thanksgiving

Dress: Ruche, Necklace (remixed): LOFT

Despite the fact that it didn't really feel like Thanksgiving this year because I didn't watch any Thanksgiving Friends episodes, I still have an enormously long list of things to be thankful for. And I also dyed the ends of my hair purple, so check that off the list!

It has been a difficult few months which makes Thanksgiving all the more necessary. It's just a reminder, really. Gratitude and appreciation are daily intentions, but Thanksgiving is a feast to celebrate those good qualities. Actually sitting around with family and friends, declaring the abundance of blessing. I'm personally in favor of instituting more feasts into the year, maybe monthly, but I'm not the one who cooks and prepares them so I should probably tread lightly. Also, monthly feasts would be a terrible idea for my health goals this year. 

We had a marvelous day split between my husband's family and mine, plenty of good food and wonderful people. We were missing a few siblings on both sides, which made us feel a bit incomplete. But one of my favorite things about Thanksgiving is the happy swarm of extended family that we're able to hug and visit with. The families are growing so much, it makes it incredibly difficult to be all together at one time. It's one of those bittersweet tinges of growth. 

This year I was (am) abundantly thankful for:

my faith

my husband

arizona

my parents (and generosity)

coffee

friends, new and old

an incredible family

sisterhood

coffee

dresses

long-distance friendships

mexican food

good books (and my book club!)

a job that i love

cats

the growth found in change

the stamps of life

writing

coffee

making goals and having dreams

the sound of my parents' christmas tree

travel memories

chocolate-covered pretzels

fabulous movies

benedict cumberbatch

beautiful music 

good humor

and so much more...

Gratitude is such a funny thing. It's easily overlooked, isn't it? If we truly sat down and did as Andy Griffith requested and counted our blessings, they would be incredibly overwhelming. The more I sit here, the more things I can think of that I love and appreciate in my life. And yet darkness feels so much denser than the light. We get easily pulled down, easily discouraged, and over time we very easily forget.

Gratitude should be an action. It's a quality that we have to define for ourselves. Perhaps some people are naturally more thankful than others, but I happen to think it takes a lot of hard work for each of us. Gratitude is defined by a readiness. Readiness to be kind. Readiness to show appreciation. Readiness to see the light. It isn't easy but it's a beautiful, contagious kind of alertness. 

We are told to be ready and prepared, and I think part of that is to always be ready to give thanks. Always. Let the words of gratitude be literally on the edge of your lips, saturating your tongue and your eyes and your ears at all times. If gratitude was glitter, I pray to be a dang disco ball. Wouldn't that be lovely? A party of disco balls. I wanna be those people. Don't you?

wanderlust wednesday

Snapshots from Dublin, Ireland. St. Patrick's Day, 2011. 

My husband and I had a cozy honeymoon in the mountains our first week of marriage. We were married during Christmas break (on 1-1-11), so we had one semester of college left. We saved our money and decided to take a much bigger honeymoon trip during spring break. We had originally thought of taking an Alaskan cruise, but Dustin came across the same trip to Ireland that my family had taken together a year earlier - the trip that Dustin proposed to me on!

Of course we decided to repeat the trip together as a married couple, and it was magical. Since it was March instead of December, the weather was a bit warmer (although still quite cold), the grass was much greener, and we were able to visit many incredible little towns we hadn't been to before.
 We hiked up to the Witches Hat, we saw the Cliffs of Moher, we visited Waterford and Galway, and we even celebrate St. Patrick's Day in the great city of Dublin. We were in the beating green heart of Irish enthusiasm. Our hotel surprised us that morning with little corsages of fresh clovers, which we enthusiastically pinned to our coats before heading out for our day of Dublining. We stood for hours to enjoy the rather grand spectacle that is the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Dublin - it was both beautiful and strange and sometimes dark, and we found ourselves baffled and fascinated by their displays of color and music and characters.

It was so cold in the shade that we were overwhelmed with gratitude when we found a coffee shop that was open a few doors down towards the end of the parade, and eventually we wandered into a warm pub that was crowded with green-clad people. I ended up getting horribly sick towards the end of the trip, probably due to the hours in the cold, but it was worth it. (Although in hindsight I should have been wearing much warmer clothes. I was way too persistent about wearing my shamrock-green tights).

One of my favorite pictures above is of the three clearly drunk Irishwomen who demanded, rather excitedly, that we take their picture. I was also flashed by a redheaded Irishman later on, which I'm quite sure he doesn't remember.

