Introducing my new companion, Yoyo!
I have historically been afraid of cats, but when my life was altered instantly recently, a little voice whispered to me that it was time to embrace change and new possibilities. So, a dear friend (shoutout Palmer Hefferan!) held my hand through the process and took me to visit my first animal shelters. I fostered Yoyo from Best Friends Adoption Center, and 3 days into it, I knew I could not give him up.
What I have learned about him already:
• He LOVES company
• He LOVES his food
• He is extremely careful and rarely drops things
• He is very picky about his wand toys
• He only drinks running water
• The bugs in the house don’t stand a chance
• He can’t be trusted around supplements!
I never understood people whose phones were full of photos and videos of their pets – now I am one of those people! It may look like I saved Yoyo, but really, Yoyo is saving me. #YOYOYYO #Caturday
And shoutout to the fantastic staff at @bestfriendsanimalsociety for being so warm, helpful and patient with me!
Introducing my new companion, Yoyo!
I have historically been afraid of cats, but when my life was altered instantly recently, a little voice whispered to me that it was time to embrace change and new possibilities. So, a dear friend (shoutout Palmer Hefferan!) held my hand through the process and took me to visit my first animal shelters. I fostered Yoyo from Best Friends Adoption Center, and 3 days into it, I knew I could not give him up.
What I have learned about him already:
• He LOVES company
• He LOVES his food
• He is extremely careful and rarely drops things
• He is very picky about his wand toys
• He only drinks running water
• The bugs in the house don’t stand a chance
• He can’t be trusted around supplements!
I never understood people whose phones were full of photos and videos of their pets – now I am one of those people! It may look like I saved Yoyo, but really, Yoyo is saving me. #YOYOYYO #Caturday
And shoutout to the fantastic staff at @bestfriendsanimalsociety for being so warm, helpful and patient with me!
Introducing my new companion, Yoyo!
I have historically been afraid of cats, but when my life was altered instantly recently, a little voice whispered to me that it was time to embrace change and new possibilities. So, a dear friend (shoutout Palmer Hefferan!) held my hand through the process and took me to visit my first animal shelters. I fostered Yoyo from Best Friends Adoption Center, and 3 days into it, I knew I could not give him up.
What I have learned about him already:
• He LOVES company
• He LOVES his food
• He is extremely careful and rarely drops things
• He is very picky about his wand toys
• He only drinks running water
• The bugs in the house don’t stand a chance
• He can’t be trusted around supplements!
I never understood people whose phones were full of photos and videos of their pets – now I am one of those people! It may look like I saved Yoyo, but really, Yoyo is saving me. #YOYOYYO #Caturday
And shoutout to the fantastic staff at @bestfriendsanimalsociety for being so warm, helpful and patient with me!
Introducing my new companion, Yoyo!
I have historically been afraid of cats, but when my life was altered instantly recently, a little voice whispered to me that it was time to embrace change and new possibilities. So, a dear friend (shoutout Palmer Hefferan!) held my hand through the process and took me to visit my first animal shelters. I fostered Yoyo from Best Friends Adoption Center, and 3 days into it, I knew I could not give him up.
What I have learned about him already:
• He LOVES company
• He LOVES his food
• He is extremely careful and rarely drops things
• He is very picky about his wand toys
• He only drinks running water
• The bugs in the house don’t stand a chance
• He can’t be trusted around supplements!
I never understood people whose phones were full of photos and videos of their pets – now I am one of those people! It may look like I saved Yoyo, but really, Yoyo is saving me. #YOYOYYO #Caturday
And shoutout to the fantastic staff at @bestfriendsanimalsociety for being so warm, helpful and patient with me!
Introducing my new companion, Yoyo!
I have historically been afraid of cats, but when my life was altered instantly recently, a little voice whispered to me that it was time to embrace change and new possibilities. So, a dear friend (shoutout Palmer Hefferan!) held my hand through the process and took me to visit my first animal shelters. I fostered Yoyo from Best Friends Adoption Center, and 3 days into it, I knew I could not give him up.
What I have learned about him already:
• He LOVES company
• He LOVES his food
• He is extremely careful and rarely drops things
• He is very picky about his wand toys
• He only drinks running water
• The bugs in the house don’t stand a chance
• He can’t be trusted around supplements!
