sleepy says {frocktober, days 17-20}

I think both my husband and I have come to realize that we're completely at the mercy of fatigue these days. We've spent every weekend working tirelessly on getting our house ready to move in, and as a result, we feel drained at the start of every week. The week days go by in a heavy blur. I've gone back to my coffee addiction, surprise surprise! Starbucks detours have been frequent. Every evening after work, we're torn between our desire to be productive and our even weightier desire to try to catch up on the rest we've been missing out on each weekend. The sleepiness usually wins out. We're pajama-clad before dinner and in bed as soon as we can manage it.

Thus, my lack of daily blogging. Every night I make a mental note to take and edit photos so I can post them the next morning - but this week they've piled up on me once again. I can't believe it's already Friday again. I honestly feel like I didn't even live through this week. It was all a dream. Someone else went to work for me and I stayed back home inside my own head, content to exist in a haze. 

In 1 week we'll be heading to North Carolina for our Fall getaway to see our besties from law school, and having that to look forward is so delightful. I hope you all have had a much mightier week, full of energy and inspiration. Enjoy this past week of Frocktober outfits below (remix info is at the end of the post). 

Remixes:

Outfit 1: Dress | Outfit 2: Green Cardigan

Outfit 3: Purple Cardigan

Outfit 4: Dress 1, 2, 3 // Denim 1, 2

frumpy {frocktober, day 13}

I lightly complained about having a cold yesterday but today's elevated cold kicks yesterday's in the tush.

I feel completely wrung out, and this morning my nose was so clogged up I couldn't even taste my pumpkin spice creamer which was basically the cherry on top of a rather crappy morning.
I went through an hour-long meeting trying not to be a sneeze monster, resorting to discreetly wiping my runny nose on my sweater sleeve. I've totally grossed you out now. I'm so sorry.

Did I mention I was leading the meeting, and that "discreetly" is more of a wish than a fact?
An unfortunate tendency I have when I have a cold is to be incredibly stuffy for about an hour or two, and then be violently seized with a conga line of sneezes. Usually a dozen, loud and unstoppable. I can try to stop them, but that just hurts my already pained face. The sneezes are somewhat of a relief, but they just keep coming. Afterward I usually feel like I did after I got my wisdom teeth out. Where am I. 

One time I was seized by one of these awful episodes while driving on the freeway and I suddenly became very aware of how life-threatening a sneeze attack can really be.

All of that to say, I am wearing dresses that feel more like pajamas and taking great comfort in stories. When I'm sick all I want to do is read or binge-watch my favorite TV shows. I'd love to just lounge around in a cotton gown in front of a fireplace like Danielle de Barbarac, but I'll also settle for the little patio setup of twinkle lights we created for my birthday party. I just started listening to an audiobook of The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith (a pseudonym for J.K. Rowling!) and am really enjoying it so far.

I've also been diving back into The City of Falling Angels by John Berendt. It's a rather stunning story, full of the great mysteries of Venice, Italy. It's a true story but it reads like fiction, full of strange characters and a rather charming (and occasionally baffling) look at the intricacies of Venetian existence. I'm pretty enamored with it. Because I've been there, reading this has been giving me an even greater appreciation and understanding of the city. It is so unique.

I'm so happy to have the actual book in my hands, because I can mark my pages and underline passages and loan it to other people. I love my Kindle and Audible apps but there's still nothing like an actual hardcover books in your hands - especially when it's one you love. I endeavor to someday have a beautiful hardcover bookshelf of my favorite reads.

soulhome

A friend of mine once mused, If there are soulmates, maybe there are soulhomes, too. 

A soulhome. What a romantic thought. A place where your heart is destined to rest, a special and mysterious location where your soul has intricate ties. 

I personally don't really believe in soulmates. The One. 

I think relationships take work, you choose to love. I do think that my husband and I are great together, and that I prayed for him from the time that I was a little girl. I knew I would marry someone someday, and I wanted to make sure God knew all of my requirements, things like "loves Big Red gum". 

I don't think anyone could ever love and appreciate me the way my husband does. In all my weirdness. I cherish him. Sometimes I like to say we're soulmates, because he's my one, the man I've chosen. We work hard at our relationship, and our commitment to each other has been blessed. 

But as far as real soulmates go? I believe we as humans are irrevocably flawed, and therefore if there even could be such a thing as soulmates, we would have ruined that whole deal a long long time ago. We would have married the wrong people and messed up the soulmate order for everyone. 

