magic monkeys fly

i just spent four days hiking the Appalachian Trail with my dad, who is attempting a thru-hike. he's already made it through 11 states, with just three to go and the only thing going better than his beard growth (#SANTAISTHATYOU?!) is his attitude.

i love love love love love love loved times infinity the experience of hiking with him on the trail.

it broke my heart leaving him, and then just now, reading his blog post about what a hard day it was (plus his anniversary!) made my eyes well up with tears. reading his honest assessment of the day without any put-upon cheer makes happy for him- to be free to be his authentic self- WHICH IS THE BEST.

he really is the best and there were moments (lots of moments) that i truly appreciated what a gift they were. right there in the moment. i can't wait for more adventures with this human. i'm so lucky he's mine. #goodchoicesoulthankyouthankyouthankyou

today i spent my entire day at airports. you know what i did? i took notes.

1. wear shoes that you can run in. why? because if shit hits the fan and you have to run to your gate, you need shoes that will help you, not hinder you. plus, planes can be cold! and you have to de-shoe through security meaning you need socks. all signs point to: NO FLIP FLOPS. listen to mama claire. just find a cute pair of shoes you can jog in.

2. if you want to look sleek and sophisticated (that's if. seriously, you may love wearing all leopard print and lots of jelly bracelets and carrying a pillow full of your stuff rather than a shoulder bag. which is cool. to each his or her own. #meow) wear neutral colors. doesn't have to be black. but the more neutral, the better. and air on the side of a little dressed up rather than dressed down. if you have to beg your way onto a plane or loose your boarding pass and have to plead with someone to print a new one, you want them, upon first glance, to believe the words coming out of your mouth, think that you must be busy and important and at the very least trustworthy, and the best way to do this is to look PUT THE FUCK TOGETHER.

3. now take my first two rules and shove them. i had an extra hour layover i wasn't expecting and i realized i was going to miss my yoga class, that i was desperately looking forward to (remember the FOUR days of HIKING CONTINOUSLY?!) so i found a flight of stairs and i started going up and down and up and down and... you get the idea. 20 minutes of cardio later and after actually busting out a pretty good sweat, i left enough time to cool down before my flight and bing bang boom, may have looked like a completely schweaty mess running those stairs at least 50 times. but who the hell cares? i MOVED. i changed my perspective. i felt good.

miss my dad tonight. love to you in the little motel in Dalton, MA.