2.26.2011
contrast.
I've never been a fan of dark walls. . . my apartment is painted a soft yellow with bright white trim. . . but I'm actually loving this room's indian teal walls and lime green accents, maybe because it makes the white duvet seem crisp and hotel like. xx.
(Photos). Design by Young House Love.
2.24.2011
wedding dresses.
A good friend of mine recently got engaged. As we were pouring over wedding magazines last night I realized that I have no desire to look like an upside down cupcake on my wedding day. Whenever I get married, I'm going to go casual all the way: a simple church wedding, a potluck style lunch and pies for dessert. Done and done.
Here are some nontraditional wedding dress options I'm loving. (These first two are actually bridesmaid dresses from J. Crew's wedding line. A cheaper but still classy option):
xoxo.
2.21.2011
2.18.2011
tough stuff.
this afternoon, right when i was starting to mentally relax, i got a call from the police department asking me to interpret for an investigation. a 3 hour trip to the hospital, the jail and some sketch apartments later, i'm finally home. i feel like putting this outfit on and taking myself out on the town. x0x0.
(Photo via the ever fabulous charlie).
2.17.2011
2.15.2011
paint the town _____.
In 1972, artist Gene Davis painted the street in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Photo by Henry Groskinsky.
2.14.2011
2.11.2011
feeling sunny.
Some things that are making me happy right now:
1. The icicles outside of my window are slowly melting. I can hear little drops falling when I walk to my car.
2. The sugar cookies I'm planning to make for my V-Day craft party on Sunday. My grandma's recipe reminds me of when my sisters and I were little and we'd fight over who got to frost the one Rudolf cookie we made every year.
3. This song by Nick Drake. His voice soothes all my worries, reminds me of young love and gives me that spring feeling inside.
4. The Mirror Has Two Faces: I've watched it dozens of times but it never gets old. Jeff Bridges' character is both endearing and painfully awkward. And Rose, played by Barbara Streisand, manages to discover herself and ends up with the guy. What more could you want?
5. My hair is growing and will soon reach this very desired length. Vain, maybe. Exciting, yes.
6. The weekend is finally here. No more challenging work situations or relationship drama . . . just friends, peppermint tea and thrifting.
2.10.2011
2.05.2011
mi ofrenda.
I'm currently building my own ofrenda. For meditation, for keepsakes, for whatever.
(all pictures from google image search . . .).
2.03.2011
2.02.2011
a soul like a countryside.
I spent the last two days snowed in at my sister's house. It wasn't a bad place to be, considering her endless supply of junk food, Cher wig (for laughs) and the fact that she's the perfect companion for movie marathons and cabin fever. Despite all of the fun, I felt suffocated and anxious. I wanted to hop in my car and drive, an event made impossible by the 4 foot snow drift blocking the road. When I finally, finally made it back to my small but clean apartment tonight I felt my entire body exhale. I walked around, marveling at how despite its moderate size, my apartment, with its pale yellow walls and minimalist decor made me feel like I could stretch and breathe. Like suddenly, I'd been transported to an Iowa field in late summer. So strong is this urge for space (both physical and emotional) that I don't even feel like myself when I lack it. I remember traveling through the Ecuadorian countryside while studying abroad there. Inside our bus, I was crammed between feisty college students looking to get wasted. Outside, we endured multiple forced stops due to mud, llama crossings and fallen timber. I felt so trapped by my situational anxieties, brought on by physical roadblocks and my rowdy peers, that I could hardly appreciate the natural beauty we encountered.
Since Ecuador I've been more vigilant of my space. I've made sure to avoid situations that leave me feeling trapped within myself. I would like to say that my heart remains open and that my soul has enough room to breathe no matter where I am. That I'm so flexible that my heart can swell even in the tiniest of spaces. But some days are better than others. Sometimes the sheer uncertainty of a present situation makes me want to scream. Some days the best I can do is retreat to my apartment, my sacred space, and silence my heart, striving to feel a hopeful openness that nothing and no one can touch.
2.01.2011
this isn't "figuring it out 101."
"So maybe it’s time to do nothing, in a sense. I’m not suggesting we all loaf around in our bathrobes, depressed and lethargic, watching TV and stuffing down feelings with food. (Although everything has its time and place.) I’m suggesting a purposeful and mindful stepping back, and recollecting and reconfiguring. But not too much reconfiguring. More of an allowing. A creating of space – a quiet, simple, reflective, meditative, open, encouraging, fecund space – a mental, emotional, psychic arena that allows an inflow. An inflow of what, I don’t know. And that’s exactly the point. This isn’t “Figuring It Out 101.” This is getting still and quiet for however long it takes to silence the mental noise, the outside noise, the parental noise, the neurotic noise, the coulda-shoulda-woulda noise, and finally being able to hear what’s been there all along. Every single one of us has a divine purpose. A divine talent. A divine calling. But it’s really hard to hear when we’re buried under work, responsibilities, dysfunctional relationships, computers, cell phones, and the myriad of addictions that are slowly but surely snuffing out all our light."
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