where dwell the brave at heart

And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places.
Those who don't believe in magic will never find it.
Roald Dahl

When I was little, the highlights of my life were the moments of uninterrupted imagination.

Why deny it? I loved stories, and I still do.

My dad was the most wonderful storyteller. He was a visionary, molding us into an epic adventure straight from our bedsides. I would bolt downstairs into the territory of my three brothers, and we would all gather around to hear the latest tales of us. Our magical encounters, terrifying battles, beautiful friendships. Wizards and dragons and flying treehouses, oh my!

Imagination is more important than knowledge.
For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.
Albert Einstein

What a beautiful time that was. How extraordinary is the imagination? 

Ask the brothers who played with a small toy helicopter as children, which sparked their interest in flying. Who later closely observed the wings of birds in flight, and applied that to the invention of the airplane. 

Ask the young boy whose curiosity for the world made him naturally sensitive to poetry, art and music, which was encouraged by his mother. And later, when his mother began to go deaf, he learned alternative ways to communicate with her -- eventually studying acoustics and inventing the telephone.

Ask the boy who moved constantly as a child, but preoccupied himself with lessons led by his mother, such as drawing plants and trees and studying languages, specifically Latin. Who learned how to read and write at age four, and continued to write one of the most celebrated high fantasy series of all time.

Really, ask any teacher, adventurer, artist, writer, photographer, inventor...

And anyone who has ever been in contact with, influenced by, or inspired because of them.

That's everyone, people. All of you crazy wonderful beings with the God-given ability to imagine. 

gate at versailles

Parents and adults can create such an astounding magic when they say the right thing at the right time in a child's life. When they play, cultivating a child's mind by providing opportunities to develop the wondrous muscles of their imaginative worlds.

Did you know that imagination is contagious?

A child's heart and mind is so easily reached and influenced through the boulevard of make-believe.

They can make something dry and empty into something charming, engaging, humorous and alive. 

They are at the peak of their imaginative strength -- stretching their muscles of discovery and creativity like a lamb in its gambols. 

From the daydreams of the young and innocent may come the revolutionary, amazing, transcendent accomplishments of the adult.

No, I would not want to live in a world without dragons, as I would not want to live in a world without magic, for that is a world without mystery, and that is a world without faith.
R.A. Salvatore

I suppose I'm saying all of this for you make-believe naysayers, the ones who tell children they're liars if they say they spent all day playing in a fairy forest with a grizzly bear whose favorite ice cream is strawberry.
For the people that send kids to time out for having an imaginary friend.
For the people that put Winnie the Pooh on the Banned Books list.
And, okay, I may as well say it: for those that condemn books like Harry Potter without even opening the pages, unable to see the love, friendship, courage, victory, and truth that is prevalent throughout.

For the people that misunderstand the purpose of the imagination, and what a beautiful and powerful gift it is.

This post is for the souls out there who need to be touched by the magic of storytelling - even if you think you've outgrown it, even if you think you don't need it -- that probably just means you need it more than anyone else in the world.

a little glitz

Happy New Year!

For me, celebrating each new year holds extra special significance. My husband and I were married on 1-1-11, and that glitter-filled sparkling evening of New Year's Eve doubles as an anniversary party for us. 

I treasure the memories of my wedding week, having our wedding party and all of our family in town, gathering together the night before the wedding with great food and cheer. I wore a shirt that declared: "Start the new year with me!"

I absolutely loved everything about that night and the following day.

It's also special because I grew up with New Year's Eve being a special night. It happily extended from the Christmas holiday week and rolled over into sparkling cider, creme brulee, bonfires and fireworks, with family and friends all celebrating in the backyard desert of my parent's house.

It's probably my favorite holiday of the year. 

Bangles: Kate Spade, Polish: OPI (glitzerland + when monkeys fly!), Knuckle Ring (shop!): Sweet Peeps on Etsy

This year was the first year ever that I spent away from my parent's house. We stayed here in Virginia, and I don't think I've ever ached for the Arizona desert so badly. The crisp air, the sky at sunset, the crackle of the bonfire. We were very fortunate that some of our friends (who share our festive anniversary, they were married on Dec. 31st!) wanted to spend the night with us, because otherwise we would have been very sad human beings, probably resigned to spending NYE in our pajamas watching Friends. 

(Alright, so that doesn't really sound like the worst thing ever.)

Having a place to be and a party to have gave me a reason to glitz up my nails, wear something sparkly, dab some glitter on my eyelids and pop confetti poppers. It was worth it to resist the pajamas in order to properly celebrate 2014, our very last (half) year in Lynchburg, Virginia.

P.S. A little Insta-look at our fabulous NYE!

spider-lady of shalott

I love these tights.

They're a little whimsical and a little something wicked this way comes, if you ask me.

Halloween Eve called for a fancy dress in a toned-down outfit for work. 

I felt a little strange, because I had categorized this dress as date night only kind of attire, but I think it works here, too. It reminds me a little bit of Jess Day from New Girl, and her uncanny ability to wear party dresses on a daily basis and still look totally natural. She wears these amazing dresses and coats as her everyday look, and it looks great, because it's her. She just looks like she belongs in them. 

