In my last week’s birthday post I shared a few personal things that I want to work on in the year before my next birthday. I have started implementing some of them in my daily life right away and wanted to share my progress with you.
Read More 5 Steps to Improving Your Daily Life
Our third day in Minneapolis was actually the reason we came there in the first place – to attend a graduation! The story is actually pretty funny, Derek completed his studies a decade ago but somehow never graduated because he moved away right after school so this year he decided that it’s time to wrap it up. They could have just mailed the diploma but we thought it would be fun to go and do it in person hence this little trip.
I have never been to a graduation in the US so for me it was extra interesting, I don’t even know who was more excited me or Derek, haha. We got his cap and gown the day before and splurged on a bow tie with the university logo (which I ended up putting on Derek UPSIDE DOWN!! So instead of “M” for “University of Minnesota” it said “W”, oops:D).
The morning of graduation there was a great atmosphere of excitement around the campus, hundreds of students smiling and celebrating this really cool milestone. I loved the commencement speech by Pam Edstrom, I think it’s a great tradition to have someone successful share a piece of their wisdom and to inspire new graduates.
The graduation ceremony was at the hockey arena which I thought was interesting although apparently it’s pretty normal, there were so many people! I didn’t realize that every singe graduate will walk the stage and it would take at least 2 hours, but hey, I get it, it’s probably the most exciting part of it for the person graduating. Meanwhile, I had Alaric attached to me in a carrier, who by the way also dressed up for such occasion and got his own little bow tie. He was a champ behaving very well for the most part.
Read More Minneapolis. Day 3. Graduation, Meeting the President, Fondue.
On our second day in Minneapolis we continued to explore the city. We left Alaric with grandma and went on a walk in Downtown. It was really fun but really cold. I was so desperate to get warm that we decided to walk to Target to get some extra layers to wear. Turns out Target in Minneapolis is so much better than in LA (maybe because it’s headquartered there?), it had so many cute and better quality pieces, and cool brands like WhoWhatWear, for example! I ended up trying on few dresses and other summer pieces and buying couple of really cute things. Did I mention that I originally went there to get something warm to wear in a freezing cold Minneapolis? I know, I know… They will be my souvenirs haha.
Read More Minneapolis. Day 2. Downtown, Bridges, St.Paul.
We just came back from a quick weekend trip to Minneapolis and it was so great to get out of a familiar environment and see something new, I truly believe that it helps to keep balance in life and get some fresh perspective.
Read More Minneapolis. Day 1. Campus of the U.
Every Spring California explodes with clouds of flowers. Fences, houses, sidewalks are taken over by the beautiful bougainvilleas, hydrangeas and other flowers. Right now it is a jacaranda time on our street and it’s gorgeous! I only found out the name of this tree from some person on the street passing by. We couldn’t miss such a great backdrop and did a quick shoot coincidentally on a Mother’s Day.
Alaric was too busy eating the flowers and didn’t want to cooperate at all, he also just learned a new trick of throwing his hands up and pretty much sliding out of the arms so it was pretty difficult to hold him. So today we mostly have some candid shots taken between the moments of baby juggling.
The thing I like the most about LA is variety. Of cultures, people, foods, places… Lake Shrine is so far from its typical LA, it is truly a hidden gem of this city. Located in Pacific Palisades, surrounded by hilly roads it’s not that easy to find at first, but when you finally discover it, you can’t help but wonder how did I not notice it right away?
Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine includes Meditation Gardens and Lake, a working Temple providing lecture, prayer and meditation services, a Court of Religions honoring the five principal religions of the world, the Mahatma Gandhi World Peace Memorial where a portion of Gandhi’s ashes is enshrined, a museum with exhibits on Paramahansa Yogananda’s work, and a gift shop with arts and crafts from India and more. There are also all kinds of events and activities available, such as silent retreats, group meditation, Sunday school for kids and adults. The temple itself is on a hilltop overlooking the lake. I would highly recommend getting more information straight from the source, if you are interested. This post will mostly be a visual journey through the Meditation Gardens and the Lake.
We had so much fun celebrating Alaric’s first birthday! I wasn’t planning to do anything big since he is too little to care so I decided to organize everything myself.
The original plan was to have the birthday party at the park. I wanted an outdoorsy environment, daylight for the photos and an opportunity to throw the blankie on the grass and let him move around. Well, guess what? Few days before the event I saw the weather forecast and it said it was supposed to rain the day of the party! That’s something you never have to worry about in LA, what are the odds… We had to urgently move the party somewhere else and I had a brief moment of panic but then I found the cafe that could accomodate and everything worked out in the end.
Read More Alaric’s First Birthday
Winter ocean has a special place in my heart (as long as it’s not bringing freezing cold air haha). It is so beautiful, powerful, even more so in gloomy weather. I loved being there and watching grey waves crash, it was so soothing and calming, moments like this are everything especially if they are shared with great people. We had friends visiting from Vegas and it was really fun to meet up and show them around the day LA is so different from its usual self.
Hello and welcome to my blog! My name is Uliana. This lifestyle blog is about my adventures and experiences, local and not so much travels, simple pleasures and things that I like such as photography, healthy food, natural products and active lifestyle. Read More
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