Saturday, August 30, 2008
a few of my favorite things
I LOVE FALL! I am so excited it is (almost) September so that I can break out the decor to empasize the love I have for my favorite time of year. I thought today was going to a pretty normalized Saturday...until I realized that the back to school season is the kick- off of all things fall. Cider, orchards, leaves, sweaters, morning runs in long sleeve tees, cuddling. And a few other items as seen below. Happy holiday weekend friends!
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Community, in the flesh
I am struck so funny by something this afternoon as I sit and type in Panera Bread. There are several other people dining by themselves during peak dinner hours. Now I consider my laptop a companion so I am not truly "alone" but those that are here for dinner and dinner alone, I wonder, are they here alone by choice or do they have no other choice.
But the the fact that I do consider my laptop a companion leads me to another thought. Although I can facebook with best of the them and get immense joy out of doing so, if I am honest it doesn't lead me any closer to community in the flesh. My laptop and web-browsing do not call me out when I am off base, they rarely make laugh outloud and they surely do not give me the fullness of satisfaction that comes with a coffee shop date with a friend. Let me give a disclaimer however that I do believe true community does happen online when I read the heart of a friend on a blog or recieve an email from someone I love.
That said, there is nothing that can replace relationship and I believe each of us NEED, not even want sometimes, but NEED people in our daily lives that we can care for and who will care for us. If I look at the trends in social networking it seems obvious that people are sharing more of their lives, thier deeper selves through their twittering, facebooking, flickering, linking in, blogging...I am not asking that we discontinue with these practices. Instead I am asking us to recognize the roles they play in our relationships and determine balance.
But the the fact that I do consider my laptop a companion leads me to another thought. Although I can facebook with best of the them and get immense joy out of doing so, if I am honest it doesn't lead me any closer to community in the flesh. My laptop and web-browsing do not call me out when I am off base, they rarely make laugh outloud and they surely do not give me the fullness of satisfaction that comes with a coffee shop date with a friend. Let me give a disclaimer however that I do believe true community does happen online when I read the heart of a friend on a blog or recieve an email from someone I love.
That said, there is nothing that can replace relationship and I believe each of us NEED, not even want sometimes, but NEED people in our daily lives that we can care for and who will care for us. If I look at the trends in social networking it seems obvious that people are sharing more of their lives, thier deeper selves through their twittering, facebooking, flickering, linking in, blogging...I am not asking that we discontinue with these practices. Instead I am asking us to recognize the roles they play in our relationships and determine balance.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Sisterhood...and Inspiration
Ok, so ever since I went to see the second Sisterhood movie last week with my sis-in-law I have admittedly had a bit of a hair crush on Lena. Rochelle and I sat in the back row and analyzed the fashion & hair (she is a cosmetologist) for the entire 90 some minutes. And we decided that I too could have rich dark hair and sassy bangs...If I ever get brave enough. And I don't know what would hold me back from that step. Why are some things so hard for people and so easy for others?!
Pros: It would be fun, different and in a way represent the way I feel, that I am stepping into a new phase of my life in my mid 20s, no longer being a new newlywed (ok, still relatively new), stepping in a new direction with my career. I even wore a brown & tan animal printed cardigan today & am experimenting with a bohemian braid...again Sisterhood inspired but we can thank Blake Lively for that one.
Cons...what if it doesn't turn out?! What if my bangs stick to my face when I run? Irrational thoughts as I type them b/c that is what semi-permanent and bobby pins are for right?
How can I be 25 and not quite know my style yet? I have always considered myself to be in the classic, "Jackie O" inspired category but there is something sexy about a little bit of fashionista that I sometimes reach for. My friend Christina says there are 4 types of fashion that people generally fall into:
Classic
Trendy
Natural, Earthy
Athletic? (I can't remember the 4th one for sure)
What do you think? What style do you feel most like YOURSELF in? Does it vary based on your mood and what is on sale at Target? I would love to hear if you think there are other categories and where you fit....(ok, and your thoughts on my hair decision making). Can't take life too seriously right?!
Thursday, August 14, 2008
processing life
I'm tired. And this is my own doing of course because every night I stay up too late and every morning I get up too early. Even as I write it is after midnight and my running friend is going to be waiting on my steps at 6 sharp. I need to turn my internal dial back a few hours so that it works out just right but I can't stay away from late nights!! And then, there I am in the morning groggily reaching for the coffee grinder and hating how that feels to NEED it rather than choose the coffee.
Lately I have been thinking alot about growing old. And how tiring that must be every day to get up, feel achy getting out of bed, to not be able to just go out for a morning jog and guzzle a cup of coffee while simaltaneously drying your hair & eating breakfast. It has come up alot between Ryan and I in life conversations lately as we see others around us growing old. and growing older by the moment.
To clarify, I am not referring to the moments of adulthood when our dinner conversations turn to property tax and the market and I feel OLD. I am speaking of the grandfather who has been more like a parent with Alzheimers, the ever optomistic grandmother with a broken ankle who is struggling with deep sadness, the great aunt who hasn't been out of her house for 2 weeks straight and is used to gardening everyday. These are all realities for our close relatives right now and Ryan and I are at moments facing our grief head on and in other moments living in denial and fear.
