8 things to do in San Diego

*Watch the video here

It was the night of Christmas eve and time to open our gifts. When it was my turn, I found a massive hand made card under the tree with my name on it. That itself was the best tear jerker gift ever. Inside the card there were photo's of Mark and I and two tickets to one of my favourite cities - San Diego, along with 3 nights stay at the Bahia Resort Hotel in Mission Bay… I was stoked! 

It was our first flight together as we’re usually meeting each other half way across the world. Flying with someone you love is so much better than flying solo. ...No one likes a stranger drooling on their shoulder. 

Once we arrived, we used Uber as the most efficient and convenient way to get around town. The Bahia Resort Hotel was a perfect location for us because it’s situated on the peninsula on the west shore of Mission Bay with endless amounts of activities, which we love.

I had been to San Diego a few times in the past but never explored Mission Bay which quickly became my favourite area of San Diego. 

Heres a list of 8 things I recommend doing around Mission Bay:

Hike Torrey Pines: 

I had to take Mark to one of my favourite spots in San Diego, Torrey Pines. It's a very easy walk where you can see gorgeous layers of unique rock formations right beside the ocean. This is a great spot to watch people soaring through the sky while paragliding. My heart dropped every time I saw someone running off the edge of the cliff and into the sky but I was also very enveous. I'll have to save that one for next time.

Kayak:

Mission Bay and Mission Beach are incredible spots for water activities such as sailing, surfing. boating, and jet skiing. We chose kayaking when we were there in January and it was amazing to see hundreds of jelly fish in the water along with beautiful wildlife in the area. 

Tennis: 

There are a few public courts and Bahia Resort Hotel has great ones so we played tennis after dinner and then hit the hot tub. The video shows how badly I need to invest in tennis lessons.

Bike Rides:

I strongly suggest renting cruisers and riding along the beach. We grabbed lunch on the boardwalk and made our way to bike on the sand in the shallow areas of the water. (don’t forget to get your feet wet!) 

Wave House: 

Whether you're a surfer or a spectator, the Wave House is a great spot to check out. The 10 foot wave machine pumps 100,000 gallons of water per minute creating an endless barreling wave. If that doesn’t sound entertaining enough, the machine is surrounded by tiki bars, cabanas, and fire pits.

Belmont Park: 

Be careful, you can forget your age and get very lost and excited in this beachfront amusement park and entertainment centre. 

JRDN Surf: Sky: Spirit Dining:

The JRDN restaurant is located at the Tower23 Hotel. It has a focus on local ingredients and is a must try! The atmosphere is very upbeat and we lucked out with a gorgeous spot on the patio right next to the beach. We're used to delicious beef in Canada but this was one of the best steaks I've ever tasted.  I highly recommend trying the 10oz. American wagyu skirt steak and the roasted brussel sprouts. 

Beach Treats: 

We saw people walking with these monster cones all weekend so we made sure to indulge at Beach Treats with some monster cones and shaved ice before we headed back to Vancouver.

The trip was fully loaded with activities and we had a blast. We’ll definitely be back to San Diego soon. If you have any other recommendations on things to do in the area please comment below. If you’ve never been to SD get your butt over there! 

Stay smiling, 

Natalia Anja xox

(pardon my f o r e i g n . g r a m m a r )

*All photo's are taken on a GoPro

Game Changer - Samantha Skelly

How would you define a "Game Changer" ?

To me a Game Changer is someone who inspires people to think outside of the box. Someone who is making a positive shift in society. Someone who without intention, naturally encourages people and inspires them to grow into even better human beings.  

Although there's a lot of positive and useful information, I find social media to sometimes be overwhelming with negativity or gossip. So I wanted to highlight people who I look up to and share their message. 

This week I sat down with Samantha Skelly, founder of "Hungry For Happiness". We talked about her journey with the relationship she had with food and loving her body. Samantha shares her one message she would leave with the world. Watch the full interview here:

If you're interested in Samantha's 6 month coaching program that takes people on a journey back to their bodies, you can sign up Here! 

Thanks for watching :) 

Sending loads of love, 

Natalia xo

Hungry For Happiness

Let's talk about insecurities…

We all have them, some just more overwhelming than others. Whether it's a physical appearance issue you can or can’t change or a personality thing, correct me if I'm wrong but I'm quite certain we all have at least one thing that we’re unhappy with. 

As a professional photographer I'm consistently meeting all sorts of wonderful people. I get the pleasure of meeting a stranger, spending a couple of hours with them and end a session with a new friend. 

Unfortunately I hear a lot of "I'm not photogenic, I'm ugly, you need to photoshop me, I'm fat, I'm not pretty" and the list goes on and on.... each of those phrases makes my heart crumble more and more each time. 

I will very shamefully admit that I have nipped and tucked photos of myself in the past and there was some sickening urge of self gratification from doing it. What’s worse is that that manipulated photo isn't 'me' and for whatever reason I went ahead and posted it. Someone who know’s me and is looking at that photo will probably know that is not what I looked like. Thinking back on that makes me shake my head for even considering doing that. But we all make mistakes, the beauty of life is to learn from your experiences and not to beat yourself up about them. In some twisted way I thought I looked awful when I didn't. I was exercising regularly and eating healthy but I made the mistake of comparing my body to magazine cover bodies who had been photoshopped to unrealistic expectations in which a lot of people are trying to achieve. ... chasing elusive 'perfection'. 

One of the many things the past three years of being a professional photographer has taught me is that the way a large majority of us views ourselves is extremely messed up. 

