Here Today, Gone to Maui....

Aloha, again.
I started this blog the first time I came to Maui. I filled the posts with tales of my adventures, love for the Island and love for life! I can see how full of excitement, growth and acceptance I was, and still am! So beautiful! I am here on Maui, writing to you again, a new me. A lot has changed since I was on Maui last, and I am so excited to share with everyone the next part of my journey. Christina's Adventure....Part 2.

To be honest, Maui threw me a curve ball, and I've been trying to dodge it ever since I landed. What I thought my stay on Maui was going to look like is 100% NOT what my reality is. I have had to learn/am learning how to really go with life, the flow, and allow. I have learned to also not take life, and planning it so seriously, because in the end its not going to "go as planned"...and what manifests always seems to be better than what you were planning anyways....well now i'm going off on a tangent...

Ok so I packed my bags, said goodbye, and flew 2,500mil away from everyone I knew and everyone I loved, rockin it. I met two of the most awesome guys on the plane ride to Maui and ended up drinking, laughing, and talking to them the whole 5hrs! Mahalo to them! When I landed I was greeted with the warm Maui winds, and smell of wild flowers, ALOHA! I was picked up by the beautiful Angie Hoffman (http://www.feelgoodmaui.com/) and was her personal assistant for about a week. Angie lives up in Makawao ( beautiful beautiful up country) where I  lived in her back yard, in a tent (always up for something new)!

Angie is awesome. She was the face of "Save Makena (http://savemakena.org/), is a Yoga teacher, wellness coach and currently working on her cookbook. I found out I was going to be living with her for a few days (which turned into a week) the day I flew out, but it ended up being a good fit.  I was working with her for my tent and food until my other boss was ready for me.  Living in the tent was....hot....very hot, but I loved sleeping in it. I heard every night noise, from the wind to the roosters. It was very nostalgic. I also loved being her personal assistant, the work was fun and it usually included trying out raw, vegan recipes...awesome, I'm down! She lived right next to a yoga studio and I walked over every morning and took a class, which was just BLISS and I am so missing it. I LOVE Makwao Yoga, just go take a class if you ever come to the island, its the best (http://www.makawaoyoga.com/). While staying at Angie's, I learned how to surf, which was AMAZING! We went three days in a row, and I stood up the second day, was rained on in the ocean, and saw a couple rainbows. My stay with Angie rocked, and I am grateful for her friendship! 

 

                            

From Angie's I went to work for Connie and am staying at the dorms across from the community college. Kahului, sucks, i'm just going to be honest. If your going to visit maui you can completely 100% avoid it. I spent my first week walking around Kahului and the MCC Campus. I had to get familiar with the town and the college for my job. The community college looks like any other college campus I have been to, but they have a really nice walking trail behind the campus. Across from campus you find Maui's main mall complete with forever 21 and a movie theater. 

My second week on Maui was able to take my manager's car all over Maui. I loved exploring the Island! Every day a new discovery, adventure and beauty to find. First I went to Lahaina, then Haiku, Paia and Makawao (again).  I love Lahaina. I love the beaches, the homeless people, the food, the shops, I love it all! Its also where you'll wanna go to get out of the North Shore rain. It kinda reminds me of Laguna beach or Huntington, CA. On the way to Haiku you will pass through a little town called Paia. A town in which I LOVE! When I think about Paia, yoga, Manna Foods, Maui Girl Swimsuits, coffee and pakalolo come to mind. I spent my day in Paia  strolling in and out of art galleries, boutiques, cafes and other local shops. I met a boy who was just passing though Maui and talked to him over coffee for about two hours. You never know who you will meet in Paia, but you know its always going to be a good time. 

After I spent some time exploring Paia I went up to Haiku. Haiku is a beautiful town in the jungles of North Shore, Maui. I stopped by my old farm, Hale Akua  and the local shopping center. Not too much went on in Haiku for me, but I love the energy of Haiku and Huelo. I love the jungle, I love the ocean views, I love the smell and the farms.

 Other than site seeing I haven't done too much. I went to the beach with some friends, surfed,  went to 4th Friday in Paia, and done some data entry for work. 

To be honest with you, I love Maui. Something is missing for me this time around as I am not connecting with myself and with the Island as I was before. I also feel called to other places. Everything is so temporary, and I am feeling just how temporary Maui is for me this time around.  I was trying to deny this "knowing" I had, because I wanted to be here so bad, alas, I feel like my time on this island will be short and sweet, and I shall go on yet another adventure! How beautiful to have landed on Maui, for a moment, to take a breather from life, swim in the crystal blue ocean and get lost in a sunset. 

