Love At Any Age

love is a powerful thing. it seems like everyone's searching for it, but it really is hard to find. especially when you're given extra stress that you need to find love by a certain age. society starts the clock on your countdown in your 20s, and if you haven't found it by your 30s, you're given the impression that anyone you might end up with have been the leftover scraps, because you know, all the good ones have been taken already. but love can come along at any age and at any time. it may not be everlasting love, but it's still love. and it can be nice to hear stories of people finding love later in life to remind us that there's really no clock that counts down to zero.

i read a story on sunday in the wedding sections about the marriage of author joyce maynard (famously known for her relationship at the age of 19 with "the catcher in the rye" author j.d. salinger). i actually worked with joyce a few years back when i was a book publicist. i handled media for the paperback release of her book labor day.

joyce met her husband on match.com two years ago. both previously had marriages and children from those unions. this weekend, they married at the age of 59 (her) and 61 (him). this story is such a great reminder that not only can you not sit around just waiting for love to come your way, but you're never past the point of enjoying such a wonderful experience in life.

congrats to joyce, and to all the romantics out there, never give up.

image credit: new york times

rain room

this past weekend, sunday was all about catching up on work, prepping some blog posts for this week, and just taking it easy after an exhausting saturday. i got up super early and went to check out moma's latest exhibit, the rain room. people have been raving about this installation where motion detection sensors prevent you from getting rained on while water falls all around you. even the creator of cronuts took one of his highly-coveted pastries there.

this was the last weekend before the exhibit closed for good, so i just had to see what the buzz was about. unfortunately, so did every other new yorker around. i got in line at 7am, and there were plenty of people with the same idea. after several hours of people dropping off, getting sunburned shoulders and basically feeling like i was in an episode of survivor, i made it inside.

and yes indeed, it was an amazing exhibit! they allow 10 people under the rain at a time, and in my group, we definitely had a diva. i had bonded with 6 other women in line during our lengthy wait, and we wanted to do a group shot. well, the diva jumped right in front and struck a pose. check her out in all white below.

what are some cool exhibits going on in your city? list them below or send me an email at kandidkendra@gmail.com!

Motivation Monday

happy monday kandids! i hope everyone had a good weekend. mine definitely had its moments of ups and downs. like most people, there are challenges we have to face constantly in both our professional and personal lives. i'm dealing with challenges in both, but i always know that these problems will be solved. i just keep reminding myself to keep looking ahead.

i know i'm not the only one seeking words of encouragement, so i wanted to share one of my favorite movie quotes (from the dark knight) that i think can apply to most difficulties we experience. just remember, it's a brand new day, a brand new week, and in just a few days, it'll be a brand new month. changes are always around the corner.

"The night is darkest just before the dawn. And I promise you, the dawn is coming."

image credit: quotespictures.com

Linking Around

wow, it's been a crazy, busy week. can you believe it'll be august next week? for now, let's enjoy the fact that it's still july. the weekend is so close it's hard to concentrate, so below are some fun links to provide even more distractions!

magic mike is coming to broadway

will prince william change the perception of mr. mom?

watch this cute little girl in japan try a bunch of world dishes

this guy accidentally photobombs a proposal pic

book-inspired flavors for national ice cream month!

the sandlot cast reunites!

27 underrated things about being in your 30's ever felt like having a meltdown at an apple store? this lady did just that.

flawless date-night dresses

how to feel sexier instantly

everyone should have food fantasies, yum!

image credit: rottenecards

The Kind Diet

i've been feeling so sluggish lately. i don't sleep enough, i'm not eating well, i need to exercise more often - the list goes on and on. but i'm realizing that instead of complaining, i really need to make lifestyle changes, and more importantly, i actually need to put them in effect. one of my first changes will be to wake up earlier, and i then want to focus on making healthier food choices.

i remember a few years ago when alicia silverstone released her book the kind diet. there were actually some really good reviews, so last week i decided to borrow a copy from the library to see what the fuss was about. i'm still making my way through it, but overall, i'm pleasantly surprised. the book has definitely been a wake-up call about what i've been eating all of my life, and i plan to start making some small changes starting this week. mainly, i want to start eating more vegetables, fruits and even beans, and starting to limit the amount of meat and dairy products that i consume. i'm willing to give this new eating plan a try for a few weeks to see if i can notice any positive effects.

alicia even lists some of her favorite healthy nyc restaurants on her site, so i can't wait to check those out to help me as i give this new plan a test drive. in the book, they also mention signing up for a csa, which provides you with locally grown fruits and vegetables. a friend of mine recently mentioned that she just signed up for one and loves it, so now i'm really intrigued!

have any of you read this book? or do any of you have vegan diets? would love to hear your thoughts, especially if you went from eating meat and dairy to being vegan.

image credit: vegitarian star

Motivational Monday

hello kandids, hope you all had a wonderful weekend. can you believe this is the last full week of july? august is right around the corner. where has the time gone? knowing that we're zooming through the year has been a wake-up call, especially since i thought i'd have more done with my drinkware line by now. but at the same time, i have been making some progress. i filed my provisional patent in may, i've determined my brand name and am working on my logo. better to take a few steps forward than none at all.

in an effort to become even more productive, i want to try to wake up earlier. i've been a night owl all of my life, but based on this recent huffington post piece, the most successful people all wake up by 6:00am. ugh, that is so damn early! but i do think there's something to be said for getting up so early, especially in this tech-based, 24/7 world. being up that early means you can actually work uninterrupted as most people are still sleeping, getting dressed or commuting to work. just think about how much you can get done between 6:00am and 9:00am, before anyone even has the chance to reach out to you to start the work day? i'm going to try to implement early wake-up times from now through the end of august and will report back on if my productivity level increased. fingers crossed!

what about you? are any of you natural early birds? do you force yourself to get up early to be productive?

and if you have any tips on how you get up early, please share. i can use all of the help i can get! and on that note, check out this motivational video, shared with me by my friend linda. my favorite quote: "it's necessary to get the losers out of your life if you want to live your dream". preach.

It's Friday!

yes, the end of another week. it's friday, people!! so what you are doing here? go outside! soak in the rays, good times and laughter. if that's not enough to convince you, i'll have my boy ferris bueller set you straight.

see you all next week!