Who knew? An office in your closet...I vote BRILLIANT! I totally want this in my house some day. Lovely, just lovely.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Authentically Authentic...
So I've been thinking about myself a lot lately. Well, in a good way. I've been thinking about who the heck I am. Often times a lot of other stuff gets in the way of the answer to that question like wondering what other people think about me or what I spend my time doing or doing what I think will make me happy. Shakespeare teaches us, "To thine own self be true." At the center of it all is the core of who I am: just me. Fabulous, hilarious, darling, screwed-up me. The girl who loves to dance and sing at the most inappropriate moments. The girl who laughs and giggles, mostly at her own jokes. The girl who dreams so big that they sometimes can't all fit under the same roof. The girl who is a daughter of God. It's seeing others as they are and not what we expect them to be and then doing the same for ourselves. While every day I seem to learn more and more of who I am, I'm happy to have arrived at where I'm at. As one of my favorite writers, Anne Lammott says, "To love yourself as you are is a miracle, and to seek yourself is to have found yourself, for now. And now is all we have, and love is who we are."
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
5 things that made me smile this week
Getting a............Job.
Dreaming of...........
This.........................Picture.
Sharing a.....................Song.
Chillin' with...........Chan the Man.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Land of the Rising Sun
March 11th was just like any other day....
I woke up to the guilt of wanting to sleep in longer.
I job searched and bemoaned my current unemployment situation for the thousandth time.
I went through my usual routine of primping and painting my rough-night's-sleep of a face.
I packed my bags for a much anticipated trip with my sister to Rexburg to visit old friends.
And it wasn't until I reached my sister's apartment that I learned that half-way across the world, disaster had struck.
Breaking news on the television screen reported of a massive 8.9 magnitude earthquake that had hit the Pacific Ocean near Northeastern Japan causing damage with blackouts, fire, and the most devastatingly of all, tsunami. The deadly tsunami, spawned by one of the largest quakes ever recorded, slammed into the nation's East coast leaving a swath of devastation in it's wake.
I woke up to the guilt of wanting to sleep in longer.
I job searched and bemoaned my current unemployment situation for the thousandth time.
I went through my usual routine of primping and painting my rough-night's-sleep of a face.
I packed my bags for a much anticipated trip with my sister to Rexburg to visit old friends.
And it wasn't until I reached my sister's apartment that I learned that half-way across the world, disaster had struck.
Breaking news on the television screen reported of a massive 8.9 magnitude earthquake that had hit the Pacific Ocean near Northeastern Japan causing damage with blackouts, fire, and the most devastatingly of all, tsunami. The deadly tsunami, spawned by one of the largest quakes ever recorded, slammed into the nation's East coast leaving a swath of devastation in it's wake.
My heart sank. Here I was, going about my unremarkable day, and there was a country in crisis, facing much bigger problems then I. I was, and am, sufficiently humbled. What do I have to complain about? Seeing the images of the devastation was heart wrenching.
No one ever really has the answer as to why these sort of things happen. We often find ourselves asking "why?" When the tragedy is over, the real struggle begins. How do we as human beings pick ourselves up when we fall? How do we face adversity?
No one ever really has the answer as to why these sort of things happen. We often find ourselves asking "why?" When the tragedy is over, the real struggle begins. How do we as human beings pick ourselves up when we fall? How do we face adversity?
Arthur Goldwin, and American Writer, wrote, "Adversity is like a strong wind. It tears away from us all but the things that cannot be torn, so that we see ourselves as we really are."
So what are we? I believe that we are greater than we can even comprehend. Only through intense pressure does a coal become a diamond. Only in the fire of affliction do we become purified. Adversity can prove to be our finest hour.
Naotaka Matsukata, senior policy advisor at Alston and Bird, LLP : "When historians 100 years from now will put this event in the context of Japan's modern history of response and rebuilding after crisis, they will see it as just one more time the people of Japan have come together and made recovery a catalyst for reform and prosperity."
So what are we? I believe that we are greater than we can even comprehend. Only through intense pressure does a coal become a diamond. Only in the fire of affliction do we become purified. Adversity can prove to be our finest hour.
Naotaka Matsukata, senior policy advisor at Alston and Bird, LLP : "When historians 100 years from now will put this event in the context of Japan's modern history of response and rebuilding after crisis, they will see it as just one more time the people of Japan have come together and made recovery a catalyst for reform and prosperity."
It's no coincidence that Japan is often known as the Land of the Rising Sun. I only pray that I would have the strength to rise each day and face whatever comes my way. Come what may, and love it.
Want to help?
Here is a list of some of the organizations that are aiding in the nation's recovery:
Want to help?
Here is a list of some of the organizations that are aiding in the nation's recovery:
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Favorite Things
I love BOOKS.