I never understood people whose phones were full of photos and videos of their pets – now I am one of those people! It may look like I saved Yoyo, but really, Yoyo is saving me. #YOYOYYO #Caturday
And shoutout to the fantastic staff at @bestfriendsanimalsociety for being so warm, helpful and patient with me!
Introducing my new companion, Yoyo!
I have historically been afraid of cats, but when my life was altered instantly recently, a little voice whispered to me that it was time to embrace change and new possibilities. So, a dear friend (shoutout Palmer Hefferan!) held my hand through the process and took me to visit my first animal shelters. I fostered Yoyo from Best Friends Adoption Center, and 3 days into it, I knew I could not give him up.
What I have learned about him already:
• He LOVES company
• He LOVES his food
• He is extremely careful and rarely drops things
• He is very picky about his wand toys
• He only drinks running water
• The bugs in the house don’t stand a chance
• He can’t be trusted around supplements!
I never understood people whose phones were full of photos and videos of their pets – now I am one of those people! It may look like I saved Yoyo, but really, Yoyo is saving me. #YOYOYYO #Caturday
And shoutout to the fantastic staff at @bestfriendsanimalsociety for being so warm, helpful and patient with me!
Introducing my new companion, Yoyo!
I have historically been afraid of cats, but when my life was altered instantly recently, a little voice whispered to me that it was time to embrace change and new possibilities. So, a dear friend (shoutout Palmer Hefferan!) held my hand through the process and took me to visit my first animal shelters. I fostered Yoyo from Best Friends Adoption Center, and 3 days into it, I knew I could not give him up.
What I have learned about him already:
• He LOVES company
• He LOVES his food
• He is extremely careful and rarely drops things
• He is very picky about his wand toys
• He only drinks running water
• The bugs in the house don’t stand a chance
• He can’t be trusted around supplements!
I never understood people whose phones were full of photos and videos of their pets – now I am one of those people! It may look like I saved Yoyo, but really, Yoyo is saving me. #YOYOYYO #Caturday
And shoutout to the fantastic staff at @bestfriendsanimalsociety for being so warm, helpful and patient with me!
Introducing my new companion, Yoyo!
I have historically been afraid of cats, but when my life was altered instantly recently, a little voice whispered to me that it was time to embrace change and new possibilities. So, a dear friend (shoutout Palmer Hefferan!) held my hand through the process and took me to visit my first animal shelters. I fostered Yoyo from Best Friends Adoption Center, and 3 days into it, I knew I could not give him up.
What I have learned about him already:
• He LOVES company
• He LOVES his food
• He is extremely careful and rarely drops things
• He is very picky about his wand toys
• He only drinks running water
• The bugs in the house don’t stand a chance
• He can’t be trusted around supplements!
I never understood people whose phones were full of photos and videos of their pets – now I am one of those people! It may look like I saved Yoyo, but really, Yoyo is saving me. #YOYOYYO #Caturday
And shoutout to the fantastic staff at @bestfriendsanimalsociety for being so warm, helpful and patient with me!
Introducing my new companion, Yoyo!
I have historically been afraid of cats, but when my life was altered instantly recently, a little voice whispered to me that it was time to embrace change and new possibilities. So, a dear friend (shoutout Palmer Hefferan!) held my hand through the process and took me to visit my first animal shelters. I fostered Yoyo from Best Friends Adoption Center, and 3 days into it, I knew I could not give him up.
What I have learned about him already:
• He LOVES company
• He LOVES his food
• He is extremely careful and rarely drops things
• He is very picky about his wand toys
• He only drinks running water
• The bugs in the house don’t stand a chance
• He can’t be trusted around supplements!
I never understood people whose phones were full of photos and videos of their pets – now I am one of those people! It may look like I saved Yoyo, but really, Yoyo is saving me. #YOYOYYO #Caturday
And shoutout to the fantastic staff at @bestfriendsanimalsociety for being so warm, helpful and patient with me!
Introducing my new companion, Yoyo!
I have historically been afraid of cats, but when my life was altered instantly recently, a little voice whispered to me that it was time to embrace change and new possibilities. So, a dear friend (shoutout Palmer Hefferan!) held my hand through the process and took me to visit my first animal shelters. I fostered Yoyo from Best Friends Adoption Center, and 3 days into it, I knew I could not give him up.
What I have learned about him already:
• He LOVES company
• He LOVES his food
• He is extremely careful and rarely drops things
• He is very picky about his wand toys
• He only drinks running water
• The bugs in the house don’t stand a chance
• He can’t be trusted around supplements!
