Favorites from my Samoa baby moon camera roll
More pics from my babymoon in beautiful Samoa.
This is 30.
On March 18, 1992, an angel descended upon Earth in the form of a little girl, and her name was Nerelle…
Hahaha, just kidding!
It’s been three decades of life in this human body.
I am beyond blessed to reflect upon my thirty years, and utter daily gratitudes that I was born and raised in a loving home, surrounded by amazing people from all walks of life, and that in the three decades past, I have grown into who I am now… A silly, awkward, divine, and multi-faceted woman with a penchant for creative expression, and a deep appreciation for the beauty of my natural environment.
I am now no longer complete without my soul mate — my husband — and I mean this in the most loving way, while still being a strong independent woman. I’m thankful to have him by my side, walking this Earth with me. We are living our best lives, taking it day by day, and writing the chapters of our life together.
These photos were taken by my husband as the sun rose on the morning of my birthday. My best friend Gabs, who is an incredible professional photographer, offered to take photos for my birthday morning. I love her photos and I shared a few over on my instagram, but wanted to share some on here that my husband took because I think it’s cool seeing myself through his lens… and he’s right, I am hot!
LOL – ok I’ll stop now!
Hope you have an excellent day, week, and life 😉
xoxo, Nerelle
me painting, taken by ian.
ian hanging up the painting, taken by me.
hi hello how are you
Making more of an effort to pick up my camera
I miss seeing myself through my own lens…
Going to make more of an effort to document the in between moments this week while on home quarantine. It will be driven by all the little things that make my heart sing, like the steam from the kettle, the light shining through the window, the way the birds chirp in the morning, the smell of the books on the shelves, and the slow movements when I observe myself through the mirror. This was a terrible effort from today, but it was still a reason to pick up my camera again and sit in front of it after snorkeling and stand up paddle boarding in the afternoon sun baking until crispy.
“I love when you read a book and you become so emotionally invested in it, and when you walk around public places after reading it you feel like you’re in this bubble by yourself, like you’re so deeply inside your mind you’re actually out of touch with reality”
26th. Always Grateful.
Before today ends, I just want to share how incredibly grateful I am for these 26 years of living. From the sweet treats by my coworkers, to scuba diving a new site and getting buzzed by a turtle, hammocking on the beach with friends, listening to live music, getting gifted with pearls, a donation to my fave nonprofit, and the adventure fund, and a super rad Earth Day Everyday shirt from Ian (and designed by his talented coworker Valentine), all the back rubs and TLC from my main squeeze, ahhh and eating way too much good food… This weekend has been absolutely exceptional!
Plus, we officially booked our Puerto Rico leg of our May trip and got confirmation from our great friends that they’ll be meeting us there!! I’m thrilled for a new year of growth, learnings, and adventures!
Photo credit: Ian M – My boo, my babe. The best boyfriend and support system in the whole dang world. I’m blessed to have such a cutie pizzle. ❤️
Whether the Weather
There’s a storm brewing this week. We’re hunkering down to wait out this monsoonal trough. We moved some of our plants inside, and are securing our windows and stocking up on food JUST in case. I’m hopeful it’s going to pass soon but with another tropical disturbance affecting Fiji nearby (it could swing this way on Friday), we’re staying precautious.
Also in case you haven’t noticed, we changed up our apartment layout a bit! Last weekend, we decided to downsize and sell our rattan entertainment center, the blue spool coffee table, and one of our couches. We wanted to refocus our living area so that we are facing the window. That way instead of Ian drinking coffee in the morning and staring at the wall (yes this is every morning, he gets it from his mom haha), now he can look out at the lagoon and the mountains.
Excerpts from a Chill Christmas Eve
An excerpt of my Christmas Eve photo diary.
Breakfast. Ian took the moto out to buy bread while I fried some eggs.
The north wind on the porch has been so refreshing.
Opened our second to last advent gifts. Snazzy speaker for me and Surf trip for Ian.
Tidied up the house, and Ian worked on my car.
Went SUPing past the reef and saw 7 turtles. 7 wishes.
Yodi swam out with us. Such a beautiful calm day. I got a tan.
Last minute groceries and gift wrapping.
Church Christmas service, games, and filipino food. Mom and dad are back.
Home by midnight, and obligatory family photo.
zZz, see you tomorrow!
