Still Mucking About

 “You will walk differently alone, dear, through a thicker atmosphere, forcing your way through the shadows of chairs, through the dripping smoke of the funnels. You will feel your own reflection sliding along the eyes of those who look at you. You are no longer insulated; but I suppose you must touch life in order to spring from it.” ~ Tender is the Night

Hello, my dears!

Heavens to Betsy, it's been a while! There's no neat or concise way for me to sum up the past year. The only thing that has carried through, the only thing that I can tell you that I still believe in with absolute certainity, is that life is heart-filled quagmire.

I've spent the past year chasing after dreams only to nose-dive into some shut doors recently. But, I am completely confident that perhaps one of those doors, if not a window, will crack open again sometime soon.

I'm looking forward to spending more time with you this year (I feel like I've said that before, you poor little neglected blog, you), fall leaves changing, and nesting in my new (temporary) abode this upcoming weekend.

More to come soon, I promise. That is, if you're still mucking about in the quagmire alongside me :)

Adoringly,
Yours

p.s. This movie & This song & This recipe & This fusion of art inspired pasta ;)

Poor Moon - People In Her Mind

Hello, darlings!

I heard this nice little ditty in the car today from Poor Moon (thanks, KEXP), and immediately fell in love. But then again, what else could come from a collaboration between Fleet Foxes (ahem, favorite band) band members Christian Wargo and Casey Wescott, along with the brothers Ian and Peter Murray but pure musical bliss? Their EP is available on iTunes, so go give them a little listen :)

In other music-related news, the left bud of my earphones gave out this week, so I finally decided to splurge a bit and purchase some Urbanears headphones. Not only are they more comfortable on my ears, but, my gracious, the bass! I'm convinced that I've only ever heard about half of a song with my normal headphones before these babies came along. Such a difference! Bonus, they come in the cheeriest of colors (I chose a bold teal).

I hope you're enjoying spring!

Adoringly,
Yours

Don't Give Up The Ship

Hello, darlings!

Today has been showcasing some of my favorite weather - warm spring rains. The greens are so vibrant against so many shades of grey - and the rain is my home.

It's musical Wednesday, but I've decided to switch things up in honor of the mad amounts of study time I've been putting in lately... so here's a mix of some lovely tracks that have been getting me through.

1. Don't Leave Me (Ne me quitte pas) - Regina Spektor
2. Stubborn Love - The Lumineers
3. Model - Balanescu Quartet
4. Hang On Little Tomato - Pink Martini
5. Hang Loose - Alabama Shakes
6. Lover's Game - Geographers
7. Myth - Beach House
8. Suite for Solo Cello No. 1 in G Major - MW 1007: 1. Prelude Cello - Yo-Yo Ma
9. Your Bones - Of Monsters & Men
(Fun. and M. Ward's new albums for the after-study dance party sessions)

I hope you have a little bird who sings you awake each morning, just like the little one who sits outside my window and chirps me awake. The grass is growing, my dears, summer is near.

Adoringly,
Yours

p.s. This has appropriately become my motto this quarter.

11 Weeks (Until Summer)

Hello, darlings!

I hope you weren't fooled too terribly badly yesterday, but now that we've passed the fool's day, onwards to spring! Today was a refreshing (and quite unexpected) 61 (!!!!) degrees and, boy, was it lovely!

Thankfully I have developed quite a fondness of being a student in recent years, as my time these days is spent almost entirely working through my mathematics homework. It's interesting, actually, as before this quarter I thought I was only fond of being a student as long as it pertained to subjects that intrigued, but did not intimidate me. Well here I am in a 10 credit class that would have normally (and still does, at times) seize me with anxiety, and I find myself enjoying the challenge of it all. If I could just be a student for the rest of my days, I'd be one very happy clam. I'm actually anticipating attending a brief seminar tomorrow about mathematical patterns found in nature... no extra credit involved. Who IS this girl who's semi embracing math? I'm in shock.

I do find, however, that the busier my schedule is, the more I try to maximize my free time. I went to an art gallery on Sunday that I'd never been to, which was beyond wonderful for my soul. I will never tire of the stale walls and hushed hallways brimming with the works of people muddling through life - artists trying to find a way to express the world - their lives - sometimes their lives to the world. It's unsettling, graphic, moving, and beautiful. I can't get enough of it, and I can't wait to learn more. I have also begun to carve out time in the evenings to unwind and continue working through my eternal stack of books. I'm continuously trying to find the right balance, but aren't we all? (I know I say it again and again, but, my goodness, life truly is heart-filled quagmire.)