It was an incredible day - one that I hope never fades as time goes by. It is a memory that is still as full of color and hollering as the day I stood there with my new husband, rosy-cheeked and freezing.

redhead

Saturday morning I rolled out of bed and threw on one of my comfiest sweaters to head downtown.
I was running late for book club, in fact I almost missed book club, which would have been a shame since I was the one to request the book this time around! (Legion by Brandon Sanderson, my favorite author).

Once a month we have book club downtown, in my once-favorite coffee shop, White Hart. It's still dear to me, but it closed its doors earlier this year and was rather miraculously reopened by a new owner. While it's still a lovely place, it has lost a lot of the charm that made it so magical before...I'm hoping in time they'll really utilize the space to return it to its former glory, but part of me knows those days are gone forever.
It's always a little sad to lose a place you love, but sometimes beautiful things are short-lived. Looking back, some of my favorite memories were in places that only last for a short while -- like my apartments in college, especially junior and senior years, which included my husband and I's first home together. It was a tiny little place that we only lived in for 5 months, but I'll cherish it always.
Maybe having a definitive beginning and end to a beloved place makes it all the more magical. It's not everlasting, but the memories are -- and the ache you feel in its place is just a reminder of its sweetness.

After book club, a friend and I flitted over to a vintage Christmas market happening downtown, perusing the handmade goods and wishing we could buy them all.

After some more coffee and some friendly chatter, I headed back home to get ready for the law wives Christmas Tea. Which is why I'm so dressed up here! Afternoon teas demand fanciness.

Dress (remixed): Modcloth, Necklace: Anthropologie, Coat: New York & Company

I suppose this dress has become my go-to for law school events!
I wore it this past April for Barristers, although I have to say I'm enjoying it much more as a wintry holiday kind of dress. The shimmer in the fabric is gorgeous, and it's that right kind of bright to fit right into the Christmas season.

The hair, of course, is also new!
I had been pondering a new 'do for some time, although exactly what I wanted took a while to figure out.
I knew I wanted to do something a little wild, but not anything I would most likely regret terribly for years (like a pixie cut -- I'm pretty sure I would never recover, despite my occasional musings that I want to pull an Emma Watson).
The good news is, I did it, and I love it.
It has inspired me to curl my hair again on a regular basis, and I love the way it looks in a ponytail. My hair is finally getting long enough to pull off something more interesting, and I'm really excited to have this style for a while!

gifts: valentine's day

We're only a few days away from the month of love!
February is characterized by bright reds and pinks, flowers and candies, friends and loved ones.
Love is truly in the air in the weeks surrounding Valentine's Day.

However, I think it should be a time to celebrate all the forms of love in your life. All those relationships that are dear to you.
I remember growing up and not being able to wait until I could give away some little Happy Valentine's Day cards to all my favorite friends.
I don't remember when I stopped doing that. Probably around the same boy-crazy time when Valentine's Day became all about cute guys, and not as much about friends and showing love to those you care about.
So plan to celebrate this year with some sweet accessories, lots of desserts, and a few dates with your favorite people! Whether that be your best friends, your sister, your mother, or your husband/boyfriend.
Take the time to send a card or a gift to show someone they're loved this February!

Ruby Red Kiss Earrings, from Ruche

Card by Rifle Paper Co., from Ruche

Sweet mini brooches, by Sweetkeetle on Etsy

Valentine's Day studs, by Posies by Cait on Etsy

Hand-embroidered necklace,
by Poppy and Fern on Etsy

Chocolate lollipops, by Xocolatl Chocolate on Etsy

Funny Valentine's Day Card, by Wit and Whistle on Etsy

Little Envelopes Studs, by Rare Indeed on Etsy

Hand-sculpted Book Necklace, by A Child of Whimsy on Etsy

Red Heart Earrings, by Chelsea Girl Designs on Etsy

E.E. Cummings Print, by Old English Co. on Etsy

Red and Lace Pendant Necklace, by The Whirlwind on Etsy

Strawberry Chocolate Truffles, by Xocolatl Chocolate on Etsy

Etsy is a ridiculously great place to look for unique gifts for any occasion!
Handmade and often one-of-a-kind, you can pretty much find anything and everything you're looking for, from small business men and women around the world.

What are your favorite gift ideas for Valentine's Day?
Any outfit ideas, or favorite places to go for a date night?

Dustin and I are planning on a romantic dinner out and a movie. Classic!
Last year, I also decorated the apartment for Valentine's Day and had a bunch of girlfriends over for a chick-flick movie night. It was a blast!

Whatever your plans are, enjoy preparing for the month of love and treat yourself to a truffle or two. ;)

Cait