danigirl

In four months time, the Peace Corps has taken from and given to me more than I imagined it could. In many ways, it is the Babushka doll of gifts. There is always another layer to explore, another lesson

Three months ago, I flew from California to Uganda. Two days ago, I swore in as a Ugandan Peace Corps Volunteer. So much has happened in between: language learned and butchered, friendships forged, cultural

Hey Steemers, I spent this past weekend at a family reunion in Carmel Valley, California. We are a rowdy Irish- Catholic clan; my grandfather was one of five siblings, each of whom furthered the lineage

Write the words you need to hear... You are safe. You are seen. You are loved in spite of and because of your flaws. You make peoples' lives better. You have the capacity for exponential growth. Those

... but does it though? I have a complicated relationship with this sentiment. It mostly feels like a thing that well- meaning people say when something beyond the scope of our control, goes awry. A month

Hey Steemers, I'd like to share the recipe for a treat that I make all the time. I think about it as healthy cookie dough- it is sweet, but minimally processed and nutrient dense. There are a bunch of

My message today is this: you can do hard things. You can throw light into the darkest corners of your closet. You can stand up to struggle on oak tree legs. Above Vernal Falls in Yosemite, CA- a moment

Hey Steemers, I deleted my Instagram account. I did so with several intentions in mind: To reclaim lost minutes spent mindlessly scrolling To reconstruct my ideas of beauty (I followed a smattering of

Hey Steemers, I'd like to share my recent venture to Havasupai, Arizona! It is the most crazy, beautiful, awe- inspiring place on Earth. It evokes the Garden of Eden... a place you want to linger and let

Hey Steemers, My boyfriend and I will soon be embarking on a wild adventure- we have joined the Peace Corps! Our foot prints will mark Zambian soil for the next two years. We depart in two weeks, and I

Hey Steemers, Sexual misconduct is a topic that inspires rants and raves. Today's society is saturated with women bravely voicing accusations of the horrific acts committed against them. To ALL victims:

Hey Steemers, I have come to adore writing and contributing to this blogosphere. I wake early each morning, eager to spill thoughts onto virtual pages. It has become the stuff of love affairs- so engrained

Hey Steemers, I want to talk about the holiday season, and all the bullshit that floats around about how to "survive" it. First of all- survive?! The holidays are a time of festivity and evergreen-

Hey Steemers, I want to talk about the beautiful balancing act between grip and release, clinging and letting go. This is a universal dilemma, as we consider whether to embody fierceness or zen, passion

Hey Steemers! My partner and I are workin' and twerkin' towards two years of Peace Corps service in Zambia! We will begin our time in February of 2018, and could not be more viscerally excited (and terrified).

Hey Steemers, The other day, I drove out to my favorite beach in Santa Cruz. I climbed down the salty wooden stairway and sat in the sand. My spot is called Pleasure Point, and is predominantly inhabited

Steemers, I would like to contribute to the "me, too" dialogue. Since the movement began, I have read and heard the reverberations of thousands of women's "me, too"s. They ring out

I'm writing with a heavy heart. I live within a 30 minute drive from the fires in Northern California that are devastating our communities. Since last Sunday 15 fires have scorched 220,000 acres, destroyed

Hey Steemers, Let's talk about common ground. We walk upon it- all of us. There is a universality to human existence, revealed by steps taken and stories told. We are far more alike than we acknowledge.

Hey Steemers, I am a dichotomy. Most of us are, in some way or another. Human complexity often results in qualities that don't quite jive with each other. Maybe you hate mess, but also abhor cleaning;