Aloha,

C 

The Edge of Your Comfort Zone

HEY! Sorry I have been so M.I.A over here. While iv been m.i.a in some areas of my life I have totally been "in action" in others. Life is good. Love is good. The weather is awesome, I quit my job (totally liberation) and have been taking loads of pictures non-stop. I love taking pictures all day, every day. Ever since I picked up my camera again my world has changed in such a beautiful and magical way. I don't even want to know what would have become of me if I hadn't found my camera at the time I did.
The one thing I love about photography is that I can capture the beauty I see in the world and finally share it with others, so that we can collectively witness all the moments of beauty that occur in our lives every day. Photography is like a game of which beautiful place can I adventure to next, what beautiful person can I encounter on the way, and how will I manifest this through my art. I have gone to new places of beauty and been surrounding myself with new and amazing people. I love taking peoples pictures. Its like every picture reflects a persons personality. When you look at pictures of  people, as different and unique as they all are, you come to see that everything is beautiful and that flaws and differences don't take away from their individual beauty but add to the collective beauty of the world.

Secret Cave, Hippie Bois 

Recently I decided I needed to follow my heart FULLY and drop all the shit that was holding me back, including people, things, jobs, and beliefs. I had always said I was following my heart, but I was always doing it within my comfort zone. I always felt , as I was moving through life, things could be going a little faster, I could be doing more. I hadn't realized that the walls I felt safe behind were also keeping me away from a blissful life. As soon as I was aware of the walls and my inability to  just fuck it and do something I was scared of, I did, and all my little walls fell down. When they did, amazing things beyond anything I could have imagined started to happen to me. I started getting positive feedback on my photos (which was the fearful thing I decided to do), started to enjoy where I live, got some photography jobs, and regained my confidence in myself and my ability to create. I have opened myself up to new amazing people, love, friendship, adventure and beauty. They say life begins at the edge of your comfort zone, and I couldn't say it better myself. I am pushing my comfort zone a little more every day, and every day I am amazed with what I find out about myself and the world when I let myself experience it in a whole knew way. 

Flower Child, 60's 

The other day I met the creator of this dance class they teach at my work. She was seriously one of the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. She had long black beautiful dreads, a kick ass body, and an aura that glowed gold. As soon as I met her I told her I wanted to take her picture (yes I say weird shit). She asked me to see some of my pics, and complimented me on my "good eye". She said I would make it big (er...), of which I shot down and pretty much said I don't even know what i'm doing I just do it. At that, she got super close to my face and said to me "Say you are a photographer"....so I said it, and it felt good. She went on to tell me how she always wanted to make her living off of being a dancer, but when she compared herself to others before her she would become discouraged and would stall on the  pursuit of her dream. As soon as she dropped the shit, and started to believe in herself, did her dream soar. As soon as she called herself a dancer and believed she was as good as the best, she got more work and more recognition in her field. She told me to believe in myself, call myself a photographer, forget about what anyone says, and just do it. BEST advice ever. When you have a dream, the only thing stoping you is your disbelief in your ability to manifest dreams...but you totally can! 

So start calling yourself a dancer, photographer, deep sea diver, lawyer, horse back rider....whatever it is, whatever your dream is, there is nothing too small or too big to make a reality. Just do it. 

:) Well off I go! On to another adventure. 

 Light and Love Love sweet sweet L O V E 

C 

MEOW I love it  

imiloaphotography.carbonmade.com

Speaking to the Trees

I have been having the most fun of my life. I am so in love with every moment, every person, every breath. I continue to receive fathomless amounts of love from the universe. I have made some new friends, let chapters end, and new doors open. I am following my bliss,and taking every opportunity to create and use my creative energy to fulfill/live my dream. The other day I went on a lazy, hazy Sunday picnic with my good friend Molly. We packed up Lucy (my '77 VW Bus) and set out on another adventure.

~ Side note: I have (for the past year) been clinging on to an idea of how I thought my life was supposed to be. I always told myself I wouldn't close any doors, but since I was holding on to a desire so tightly, even though I didn't want to close off any opportunities, I still was. As soon as I stopped clinging onto and trying to force a desire and let go, the flood gates of all things good and fun came into my life. I had this plan for my life and I was hell bent on manifesting it, and was successful. But in the process of manifesting this one dream, I was shutting out so many other amazing things that the universe had planned for me. Talking about adventures is what made me feel the need to express this, because one of the ideas I was holding on to was that I wasn't going to find any adventure in my home town but that my adventures would start only when I was traveling. As I let go of this belief I starting discovering new people, places and passions where I would have never thought to look. I learned to let go and just follow my bliss moment to moment instead of planning and clinging onto the future. You know what they say . . . . . "With one foot in the future and one foot in the past all you are doing is pissing on the present." - Each moment is a gift that's why they call is the "present"- ;)

Anyways, we went to this huge park about 20 min away. There are open fields, a dry river bed and small hiking paths in the forest. We found a shady spot for a picnic under a tree where we shared pink juicy grapefruit, ruby red pomegranate, and fresh broccoli with wine. After getting a little buzzed....from all the beautiful sunshine.....we set out to find peacock feathers, and frolic through the lush forest. Around 4:00 the sun was casting a golden orange light through the trees which bounced off the surrounding bushes and foliage creating a beautiful wonderland of color and vibrancy. I pulled out my camera and let the magic of the moment unfold with every click of the shutter. Molly and I played, spun and laughed like little girls for what seemed like forever. After we had exhausted our ability to spin we set off further onto the trail and eventually back to the car (after stopping for a few pictures of course).I love the photos from that day, and if anything I hope they remind you of your own playful childish innocence, the sun on your face and the smile in your heart.

