On International Women's Day: My Faves

It took me a few hours today to realize that it is International Women's Day. Thanks, social media!

I'm not super good at this woman stuff. Really it's true. I struggle to come up with meaningful ways of contributing to our collective moving forward. We're not all going to be leaders of the revolution, but I think we should all do what we can as women to try and raise each other up, no matter how small the gesture. It's not much but I think I'll take this opportunity not to talk about the plight of women worldwide, or female public figures who inspire me, or #metoo or #timesup.
I just want to shout out a few ladies who make my world a better place.

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NUMBER ONE: You guessed it- my Mom:

Taken a year or two before my existence

This woman is me. For real. We're very alike, and are connected. I'm not a swoopydoopy spiritual person, but honestly, it's spooky. We have the same dreams, and can predict a phonecall from each other within minutes.

I've never met anyone with so much love in their heart. @somebuttstuff and I sometimes give her a hard time, (him more than me if I'm honest, right Chris?) but she just KEEPS. ON. LOVING. I hear that's what you do when you're a mom, so it guess it doesn't make her special, but she's special to us. She works hard, she loves hard, she GIVES like no one I've ever seen, and she is so funny and fun to be around. When I was a teenager, I never would have guessed that in my 20s & 30s (& beyond I'm sure) my favourite place to be on a Saturday night would be sitting around my mom's kitchen with her and my stepdad and Mark, sharing a toke, some beer, and a lot of laughs.

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NUMBER TWO: My Bestie/Step-Cousin Amanda:

the fuck you lookin at?

Yeah, by step-cousin I mean, her dad is my step-dad's brother. Make sense? Good. We met when my step-dad dragged @somebuttstuff and me over to his brother's house to play with his niece and nephew. Amanda was such a snobby bitch. She still is but I love her.

She's one of my biggest cheerleaders and I think she knows me better than I know myself. I'm not a very social person, and she's the biggest social butterfly ever. She's a rockstar and I am a granny. Her favourite thing in the world is dragging me out of my comfort zone. And while I protest the whole way, I'm sure that it's very good for me.

She's one of those people who has a flair for the dramatic, a taste for the luxurious, and an appetite for adventure. Trouble seems to always find her, and she always, always HANDLES IT. She is very much a boss woman who takes no shit, and I so admire her for it. Her daughter, Pepper, is awfully lucky to have such a badass momma.

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NUMBER THREE: My Goddaughter Pepper:

Amanda's daughter Pepper

Ok so technically not a WOMAN. This little girl, is something else. She has very interesting genes, so I am super excited to watch her grow, and to be a part of her life. She is already very much like her mama- loud, sassy, and unable to hold still.

I am not a parent and never will be, but I am excited to have the honour of being an influence in this little girl's life. I hope I can teach her to love nature and the outdoors, to respect animals, and to be a mindful, thoughtful human being.

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NUMBER FOUR: My dear friend Courtenay:

We met in art school, so we've shared a lot of the same struggles in art, self-worth, and work. She is SUCH a funny woman who, I know it's cliche but it's true, can light up a room. I am so proud of her for recently deciding to shake off old hardships and make a big change, moving to Dubai and pursuing painting and art full time. She's doing great! If you live in Dubai and would like a cool mural or custom artwork made, she's your gal!

Source: Facebook Selfie

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NUMBER FIVE: My lil soulmate Danica:

Source: Facebook selfie
I met this amazing woman in photography school. She's so smart and spiritual and grounded and absolutely hilarious. We've lived together twice in the last 8 years and it's been some of the most fun times in my life. She's easily the best person to go to for deep heart-to-heart talks, sage advice, and philosophical musing. She is very in-tune with nature and I can't wait to see where she takes her pursuits of permaculture and growing food in general. Lil green thumb!

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I actually don't have a lot of friends, and this is about the extent of the close females in my life. I curate them very carefully I think because I am a bit of a recluse. In high school and my early twenties, I had lots of girlfriends, but there was always some goddamn drama going on and I eventually phased out the toxic people. The ladies I've kept around are the ones who enrich my own existence with their friendship, laughter, love, and big hearts. I am so lucky to have these amazing sisters in my life.

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Geez, if you got this far in this post, thank you for reading! I didn't think it would get this long to be honest!

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Peace & Love!