Sometimes when I hear people saying negative things about themselves, I wish that people saw themselves through my eyes. That they could see not only their beautiful features but how beautiful their souls are. I wish that we could all take every little insecurity we have and feed it with positive thoughts because as soon as that happens, we allow our true selves to shine. We see the real beauty and allow people to accept us for our authenticity... Of course that is much easier said than done.

If you're using an app to make yourself thinner, please STOP. Be and love your beautiful self! Because at the end of the day you know what you look like, you know how you feel, so don't let society tell you what’s beautiful and what isn’t, because YOU are beautiful, just the way you are. Do things that make you smile, keep you healthy and feeling confident. I believe by fuelling our bodies with healthy food and staying active is a recipe for feeling happy and that comparison is only a recipe for disaster.

I'm so excited to share one of my passion projects with everyone - "Game Changers". I find social media to sometimes be overwhelming with negativity or gossip so I wanted to highlight people who truly inspire me. Over the course of the next few months I will be interviewing people who I look up to and will be sharing their positive message. 

This week I sat down with Samantha Skelly, founder of "Hungry For Happiness". We talked about her journey with the relationship she had with food and loving her body.

Stay tuned for the launch of "Game Changers" and the full interview in tomorrows blog post. Samantha is definitely someone to look up to. Here is a sneak peak: 

If you're interested in Samantha's 6 month coaching program that takes women on a journey back to their bodies, you can sign up Here!

If you're curious in how over photoshopping bodies in images affects people, I recommend this great article from our friends over at Raw Beauty Talks: Here!  

Thanks for reading, sending loads of love.

Natalia xo

Pardon the

 f o r e i g n . g r a m m a r

Why New Years Resolutions aren’t for me.

There I was… a mind full of ideas, working on my computer, thinking about doing all these new things I'm wanting to do but procrastinating like crazy. I kept reassuring myself "I'll do that tomorrow”.

I went for a run (Where I get my best thinking done) and realized that sometimes I slip up and easily allow myself to get overwhelmed… I put off all of these great ideas, fresh beginnings and new hobbies till the next day when today is actually the perfect time to start! 

You know that feeling when you think of something genius. When your heart starts racing, a huge smile quickly creeps up on your face and you realize you’re not only onto something, but you’re all alone and smiling like an idiot? …I realized that THAT is the perfect time to start that ‘thing’. When the idea is fresh, exciting, invigorating and you feel your heart dancing around like a 5 year old kid to Pharell William’s - ‘Happy’. …Also because I find the more you start to "think" without acting on it, the more scary and "unrealistic" the idea may start to seem. Those negative thoughts start creeping in and begin to deter you and distract you from achieving that goal. 

If you’re like me, taking the first step is the hardest thing to do because we have these built up stories in our head of how tough it will be, we could fail, we could hate it, we could be judged, or we could get hurt. Where in reality most of these stories are created from our fears or insecurities and aren't actually real. Making excuses seems easier than starting, although I find that excuses are actually more draining and time consuming than taking the leap. 

I’ve always been intrigued by New Years Resolutions because years ago I used to have an abundance of them and found that they never worked for me. I’m not stating they don’t work, I’m sure they do for some and I admire those who accomplish them. 

I’ve read quite a few articles about why New Years Resolutions don’t work for many people and these were a few common reasons why:

    •    We don’t get started right away, but instead procrastinate

    •    We don’t do the hard work and aren’t willing to fail to actually achieve them

    •    We wish them to come true opposed to working towards them

Although I love and embrace the New Year with open arms and excitement, I personally don’t set New Years resolutions. Because I’m such a scatterbrain and take on too much at once, I find what works best for me is developing a system of setting goals throughout the year and holding myself accountable for them by my actions.

Here are 10 things I recommend that work for me in achieving my goals:

1. Write your daily, weekly, monthly, annual and long term goals on post it notes (or a white board) and put them in a spot where you’ll see them every single day. Jot down why that goal is important to you. I have mine posted in my bathroom where every morning and night when I brush my teeth, I read them over and visualize how amazing it’s going to feel when I achieve each one. I’m a big believer in manifestation.

2.  Research your goal. If you don’t know how to achieve it, look it up and you can always learn anything at the wonderful school of YouTube.

3.  Share your goals. Whether it be a conversation with a friend, new acquaintance or posting it on your Facebook wall. Put it out into the universe…People want to help you!

4. Mute that annoying little voice in your head every time any negative or discouraging thoughts creep up. 

5. Focus on the present and ask yourself, “What’s the one thing you can do today, right now, towards your goal?”

6. Alter your statements. Change the “I want to” to “I will”

7. Stop procrastinating. Write a daily ‘to do’ list in order of importance and allow yourself to focus on each one. If something pops up in your mind, add it to the list, don’t let yourself get distracted.

8. Don’t check your phone or open your computer until you’re out of bed and ready for your day. This prevents so much unnecessary wasted time on social media and allows more valuable time towards your day. Same goes for night time. Once you’re ready for bed, ditch the phone (this also prevents you from dropping your phone onto your face because your hands have gone numb from endless scrolling - speaking from experience... you’re welcome.)

9. Ask for help. The worst that could happen is you hear ‘no’. But taking a chance in asking could lead to a glorious opportunity.

10. Believe in yourself. (the most important one.) 

Most of us wait until Jan 1st to start tackling that endless list of goals. I am challenging you and I to start today! 

Sending loads of love, 

Natalia xo

Pardon the

 f o r e i g n . g r a m m a r