous studies done, that have shown reading print helps you retain the information better, and a book is more easy to navigate, as you can very quickly turn flip between pages. Getting away from staring at screens also improves concentration.

Being a writer and blogger, I am staring at a computer screen far more then I would like. It just has become a major part of every day for me – and believe you me, I do feel it! You know those times when you have been staring at the screen so long that your brain starts to feel like mush, and your eyeballs are glued open. At which point you have to peel yourself away from it just to unmush your brain and lubricate your eyeballs. Ahhhh, its like a good stretch.

One of many articles I have read on the subject titled ‘Reading Books Instead of Kindles Can Improve Your Memory, Concentration and Good Looks‘ on a sight Mic.com, that I find very interesting, even stated ‘Reading is sexy and makes you a more empathetic person‘. See, I told yah so.

With so many good scientific backed reasons to pick up a paper print book and take your imagination on a nice excursion – plus its just a personal preference for my own enjoyment purposes, a library card only made sense. I don’t have a personal library at home where I can stack books to the ceilings, and I am on a book reading mission right now. I want to continually expand my mind, and gain more writing skills. So you can call me your everyday book worm. With a library card, not only can I go and be immersed in an environment with like minded people, but I can read my little heart out, and hold as many paper print books as I can take. Oh and another perk that I learned upon signage is that they give you free credit to print things off with every month. Ha! Since I don’t have a printer at home at the moment either, this is just über convenient.

Well there you have it. That is why I made the leap, did something new for myself, and went and got a library card. I was excited as heck too, surely I was one of the most excited women they have ever seen over a new card. So on that note, does anyone have any good book recommendations for me?

DIY-Amazingly functional hairstyle for travel and everyday life.

Are you on that endless search for a quick, easy and maintainable hairstyle while on the go? I know I’ve been there, and I have tried many in my 10 years of globe trotting. SO after years of trying different styles, I finally narrowed it down one. My little nomad blood was in need of a versatile and classy nomadic hairstyle. Something I could wear Barefoot & High Heeled. I am all about functionality. Not to mention I don’t like having to do my hair from scratch everyday, so by doing this, my hair style lasts for a good 3 days. That is my kinda DO!

Seeing as how I continually have people asking me the very question of, ‘How do you style your hair like that?‘ I decided instead of rehearsing it to people all the time, I would simply write it out for everyone to take a gander at.

So here is my super simple step-by-step guide for the classy hippy on the go.

All you need is:

– Wet hair

– A blow dryer and brush

– Oil/Serum for your hair

– A big happy smile

Let’s do this!

1) After I wash it, or wet it(possibly you just had a swim), I grab my blow dryer, and giver a good blow, till my hair is about 70 – 80% dry, 90%frizz(the lovely look a blow dry gives me). The reason I blow dry it, is because if I don’t, and I just braid it when it is full on wet, it comes out more crimpy then wavy – And for myself I prefer wavy.

2) Once it is at that 80% point, I apply either Avocado oil, Coconut oil, or in this case, just some good ol’ Hair Serum.

3) Now that I have evenly distributed that throughout my hair, I throw it in a loose braid with no hair tie. If your hair is too dry it will fall out quite a lot, however, if it is a wee bit damp, it will hold the braid in better. If it does fall out, I just re-braid it. After about 20 – 30 min, I undo the braid and put in a bit more oil, and then braid it back up. With my braid in, I am set to head off on my adventures for the day – Whatever they may be. Work, play, both.

4) Now it’s totally up to you how long you want to have it in the braid for. Sometimes I keep it in an hour, other times I am loving it back, so I leave it in, until whenever my little heart desires. When you are ready to show case to the world your luscious wavy locks, you just pull the braid out and giver a shake. Voila! We have a natural smart hairdo that you can take anywhere and everywhere. From road trippin’, to wine tasting at vineyards. And from vineyards, to hiking and crossing suspension bridges. This hairstyle withstands it all. Tried, tested and true. It’s even great if you decided to wear your best dress from the 1800’s(oh come on now, we all do it), because you can easily throw your hair back into a braid and pin it up under your hat. Only to be taken down afterward, and shaken out to retrieve that beautifully wavy look once again. The best part is, you can pop in back into a braid before bed, so when you wake up, all you have to do is shake it out once again.

Ahhh, the joys of a simple, versatile, rugged to chic hairstyle. Makes life so much easier.

Wining and dining on the deck.

Do you ever just get the urge to prepare a beautiful, healthy, love filled dinner at home? Well I know I do. As it often does – the mood to hang out with my little inner chef struck me. So I did what any person would do in that situation; I voyaged straight to the grocery store to stock up on some goodies to wow myself with.

