What Makes A Home?

This is my most personal blog that I have written. I was born a writer and the only way to take emotional strain away is to see my words on a page arranged in the order my heart feels them. I'm sentimental and homeless. Im not homeless in the sense that I live on the streets and accept peaches and water from strangers, I'm homeless in that I don't have a "home."

I moved from South Africa to Las Vegas and then Reno then my parents moved from Las Vegas to California. I'm fragmented from my childhood in South Africa, my teenage years in Las Vegas, and when I move to Southern California, I will be a ten hour drive from my college years.

I am moving to a new house and with the move comes giant changes. With the move comes the end of summer.. which means my best friend moving back to her home and the start of my last semester. It also means I have only six months left in Reno.

I hate Reno. I do. I really really do. It's not my favorite place however I have spent four years of my life in this place. It was last Friday and I was sitting with a close friend at a table on the patio of one of my favorite Reno gem's, Silver Peak, eating a delicious sandwich, when i thought "I will miss this." Reno has grown on me but more and it terrifies me thinking of moving again.

I have been moving all my life since I emigrated and it certainly feels like i have no home. I also think this is where most of my commitment issues come from. When you move around so much you tend to stay away from forming romantic bonds. It scares me because in my heart I know I will probably keep moving. I think a small part of me longs to be a nomad and travel from place to place seeking new adventures and fascinating encounters. The other part of me craves stability and routine.

I love Southern California but its not home. So maybe some people are really really lucky and get to call the house and city they grew up in "home" but for the rest of us, maybe our home is people. You see buildings, parking lots, houses and coffee shops can all be built in every place and in every country, but maybe its the people that fill them that makes each building, parking lot, house, and coffee shop feel like "home."

So maybe we have multiple homes and sometimes those homes move or you move away from them.. then what do we do? I guess we try to keep them as close to our heart as possible and feel comfort that with good technology and the gift of flight.. you can go home again.

My room is empty, my dream catcher is boxed, my marilyn posters on the floor and my painting of Paris pressed up against my empty dresser and as glad as I am to leave this really gross college apartment, I almost feel like I'm saying goodbye to two years.

I guess I will see what the next six months bring me in the biggest little city. How much useless stuff I will accumulate, how many "one too many drinks"nights I will have, and how many tears I will shed when I move once again.

Life is journey and maybe some of us find our home and stay there, and maybe for the rest of us, we have lots of little homes along the way.

Most people say home is where the heart is, but I say the heart is where home is. because in our hearts we keep all the little homes and loved ones we've accumulated along our journey and in our hearts, we carry all those homes and special people with us all the time.

JG

Blessed & Blissful

Today, I feel like sharing my personal emotions and thoughts.

I feel blissful and content. I have the greatest friends any person could ask for. I have a cousin to talk flowers and fashion with and I have had two of my best friends in my life for four years. One of my best friends in my life for two, the other for three, and my "big bro",who just graduated college, in my life for eight. I'm still best friends with my high school boyfriend and we talk frequently and want the best for each other. I recently met a wonderful friend whose agreed to help me move out of the kindness of her heart, I have parents who help me out a tremendous amount financially with school and am moving to a beautiful gingerbread looking house July 1st with wonderful roommates, I have the most amazing PR internship with a national organization & lastly I get to move to Southern California in December.

I feel so incredibly thankful. I don't know that I believe in God but I do believe I am blessed by something to have been given such an awesome wonderful life.

All I need is prince charming but I believe that will happen too eventually :)

I hope everyone gets to live in pure bliss like I do. Sure some days I have anxiety, or my car gets towed, or really bad things happen, but for the most part I consider myself incredibly lucky to get to live this awesome life.

I'm off to enjoy this sunshine!

Happiness & gratitude

Ten Gluten & Dairy Free Products I Could Never Live Without

It was after two months of consecutive stomach aches and unbearable fatigue, that I decided I had to do something. My parents of course, urged me to go to a doctor. Other than the desire to possibly marry one, I have very little interest in modern medicine. My Yoga teacher had once told me about Ayurveda, a Hindu system of medicine involving, diet, herbs and Yoga. 


I made an appointment with a local Ayurveda practitioner, Laura Hennings and what she had to say changed my entire diet. Now, I have always been a healthy eater. Fast food, fried food, processed foods were never something I ate. When I went to see Laura she had me stick out my tongue and she told me my whole health history. I was amazed. After that I took a quick multiple choice test and I was classified as a Pitta Vata, but she went even further. She told me that I was also gluten and dairy intolerant. It was a shock at first but I decided that in order to get healthy and rid myself of this terrible stomach pain and fatigue, I was going to give up all gluten and dairy products. 


So what is gluten? Gluten is a protein found in the grains wheat, barley, and rye. It gives food elasticity and gives bread its spongy texture. It can also be used as a thickener for sauces. 


I have been gluten & dairy free for about six or seven months now and these are the staples in my diet that keep me healthy, happy, energetic, and eating yummy yummy foods. 

This granola is so freaking yummy and amazing. I always have some in my handbag in case I need a snack. 

Oh boy! This creamy amazing chocolatey goodness is life changing. I like this with some strawberries or just on its own.

This to me just tastes way better than those dessert yogurts riddled with chemicals. Plus there's some strawberry pieces in there. It's a morning delight ora comforting midnight snack!

This pasta, although has a sort of softer texture than regular pasta, is still really really yummy and on the days where I just want carbs carbs carbs it's yummy with some mushrooms or zucchini and a little olive oil.

Before I tried this bread I was eating Udi's bread. This bread is 800 times better. It has the spongey feeling of normal bread and tastes absolutely delish when toasted. 

I probably have six cups of green tea a day. It just feels really nice on my body and the taste of the green tea makes me want to eat healthy all day long. 

I like this milk because it's mostly almonds. It is seriously Yu-mmy! I don't drink much milk but when I do, this one is scrumptious and super smooth. 

This butter is another life changing product. I put this on my gluten free toast and over pasta and well as use this to cook my veggies.

There is absolutely no soy cheese that I have tasted that tastes better than regular cheese. However, this one is quite delicious and a nice substitute for the nights I'm absolutely dying for a piece of cheddar cheese. 

This is a nice afternoon snack with a piece of soy cheese or some soy butter or even some almond butter.

Hugs from my kitchen to yours!

Took this from Purpose Fairy. She is amazing and you should all add her for a daily dose of happiness

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Purpose-Fairy/196758903675076