magic, motherhood

This Little Light of Mine

One unexpected result of motherhood is my newfound appreciation of humanity. What is the source of this newfound appreciation? His eyes. When I look into his eyes I see so much light. So much love. So much innocence, cuteness, happiness, joy. All things positive and magical. And now I find myself looking at loved ones, …

Etosha Pan, Etosha National Park, Namibia

108 Today

I made a new year’s resolution to post a photo a day this year and today is my 108th post. I am celebrating this because 108 is a sacred number in Hinduism and Buddhism, there are 108 beads on a mala, and the distance of the earth from the sun is about 108 times the …

Dasan Nevada Martinez

My Beautiful Day

We gave birth at CIMA hospital on March 24th, 2018. It was just the two of us, in a new country, speaking a language we barely know, but the universe around us felt expansive and full of love, as if all our friends and family were right there in the room with us.

After his birth at 3:20 pm, we spent the night in our little room just staring and laughing and feeling the most joyous love we have ever known, not just for our son but for each other as well. They say there is no love like that of your child, but I also now know that there is no love like that for the father of your child.

Two weeks later we are still in a state of bliss, through all the piss and shit and milk and blood, our smiles have remained stitched into our faces. And every day we are in awe of the love we feel for our son and the ever-growing love we feel for each other.

There is nothing more magical than creating and growing love, inside and out. And I am so happy to have this chance to love BIG. Bigger than I ever have.

Magic 97/365, My Beautiful Day, March 24, 2018, San Jose, Costa Rica

Playa Pelada, Nosara, Costa Rica

Playa Pelada.

One of my favorite things to do when I am really in the mood to manifest some magic in my life is to walk along the beach and through the little forest trail to our neighbor beach, Playa Pelada, to watch the sunset. This place is truly magical. And then enjoy some sunset cocktails at …

Hoi An, Vietnam

The Wish

This is a picture I took in Hoi An, a small coastal town in Vietnam. We just happened to arrive the same night as the full moon. The town celebrates each full moon by turning off all the lights, lighting their silk lanterns, and sending their wishes off into the world via the small river …

Escazu, San Jose, Costa Rica

View from my Perch

This is the view from my perch in Escazu. We rented a small studio with a big view for a month here in the mountains of San Jose, overlooking the valley and the lights. It has been a really peaceful place to sit and soak in the beautiful, harmonious vibes of Costa Rica. My first …

Walikale, North Kivu, DRC

Proud to be a Leading Lady

I am so honored to be a featured game changer this week on Leading Ladies 904 in my hometown of Jacksonville, Florida. Check out the interview below! This is a self-portrait with some of the survivors of gender-based violence that IMA has rehabilitated. I spent valentines day interviewing these powerful women on their experiences with …

Ios, Greece

Beyond Names

“In the same way one person can be father to you and a son to someone else, uncle to another and nephew to yet another, what you are looking for has many names and one existence. Don’t search for one of the names. Move beyond any attachment to names. Every war and every conflict between …

Herb Stafford, Crystal Stafford

All the Magic

The inspiration for this blog came to light when I began to see all of the magic during the painful and tragic experience of losing my father. He left our home in Florida to get the dry cleaning a few miles down the road. He told my mother he would be right back, kissed her …