I remember thinking about that when I was around 10 or 11. I had a moment of pure panic, thinking of someone accidentally marrying my soulmate before I got to him.

Perhaps the first and only soulmates in the history of the world were Adam and Eve, and we all know how that turned out. 

But let's imagine for a second that soulmates and, more importantly, soulhomes are real.

Each one of us has, imprinted on our heart, a place that belongs to us. 

Born into the world with locks around our soul, a golden key is tossed out into the universe. And the moment we step into that place, the great expanse of desert in Arizona, the rolling green hills of Ireland, the towering sky-rises of New York, we hear that click. 

And we are unlocked. 

It's an absolutely stunning thought.

A lifelong quest to find each other, you and that distant land of destiny. 

I think I've experienced similar feelings of serendipity, which could easily be heaped into that nebulous overwhelming wanderlust. 

I think for most people though, myself included, a soulhome would be the place we've spent most if not all of our lives. There's a definite bond between a person and where they were born. 

Arizona is my place. The desert is where I have always belonged, it's where I feel most enchanted and most at ease. I understand it and appreciate it for all that it is. I feel really lucky in that way.  

But I've also lived other places and traveled to countries that I have fallen in love with. There are those dreamy trips that make us all swoon (Hollywood-driven, most likely), just imagining what the Eiffel Tower must be like in person, or thinking of riding in a Gondola in Venice. Growing up as an O'Neil and loving all things Irish, I would definitely say that Ireland was my dream place to live for a very long time. Irish blessings hung on my walls, green was my favorite color, Gerard Butler in P.S. I Love You is my favorite ever. 

Over the last few years of traveling, I've had my moments of, I could do this. I could live here for keeps. 

One of my favorite terms for my friends is kindred spirits. Unlike the idea of soulmates, I heartily believe and support the idea of kindred spirits. They exist all over the world, and come sneaking into your heart even when you least expect to find them. 

Arizona is my soulhome, but maybe I can allow my heart to find kindred places, too.

And what a long, lovely list of kindreds that will be. 

polka cats

Last week was all about the polka dots.
I wore my polka dot dress, and these same polka-dot loafers with a blue dress.

On Thursday I opted for more casual workday attire, and sported my fanciest cat top (I can say "fanciest" because I have more than one...) with my purple pants and the aforementioned polka-dot loafers.
This week will be a little different, because I lent out my camera to some friends who were having issues with theirs right on the brink of their departure for an Alaskan Cruise.
I gave in, acquiescing that their reasons for taking quality pictures were much better than mine.

Thus, my picture quality will be significantly lessened this week, as it shall be only my quick-fix iPhone on hand.
My nifty little device that serves as my camera, my social media connection and my pizza-orderer all in one.

Top: Ruche, Pants: Old Navy, Shoes: Gap, Ring: (similar on Etsy)

I love my back porch.
I take a lot of pictures back there because it's deceptively private, except in the winter when all the houses on the other side of the shallow forest become visible again.

It's a shared porch with countless other apartment tenants, but whenever I go out there it's a ghost town.
There was one time I walked out to take photos and was accosted by a tiny white yapping dog (which nearly caused me to scream-choke in fright), and one other time when a little boy was sitting on our patio furniture staring at me.
I simply backed away.

Despite those little bits of crazy, for the most part, it's just me. 

Enjoying the summertime with the weather, the patio furniture and my husband working at the grill.

wishing for springtime

A few days ago, the hubby and I snuck away for a fun late afternoon dinner after work.
He's been gone all week (in Chicago for a Mediation Tournament through the law school), so before we got home and had to get started on the laundry and the packing we decided to splurge at Texas Roadhouse.
That may seem like a weird date place, but it has become one of our go-to spots...why?

1. Hot rolls and cinnamon butter (free!)
2. Peanuts (free!)
3. House salad and chili (cheap!)

Haha. We love going there for a casual date night. It's perfect!

It was finally sunshiney enough to feel at home in bright colors, and I got to wear the first pair of sandals I've worn all season.
Of course, it's chilly again today, so it's back to tights and sweaters.
But we took a few seconds to take some outfit photos before our date. :)

Top: Primark in London (similar, similar),
Bottoms: Old Navy, (similar), Bangle: Kate Spade, Earrings: Cookie Lee

I'm in love with colored denim, and I don't see the affair dying down any time soon.
I'm happy to say I will be sporting colorful pants for years to come.
I think this spring is the perfect time to get my mint pair hemmed and ready for wear!

Cheers (and prayers) to warmer weather this weekend. :)