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YYZ to LAX - Photography + Creative

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LIFE: Los Angeles, I'm Yours.

March 22, 2017 Alexandra Pettinato

Hey there friends! It's time for a little life update.

No surprise here, but in case you're wondering, Pedro and I made it out to LA. Needless to say, I am in love with California.
Toronto will always be my home, but from the moment I felt that warm California glow on my skin for the first time, I knew that, this was the place. It just felt right. Where Toronto always feels safe, and Boston never quite fit, every day in Los Angeles is an adventure.

OK, maybe I'm exaggerating. I mostly just stay home and cuddle with Rudie a lot. I go to the rock climbing gym and I do yoga, and eat salads and tacos and In N Out. Sometimes Pedro and I drink beers, and go to the movies.

It's really not all that exciting. But we're out here, and we are building a life in this crazy city, somehow.

If I'm being completely honest, I have no clue what I'm doing, but I'm doing my best. Just manifesting this (not so) crazy vision that I've spent years creating.

I have had this image in my head of a wall hanging like the one above adorning the walls of my home. So like so many other things in my life, I made it. It was the first thing we hung up on the walls of our apartment, and it feels special. The textures are cozy and comforting, and the colours are a calming addition to my yoga corner. It's the little things that make a space feel like home.

FYI - I have unpacked every single box (this has literally never happened in any place I've lived), and it's finally starting to feel real. We live here. And I love it. It's so far away from everything I have ever known, but I love it.

I don't want to give the impression that life is perfect, or that things are easy, because that's not the case at all. 

I'm just here to say (again), that if there is something that you want in this life, you need to go for it. Don't let your fears hold you back, because you are absolutely capable. Figure out what you want, and make a plan to get yourself there. Because I honestly believe that we all deserve to live a life that makes us happy.

And life may be (perfectly) imperfect, but still, I sit here, beaming.

I look back and think about all of the twists and turns in my life, and the lives of so many others that brought me here, to this moment, and I am so incredibly grateful.

Los Angeles, I'm yours.

In LIFE Tags HOME, CALIFORNIA, CALIFORNIA DREAMIN, CALIFORNIA LOVE, LOS ANGELES, MANIFEST, VISION, MY VISION, LIFE, LIFESTYLE, DIY, WALL HANGING, SELF PORTRAIT, PHOTOGRAPHY, LIFESTYLE PHOTOGRAPHY, YYZTOLAX
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CURRENTLY: Can't Stop the Feeling

May 20, 2016 Alexandra Pettinato

It's always too long between posts, isn't it?  Time keeps moving on and on and on, and I'm doing my best to stay present.  To live in the moment.  To enjoy the here and now before it's gone.  And I think that's ok.  As always, you can follow along with my day-to-day on Instagram.  I have lots of fun yoga + lifestyle content that I would love to share with you, and tend to post there daily.

In the mean time, why don't  catch up with a CURRENTLY post?

LISTENING:

I don't even know who I am anymore with my musical choices.  Lately I've been all over the place.  A stereotypical Drake-loving Torontonian, strutting down the street to Bey's, Lemonade, and dancing all day to JT's new jam.  

Then Brand New released their new single, and suddenly it all makes sense again.  Everything is different.  Everything is still the same.  It's like I'm a 15 year old emo kid with my hair in my eyes, just screaming my little heart out with Jesse Lacey.

But whatever, I'm posting the video for Can't Stop the Feeling, because it's Friday afternoon, and it's got me dancing.

WATCHING:

Image from HBO's Game of Thrones

Image from HBO's Game of Thrones

Game of Thrones! Obviously. I can't wait for Dany T to stir up some shit with those dragons.  PLUS, can we talk about all the badass babes of GOT?! They are killing it.

PHOTOGRAPHING

These days, I've been photographing and creating content for LovePop, a Boston-based pop-up greeting card company.  I have been having a blast concocting new ways to display the sculpture-esque paper art.

I'm also going to have the opportunity to design a Snapchat geo-filter (at Faneuil Hall) for the company and I'm even going to take a shot at running their Instagram account.

I couldn't be more excited about my work, which feels AMAZING.  YOU GUYS, you can do ANYTHING that you want in life.  Even if you have to make up the job yourself!

TRAVELING

Pedro and I just got back from a trip to Las Vegas and Los Angeles.  It was AMAZING! We drove from LA to Vegas through the Mojave Desert, and it was truly one of the most beautiful drives we have ever taken.  I had never seen the desert landscape, and it took my breath away.

Las Vegas is a very strange and surreal place.  Haha, it was not really my scene, but I had a wonderful time anyways.  We were there to celebrate the marriage of our dear friends from Toronto, Craig and Victoria, which was SO SO SO special.  I'm so happy we were able to be there. 

It was back to LA to hang with Kayte + Drew from Mass Musings, who so graciously hosted us in their Hollywood abode.  We explored + drank coffee + ate tacos + had wine + margaritas.  We also checked out some neighborhoods to get a feel of the city before we move at the end of the summer.

ALSO, I got to meet up with my friend Dana from my hometown who just moved to California.  It was so great to catch up with her.  We hung out in Highland Park and drank Moscow Mules at a bar/bowling alley that played Vampire Weekend.

I'm traveling a lot in the next few months.  Mostly back and forth to Canada (I have 3 trips to YYZ in the works so far), but also another trip to LA to look at apartments. A visit from a friend in June which will likely include a trip to the Cape and some hiking in Vermont or NH, and then finally our big move at the end of the summer.  Here's hoping we can squeeze in a weekend in NYC too :)

PRACTICING

While I think that we could all use a little more yoga in our lives, I have kept up with my consistent practice.  Some weeks are better than others, but I always make time for even just a little bit of yoga and meditation.  My days wouldn't feel complete otherwise.

Certain aspects of my practice have grown by leaps and bounds (well, not really, more like inches).  I'm finding more strength, balance and flexibility, and poses that once seemed impossible (here's looking at you compass pose), are now a part of my daily asana practice.  I'm also working on improving my arm balances (it's slow progress), dropbacks (no more wall!) + forearm wheel (I can do it now, hooray)!

I've been practicing a lot at home, and going to classes at the studio when I start to get bored and uninspired.  Mostly, I'm just doing what feels good.  

I'm not teaching right now, but am hoping to organize some classes and continue learning more.  Planning on taking a Children/Teen teacher training, which I am super excited about.

I hope that you have a great weekend.  

Now get out there, and ENJOY THE SUNSHINE. I'm going to ride my bike (OH YEAH I GOT A BIKE)!

Peace + love.

In CURRENTLY, LIFE Tags CURRENTLY, JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE, JT, CAN'T STOP THE FEELING, COMPASS POSE, YOGA, GAME OF THRONES, LOVEPOP, GREETING CARD, PHOTOGRAPHY, LIFESTYLE, LIFESTYLE PHOTOGRAPHY, INSTAGRAM, TRAVELING, WANDERLUST, YYZ, TORONTO, LAS VEGAS, LOS ANGELES, LA, CALIFORNIA, MASS MUSINGS, PRACTICE, YOGA PRACTICE
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