beyond the city of los angeles, some eighty-three miles away is a secret garden. beyond that secret garden is a house that those who have had the pleasures of resting their feet here have come to know as the agave house. nestled in the ojai mountains is where we went to do nothing only to appreciate the little things we often forget - sight, sound, silence. i didn't realize how much i missed the silence until i became mesmerized by it. i loved waking up to the darkness outside as the sound of the raindrops pit-patting against the house was the only sound that could be heard. as the sun rose up images of the clouds passing through the mountains started to become visible outside our windows. it was such a beautiful thing to be oblivious of time. we woke up when we felt well enough to get up and went to bed when our bodies wore tired.  

i fell in love with ojai the first time we found ourselves winding through it's canyons in search of a mythical hot spring; i was turning 26 years old. we had wise conversations with naked strangers as we grounded ourselves in a pool of boiling sulfur water. it was a breezy December day and I remember sitting there watching the smoke rise from the water thinking to myself how great life was at the moment. it was the unexplainable feelings of euphoria, nostalgia and peace that overcame me that day that had me convinced this must be what love at first sight feels like.

xoxo to my love & friends. turning 27 was an unforgettable (mostly already forgotten) day ..