Riverside

Hello my dears!

I'm off to dinner with one of my most dearest of friends this evening. Just wanted to stop by and leave you with this beautiful song by the lovely Agnes Obel. Hope you had a most merry and blissful Christmas!

Adoringly,
Yours

Let Your Heart Be Light!

Merry Christmas Eve, my dears!

It's happened again, and Christmas is upon us already! I have no complaints this year however, as I feel I squeezed just about every ounce of Christmas out of this season as humanly possible - I feel so blessed and joyful.

As anyone close to me knows, I am about as Christmasy as a person can be. I listen to Christmas music from the moment Halloween is over onwards - I adore it. What other time of year do perfect strangers wish each other a "merry" day? We live in a beautiful world, but one which is also very broken, and it can seem a weary place. This time of year is always such a breath of fresh air when radios cease to sing about da' club (unless T-Pain has a Christmas album I don't know about) and most other "every day" things, and instead sing of peace, joy, and cozy, tree-laden houses. I absolutely do adore it. Most of all, it's a wonderful time for me to reflect on the meaning of it all: when Love came down to Earth and our Savior was born.

So, now that it's here, I hope you are all snug as a bug in a rug with your families and that you count each and every one of your blessings :)

Here is my very first What-She-Wore posts (a new, but familiar to the blogging world tradition for my little blog). So here we're gonna baby go!









Outfit details: Dress - Forever 21, Blazer - Urban Outfitters, Brooch - Vintage, Necklace - Gifted to me from Etsy (Thank you, Chels!), Stockings/Shoes - Fred Meyer (College student, people ;) ), Lipstick - see post below ;)

I hope you all have yourselves a merry little Christmas!

Adoringly,
Yours

Four More Sleeps!

Hello my dears!

Stopping by with a bit of glee to say - only four more sleeps until Christmas!

Things have been so busy, but I'm determined to keep up this little blog (and no, this is not a new year's resolution ;) )! So, I will stick with the sweet and simple posts for now, and leave the longer posts for the doldrums which is January.

Lately, I have been challenging myself to step outside my comfort zone and wear lipstick. I am already beyond addicted to Burt's Bees chapstick, but that extra zap of lipstick color has always intimidated me. After much magazine perusing and Sephora shopping, I have finally come up with something that works for me: clean makeup, only mascara for eyes, and L'oreal Paris lipstick in Volcanic. I decided to start off with a drugstore brand before committing to a Sephora purchase, but I'm so in love with the orangy-red color that I am now determined to find a more lasting color. Every girl needs her perfect shade, as evidenced by Holly Golightly - am I right, ladies?



Adoringly,
Yours

Nothing Like It! (Glitter nail polish, that is)

Happy 13th of December, my dears!

I'm being a busy beaver running some Christmasy related errands today before work, but wanted to stop by to make sure your day is merry, bright, and filled with love!

Adoringly,
Yours

Out of Hibernation (Yet again)

Hello my dears!

I'm going to hop, skip, and jump my way over the elephant in the room (elephant being: why oh why haven't you posted since the Dark Ages?). Ahem. I'm doing a reversal of hibernation by awakening to cyberspace before the snow comes; I'm so very happy to be back :)
That being said, I will ease into the blogging world quite mildly, leaving you only with some words to make you feel smitten, and a promise to be back shortly:

"I will have poetry in my life. And adventure. And love. Love above all. No... not the artful postures of love, not playful and poetical games of love for the amusement of an evening, but love that... overthrows life. Unbiddable, ungovernable - like a riot in the heart, and nothing to be done, come ruin or rapture. Love - like there has never been in a play."

- Shakespeare In Love

Adoringly,
Yours

p.s. I hope all your trees are trimmed and your tummies are full of mini gingerbread men.

Panini Love

Happy April, my dears!

As of late, I have neglected my blog; and for that, I am truly sorry. I hope you’re sitting somewhere comfy with a cup of something to drink, for I feel this entry may turn out to be a humdinger in length. Bear with me, if you please.

