another year another autumn

The time comes every year.  A time for thanks, for temperature drops, for education resuming, for scarves, coats, and gloves, a time for fireplaces, and for comfort food.  For the first 23 years of my life on the east coast, at least.  This time of year looks a lot different here in Los Angeles.  Specifically this year, what with every American's new found degree in politics.  I figured today I'd let my photos do the talking, while I nurse my "I live 3000 miles away from home on Thanksgiving" hangover.   Enjoy!

Autumn 2016 in Los Angeles: A Photo Journal

O and I grab coffee and a pastry at our favorite cafe to celebrate my 2 year LA-versary. 

We grab Austin, and head to the Americana, another nostalgic setting for us.

Nostalgia already setting in as we sit in front of a fountain we used to visit time after time at the start of our Californian journey, and realizing this may be the last time, as we take our next chapters in different directions.  God, I am so lucky to have this girl as my chosen sister.  It's hard to even pick the right words to sum up what she means to me.  But she knows.

My work family and I surprising our baby Riese with a birthday drag brunch. 

Riese takes the stage, murders it, and walks away with first place, of course.

Halloween 2016: warm enough to be Madonna without a coat.
Fun fact: I decided to dress up as her at 3pm the day of.  
The only thing I needed to purchase was the glove.

One last meal out with O and Austin before Home Free's Christmas tour began.  It is the first week of November.  I am wearing a short sleeve shirt, and baking in the sunlight.  Ahhh, LA.

November 9th, 2016. 
Lots of emotions and tempers running wild.  Incredible discourse and divide.  Perfect day to put the phone down and do things that make a girl smile, such as:

1) Breakfast with your bestie who's in town from Brooklyn for a few days.

2) Gallivant all over Los Angeles, taking photos. 

(Love her, hate her, feel indifferent towards her.  It doesn't matter.  What does matter is that the first female president of The United States is out there somewhere.  And she was watching this election.  And boy, is she motivated.  And boy, are we ready for her.)

And finally, 3) Count your blessings.

Sat under the Hollywood sun, jotting ideas and thoughts down, witnessing people in daily life and hearing bits of conversations go passed, until I was too sweaty to not be in air conditioning anymore.  Actually got in front of the camera for someone else besides Olena, and I can't wait to share the project with you!

Impromptu shooting with Jen, always and forever.

Shopped locally for some new books in my attempt to spend less time bingeing on television and more time getting engulfed in stories.  This bookstore has a freaking tree in it, people.  
Los Feliz just gets me.

Afternoon in Malibu to brighten up my day, and let's be honest, my Instagram feed. 

Well here we are guys!  You've reached the end of this week's photo blog.  Congratulations!  For your prize, you get to eat leftover Thanksgiving food!  What was that?  You were going to do that anyway?  Well, just like Donald Trump's victory song, you can't always get what you want.  

That's a weird note to end this post on, so I'll leave you with this.  
I hope your Thanksgiving was peaceful, and warm, and full of love and togetherness.  While there may have been conversations of tension, or disagreement, I hope they were overshadowed by appreciation and gratitude that you even got to spend that day with your loved ones at all.  Lord knows I would have loved to.

Keep loving one another.  Keep being kind.  Keep being accepting.  
And, most importantly, keep being authentically yourself.  No one gets to vote on that.  
Listen to your peers, listen to your elders. listen to your minors.  Let's try to understand each other more, and open up healthy discussion, rather than fighting and neglecting each other.  

If you are someone in this country who feels alone, you are not.  I am with you, and I know so many wonderful people who are also with you.  I have arms for hugging, shoulders for leaning on and ears for listening, and they're all open if you need to use them.

Well, I'm off to go listen to Frank Sinatra's Christmas album for the next 30 days straight.  Thanks for reading! Happy Leftover Turkey Day!

xoxo