zelda

Zelda Fitgerald

The year that was 2014 really started out very, very, VERY bad, having lost a dear friend on Christmas – an event that would shape the lives of the people around me right up to Christmas 2014 and beyond. I learned a lot about myself dealing with a fresh type of grief, the kind that comes only from suddenly, permanently losing a friend with whom I had a soul connection. The wake of this tragedy was horrific and at moments unbearable, but through it, we found ourselves continually touched by her legacy – she brought new friends together, pulled introverts out of their shells, reminded us of the importance of friends and family, and most of all, to embrace every second of living, breathing life because it’s short.

After a few months of floundering early in the year, I decided it was time to cut a path through the debris and start living again. I set goals, some of which were immediately actionable giving me the courage and motivation to move on to the bigger challenges. The best part? Realizing each goal came with many more rewards than just the initial outcome I was aiming for. One fed another, propelling me, and each seemed to be touched with the glitter of my friend’s memory. I could feel her in my heart still cheering me on, just like she did when she was physically present in my daily life. And despite how much I still missed her, my heart began to fill full again. Not just a little bit either. I tried to find a word or way to describe the fullness of heart I began to experience but as Zelda said, even poets hadn’t found a way to measure such a feeling.

So I ended up having a very blessed year living life full, with hearty travels, a career changing for the positive, my style business in full take-off mode, fabulous live music and great films. I climbed some mountains, laughed, and had other losses to grieve for. But I crossed many things off my life bucket list, one of which was right here at the end of 2014, one that I said I’d share when I began my blog, that of setting my feet on hallowed, surfing ground, not once, but twice. These I’ll tell through pictures and captions. I hope it sufficiently captures my joy-filled heart and in such a way you might be Sensespired to reach for your dreams in 2015.

Us saying goodbye to Folly, January 2014 - Captured by Justin Morris for Follyhood

Us on the pier, saying goodbye to Folly and our friend, January 2014
Captured by Justin Morris for Follyhood

Sundance Resort, January 2014

Sundance Resort, January 2014

Sundance Resort, January 2014

Sundance Resort, January 2014

Friends, Sundance Resort, January 2014

Friends, Sundance Resort, January 2014

Early trip to Lake Jocassee with friends, May 2014

Early trip to Lake Jocassee with friends, May 2014

 

 

 

 

 

Early trip to Lake Jocassee with friends, May 2014

The wild beauty that is Lake Jocassee, May 2014

Much needed R&R in the Dominican Republic, June 2014

Much needed R&R in the Dominican Republic, June 2014

Sensepiration for Everyday; April 2014

Sensepiration for everyday, April 2014

Charles James Exhibit at the Met, June 2014

Charles James Exhibit at the Met, June 2014

911 Memorial; June 2014

911 Memorial, June 2014

Louboutins, Friends and a Memorial in NYC, June 2014

Louboutins, friends and a memorial in NYC, June 2014

Summer Music - Beck, July 2014

Summer music with friends and Beck, July 2014

Dior-Balmain-St. Laurent Exhibit at the Mint, July 2014

Dior-Balmain-St. Laurent Exhibit at the Mint, July 2014

I finally got the car to take my board to Folly! August 2014

I finally got the car to take my board to Folly! August 2014

The friends who shared my first Folly Surf trip (the Surfswagen is behind us); August 2014

The friends who shared my first official Folly surf trip (the Surfswagen is behind us), August 2014

Riding Happy

Riding Happy

Goodbye Sweet Nellie, September 10, 2014

Goodbye sweet Nellie, September 10, 2014

Folly for Labor Day - where it always starts and ends, Aug/Sep 2014

Folly for Labor Day – where it always starts and ends, Aug/Sep 2014

Hallowed surfing ground - Mavericks; October 2014

Hallowed surfing ground – Mavericks, October 2014

Steamers Lane - Santa Cruz; October 2014

Steamers Lane – Santa Cruz, October 2014

Bixby Bridge

Bixby Bridge

Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, October 2014

Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, October 2014

Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, October 2014

Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, October 2014

Monterey towards Big Sur, October 2014

Monterey towards Big Sur, October 2014

The Lone Cypress in a sea of cypresses - 17 Mile Drive Pebble Beach/Carmel; October 2014

The Lone Cypress in a sea of cypresses – 17 Mile Drive Pebble Beach/Carmel, October 2014

#10 at Santa Barbara October 7, 2014

#10 at Santa Barbara
October 7, 2014

God gave us a full moon on our 10th - Santa Barbara; October 7, 2014

God gave us a full moon on our 10th – Santa Barbara, October 7, 2014

Majestic Joshua Tree, October 2014

Majestic Joshua Tree, October 2014

WV Bridge Day with Friends, October 2014

WV Bridge Day with friends, October 2014

A happy style client at a photo shoot with her adorable son. Credit: Josh Norris Studios www.JoshNorrisStudios.com

A happy style client at a photo shoot with her adorable son.
Credit: Josh Norris Studios
www.JoshNorrisStudios.com

Addie Violet and Atari Jet Jaguar, October 2014

Addie Violet and Atari Jet Jaguar, adopted November 7, 2014

Arlington and Pink Floyd, December 2014

Arlington and Pink Floyd 20 Years Later, December 2014

Miracle on 34th Street - Hampden, Baltimore, Christmas 2014

Miracle on 34th Street; Hampden, Baltimore, Christmas 2014

Mavericks Again, this time with a swell; December 19, 2014

Mavericks again, this time with a swell, December 19, 2014

The 45' Mavericks Wave on Super Saturday - An epic day watching the real surfers take it on, December 20, 2014

The 45′ Mavericks Wave on Super Saturday – An EPIC day watching the real surfers take it on; December 20, 2014