Summer Recap Pt. 1- No More Blahh and No More Barriers Because We Went to The No Barrier Summit 2017!

I’m back and I’m bloggin!

Hi, everyone! If you were beginning to wonder where I, Andrea, went (Hi Mom, friends, those who have chanced upon my beloved Poor House…), the truth is that I took a summer blogging sabbatical. My late-spring state of mind, you see, as documented in this blog post HERE, was, what’s that word I used again? Oh yes, that’s right- blaaaaahhhhhh and I needed to take some time to examine why that attitude was lingering.

Question for you – ever feel like your blaaaahhhhhh is unwarranted, comparatively?

Maybe it’s just me (doubtful), but I find that when I’m feeling a little low/grumpy/whatever, my inner dialogue has this tendency to impatiently cut in, diluting and dismissing my totally legit and uniquely me sufferings down to, essentially, first world white girl problems. But that’s not cool, because while that mindset provides me with a pretty upbeat attitude, it appears to divert space away from actually exploring and giving credence to the breadth of the feelings my shadow side experiences.

I really wanted to explore some of that stuff this summer (next blog post will reveal some detailed thoughts on that) and as luck would have it, early June offered us up a uniquely awesome and auspiciously timed opportunity to kind of kick that off. Thus, Ri + Andrea + Ri’s caregiver made our way down to Lake Tahoe/Squaw Valley to attend the 2017 No Barriers Summit. Despite the fact that I am not the target demographic for the event (or maybe I am and that’s the point), it was a completely transformational experience. I’m at a loss for words, actually. It was one of the most authentic opportunities I have had in my adult life to play, make new friends, connect with old, and challenge those stories we tell ourselves about who we are and what we can do. We attended talks, concerts and were surrounded by innovators. And the product placement?! Totally on point with every banner, shirt and water bottle reminding us consistently that-

What’s within you is stronger than what’s in your way

Heck. Yeah. That’s a message I can get behind (totally rockin that No Barriers Summit shirt at this very moment).

You can check out photos from the Summit HERE to get an idea of the breadth of this amazing event. And please, check out the No Barriers website while you are at it. This organization is seriously the real deal.

And while you may have seen some of our personal photos posted to our social accounts this summer (hint hint- follow us on social-  Instagram Here and Facebook Here), here’s a recap!

 

 

 

This summer has been absolutely epic and I need another blog post (or 3) to sum it all up. So por favor, stay tuned, my friends and I shall deliver the deets!

xo~Andrea