Dress: J. Crew, Boots (shop!): Urbanog, Tights (similar): Betsey Johnson

This ended up being possibly my top favorite outfit of the entire Frocktober month. It was a little bit out of my comfort zone, with the edginess of the tights, but the colors and the dress and, I'll admit, that little bit of fierceness made me feel like a rockstar.
That's why we put thought into our outfits anyway, right? To feel like rockstars, and have the opportunity for that daily bit of artistry.

These photos have almost a Lady of Shalott vibe, with a little bit of a Halloween twist.
The Spider Lady of Shalott, perhaps?

space cadet

I'm gonna try not to completely overdo this, but this is the best dress I've ever owned.

Alright. Now that I've overdone it, I'll go ahead and tell you why.
Somewhere along the way, I became enamored with stars. Probably a very common trait of any adolescent girl, but I'm also sure it had something to do with the incredible night sky at my parent's house in Arizona. Growing  up being very familiar with the big dipper and all its friends was something I adored, and grew to understood the immense beauty of.

When I was 12, one of my best friend's moved away. I remember her plopping down in the grass and looking up at the night sky, saying, "Promise me you'll lie down and look at the stars every chance you get. Promise me you won't ever take this for granted."

Now that we live in Virginia, I know how she felt! Where we live the stars are near impossible to see, except on the clearest of nights. And even then, the lights are usually too bright throughout the city. 

I miss seeing them, and always having them easily seen overhead.

Some things are easily taken for granted, until you no longer have them -- but now, every time I go back to Arizona, I take that time to plop down in the grass and look up at the stars. I keep that promise. 

Dress (shop!): Modcloth, Cardigan: J. Crew

The first time I saw a space/galaxy inspired print on a dress, I was immediately enamored.

I knew someday I would own one, I just wasn't sure what kind it would be. This one from modcloth was the perfect fit, and once I got it (birthday gift, thanks mom!) I knew it was love at first sight.

Other than the fact that the print is absurdly awesome, it's also the softest, silkiest, most amazingly delightful dress I've ever worn. (It also harbors thoughts of things like Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, and other deliciously nerdy things). 

The open back, v-neck, and loose fit are some of my favorite details. I'm quite in love.

To infinity and beyond.

the time and place

Happy Friday!!

Head on over to Ruche's Blog this afternoon for a fun Frocktober feature!

Two of my outfits from last week are featured, as well as some other lovely ensembles from other adorable bloggers out there!

Also, this dress from Ruche is now on sale for $14.50. Kind of amazing. There are only a couple left, so polka-dot it up!

I'm thrilled it's the weekend.

A bunch of us are playing volleyball tonight (clinging to summer, obviously) and this weekend the hubs and I are heading to Richmond to see my favorite band, Needtobreathe, in concert.

I won a contest for free tickets, a meet & greet with the band, and some signed merchandise - so even though this entire entry isn't in all caps like I secretly want it to be, I'm about to jump out of my skin with excitement. 

Frocktober has been happening happily - I love dresses, and I'm somewhat embarrassed to say I've pretty much only invested in dresses for a long time now. They're my favorite thing to wear. It doesn't matter the temperature or the event or the time of day, I'm all about frocks. 

This is my Frocktober, day 9:

There's something about putting stripes and florals together that just speaks to me.

I think I was born to pattern mix - I think if you went back to my earliest journals, I was throwing stripes, polka dots, flowers...all in the same composition. 

I think there's a time and place for the truly classic - a black dress with sparkly jewelry, a standard button-up and pencil skirt. I'm just hardly ever in those times and places. 

Dress: Zulily, Sweater (similar, similar): Forever21, Jewelry (similar, similar): Ruche

i feel weird saying "booties"

I had this great moment of photographic courage last night.
I went to pick up my husband from a meeting, and as I was sitting in the car listening to music, I noticed the sun was setting. It was a beautiful sunset, but it also made me realize that he was running late, and that we might run out of light before I got a chance to have him snap a few outfit photos for me.

So I did the crazy move - I set the camera on self-timer and propped it on a giant trash can, and took pictures in the parking lot.
I got a lot of stares from passersby, and two girls on a nearby bench literally stopped mid-sentence and stared openly, food dangling from their mouths. (That might be an exaggeration). Even so, it felt kind of great to be openly weird for a second.
My bravery ran out really fast though, and luckily Dusty came out soon after. Maybe one of these days, when I've mastered manual focus and invested in a proper remote, I'll feel less awkward about traipsing around with my tripod in the middle of populated areas.
But chances are...I'll opt for the deserted barn, every time.

Dress (shop!)/Boots (shop!): Ruche

The fashion world: The only place where "booties" can refer to something other than a plethora of butts.

Am I the only one who feels really weird saying it?
Whenever I say it out loud I resist the urge to giggle a little. Maybe I'm not really 25 after all.
In any case, I love my new pink booties. 
Heh heh.
Now I'm laughing again.

But seriously, I could wear these every day.
They're soft and so perfect. I love the heel on them -- and the fact that they're pink, even though it's a soft baby pink (they're called rose!), is so much fun. I can't wait to wear them again.
(Thanks, mom!).