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A Wild Soul

Personal Blog

California

Oakland and SF

2 January 21, 2018 California

Oakland and SF

Oh hey, old home! We spent about a week soaking up Oakland – more visits with friends and family – more reminders of happiness and life. For the four years we lived here, M and I would try to walk around Lake Merritt every chance we got. Sometimes during the sunniest, hottest part of the…

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Point Reyes

4 January 20, 2018 California

Point Reyes

January might not be the ideal time for a trip to Point Reyes, but it is one of our favorite places on earth and we have enjoyed visiting as much as possible over the last few years. Hehe holding my belly and smiling – gotta fake it til you make it, right? But actually though……

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Los Angeles

4 January 11, 2018 California

Los Angeles

Upon arriving back in LA, we snacked a bit on the beach while the sun set. And after checking in to the cutest place (The Ellison Suites), we headed back out to explore Venice Beach and make our way to Cafe Gratitude for dinner. We ended up in LA two times and instead of giving…

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Joshua Tree

4 January 10, 2018 California

Joshua Tree

After spending time with family in Michigan and Kentucky over the winter holidays, we flew to Southern California to soak up some sun and visit with family and friends. We planned this trip with the theme of: make Julia want to live again. Was it an immediate cure? No, but it did help. I was…

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Catalina Island

1 January 7, 2018 California

Catalina Island

In all our years of living in Northern California, we never really ventured south past Big Sur. And because I desperately needed Vitamin D and wanted islands and mountains (and the tickets were cheaper), we planned a trip to Catalina Island. Exploring Catalina Island is not easy if you are not there as a backpacker/camper….

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California to Wisconsin

2 September 1, 2017 California

California to Wisconsin

At the end of June (2017), Matt’s mom drove out from Michigan to California to help us move across the country. In the days leading up to the move, we spent as much time with friends and family as possible, and many came over to help us fit all of our material possessions into her…

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Monterey Bay Aquarium

3 April 8, 2017 California

Monterey Bay Aquarium

1. Suppose I were to begin by saying that I had fallen in love with a color. Suppose I were to speak this as though it were a confession; suppose I shredded my napkin as we spoke. It began slowly. An appreciation, an affinity. Then one day, it became more serious. Then (looking into an…

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Russian River Cabin

5 April 5, 2017 California

Russian River Cabin

i am your friend. a soul for you soul. a place for your life. home. know this. sun or water. here or away. we are a lighthouse. we leave. and we stay. —nayyirah waheed

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Goat Rock Beach

4 April 4, 2017 California

Goat Rock Beach

“I will not die an unlived life. I will not live in fear of falling or catching fire. I choose to inhabit my days, to allow my living to open me, to make me less afraid, more accessible; to loosen my heart until it becomes a wing, a torch, a promise. I choose to risk…

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Getting Lost at Armstrong Redwoods

5 April 4, 2017 California

Getting Lost at Armstrong Redwoods

“The question then is how to get lost. Never to get lost is not to live, not to know how to get lost brings you to destruction, and somewhere in the terra incognita in between lies a life of discovery.” – Rebecca Solnit This friendship. This group of four. More than most of my friendships,…

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Bolinas Ridge Trail at Point Reyes

5 March 25, 2017 California

Bolinas Ridge Trail at Point Reyes

if you are softer than before they came. you have been loved. – nayyirah waheed With our move across the country coming up, we are trying to make the most of every day. Point Reyes has been one of our favorite places to return to over the years. Back in March we headed out to…

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Napa Valley Birthday Celebration

6 March 18, 2017 California

Napa Valley Birthday Celebration

“Goodbyes are only for those who love with their eyes; for those who love with heart and soul there is no separation.” – Rumi By far the hardest part about moving is leaving our friends. Leslye left us to travel and rock climb around the world (seriously, she is the coolest). But the weekend before she…

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From earlier this summer when we tried to camp in From earlier this summer when we tried to camp in the back yard, but then the neighbor set off fireworks. 😁🥳🏕🎆
🌻🌻🌻 🌻🌻🌻
A few more 🥰 A few more 🥰
About to send a bunch of film off to get developed About to send a bunch of film off to get developed for the first time in years 🥳🤞. Cannot wait to see what comes back! The box will consist of photos I I have taken over the last 6 months so I am a little nervous to part with it. But I haven’t had time to develop myself (something I want to do whenever I have time again lol). These photos are some of my favorites — before the pandemic, medical school and motherhood.
One year ago. If you have any questions or concern One year ago. If you have any questions or concerns about the vaccine please feel free to DM me anytime. We are all in this together. 🌎🌍🌏✨🌈🌿
Trying to study for my last big medical school exa Trying to study for my last big medical school exam — an exam that has an enormous impact on where we live next year and what I will do for the rest of my life — and the birds and the flowers and the light are so damn distracting. At least after being in school for 20 something years I can confidently say I study best outside where I can appreciate nature’s beauty in my peripheral vision (as opposed to being inside where I would surely just sit and daydream all day). ☺️
I keep meaning to get back on here and post again I keep meaning to get back on here and post again and today seems like a good day to start because I can brag about @mattmaiorana being the sweetest, gentlest dada a mama could ever want. Our darling little one just turned 3 and she says the funniest things including “dada are you sad? Why are you sad dada?” when he tries to brush her teeth. I guess his focused face worries her so he now brushes her teeth with a smile (last pic) — usually after a long day of work, a few hours of play and exploring outside, cooking dinner, and getting her cleaned up and ready for bed (all of which she resists with stern faces, pouts and giggles). Lol and after all that when she finallyyyy agrees to brushing her teeth, “don’t be sad” 😂👼🏻😂. This pandemic has been hard, but at least I’ve had the continual joy of watching these two love each other and play day in and day out and I go to bed most days eager to do it again 🥰
I will miss you sweet Banjo 💔😭 I will miss you sweet Banjo 💔😭
4 years ago and still so grateful ✨🌚🍃 4 years ago and still so grateful ✨🌚🍃
Happiest of birthdays to my Yanzi I am blessed To Happiest of birthdays to my Yanzi
I am blessed
To love you
To hold you 
To know you.
Your brilliant mind
and fiercely kind spirit. 

