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@sj_aloha

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The toughest month this year,
but still so many moments of love and lessons.
💛✨️🤗🫶🙏🥰🪄🎁 by @sj_aloha

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12 days ago

August 2026 has been so full. So FULL. Not exaggerating when I say probably one of the best of my life so far. It had everything and more. Had to post one last grid post in no particular order. Grateful for all the memories shared. Heart is so full.

Really got my wear out of that dress I got in Sri Lanka @soph.dxb 👗

This year has been wild.

Only thing missing has been time with family, but I've been collecting stories for yassss 📖 ⛰️👏✨️💁🏼‍♀️

By family I also mean @klyfxyldy @ninastanley1 @beckslou12 💖 by @sj_aloha

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2 months ago

Winter is coming.
But first, a Balkan detour 🏝
Malaga ✈️ London (24 hours) ✈️ Dubrovnik 🏍 Split ⛴️ Vis taken in Vis by @sj_aloha

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2 months ago

Did I mention we hiked Mt. Fuji? 🗻

3,776 metres. Japan’s highest peak. An active volcano, a pilgrimage site for centuries, and one of Japan’s 3 sacred mountains.

Somewhere at the very top, I lost Nanna’s ring. I actually called it my mountain ring because of its shape and it had come with me on so many hikes and adventures. So, of all the places in the world for me to lose it, there is something poetic about it disappearing on the summit of Mt. Fuji.

For centuries, Fuji has been regarded as a sacred place in Japanese spiritual traditions - a place of pilgrimage, purification and the meeting of the earthly and spiritual worlds. Mountains have long held associations with gods, spirits and ancestors, and climbing Fuji itself has historically represented a journey of transformation.

The ascent: leaving the ordinary world behind.
The summit: sacred ground.
The descent: returning changed.

Some research:

The summit of Mt. Fuji is the ultimate Iwakura - a sacred natural dwelling place for the spirits. Mountains are where the souls of the departed go to watch over their living families.

In ancient times, pilgrims climbed the mountain to leave precious items, prayers, and tokens at the top as a sign of ultimate respect and to secure divine protection for their lineages.

Nanna's ring has effectively become a sacred offering (Heimoku) at the highest altar in Japan, looking over the world 🌎

The physical elements of the mountain - the fierce winds, the volcanic ash, and the intense sun are believed to strip away negative karma and earthly attachments.

In Japanese folklore, when a treasured heirloom disappears in a sacred place, it it is often said that the object "sacrificed" itself or fulfilled its spiritual contract.

Part of me still hopes that one day, somehow, it finds its way back to me.

But if it doesn’t, I think I’ve decided how I want to remember it.

Nanna’s ring isn’t sitting forgotten in the bottom of a drawer.

My mountain ring is on a mountain.

Not just any mountain.

The top of Fuji-san 🗻 by @sj_aloha

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2 months ago

No context Japan - instajournal #1

Some of my faves!

Ft. @arcticflyingfox taken in Shuzenji, Shizuoka by @sj_aloha

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2 months ago

If you've been here a while, you may have seen me posting this ring in different places. The ring belonged to my Nanna who passed away in July 2020. I don't think it's expensive, but to me it's priceless. It was too big to wear, so I always carried it with me in a safe space and took a photo. I didnt want to get it resized because I loved that it was made to fit her. It was less about wearing it and more about taking a little piece of her with me on all my gallivants.

I've got photos of the ring all over the world.

🇺🇸 USA 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇲🇦 Morocco 🇫🇷 France 🇨🇭 Switzerland 🇫🇮 Finland 🇲🇹 Malta 🇪🇪 Estonia 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇳🇴 Norway 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇦🇺 Australia 🇳🇿 New Zealand 🇲🇾 Malaysia 🇻🇳 Vietnam 🇹🇭 Thailand 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka 🇲🇻 Maldives 🇭🇷 Croatia 🇬🇧 UK 🇪🇸 Spain 🇮🇩 Bali 🇲🇪 Montenegro 🇯🇵 Japan and more I am probably forgetting.

But the first photo in this sequence is the last I took of the ring. At the summit of Mount Fuji, the highest point.

Somewhere between changing my socks before descending, stopping at one of the mountain huts for a breather, or one of the many times I slipped on my 🍑 on the way down... it's disappeared.

I've replayed those moments over and over. I know, to most people, it's just a ring. But to me it's so much more.

It was something my Nanna chose to leave to me.

It became my comfort, my good luck charm, a way of feeling like she was sharing my adventures.

Whenever life felt overwhelming or chaotic, I'd hold it for a moment. It grounded me. So this is a plea to the good side of social media.

If anyone knows of a Mount Fuji lost property service, hiking groups, local guides, park rangers or anyone who might be able to help, I'd be incredibly grateful if you could point me in the right direction or share this.

We climbed via the Fujinomiya Trail, starting from the 5th Station, and completed the crater loop around the summit.

The last photo of the ring was taken at the very very top.
I know the chances of finding one small ring on Japan's highest mountain are incredibly slim. But sometimes the internet works miracles. If this post reaches the right person, maybe, just maybe, there is a chance 💍 ⛰️ by @sj_aloha

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2 months ago

Hvala puno 🇲🇪

Instajournal complete... until the next one 🙏⛰️ taken in Kotor, Montenegro by @sj_aloha

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3 months ago

Pizza, pasta, cake, kittens, hikes, gladiator trees, boat trips - what's not to love. More photos loading to the instajournal ✨️

@erikacjoh loved this trip with you 💛 taken in Perast, Montenegro by @sj_aloha

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3 months ago

A few more of my faves from Dubrovnik 🇭🇷 🥹✨️

Spot the cable cars.

16 does something to calm me. The lighting 🤌

18 is a statue of Marin Držić (1508–1567).

Marin was a playwright, poet and satirist, often called the "Shakespeare of Dubrovnik" because of his influence on Croatian literature. His bronze statue sits just outside the Rector's Palace in the heart of the Old Town.
The legend says to rub his nose for good luck and some say it will help you return to Dubrovnik. Of course I touched his nose 👃

Also, just love the sparkles on the sea 🌊 ✨️ taken in Dubrovnik, Croatia by @sj_aloha

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3 months ago

Postcards from Dubrovnik 🇭🇷

I don't know what I expected from Dubrovnik, but it surpassed them all.

Ps, validate my amateur photography 🥹👀

Inspo: @shaun_jeffers taken in Dubrovnik, Croatia by @sj_aloha

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3 months ago

People are everything.
Being surrounded by ambitious full-of-life people is EVERYTHING.
LOVE WHAT I DO.
LOVE THIS COMMUNITY.
🫶✨️🤝 taken in London, United Kingdom by @sj_aloha

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4 months ago

For all future jollies I will be taking a photographer along 🥹

@robcaddy these pics are 👌 thank you 💛
@thelawyersretreat 🌴
#TLR2026

If you're a lawyer or know a lawyer in need of a retreat, then please send me a message as TLR2027 preparation is underway and spaces are limited. taken in Ibiza, Spain by @sj_aloha

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4 months ago