Nothing too fancy and crazy. Just a nice veggie dish is what I was feelin’. In my mind I had decided I would make a Veggie Lasagna, accompanied with a Roasted Spaghetti Squash and Quinoa side dish. Once I was done perusing the store I ended up with Zucchini, Spinach, Sweet Potato, Eggplant, Spaghetti Squash, Ricotta, and some Tomato paste. Upon returning to my little Zen pad, I opened the deep freeze and took out some northern mushrooms, that were literally picked in my back yard. Ummmm, did I mention – they are darn delicious!! Every time I return to Northern Canada, I always look forward to chowing on some delectable local mushies. I Grabbed the quinoa from the cupboard, and was ready to rock and roll. In order to do that though I needed music, so I got some toe tappin’ tunes going. Music always makes things more fun. I can’t imagine my every day life without it.

There is nothing like eating healthy. It just makes your mind, body, and soul, so freaken happy and rejuvenated. Fueling my body to be it’s best.

Prior to my prep work I cut the Spaghetti Squash in half, drizzled olive oil on it and a wee bit of sea salt, and put er’ in the oven to roast, while also getting the quinoa cooking. I sliced up all the veggie’s, after which I salted the zucchini slices to get some of the water out of them. Otherwise it all comes out when it’s baking, and then you have to drain it, and well, with that also drains flavor…. So yes, I salted those bad boys and let them sit for a bit before I dried them with paper towel.

I spread tomato paste on the bottom of the baking dish, and started to layer the vegetables, adding a nice layer of ricotta cheese in the middle.

I made two layers of each veg, drizzled it with olive oil and topped it with a bit of grated marble cheese.

Swapped out the squash from the oven with the veggie dish.

Baked it at 400 degrees for about an hour – and Voila!! Behold a veggie lasagna.

I was having issues getting the sweet potato to stay on the top as the dish wasn’t quite deep enough. I pulled it together the best I could though. As you do.

Front deck ambiance? Or back deck ambiance? Decisions, decisions. After a coin toss with myself, it was front deck action that was in order. I checked my watch, and it just so happened to be Wine O’clock. Well look what time it is?? Being known for always being prepared for anything, I had a wine for exactly that time. The wine of choice was of course Canadian, as I always drink locally no matter where in the world I am.

The wine was a delightful Pinot Grigio, with notes of peach and apple, and the name was literally Wine O’clock. One of the best times, if I do say so myself.

I set the table, and it was show time!

Who needs to go for dinner when you got it all in your own yard. What time are you coming over?

Northwest Territories Kayaking Adventures.

Being outdoors, and kicken it with mother nature – is forever one of the best places to be. Not to mention the beauty up in Northern Canada is endless. With the sun shining high on this glorious Sunday Funday, and the water flowing ever so beautifully on the Hay River, there was just no other way. This wasn’t a cross road, the sign pointed in one direction, and was clear on what to do. It read, ‘Get your asses into your kayak’s and down the relaxing, and soul soothing river’.

‘Alrighty then’, we thought. Seeing as how the sign was loud and clear, we suited up in the finest kayaking apparel we could find.

Proceeded to load our kayak’s into the truck.

We then hit the road and cruised like rock stars,

Venturing straight to the the starting point where we intended to begin our escapades.

It was an absolutely incredible day on the water. Even better was that there were NO bugs! The NWT is notorious for the insane amounts of bugs in the summer. Something you never really get used to, you just have no choice but to become accustomed to it – or you would end up hiding out in your shelter all summer. Ummm, no thank you. I would rather suffer a little to enjoy ALOT! This year is off to a pretty darn good not to buggy summer start though, so I am enjoying every minute of it before they take over the show.

Once we got our sweet ass Kayak’s in the water, had a quick team chat(oh, and a good ol’ Canadian beer, drinking locally made products no matter where in the world I am) – we were off to be enchanted with our afternoon excitement of being awesome. No big deal. Why do anything else really?

I never tire of the stunning Northern scenery, and never fail to be totally impressed and engrossed by it all. It’s just so freaken great. It is not uncommon to see wildlife on the sides of the river. Alas, today though, there was none out and about to be admired.

The only thing we forgot this time was to bring some snacks. We were just too dang excited to get on the water. Our stomachs did give each of us a reminder of being forgotten though! Note to self: the next time you go out to for physical adventures, bring some sort of fuel other then beer. Not that it wasn’t darn delicious and refreshing though. However, this kayaking day was just a warm up for some much longer trips. So being prepared will be key.

A few hours and a few team chats later….. And we reached our destination point. Feeling incredible and riding our high from a chart topper of a nature packed afternoon paired with some physical activity, we pulled our kayak’s out of the water, and gave them a nice shady resting place while we waited for a ride to come pick us up.

After just another epic day of loving life, and embracing a beautiful day of endless laughter and being awesome, we took it up to the next level. Or put that cherry on top so to say.

A very palette friendly Canadian Vino, baked Brie, Olives, and Dips – and life couldn’t get much better. That is a pretty fantastic Sunday afternoon with a blissfully beautiful finish if you ask me. It has my stamp of recommendation, that’s for darn sure. Wouldn’t you agree?

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