I never understood people whose phones were full of photos and videos of their pets – now I am one of those people! It may look like I saved Yoyo, but really, Yoyo is saving me. #YOYOYYO #Caturday
And shoutout to the fantastic staff at @bestfriendsanimalsociety for being so warm, helpful and patient with me!
There are much more important things going on in the world right now, and my thoughts are with those who are deeply suffering.
At this moment, it is necessary for me to share a personal truth and publicly dissociate myself from someone I can no longer trust…
I find myself in a season of heartbreak because of a love suddenly and devastatingly extinguished by deception. I am tempted to run into the shadows and hide, only to return to the light when I have regained my strength enough for me to say, “Whatever, my life is better this way.” But I am reminded that the magnitude of the pain I am feeling is equal to the measure of my capacity for love. And so, I am choosing to face the pain, cultivating the courage to meet my life exactly as it is, and trusting that this too shall pass. The promise, they say, is that a tender heart is what gives birth to fearlessness. I hope it’s true… I share this to keep it 💯, and hoping that the knowledge of my experience might be useful to someone else out there experiencing the grip of heartbreak who is poised to try and escape from the pain and miss out on the wisdom that comes from it. #Breakup
Let’s face our pain so we don’t spread it.
There are much more important things going on in the world right now, and my thoughts are with those who are deeply suffering.
At this moment, it is necessary for me to share a personal truth and publicly dissociate myself from someone I can no longer trust…
I find myself in a season of heartbreak because of a love suddenly and devastatingly extinguished by deception. I am tempted to run into the shadows and hide, only to return to the light when I have regained my strength enough for me to say, “Whatever, my life is better this way.” But I am reminded that the magnitude of the pain I am feeling is equal to the measure of my capacity for love. And so, I am choosing to face the pain, cultivating the courage to meet my life exactly as it is, and trusting that this too shall pass. The promise, they say, is that a tender heart is what gives birth to fearlessness. I hope it’s true… I share this to keep it 💯, and hoping that the knowledge of my experience might be useful to someone else out there experiencing the grip of heartbreak who is poised to try and escape from the pain and miss out on the wisdom that comes from it. #Breakup
Let’s face our pain so we don’t spread it.
There are much more important things going on in the world right now, and my thoughts are with those who are deeply suffering.
At this moment, it is necessary for me to share a personal truth and publicly dissociate myself from someone I can no longer trust…
I find myself in a season of heartbreak because of a love suddenly and devastatingly extinguished by deception. I am tempted to run into the shadows and hide, only to return to the light when I have regained my strength enough for me to say, “Whatever, my life is better this way.” But I am reminded that the magnitude of the pain I am feeling is equal to the measure of my capacity for love. And so, I am choosing to face the pain, cultivating the courage to meet my life exactly as it is, and trusting that this too shall pass. The promise, they say, is that a tender heart is what gives birth to fearlessness. I hope it’s true… I share this to keep it 💯, and hoping that the knowledge of my experience might be useful to someone else out there experiencing the grip of heartbreak who is poised to try and escape from the pain and miss out on the wisdom that comes from it. #Breakup
Let’s face our pain so we don’t spread it.
There are much more important things going on in the world right now, and my thoughts are with those who are deeply suffering.
At this moment, it is necessary for me to share a personal truth and publicly dissociate myself from someone I can no longer trust…
I find myself in a season of heartbreak because of a love suddenly and devastatingly extinguished by deception. I am tempted to run into the shadows and hide, only to return to the light when I have regained my strength enough for me to say, “Whatever, my life is better this way.” But I am reminded that the magnitude of the pain I am feeling is equal to the measure of my capacity for love. And so, I am choosing to face the pain, cultivating the courage to meet my life exactly as it is, and trusting that this too shall pass. The promise, they say, is that a tender heart is what gives birth to fearlessness. I hope it’s true… I share this to keep it 💯, and hoping that the knowledge of my experience might be useful to someone else out there experiencing the grip of heartbreak who is poised to try and escape from the pain and miss out on the wisdom that comes from it. #Breakup
Let’s face our pain so we don’t spread it.
There are much more important things going on in the world right now, and my thoughts are with those who are deeply suffering.
