Author: keep up with k.tap

roots & rye açaí bar

since moving back to la in summer of 2017, i often feel like i tourist even though i lived here the first 17 years of my life.  there are so many new spots that popped up while i was living in the bay.  when one of my close friends from high school recommended a local spot for us to meet for breakfast, i had not heard of it.  once i arrived, i realized that it is literally a few steps away from the barre studio i go to.  let me introduce you to roots & rye.

 

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roots & rye is tucked away in a little alley in old town pasadena off of colorado boulevard and is the absolute cutest.  if you are person that enjoys a fresh and filling breakfast or are in need of a pick me up post workout, this is the perfect place for you.  they have açaí bowls, smoothies, milkshakes, ice cream and toast.  absolutely everything is dairy free.  one of the things we enjoyed most were the unlimited toppings/add ons.

 

my friend had a medium sized bowl and i had a smoothie and avocado toast.

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everything we had was delicious.  her bowl was overflowing with goodness and flavor and was only $9.  my smoothie was blended perfectly and i could really taste the fresh berries – it is also a great way to get a serving of greens in without even having to taste it (i added kale to mine).  and lastly, the avocado toast was to die for.  you have the option of getting it with or without chili flakes.  because i love a kick, i asked them to mix in extra.  when they brought it out, i thought about asking for salt but figured i should take a bite first.  i am so glad i did because it did not need anything!  it was seasoned well and was zesty (due to whatever fresh squeezed citrus was added).  i enjoyed every bite.  and for $5?  you really cannot beat that.

 

if you are in the pasadena area, i highly recommend roots & rye.  there is also an echo park location.  it was the perfect breakfast on a hot summer day.

 

xoxo,

k. tap

thought of the week: blow your own damn mind

my thought of the week was inspired by the mom of one of my closest friends.  carolyn, or mama oz as i call her, is a talented artist and owns the cutest shop in tacoma, washington.  if you ever find yourself in the area, be sure you stop by creative forces gifts and sundries.  you can check out her work here.

 

what first caught my eye was the beautiful backdrop of this quote.  the hues reminded me of my grandmother which made me smile.  mama oz and grammy both have the same favorite color – purple.  when i read the quote, i knew i had to blog about it.

 

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“once in a while, blow your own damn mind.”

 

i like this for a variety of reasons.  first, it is realistic.  it is not likely that you will blow your mind every single day or even have your mind blown by someone else that frequently.  all this is asking is that every once in awhile, you astonish yourself with your own awesomeness.

 

then, i started thinking of when the last time was that i blew my own mind.  if you follow me on instagram or twitter, then you know that my brother challenged me to a workout challenge.  now, a workout challenge is one thing but he challenged me to workout for 30 straight days.  then, once the 30 days are over, i can “drop down” to five days per week.  initially, i thought he was crazy.  even with the lifestyle changes i have made in the last year (tracking everything i consume, trying to hit the gym or a workout class at least three times a week, being more aware of alcohol consumption, etc.), i just didn’t see myself as a person that would or could work out for 30 straight days.  i honestly couldn’t see myself working out for seven straight days.  i have only done that one other time in my adult life and it was when i was on a crash diet where my weight went up and down like a yo-yo afterwards.  additionally, i am not one of those people who gets super pumped to go to the gym or work out.  i am always happy afterwards but that is not always enough motivation to get me there.  i am also always happy after watching pretty much any show that is aired on bravo.  if you are a fellow bravo fanatic, i am sure you understand how my couch often wins the battle.

 

with my brother being part of the reason why i started to drop weight over the last year paired with him being a collegiate athlete, i figured why not give it a try.  i am just over 1/3 of the way in and i have not just been impressed by my dedication but i have been impressed with the results i can see happening already.  if i am seeing this and i am on day 11, it makes me that much more excited to see what changes i will notice by day 30.  and now that i have worked out for a double digit number of days consecutively, committing to 5 days per week seems more than feasible.  special shout out to pooh bear for pushing me to be my best.  i am blowing my own damn mind.

 

lastly, i love this quote because it is a simple reminder to do something extraordinary.

 

when was the last time you blew your own mind?  how did you do it?

 

xoxo,

k. tap

crosley cruiser deluxe turntable

even though i have been in my apartment for about a year and a half, i find myself obsessing over different nooks depending on the day of the week.  one corner that i will never get over is the one that houses my crosley cruiser deluxe turntable.

 

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there are so many things to love about this turntable.  first, it was gifted to me by my dear friends reens and sam.  if you have been following along for a bit, you probably remember me mentioning them all throughout my chicago post and/or seeing sam’s amazing skills behind the camera in my post about what i would have done differently in grad school.

 

next, let’s just have a moment for this amazing pop of color – green is my absolute favorite.  if you know me, you know i am a music fanatic.  there is something so spectacular and nostalgic about hearing one of your favorite songs on vinyl.  an added bonus is that this record player is bluetooth compatible, incredibly lightweight and beyond easy to transport.

