I started reading a lot in Brazil and finished The Vegetarian by Han Kang and now I’m going to start Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay by Elena Ferrante, the third in a series. I feel like I gained back focus with this last read that left me questioning so much about mental health and the cultural differences in approaching it specifically amongst women. This was a focus that was lost to too much screen time. Getting back to my old reading rituals is one part of my wellness goal for the days to come. Every time I take something a away from a book I’m reading, I find somehow to learn something more about myself and my own view on the world. That’s my favorite thing about getting lost in a story. It’s seeing bits of myself reflected in it. It’s like taking little steps towards being more and more up close and personal with myself.
Just for fun, Gabi and I recreated a matchy matchy wedding day look, and a reason to highlight this gorgeous bridal headpiece by Genevieve Rose Atelier. I love a bride in a suit, and who said it had to be white? A lot of you guys have been asking how Gabi and I met, so here you go. We met here in NYC in March of 2016 on a dating app (Happn. Apparently, people still use this app?!). We “crossed paths” in Soho, and I was just about over the idea of ever finding love in the city, when I decided to give this handsome man a chance. Gabi was a little over a month into city life after arriving from his native Brazil. I knew from the start that being with him gave me a special feeling that at the time I could never fully describe. A deep in the gut feeling. But still we took things slow and steady . . . an organic pace. I was so attracted to his creativity, open mindedness and understanding of the world. I never met anyone else before like my Gabi. Before we knew it, we were together. I went to visit him and his family in Brazil 7 months later, and we did a few stints of long distance speckled throughout the next two years, which was hard at times but not the most terrible thing in the world because we never doubted that we should be together. He was back and forth regularly between Brazil and NYC, and we met in Rio, in Nicaragua . . . we did whatever it took to make it work. Looking back, I really did feel the distance at that time brought us even closer and made every time we were together even more spectacular. We got hitched spur of the moment in June of 2018 at the Brooklyn City Clerk’s Office. It was a super simple, small and no fuss wedding, which was exactly how we wanted it. And here we are! Every relationship has its own path, and I feel so lucky for the one that we had and are continuing to have.