So these past few months for me have been filled with a deepening sense of singleness – in every sense of the word (Oh, the quagmire of life!). The sky has been composed of one single entity - grey clouds. Even the trees have consisted solely of the singleness of bare limbs. But now, with the arrival of spring, I seem to be experiencing everything in couplets, for better or for worse.

For example: the sky is now sun and sky. The trees are now limbs and leaves and blossoms. The beverage is now coffee and ice. Bodies are shedding their warmer clothes and flaunting arms and toes. Couplets. In addition to these natural duos that bring a lighter step to my life, there also seems to be an organic influx of Homo sapiens couples as well.

Now, I myself am a sentimental fool, a hopeless romantic. While I consider this to be a charming facet to any personality, it has it's downsides. Even on the sunniest of days in my merriest of moods, my wintery singleness seems out of place in a season overflowing with couplets. On such days as these, I find myself irrationally restless and filled with wanderlust. This attitude is only ever quenched if I set out alone and let The Sound of Music influence me as I set about doing a few of my favorite things. And so, such was my day, and I’d like very much to share with you how I set about, and how this lead to Panini love. (This post is sans pictures, which is probably for the best, because there are no pictures great enough to satisfy the mind, and the mind is what I spent my day with.) Here goes.

The first half of my day was spent driving to a park on the outskirts of Seattle, parking my car, and reading by the Lake with my windows rolled down. Here are some couplets I experienced:

Girl & Unicycle
Grass & Dandelions
Gulls & Sweeping Air
Lips & Straw
Lapping Waves & Dock
Strangers & Smiles
Dillard & Wristwatch
Hat & Tangled hair
Bench & Lovers
Sunroof & Open skies
Laughter & Boom box
Simon & Garfunkel

For the second part of my afternoon, I drove up a hill with such a sharp incline that I can only compare it to that of San Francisco, where a natural market exists. I found this market on previous days of wandering – they have brilliant German pretzels that have claimed my heart and taste-buds.

I decided to go with a Panini, and here is where my story begins and ends. As I’ve mentioned, I was feeling a heavy sense of singleness today, even down to the fact that the majority of humanity often seems so single-minded – so me-centered. I am not exempt from this by any means. Regardless, as I ordered my Panini, the man who served it to me flashed me a terrifically genuine smile and asked me which one I would like. When I said “Surprise me,” he responded, “Ok, turn around no peeking!” He then went on to toast it, because it would be “Cheese-melted wonderfulness.” When I came back five minutes later to grab it, he told me it was looking good, but another minute and it would be melted to a fabulous state. We chit-chatted until it was finally done, he grabbed some napkins, handed it to me, and told me to enjoy my Panini.
Call it flirting, call it being good at your job, but I call it a smashing example of going above the singleness to show an endangered emotion: caring. I feel that we oftentimes underestimate the power of being as friendly or genuinely caring as possible, most especially to the people who pass in and out of our lives in a matter of minutes. Nothing is coincidental; nothing is purposeless.

Panini man reminded me to exude love to every passerby, stranger, and dear one in my life. Everyone holds secret sorrows, as my grandmother used to say, and if we can’t show another love, if even a stranger, then what really is the point of it all?

Just some food for thought, my dears. Thank you for reading along, I sincerely wish you the most lovely of evenings.

Adoringly,
Yours

Thoughts Ahead

G'Evening, Dears!

Today was filled with polka-dot balloons, streamers, brownies, and giggles, as we celebrated my beautiful Mommy's birthday. It left me giddy with excitement for the next several spring months of hopeful picnics, garden parties, and sunshine.
Thought I'd share a couple of happy things I'm anticipating once the weather decides to cooperate:


~ The sun itself. Oh, and the sea, always the sea ~

~ Shakespeare in the park, my seasonal joy ~

~ Picnics with delightful foods and beverages ~

~ Taking this little man and his sister to the Zoo ~

~ Baseball games - nothing more nostalgic, nothing happier ~

Also not represented here are farmer's markets, concerts in the park, berry-picking, water-wading, walk-taking, flower-gathering, book-reading, sun-tanning, toe-nail-painting, mountain-hiking, and a plethora of other mirthful things.