I am not as terrfied of loss as I used to be but still fearful of what this future loss will feel like. We have found ourselves talking about it this week after watching the movie "The Savages" this past Saturday. It is the story of two adult children who grew up taking care of themselves due to an absent mother and an alcoholic father. Their father becomes very sick late in life and they are forced to decide what kind of care is best for him. It made very real the turmoil of making decisions about others lives and well-being, which led us to be real about the potential decisions facing our own parents.
Our conclusion, which presented itself unknowingly 5 days later over the course of a date night tonight was to ENJOY EVERY MINUTE with the people you love. Make the effort to make a phone call, to visit, to write a card, to have a conversation, whatever it is, don't hold anything back.
I think that applies to so many of my relationships and how I approach my life. I don't want to hold anything back, have any regrets, wish I would have called. I want to know I have loved those in my life as fully as I possibly could.
Lately I have been thinking alot about growing old. And how tiring that must be every day to get up, feel achy getting out of bed, to not be able to just go out for a morning jog and guzzle a cup of coffee while simaltaneously drying your hair & eating breakfast. It has come up alot between Ryan and I in life conversations lately as we see others around us growing old. and growing older by the moment.
To clarify, I am not referring to the moments of adulthood when our dinner conversations turn to property tax and the market and I feel OLD. I am speaking of the grandfather who has been more like a parent with Alzheimers, the ever optomistic grandmother with a broken ankle who is struggling with deep sadness, the great aunt who hasn't been out of her house for 2 weeks straight and is used to gardening everyday. These are all realities for our close relatives right now and Ryan and I are at moments facing our grief head on and in other moments living in denial and fear.
I am not as terrfied of loss as I used to be but still fearful of what this future loss will feel like. We have found ourselves talking about it this week after watching the movie "The Savages" this past Saturday. It is the story of two adult children who grew up taking care of themselves due to an absent mother and an alcoholic father. Their father becomes very sick late in life and they are forced to decide what kind of care is best for him. It made very real the turmoil of making decisions about others lives and well-being, which led us to be real about the potential decisions facing our own parents.
Our conclusion, which presented itself unknowingly 5 days later over the course of a date night tonight was to ENJOY EVERY MINUTE with the people you love. Make the effort to make a phone call, to visit, to write a card, to have a conversation, whatever it is, don't hold anything back.
I think that applies to so many of my relationships and how I approach my life. I don't want to hold anything back, have any regrets, wish I would have called. I want to know I have loved those in my life as fully as I possibly could.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
groove gettin
Snapshots of my days this week look a heck of a lot different than they did a week ago, that is for sure. Like a friend reminded me over China Palace today at lunch, going back to work after 8 weeks of vacation is like that feeling when you go back to school in the fall. It takes a few weeks to remember how to use a planner and when to go to what class. And man, I sure appreciated the diet coke today cause Chinese puts me in nap mode!
Trying to find my groove, still very thankful for a job and less than a quarter mile from home at that. I like it, the new job that is. It is challenging and a bit overwhelming for me to go from full confidence of what I was doing or at least the questions to ask to figure out what I should be doing to a whole new culture & priorities. I think 3 months, 6 months down the road I will be clicking along and think back on these first few weeks and wonder why I didn't give myself a bit more grace.
On a less deep, yet still important note, my fashion sense is trying to adjust itself to the culture of my new office. I am accustomed to my business dressy wardrobe during the day which is full of pretty basic and classic pieces and then my personal life wardrobe which is a few trendy pieces here and there but again, more of the basic pieces. The proper term for what I should be wearing now is "business casual" which would seem easy with what I have but the two categories I possess have collide and somehow I walk out the door dressed everyday, but not quite sure it is quite right.
A refreshing and much anticipated event took place this past weekend as well! Our annual TU girls reunion and I was SO happy to have my friends in MY house & my everyday life.
Beckish | B | Em | Kel
We did alot of we do best; ate, shopped, TALKED, laughed, walked. The connection stays the same while the conversations change as we continue to walk through life together. It always feels good to be with people who know you, who have seen your old college t-shirt (yeah, the grey TU one) since freshman year, know your stories and who continue to be part of that story. Love you girls and can't wait until next year! Luckily we don't have to because the countdown to January is on...
Trying to find my groove, still very thankful for a job and less than a quarter mile from home at that. I like it, the new job that is. It is challenging and a bit overwhelming for me to go from full confidence of what I was doing or at least the questions to ask to figure out what I should be doing to a whole new culture & priorities. I think 3 months, 6 months down the road I will be clicking along and think back on these first few weeks and wonder why I didn't give myself a bit more grace.
On a less deep, yet still important note, my fashion sense is trying to adjust itself to the culture of my new office. I am accustomed to my business dressy wardrobe during the day which is full of pretty basic and classic pieces and then my personal life wardrobe which is a few trendy pieces here and there but again, more of the basic pieces. The proper term for what I should be wearing now is "business casual" which would seem easy with what I have but the two categories I possess have collide and somehow I walk out the door dressed everyday, but not quite sure it is quite right.
A refreshing and much anticipated event took place this past weekend as well! Our annual TU girls reunion and I was SO happy to have my friends in MY house & my everyday life.
Beckish | B | Em | Kel
We did alot of we do best; ate, shopped, TALKED, laughed, walked. The connection stays the same while the conversations change as we continue to walk through life together. It always feels good to be with people who know you, who have seen your old college t-shirt (yeah, the grey TU one) since freshman year, know your stories and who continue to be part of that story. Love you girls and can't wait until next year! Luckily we don't have to because the countdown to January is on...
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