Not the kind you download onto your Kindle, but the kind that have pages. I love the way you can crease the corners of those pages to save your spot. Have you ever ventured into an antique book store? There's a certain smell to all of that aged paper that fills the air. Most of my books are completely marked up with thoughts and favorite quotes, underlines and pencil marks. The spine is always the first thing to go, especially when you've read that book a thousand times. There's something about turning the page of a book to discover what happens next that is very satisfying. Each day is like turning a page in our own book of life.
Well...I was in a bookstore the other day (another one of my favorite things, worthy of it's own post), and I discovered the most lovely cloth-bound series of classics. They looked almost antique in a Victorian style, each with it's own unique design and motif representing central themes of each story (A peacock feather, for example, on Dorian Grey plays on the book's themes of vanity and the superficial).
With a little bit of research I discovered that these incredible book covers were designed by Penguin Book's senior cover designer, Coralie Bickford-Smith. Over the years she has created several series designs. She studied typography at Reading University and has recently been sharing her experience with students at London College of Communication encouraging a sense of play in the process of design.
"I want these books to be cherished like the literature inside. If something is well considered, it will entice. People want to explore it, feel it."
Feast your eyes:
Not the kind you download onto your Kindle, but the kind that have pages. I love the way you can crease the corners of those pages to save your spot. Have you ever ventured into an antique book store? There's a certain smell to all of that aged paper that fills the air. Most of my books are completely marked up with thoughts and favorite quotes, underlines and pencil marks. The spine is always the first thing to go, especially when you've read that book a thousand times. There's something about turning the page of a book to discover what happens next that is very satisfying. Each day is like turning a page in our own book of life.
Well...I was in a bookstore the other day (another one of my favorite things, worthy of it's own post), and I discovered the most lovely cloth-bound series of classics. They looked almost antique in a Victorian style, each with it's own unique design and motif representing central themes of each story (A peacock feather, for example, on Dorian Grey plays on the book's themes of vanity and the superficial).
With a little bit of research I discovered that these incredible book covers were designed by Penguin Book's senior cover designer, Coralie Bickford-Smith. Over the years she has created several series designs. She studied typography at Reading University and has recently been sharing her experience with students at London College of Communication encouraging a sense of play in the process of design.
"I want these books to be cherished like the literature inside. If something is well considered, it will entice. People want to explore it, feel it."
Feast your eyes:
Not only can I already picture these beautiful books on my shelf, but they are all literature's most beloved classics and would serve a lazy afternoon well. They are books to be cherished...collected...and passed on for generations to come. Thank you Coralie for you brilliance and inspiration to boot.
Penguin Hardcover Classics designed by Colarlie Bickford-Smith (Penguin Classics). You can find them online at Barnes and Noble. Other sites include modcloth and Penguin Classics.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
My sister...My friend
I've heard it said that a sister is a forever friend. I believe this to be completely true. I've told my sister this many times. I honestly think that before we were born, when we were in heaven, we became good friends, the best of friends. So I asked the Lord if He might allow us to be together when we came down to earth...so He made us sisters. (This is proof of why we don't look very much alike). Just the other day, Kaylie and I had a sister date (my favorite kind of date). Here's evidence of a day well spent...
Love you, Kay
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Why I love...
...MARCH...Stuck in the middle between love and Easter, it is often overlooked. But there's more to this month that meets the eye. This month I get to celebrate national reading day (2nd), my sister Kaylie's birthday (which she shares with Einstein (14th)), and even the tail end of Mardi Gras (9th).
But the crowning triumph of this lovely little month is that of ...
Saint Patrick's Day (17th)
In the front yard of the first house I grew up in was a clover patch. I remember how I used to comb through the clovers in search of a four-leaf...or maybe even a leprechaun. I could never seem to catch one or convince my parents of their existence.
Whenever I forgot to wear green on St. Patty's day, I always used the excuse that my eyes were green; I'm sure I'm not the first. Too bad it wasn't a sufficient excuse for my classmates and I still managed to get pinched.
This year I plan on giving this holiday what it deserves...heart. I plan on watching Darby O'Gill and the Little People, followed by P.S. I Love You, and a few Riverdance concerts. I'm going to ignite my inner child and search for a four-leaf clover. I know what you're thinking, "clover's only have three leaves." Well, while that may be true, superstition has it that if a women finds a four-leafed clover and eats it, she will soon meet her husband. Happy hunting!
Here's to finding a four-leaf clover, hoping that luck isn't just for the Irish and believing that there really is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. So KISS ME...I'm as good as Irish.
Here's to finding a four-leaf clover, hoping that luck isn't just for the Irish and believing that there really is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. So KISS ME...I'm as good as Irish.
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