I hope you were able to break out your most summery sandals today, and reflect a little on this week leading up to Easter. We are all so very blessed.

Adoringly,
Yours

p.s. These darling little flats, and this song on repeat.

Of Monsters And Men - Dirty Paws

Happy mid-week, darlings!

So, I posted about this wonderful little Icelandic band a couple months ago, and since then they seemed to have grown in popularity quite a bit... and as they should!

I was fortunate enough to see them play live on Monday and, oh my stars, they are truly one of the most jovial bands I have ever had the pleasure of seeing. I absolutely love watching bands play that are touring from their first album release and are relatively new. Multiple times they would end a song and look out at the crowd and marvel at the amount of people in the venue, or that they were playing to a sold-out show. You never have to wonder at moments such as these if the band is in it for the love of the music or not - they seemed truly humbled and overjoyed to be sharing their music, which, in turn, made it an even greater joy to experience the moment with them.

Catch them live, if you get the chance, but certainly go pre-order their album, My Head Is An Animal, which comes out this Tuesday!

Adoringly,
Yours

La-Dee-Da, Spring is here!

Happy Spring, my dears!

True to form, life really has been bursting at the seams with heart-filled quagmire as of late. I've tried so many times to post something, but if you only knew the butterflies and various other woodland and mythical creatures fluttering about inside me these days, well, you'd understand.
It's funny, thinking back on the calm seas which was 2011, and now seeing that it's only (nearly) April and how vastly different this year is going for me already. I much prefer this year - it's exhausting, challenging, thrilling, breathtaking, heartbreaking, and wondrous all at once. And that, for me, is the rub when it comes to blogging. I haven't been able to concentrate on one particular thought for ages. But here I am, and, although I may leave this blog lonely here and there, rest assured, I am not gone for good :)

Amongst the busyness, I will say that my personal challenge to myself (living my life overflowing and taking on more things afraid), has been in full swing. Along the lines of living a life overflowing, I have chosen to view pinterest only when in need of a clever DIY or for brief inspiration, and to actually LIVE my life the way I want it, instead of pinning it. Why would I choose to "pin" something cute but not wear it myself? Or eat a bowl of cereal while drooling over a picture on my screen of gourmet foods? Or stare at abs that I'm not willing to do sit-ups for? (No harm meant for anyone on pinterest, I think it's a fabulously entertaining and inspirational place... but, for me, I found myself doing a lot of coveting and not a lot of living :) )

Life is intimidating and daunting, this we know. I have been concentrating on waking up each day with a renewed mind by taking time to marvel at the little things, find the blessings in my life, and pray more often. But one thing I have discovered, is that it is intrinsic to who I am to create something new each day. It could be a little sketch in my art journal, a photograph, a new artist or song listened to, the assembling of a cheese platter, or even something as commonplace as a new instagram. I finally understand what Twyla Tharp was getting at in her book, ("The Creative Habit..." more on that later) that I read several years ago. You. Must. Be. Creative. Every. Day. It's part of who we are. And to take in something beautiful from the world, and to give it back in your own beautiful, unique way... That is art. That is beauty. That is living.

Here are some little snippets of my life right now (Thank you, iPhone). I will try to post again soon, although no promises. Life is better lived spontaneously, after all :)











Adoringly,
Yours

p.s. This song and this book and this necklace.

Walking After Midnight

Well hello, my dears! (Hope I haven't kept you waiting too terribly long :)

I hope all you lovebirds had a fabulous Love Day yesterday, and to those of us who are sans our other half at the moment, we made it through another year - bravo!

My dear friend, K, and myself were exchanging Valentines Day playlists, and Miss Patsy Cline made it to the tippy top of my list. (I have secretly always felt that Adele is a contemporary Patsy - maybe, yes, no?)
In any case, her raspy voice (which I hear was a result of a bad case of strep throat as a child) and wistful, heartfelt lyrics never cease to speak to me. She's truly a kindred spirit of mine.

Adoringly,
Yours

p.s. I shan't keep you waiting so long until the next post, darlings.