Adoringly,
Yours

Surreal

Good evening, dears!

I was marching around the restaurant at work earlier this evening like the post-finals zombie that I am, when I realized something quite unique. Today was surreal. What happened today that made it so “surreal,” you may ask? Well today, I took my final exam in Biology, walked out of the room, and drove to work.

Huh. Well now that really is quite something (sarcasm). Let me explain.

I began thinking about the moments in my life that I counted as being “surreal;” this is what I came up with (in no particular order):

1. Walking down the isle at my brother’s wedding
2. Flying over Ireland and seeing the hillsides just precisely as I’d always pictured them to be
3. Holding Benjamin and Joanna for the first time
4. Performing at my old dance recitals
5. Standing three feet in front of my first Van Gogh
6. The day my braces were taken off
7. My last day at Capernwary
8. The day my grandma went Home
9. Hearing “Yellow” played live
10. Watching the sun set behind the Alps

These are just a couple of the moments that I would say, without doubt, are some of the most memorable, surreal days in my life thus far. I remember them each with such clarity, and I remember during each of these moments thinking, “I will recall this moment - it will be with me - forever.” Sort of eerie - mostly beautiful.

I feel like there are levels of “surrealness.” Today, for instance, would be a level 1, perhaps. It was surreal, but not enough so that I will always relish it. It was surreal in that, after leaving the exam, I felt a sort of euphoria, lightness, happiness…peace. I’ve been grappling with taking time off since I declared that to be my plan (if you know me, you know my zealous dedication to school), and I’ve thought for a while that today would be a tough one for me – I didn’t want to feel lost or as though I’d made a wrong turn. Instead, as I left, I let the love I have for school, the excitement for the things unseen, and the confidence in doing what I felt was right wash over me - I know I’ll return to school, perhaps not that one, perhaps so.

Regardless, things began falling into place for me today that I suspect have been dawdling in the shadows - things I haven’t been allowed to see or be aware of until I followed through with what was right for me. I think a lot of life is a test (hence life of school – ha), and a lot of it is aced through follow-through and faith. I’m trying desperately to attain completeness in both. I’m trying.

Today was surreal.



Adoringly,
Yours

Of the Sea

Do you feel the despair,
That courses through each course of each
Day – moment - breath – gasping for repair?
I know this space within this place of despair.
It encounters me, when in infinite solitude I find
Myself searching the sea -
Searching for another time.
When perhaps you’re beside,
Beside me enraptured by the sea – you and me.
Don’t cast your heart out to the sea –
Darling, wait; wait for my heart and me.
Wait for my heart beside the sea.

Adoringly,
Yours

p.s. I am quite fond of the sea, and life is heart-filled quagmire. Goodnight, my dears :)

Oh, Today!

Hello my dears!

So today began with all the signs of being a dangerously ordinary day. With that in mind, I decided it would be the most opportune day to practice what this blog is all about - noticing the little moments throughout the broader course of the day. Please take note that these little moments may still be classified as "ordinary," perhaps even "dull," but tra la la - that's life!



~ My little cacti I wake up to on my window sill every morning ~


~ Dear little friends ~


~ It was decided today, most definitely, that my tights are in fact a ravishing navy blue, not black, as first suspected ~


~ My newly aquired "book-bag" has been making me most cherry with it's flashy colors ~


~ Courtesy of my local library, where I frequent quite often ~


~ Footsies ~


~ Hoping to finish this lovely read before the book club meeting ~


~ My sweet little bunny joined me outside for some study time ~

So today, despite the last minute studying, the errands, and general distraction due to the sunshine (see below post for sunshine obsession), turned out to be quite nice. Some exciting possibilities for the future have been bubbling in my head today, and I am also looking forward to posting about more art, some Impressionists, and, quite soon, my lifetime devotion to Van Gogh.

