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Back in April, I turned 40 surrounded by some of the people who have filled those years with so much life.

It’s taken me all summer to put into words how very special that weekend was: late-night discos, lobster rolls, dirty martinis, more dancing, sunset bonfires, so much swimming and, of course, dogs.

What I’ve come to is this: One does not collect years, and days, and minutes alone. We get to breathe in the scent of waxy birthday candles and feel the glow on our skin because the people beside us—and around us—were there during every other mundane moment. All the 364 before.

So this year, I thanked every flickering flame for giving me so many wonderful people to love. For a life that keeps getting fuller. For a heart that somehow keeps getting younger. For all the people who help me hold tight and let go at the very same time.

Forty years in, and somehow, I’ve has never felt more free ✨🤍

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NHL, MLB, NBA, Bravo… the gangs all here.

#girlstrip #girlsandgays #girlsnight #travel

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✈️ Hamptons here we come 🌊🐚 @colbynowak

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Sold on the spray tans, spritz’, & so much more 💁🏽‍♂️

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Ojai Valley, 2024 - my sister’s wedding

Film is like memory.
It’s not the highlight reel.
They often develop as the moments in-between.
Smiles, side glances, laughter, quiet conversations.

The moments captured, or missed, can surprise you.

And like memory, they’re worn, imperfect, and exactly how it was.

Shot on my Olympus Trip 35.

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✌🏼2025 > 2026✨

2025 was the year of love in great abundance.

Love of friends. Love of family. Love of a really great, teetering dirty gin martini in every city, shape and size. Love of love. Love of dogs (always). Love of really big earrings and equally bold lipstick. Love of shared plates scraped clean and shared time. Love of mountains of waxy birthday candles and the small, smiling faces shining in their glow. Love of the vast ochres of fall that soften and fade into endless, snowy drifts. Love in face of, despite of, and in utter resistance of so many unlovable actions and words swirling in the greater world around us. Love that creates, love that heals, love that gently pushes us forward into what’s next.

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😚Twenty twenty thrive

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Thanks for the memories Hanukkah 2025 🔥

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To the dog that meant the world,

You made people better and showed us what it meant to *truly* live. With spunk and character, with confidence, with kindness, with a sense of adventure, and with a quiet, pragmatic wisdom.

Eighteen years is an era, half our lives, not just a moment in time. You watched us outgrow versions of ourselves. You watched me move away. You watched friends come and go and come back again. You moved through homes and collected a roster of amazing roommates. You watched Colby get married, and gained a new dad in Patrick.

Through it all, you were constant. Lovable. Adventurous. Comforting. Wise.

Every day you found a way to connect in that special, profoundly unique, and effortless way only you were capable of.

Your small beady eyes, tiny little head, the soft tip-taps of your excited feet, and that orchestra of groans and whines communicated more clearly than spoken language ever could.

You knew us, and we knew you.

You were not just a best friend. You were Colby’s partner. Comfort on bad days. An adventure buddy on the best ones. A sense of calm when anxiety hit. A spark of joy in the middle of sadness.

Thank you for every day, every year, every greeting, every trail, every swim (except the one we thought you’d drowned), every wag of the tail, every anxious car ride, every sweet look, every moment of comfort.

Your impact was *profound*.

You showed us exactly what to do with the time that is given us. Making the most of yours, you helped us make the most of ours.

You weren’t just a good dog.

You weren’t just the best dog.

You were the best of us.

We will celebrate you. Always.

I love you, Chuy.

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Gratitude

For good health and wellness.
For new friends who wandered in,
and old friends who stick around.
For family, my forever best friends.
For adventures behind,
and the ones yet to come.
For this little valley,
and this particular moment,
even amongst the chaos.
For community and real camaraderie.
For fulfilling and balanced work.
For a truck that will take me anywhere.
For a trailer I can call a second home.
For two chaotic, healthy, mountain-loving doggos.
For the mountains,
the jagged peaks,
the dry air,
the cold mornings,
the sharp sun,
the chromatic skies,
the ink-black nights dotted in countless stars.
For emotional intelligence,
honed and earned.
For pragmatism and good values,
and trying to steer by them.
For confidence in self,
shameless and unbothered.
For growth, even when it hurts.

Cheers y’all.

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10/10 recommend flying 3 hours to surprise your best friend.

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