At this moment, it is necessary for me to share a personal truth and publicly dissociate myself from someone I can no longer trust…
I find myself in a season of heartbreak because of a love suddenly and devastatingly extinguished by deception. I am tempted to run into the shadows and hide, only to return to the light when I have regained my strength enough for me to say, “Whatever, my life is better this way.” But I am reminded that the magnitude of the pain I am feeling is equal to the measure of my capacity for love. And so, I am choosing to face the pain, cultivating the courage to meet my life exactly as it is, and trusting that this too shall pass. The promise, they say, is that a tender heart is what gives birth to fearlessness. I hope it’s true… I share this to keep it 💯, and hoping that the knowledge of my experience might be useful to someone else out there experiencing the grip of heartbreak who is poised to try and escape from the pain and miss out on the wisdom that comes from it. #Breakup
Let’s face our pain so we don’t spread it.
There are much more important things going on in the world right now, and my thoughts are with those who are deeply suffering.
At this moment, it is necessary for me to share a personal truth and publicly dissociate myself from someone I can no longer trust…
I find myself in a season of heartbreak because of a love suddenly and devastatingly extinguished by deception. I am tempted to run into the shadows and hide, only to return to the light when I have regained my strength enough for me to say, “Whatever, my life is better this way.” But I am reminded that the magnitude of the pain I am feeling is equal to the measure of my capacity for love. And so, I am choosing to face the pain, cultivating the courage to meet my life exactly as it is, and trusting that this too shall pass. The promise, they say, is that a tender heart is what gives birth to fearlessness. I hope it’s true… I share this to keep it 💯, and hoping that the knowledge of my experience might be useful to someone else out there experiencing the grip of heartbreak who is poised to try and escape from the pain and miss out on the wisdom that comes from it. #Breakup
Let’s face our pain so we don’t spread it.
A successful night last Saturday with @gocampaign at their 2023 GO Gala celebrating and raising funds for their local heroes who make a difference.
Dress: @tallermarmo
Crown: @lafalaisedionn
Ice: @debeersofficial
Makeup: @nickbarose
A successful night last Saturday with @gocampaign at their 2023 GO Gala celebrating and raising funds for their local heroes who make a difference.
Dress: @tallermarmo
Crown: @lafalaisedionn
Ice: @debeersofficial
Makeup: @nickbarose
A successful night last Saturday with @gocampaign at their 2023 GO Gala celebrating and raising funds for their local heroes who make a difference.
Dress: @tallermarmo
Crown: @lafalaisedionn
Ice: @debeersofficial
Makeup: @nickbarose
A successful night last Saturday with @gocampaign at their 2023 GO Gala celebrating and raising funds for their local heroes who make a difference.
Dress: @tallermarmo
Crown: @lafalaisedionn
Ice: @debeersofficial
Makeup: @nickbarose
Palmer is the kind of friend that I can count on through thick and very thin. We don’t have to talk every day, but when we do, we pick up exactly where we left off, like no time at all has passed.
We were roommates in drama school and though we grew up in such different places (Kenya and Florida), we found a kindred spirit in each other, especially in the kitchen! We defied college norms and bought groceries together, we cooked for each other and carried the extra weight when one of us was too swamped with school work to do their fair share around the house.
For Halloween, Palmer always looked out for me – one year she bought a bumble bee costume for herself at a dollar store and a ladybug costume for me because she knew I was not prepared to party that night!
Recently, when my life was turned upside-down from heartbreak, Palmer flew in swiftly to be by my side and help me through the hardest days as I adjusted to my new reality. She made me delicious meals, she found me therapeutic activities to get my mind off things, she cried with me and made me laugh until I cried a more joyful kind of tear. She did not tire of being of service to me, and the biggest gift she bestowed on my life was helping me get my first pet, Yoyo. Now every time I look at him and cuddle with him, I am reminded of the selfless love my sister from another mister showed me.
I will never be able to pay her back for the kindness she has shown me, and the beauty of the friendship is that it is never about evening the score! But I have every intention to try… Thank you truly, deeply, P! (Did I mention that she is also a kick-ass Tony Award nominated sound designer? Check out her latest work in PENELOPE!) @palmzhefferan #SunshineSeries
Remembering these three guardians on Dia de los Muertos.