Please have a splendid spring evening, I'm making tacos and planning on studying the night away - nearly finished!

Adoringly,
Yours

Heavy, Beating Hearts

Good evening, my dears,

We all are carrying heavy hearts these days with recent news continuing to unfold about Japan; my thoughts and prayers linger across the ocean at each passing moment. One thing I did want to briefly touch on is a quote I highlighted while reading C.S. Lewis’s “A Grief Observed” several months ago. He noted, “No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear.” We seem to be fearful creatures, as we come by it quite easily – most especially when we are struck by confusion or devastation. Or grief.

However, I don’t believe that fear is what we were meant for. I believe with every ounce of my beating heart in the Maker of the ocean, of Japan, of me… I believe these words to be true as well, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). This is the only Peace I know, the only Peace this dear little planet will ever know. It, like fear, is easy to come by, however more difficult to hold on to. But isn’t that so with the things worthy of living in this life? Is that not part of the plan? There is trouble, but there is also a greater Love.

I’m praying for Peace for Japan, and for us, this tiny little planet of sweet beings. We are loved. Japan is loved. Please remember this.

Adoringly,
Yours

Monday, Monday (Coffee, Coffee)

Happy Monday, my dears!

So, I’m planning on establishing some sort of organization (depth, perhaps?) to this blog once I’m on a more regular out-of-school-no-finals-manipulating-my-time path (Watercolor Wednesdays, etc.), taking place in two short weeks! (Eep!) But, for now, little snippets of mildly boring, artless posts will have to suffice. Bear with me.

It’s fascinating to me how you can live with yourself for x-amount of years, and still learn new things about yourself everyday. My new revelation? Despite the fact that I am, in fact, of no relation to a plant, I have very heliotropic tendencies. This morning, on my way to class, my car and I emerged from a torrential downpour and came upon a patch of too-blue-to-be-true skies and a hint of sunshine. Without knowing, my entire body shifted to the left side of my car, and my hand involuntarily plastered itself to the left window – in an effort to reach the sunshine? I rest my case; I’m heliotropic.

In other nature news, before this incident, I saw what I had for the previous twentyish years of my life believed to be a farce, that’s right, I saw the end of a rainbow. Naturally it was sans any pot of gold or little man in green but, regardless, I’m feeling very in tune with nature today (Did I mention there’s a lovely rendition of “You Are My Sunshine” playing at the coffee shop I’m currently ‘planted’ in?). How splendid.

Clearly spring is on it’s merry way – I’m a’waitin’ with open arms. In honor of spring (and out of a necessity to bring more images to this sparse little blog), here are some little guys I spotted during my happiest of springs to date several years ago in beautiful England.





Adoringly,
Yours

Emerging from the Cave

Hello my dears,

This is (one of) my attempt(s) to get out of this present cave, or creative lull, that I find myself in.

I've decided to take a generally unpopular hiatus from my studies this spring in an effort to further pinpoint some direction and explore some passions of mine (I have some inklings as to what they both may be). While I'm excited about this little jaunt, I'm acutely aware of the unspoken timeframe that our society has placed on each of us. The drumbeat we've been taught to follow goes something like this: school, highschool, college, career, career, marriage, career, children, career, death. I do realize how utterly offbeat I am to that drum at the present; but despite the looming beat, I'm rather excited to break out some paint brushes and watch the green grass grow for a season. After all, time is what we all have, one minute of it at a time.

This blog is just a log I plan on keeping in order to keep myself accountable - accountable for keeping my eyes wide open to all the little wonders in everyday life. Read along if you like, I'd love to have you walk beside me.

Along this bendy little road I'm ambling on, I'm taking plenty of stops along the way to observe the trees swaying and the people passing. Therefore, this path may take me a while, but I'm working on it.

Spring is upon us, time to awake from hibernation!
Adoringly,
Yours