Light and Love,

C

One Wild Child

Divine Huntress Strong Warrior

Happy New Year! Almost. This year has
been such an amazing year, and I cant believe it is over! Although I
am sad to see 2011 go, I am more than stoked about 2012. I have many
adventures to embark on and new experiences to experience! 2011 has
probably been one of the best years of my life and I know it will
just keep getting better from here. I wish all of you a safe and
happy New Year!
Anyways, I got my second tattoo this
week! I am in LOVE with it! I am grateful that I found the perfect
woman to work on my tattoo with me. I met Derynne during my yoga
teacher training and though it would be awesome for her to tattoo me,
because she always represented and inspired me to be the strong woman
I talk about in the story of my tattoo. The whole tattooing process and talking

with Derynne and her son made the experience so awesome, the whole process

gave my tattoo that much more meaning. With my story, some ideas and
her intuition Derynne has created the most beautiful, perfect piece of
artwork that represents so much to me.

I would like to share the meaning of this piece with everyone, hope
you enjoy
My tattoo was more of a feeling than an idea and it took
off from there! I could feel where the tattoo was going to
go before it revealed itself to me. So here is the story of
how a feeling turned into an idea, a visualization, and a
symbol of safety, strength and peace.

On a particularly rough day I decided to take a moment to sit
with myself in a meditation/visualization. I put on my
favorite Native American flute music and attempted to let
go of my thoughts. Since I was feeling particularly weak I
started to see myself as a strong resilient, loving woman,
and tried to remember times I practiced strength and
humility. I thought about the strength it had taken me to
love and accept myself, even the strength to fully express
myself with no apologies. I remembered the strength
exhibited to flow through hard times and stay positive
through them all. I thought about my power, and every human
being's power to change and manifest their own lives and
how I have demonstrated this time and time again. While
remembering all of this I saw myself standing on top of a
mountain standing in Warrior Two ( a very beautiful,
majestic, powerful pose to me) and felt the solitude of my
being. It occurred to me, while standing in Warrior II (in
my imagination) that I was my own warrior. Just like one of
my favorite Goddesses, Artemis, was the divine huntress and
warrior of her own life, so too was I. I realized I wasn't
hunting in the traditional sense, but I was hunting, or
bringing to fruition my own manifestations. Artemis was
independent strong and fully believed in herself. She knew
that when she set out to hunt she would be successful. She
lived in faith. Everything came easy and flowed to Artemis,
except when she lost focus and lost faith in herself. When
she was aligned with her true being and purpose she was
connected to all of life and all the universal energies. I
feel that it works the same way for everyone in life. When
we are in a state of allowing, have faith in our ability to
create our future and believe in our dreams and ourselves
everything flows and come to us with ease. Thinking about
Artemis brought me back to how important is is to believe
in myself, and stand strong in my dreams, beliefs, and
love.





After my meditation I felt renewed and strong. Every
time I start to feel down or notice I am not believing in
myself, my dreams and my ability to create I remember
Artemis. I remember that I am the Divine warrior and
huntress of my own life!
A week or two later I was in a yoga class and
as we set up for Warrior II. I closed my eyes and pictured
myself in the forest, bow and arrow in my hands, feeling
strong, ready for the (imaginary) hunt! When I opened my
eyes once again I saw, in my mind's eye, a double arrow on
my upper arm pointing the same direction my arm was and to
the sides. At this moment I felt a deep resonance with this
symbol and what it resembled for me. When I got home I
googled what arrows resembled in different traditions. I
found that a crossed arrow represents friendship,
protection, warding off evil and even peace. A crossed
arrow also has four sides pointing north, south, east and
west. The four points also represents earth, air, water,
and fire with the center point representing spirit. I love
everything it represents and how all of the meanings tie
into what the arrow means to me. The arrow represents
strength, love, protection and union with all of life. It
reminds me of my own ability to manifest my dreams. When we
are grounded in love, faith and belief in ourselves we hit
the bulls-eye every time.




I just need to say something to
everyone who doesnt not agree with my decisions, or does not
understand. I'm am following my heart and doing what I love. My soul
is the same soul in this bodily form as it was with or without
tattoos. That's what I am a soul not this body. What you love is my
soul not this body. Sometimes things aren't meant to be understood,
and that's beautiful. I respect myself and my feelings enough to
realize that my actions have a consequence and I know I will deal
with them whenever they come up. I feel passionately about my tattoos
and EVERYTHING I do in my life (weather it seems rational or crazy or
smart to others) because they all make me who I am. I know myself
enough now to know that I will look at the tattoos and smile because
they are a part of who I am and who I am is a beautiful soul with an
amazing life that I love.

Thank you Derynne for creating with me. You are one of the most beautiful, inspiring woman I have ever met.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/DERYNNE/224213065289

http://www.facebook.com/AnarchyTattoo?sk=wall#!/AnarchyTattoo