New Girl in SoFlo

Fort Wayne Family Reunion

Posted on May 30, 2021 by Sasha Marie Stone

On May 27, I traveled to Fort Wayne, Indiana to celebrate the marriage of my dear friend, colleague, and soul sister Maureen to her beloved John. Adding to the delight of this occasion is that I shared an adorably charming Air BnB with two of my other soul sisters, Jessica and Gracie, giving us ample time to lol around in our jammies, drink tea under blankets, have endless talks about life and work, and pull the occasional oracle card.

How do I know these beautiful people, you ask? I met them through work!

41

Posted on July 26, 2020 by Sasha Marie Stone

On Friday I turned 41. As a beach lover, and resident of South Florida, a visit to the beach was mandatory.

It was a very windy day, and the surf was turbulent. As I stood with my feet in the water, I questioned whether or not I should go in.

For most of my teens and my entire adulthood, I’ve challenged myself to be courageous. If something seemed scary, do it! As a little girl, I was extremely shy and often held myself back from doing things I wanted to do, or saying things I wanted to say. At a certain point in my life, I realized I had the power to change this shy persona, to be who I wanted to be, and create the life I wanted to live.

And that’s exactly what I did! I’ve done lots of big scary things in my life, and little scary things too, and I feel really good about the life that I have, and the person that I am, as a result.

Then, something odd bubbled up for me a couple months ago.

The Truth About a Breast Biopsy

Posted on May 16, 2020 by Sasha Marie Stone

You dutifully go for your annual physical, and the nurse says, “You’re 40. It’s time to schedule your first mammogram. It’s routine so might as well just do it.”

You go in for your first mammogram.

You marvel at the job of the technician that spends the day contorting women into strange postures and smooshing breasts between metal and plastic plates. It all feels very impersonal and is over relatively quickly. You go home and continue on with your day.

Then you receive an email saying you need to come back. Your breast tissue is dense and they need more images. But don’t worry! It’s just to make sure they have the best possible images.

2019

Posted on December 30, 2019 by Sasha Marie Stone

What can I say? 2019 was a damn good year! When I reflect back on the highlights and milestones, I’m kinda blown away by all that transpired, and how many cool, loving, and transformative experiences I had this year.

Some of the highlights, in mostly chronological order…

Decorating in Davenport

Posted on November 15, 2019 by Sasha Marie Stone

Last weekend I drove up to Davenport, FL to help my friend Fernando get started on decorating his brand new house. I LOVE to decorate, so of course I was down, but it ended up being so much more fun than I imagined. Why? You ask. Well, let me explain…

Crème Brûlée: Lessons from my Gran

Posted on October 15, 2019 by Sasha Marie Stone

My Gran, my only remaining grandparent, is 92 years old, and I recently had the pleasure of living with her for a week in her apartment in Ajax, Ontario (suburb of Toronto). Over this time together, I was both being with her and observing her. This woman is extraordinarily adored by her friends and family, and after 92 years I figured she’d know a thing or two about life.

Here are some valuable lessons I picked up along the way…

Automattic GM 2019

Posted on September 20, 2019 by Sasha Marie Stone

I just got back from a whirlwind 8 days in Orlando for our annual company Grand Meetup – my second one since joining Automattic as a Happiness Engineer in 2018. Much like the first year, it did not disappoint.

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Full Moon Yoga

Posted on May 19, 2019 by Sasha Marie Stone

All of the full moons I’ve experienced in West Palm Beach have been epically beautiful! A giant spotlight in a crystal clear sky, or just the right amount of cloud to make it haunting. And the warm weather makes it so easy to enjoy.

Last night’s full moon in Sagittarius was no exception. In my quest to explore my new city as much as possible, I took a chance on a full moon yoga class at The Hilton, West Palm Beach.

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Going Out Alone in West Palm Beach

Posted on May 12, 2019 by Sasha Marie Stone

If you’re brand new to a city, have no local friends, work from home, and you want to have any semblance of a social life, this will require going out alone several times in order to get to know your surroundings and start building a friend base. All of the above apply to me.

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The Joy of Making Art

Posted on May 7, 2019 by Sasha Marie Stone

Good things happen when you leave the house.

I stole this mantra from someone at an Al-Anon meeting in New Orleans. I work from home, and I also love being at home. Don’t get me wrong, I also love being social. I’m basically a 50/50 split of introvert and extrovert. But because I spend so much time at home, I find I need to be much more conscious and deliberate about making plans in order to ensure that I get out of the house and interact with humans in real life.

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