Thankful for all you give, all you are, all you do, all you dream.
for your musical laugh and wide smile
I want to climb inside and curl up and call home.

Last night, you danced
standing in a lake so great it’s an ocean, and 
I watched
from the clifftop above
as the sky painted its beauty around you.
I marveled 
at you at the water at the sky.

Someone nearby lit a floating lantern 
and the baby on my back said
more more more!!

 “the sand is thirsty” you said 
while laughing and peeing and 
effortlessly holding my gaze 

the earth is thirsty
for you, for us, for this
And she’s TWO!! I want to say it’s going way t And she’s TWO!! I want to say it’s going way too fast.  Every minute with her is magic! Also these last 3 years have been the longest years of my life 😅. But slow down sweet baby slow down. Little one loves watermelon and blueberries. She likes to ride around on her dada’s back, make bubbles in the bath, wash dishes, move furniture, collect rocks, and help build things. She packs up her backpack for adventures and will wear it while running all over the place, and if you chase her she gets so excited she collapses in a fit of laughter. She likes to sing and read from any piece of paper that has words on it “wa-wa-wa-wa.” She likes to snuggle in bed all night and does not want her own big kid bed. When we ask she points to the bed and says “no! Mama... Dada... and Baby!” She loves the dogs and likes to get in their beds and pretend she’s a dog too. She calls all crayons “lellow”, and has started saying “huh?” Her favorite books are my med school books, Goodnight Moon, and Brown Bear, Brown Bear, what do you see? Favorite movies are The Tale or Princess Kaguya, My Neighbor Totoro, and Moana. She still sleeps on me for most naps and nights, but at least she sleeps for 6 hours at a time most nights (finally!), but she always wants to stay up to play until 11pm or later. When it is finally time for bed, she manages to say “byeee.. byeeee... byeee” while blowing kisses and waving and crying all at the same time. 🌻
Happy, happy birthday sister 😘😍 Happy, happy birthday sister 😘😍
Kisses 😘 Kisses 😘
Reflecting on my immense love for this little one Reflecting on my immense love for this little one who made me a mother 🥰
I want to think again of dangerous and noble thing I want to think again of dangerous and noble things. I want to be light and frolicsome. I want to be improbable beautiful and afraid of nothing, as though I had wings. - Mary Oliver
More 🐮 More 🐮
🐮 🐮
Spring 🥳 Spring 🥳
“For every atom belonging to me as good Belongs “For every atom belonging to me as good Belongs to you. Remember?” - Marie Howe
Two more 🌬☃️ Two more 🌬☃️
Last few pics of winter! ❄️ Someone in my fami Last few pics of winter! ❄️ Someone in my family threw this pink wool onesie in the dryer 🤷‍♀️ so it will now only (maybe) fit a newborn... ahh... good thing spring is here!
This sweet baby loves to visit all the statues in This sweet baby loves to visit all the statues in the park. There’s a big horse and quite a few lions and we go say hi to them (and roar at them!) every chance we get. Today @ya.n.zi joined us and we played hide and seek among the trees and walked down to the lake and it was so, so wonderful and I didn’t take any pictures so instead I am sharing this one from a few weeks ago 😍.
More snow tomorrow 😍 More snow tomorrow 😍
This tree. This tree.
Matt and Isla in the snow ❄️ Matt and Isla in the snow ❄️
Her face every time she sees the ocean 😍 Her face every time she sees the ocean 😍
I spend way too much time on here passively consum I spend way too much time on here passively consuming other’s creativity and lives... so I am gonna try to force myself to post something every time I open Instagram 😂. Quick update from me (bc I also use this as my journal 😌). A lot has happened these last few weeks! I finished (and passed 🙏✨) all my exams for phase 1 and am now onto the next phase where I get to see patients everyday! We  moved to Milwaukee where I’ll be rotating through various clinics and hospitals for the next few years with my amazing TRIUMPH cohort (training in urban medicine and public health). I had two weeks off for the holidays and we visited family in Detroit and Florida. We were pretty sick for the whole two weeks (flu maybe idk!) and that put a bit of a damper on things, but it was still wonderful to get in some family time and sun. We returned to Milwaukee exhausted and still recovering from our illnesses, but I think now I can officially say I am better! Yay! Happy new year!! #medicalschool #womeninmedicine
Said I would get out and challenge myself w my cam Said I would get out and challenge myself w my camera and share more photos here and then promptly disappeared! Sorry about that! I will be using (friends only) instastories for most phone pics and then using my wall for more intentional photography. First snow of the year.. Isla was wary! — October 29, 2019
“November’s a burn and an ache.” - Charles W “November’s a burn and an ache.” - Charles Wright
☃️ ☃️
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