 

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*the beautiful records with rick ross, adele and justin timberlake above the crosley cruiser were handpainted by emilio cortez aka dj too tall – you can check out his artwork here

 

i started collecting records little by little at music festivals, i have received a few here and there as gifts but the best records came from my grandfather when i moved into my apartment.  he gifted me a huge box of records that belonged to my favorite uncle.  it was stacked with gems – everything from sade to the police to whitney houston.  it makes me think that my varied taste in music comes from him.  it also might explain my music festival obsession.  i can’t help but feel closer to him when listening to any of those records.  it is an unparalleled feeling.

 

the crosley cruiser comes in about 10 different colors and can be found at nordstrom – just add it to your cart while you are shopping the anniversary sale.  trust me, you won’t regret it! for $69.95, it is worth every penny.

 

did you grow up listening to music on vinyl?  what are your favorite records?

 

xoxo,

k. tap

create your own happiness

for more years of my life than i care to admit, i was consumed with figuring out how to make those around me happy.  and if they ever reached that state of happiness, i then made it my job to figure out how to help them maintain that state.  i would beat myself up if the people i loved seemed unhappy, discontent or disappointed.  it took me a really long time to break that mindset.

 

at the end of the day, i am only in control of my own happiness – no one else’s.

 

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“i cannot make you happy, but i can commit to support you in the creation of your own happiness”  –yung pueblo 

 

when i read this quote for the first time, it brought tears to my eyes.  while i had changed my mindset years ago about being able to make another person happy, i could not quite figure out why i initially felt guilt.  i think part of it felt like i was abandoning someone i loved while they were on an important journey.  to me, this quote highlights that while i cannot make someone happy, i can still walk alongside them in their journey to find happiness without doing the work for them.  that is the beauty of it all.

 

how do you create your own happiness?  how do you support your loved ones in creating their own happiness?

 

xoxo,

k. tap

 

p.s. i know i have been posting a ton of poetry lately (all in lowercase letters just like how i like to write) – now you know how much reading i get done when i have time away from work.  i hope you are enjoying it as much as i am. 🙂

the sun and her flowers

it is no secret that i love to read, but clearly, i have been on a heavy duty poetry kick as of late.  last month, i reread “salt.” (yet again) and loved it.  this month, i picked up “the sun and her flowers” by rupi kaur for the third time.  you can get your copy here – i am all about amazon because i hate having to wait extended periods of time to get my hands on a good book.

 

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even though christmas is one of my least favorite holidays, this book was gifted to me by my friend anthony.  while i initially thought it was odd since he knows i am not really about christmas, i realized once reading the inscription that it was far more about being an aid in the healing process with it being my very first christmas without my grandmother.  not only did it help me greatly during that first holiday season/year without her, it is a book that i find myself picking up again and again.

*by the way, anthony sketches some really dope shit – check him out here!

 

there are some poems that hit differently on this third read – i am going to include some of my favorites for you to enjoy.

 

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“the irony of loneliness is we all feel it at the same time  – together”

while this resonated with me during my first read, after having some years under my belt as a counselor, these words are ones that i reference in sessions with clients.  so many of the teen girls that i work with think they are the only ones who are lonely without realizing that the girl smiling in their pre-calc class is just as lonely, she just wears it differently.

 

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“this place makes me the kind of exhausted that has nothing to do with sleep and everything to do with the people around me  – introvert”

the older i get, the more introverted i become.  the more introverted i become, the more time i need to recharge after being in social situations.  whether it is something i do regularly like work or something that is less frequent like a birthday party, i find myself being tapped out if i do not carve out the appropriate time to recoup. it has also made me ultra aware of who i choose to spend my time (exhaust my energy) with/on.

 

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“the way you speak of yourself the way you degrade yourself into smallness is abuse  – self-harm”

so frequently, self-harm is viewed solely as physically hurting oneself – what i like about this poem is that it highlights that there are various types of self-harm, especially repeated self-degradation.

 

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“sometimes i stop myself from saying the words out loud as if leaving my mouth too often might wear them down  – i love you”

during my first read, i both loved and hated this poem.  i loved it because it totally captured who i am in intimate relationships but i hated it because i would give anything to tell my grammy i loved her just one more time.  while she was here, we said it during every phone call and when saying goodbye in person.  however, i made a vow to myself to say it more often to those who i know i love because who knows when will be the last time i have a chance to say it or they have a chance to hear it.  with 2019 being my year of vulnerability, i have really been practicing this more.  it has been beautiful and does not wear down the words in the slightest for me or the recipient(s).

 

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“if i am the longest relationship of my life isn’t it time to nurture intimacy and love with the person i lie in bed with each night  – acceptance”

*pardon the shadowing on the page above – even after several attempts, this was the best shot

so often, i hear people talking about another person completing them.  while i believe in love and partnership fully, i do not love this concept.  i think as people, we should be complete on our own.  and with that comes nurturing the most important relationship in our lives – the one that serves as the foundation for all other relationships; our relationship with ourselves.  this poem will always serve as a reminder to do just that.

 

if you have read “the sun and her flowers”, i would love to hear which poem(s) is your favorite.  if you have not read it in its entirety, tell me which of the ones i posted above resonates with you most.

 

xoxo,

k. tap