Rosemell Jane Achieng was my maternal grandmother. We called her Nyanya, but her children called her Honey. And that pet name rang true: she was sweet like honey and wrapped me up in warm hugs like honey wraps itself around your fingers. She would tell me stories and listen to my childish worries with patience and understanding. She loved to be entertained by her grandchildren. She marveled at our creativity and cheered us on for our small achievements. I stuck to her when she was around. She was taken from us too soon.
I remember my paternal grandmother, Dorca Owino Amolo, always bent over, working. She was never idle. She picked corn from her farm, kernelled it, dried it in the sun, sent it to be ground into flour in the local mill, and then cooked it into large mounds of delicious Ugali for the whole family to eat. She grew vegetables, raised livestock, and fermented her own milk. She swept, washed, brushed, scrubbed, chopped, stirred, pounded, and rolled. And she did all of this quietly, swiftly, gracefully, and with joy. Grandma taught me that work can be an expression of love, and I learned how to love the work of my body from her.
I had the honor of meeting one of my all-time heroes, Sidney Poitier, and I introduced him to my father. Mr. Poitier’s story and journey lit the path for me as an African coming to America to pursue a career in acting. He did the impossible and he did it with grace and dignity. When I met him, Mr. Poitier offered to take me to lunch the next time I was in town. It took me over a year to gather the courage to reach out and take him up on it, and I am so glad I did! They say don’t meet your heroes because they may disappoint you; I dined with mine and gained even more respect and admiration for him than I had before!
Remembering these three guardians on Dia de los Muertos.
Rosemell Jane Achieng was my maternal grandmother. We called her Nyanya, but her children called her Honey. And that pet name rang true: she was sweet like honey and wrapped me up in warm hugs like honey wraps itself around your fingers. She would tell me stories and listen to my childish worries with patience and understanding. She loved to be entertained by her grandchildren. She marveled at our creativity and cheered us on for our small achievements. I stuck to her when she was around. She was taken from us too soon.
I remember my paternal grandmother, Dorca Owino Amolo, always bent over, working. She was never idle. She picked corn from her farm, kernelled it, dried it in the sun, sent it to be ground into flour in the local mill, and then cooked it into large mounds of delicious Ugali for the whole family to eat. She grew vegetables, raised livestock, and fermented her own milk. She swept, washed, brushed, scrubbed, chopped, stirred, pounded, and rolled. And she did all of this quietly, swiftly, gracefully, and with joy. Grandma taught me that work can be an expression of love, and I learned how to love the work of my body from her.
I had the honor of meeting one of my all-time heroes, Sidney Poitier, and I introduced him to my father. Mr. Poitier’s story and journey lit the path for me as an African coming to America to pursue a career in acting. He did the impossible and he did it with grace and dignity. When I met him, Mr. Poitier offered to take me to lunch the next time I was in town. It took me over a year to gather the courage to reach out and take him up on it, and I am so glad I did! They say don’t meet your heroes because they may disappoint you; I dined with mine and gained even more respect and admiration for him than I had before!
Remembering these three guardians on Dia de los Muertos.
Rosemell Jane Achieng was my maternal grandmother. We called her Nyanya, but her children called her Honey. And that pet name rang true: she was sweet like honey and wrapped me up in warm hugs like honey wraps itself around your fingers. She would tell me stories and listen to my childish worries with patience and understanding. She loved to be entertained by her grandchildren. She marveled at our creativity and cheered us on for our small achievements. I stuck to her when she was around. She was taken from us too soon.
I remember my paternal grandmother, Dorca Owino Amolo, always bent over, working. She was never idle. She picked corn from her farm, kernelled it, dried it in the sun, sent it to be ground into flour in the local mill, and then cooked it into large mounds of delicious Ugali for the whole family to eat. She grew vegetables, raised livestock, and fermented her own milk. She swept, washed, brushed, scrubbed, chopped, stirred, pounded, and rolled. And she did all of this quietly, swiftly, gracefully, and with joy. Grandma taught me that work can be an expression of love, and I learned how to love the work of my body from her.
I had the honor of meeting one of my all-time heroes, Sidney Poitier, and I introduced him to my father. Mr. Poitier’s story and journey lit the path for me as an African coming to America to pursue a career in acting. He did the impossible and he did it with grace and dignity. When I met him, Mr. Poitier offered to take me to lunch the next time I was in town. It took me over a year to gather the courage to reach out and take him up on it, and I am so glad I did! They say don’t meet your heroes because they may disappoint you; I dined with mine and gained even more respect and admiration for him than I had before!
