tank top style

I am a sucker for gifts. It's true. I've always been this way. I love to give them, and I love to get them. I think surprises (which gifts should always be) are one of the best parts of life. 

The best of all gifts are the ones that are really thoughtfully put together specifically with you in mind -- themed gifts are my true favorite. 

I've put together some doozies in the past, dedicating far too much time and money into putting together the perfect box of Gatsby or 90's or Glitter themed gifts. 

I'm rarely surprised by other people because I'm obnoxious and usually spoil it before they have the chance, but when I am genuinely surprised by someone or something wonderful it nearly brings me to tears. I love it.

Last night my parents came home from a weekend trip, and as they drove in they grabbed a few packages that were waiting at the mailbox. One of them was a box from Ruche, which you most likely know by now is my favorite online boutique. I shop there more than anywhere else -- it's a company I love because their clothes are beautiful and their customer service is fantastic. They've only been around for 6 years, but their store is constantly growing and they do such a great job of keeping their collection fresh and their features inspirational.

My first thought was that my mom or my husband had bought me something from there as a surprise, but both of them were just as baffled as I was. I opened it, and inside was the most wonderful gift box full of goodies from Ruche! Just because. 

I was so shocked and overwhelmed by it. 

I immediately tried on the clothes and Dusty and I had a mini photo shoot to model them. 

1. Bow Tank (shop!)/Necklace: Ruche, 
2. Sailor Tank (shop!)/Skirt (shop!)/Shoes: Ruche, Necklace: LOFT

The best part for you people is that the two tanks and the skirt that I'm wearing in these photos are on mega-sale! So if you feel like shopping, today is the day, because they're having an EXTRA 25% off sale items! (ends 7/22 at midnight.)

I couldn't help but laugh while wearing my new sailboat tank top, posing with horses and basking in the setting desert sun. I couldn't be further from the beach life right now. But I certainly felt summery!

Thanks again to Ruche for such an incredible boost to my week and my wardrobe!

why moving is the worst (but has made me a better human)

Dress: Ruche, Bangles: Kate Spade, Nails: Jamberry

I was born and raised in a small desert town in Arizona.
The kind of town with occasional tumbleweeds and excessive winter visitors. A big sky and a small population. Bright stars and dull shopping.

Despite of or maybe because of its flaws, I loved growing up there. I was a desert girl through and through. I had seen snakes and been stung by a scorpion, the desert was in my blood.
I lived in the same house for 18 years with my parents and my 3 brothers. I had my own room. I was a packrat, and I was proud. Sentimental to a fault, as they say.

After I graduated high school I broke the mold and went all the way to California for college.
Obviously you geography lovers (I do not count myself among that breed) will know that California is right next door to Arizona, but for me it was a lifetime away from home. I still considered Arizona my true home, of course, and returned there every summer, every holiday, and every 3-day weekend. I felt like I "moved" often, dorm to home to apartment to home.

But it wasn't until I turned 22, got married, and moved across the country to Virginia that I truly understood the concept of moving. It was awful. Absolutely terrible! I won't lie to you. Moving is the worst. It also can be the best thing in the world, but I didn't realize that until maybe yesterday.

When people say "nobody likes change" they're not lying. And there's a really good reason for that. People don't like change because they're terrible at it. It literally hurts sometimes. I think we were created to find comfort in things, whether it be people or places or things. We were created to love and have fellowship and be. Big changes throw us for a loop because we're really good at being invested in our lives. It's a flaw of being a selfish being, probably, this inability to easily accept the big shake-ups of life.
I'm probably speaking only to myself right now, but bear with me because I think I just need to talk this out.

I hate moving because it's hard. I hate it because it's exhausting, it's sad, it's frustrating. It costs money and time. It's lonely and overwhelming. It rips you away from things you love and leaves you vulnerable to disappointment and regret.

I love moving because it's hard. I love it because it demands hard work, loyalty, and togetherness. It opens new possibilities and inspires innovation. It rids you of clutter and excess (it lightens a packratty heart) and rouses reflection. It brings you closer to a future unknown, opening up your world to new ideas, new people, and new loves. It shakes you up and makes you look again, look closer, remember better, try harder.

Here is what I learned from that one time we lived in Virginia for 3 years.

I learned that there are kindred spirits everywhere. There are probably millions of people that I could and would be best friends with if I ever had the blessed opportunity to meet them. It makes me want to revive the age of pen pals. It's an absolute thrill to think about all of the strange destinies that led us to Lynchburg, to some of the best friends we will ever have in our lives.

I learned that you get what you give. Do you know how many unhappy couples and families we met while we were in law school? Far too many. It was our choice to love our city, and commit even further to each other by investing time and energy into our home, our marriage, and our friends (and our cats). We made so many incredible memories. Ignore the tears falling down my cheeks right now that you can't even see - I miss law school, that's how much fun it was. I wish it could have been longer. 

I learned that I actually could live somewhere else. My bubble is a little bit bigger now. I thought I would die being away from Arizona, but shockingly enough, I lived. We made a home somewhere new. One that will live in my heart forever. 

I learned how to be a better friend, daughter, wife. I was allowed to experience true love and loyalty from our long-distance loved ones. 

I learned that Fall is breathtaking, snow days are exhilarating, learning is never-ending, good friends are edifying, and first homes are lasting. 

And moving is the worst. 

Ruche Sale: for the love of birthdays!

Come one, come all!

Today is the last day to take advantage of the Ruche Birthday Sale!
By now you all know that I love birthdays. 
As one of my all-time favorite online boutiques (I'll be honest, I'm wearing one of their dresses as we speak), Ruche has the unique quality of always surprising and delighting me with their selection and artistic features. Their website is always brimming with beautiful displays and pairings, and their blog is a great go-to for a pick-me-up of fresh inspiration.

Don't hesitate to check out their New Arrivals which are constantly being updated, and go take advantage of that sale!! I'm personally ecstatic to celebrate their birthday, because I'm very very happy that Ruche was born.

xoxo
Cait

here i am

I absolutely love life.
What a mysterious, nebulous, spectacular thing it is. It can be baffling and surprising.
I love the way I constantly try to imagine the future and make goals and create ideas, only to be proven wrong in ways I never thought possible. Is that just me?
It's a wonderful kind of graphic novel that only I can see. My eyes alone are living this particular experience, and for that I am in a constant state of awe and gratitude. Life is unique and strange.

All that to say...I truly never thought that at 25, I would be married and living in my parents basement.

There, I said it. We successfully moved from Virginia in the middle of May, leaving behind our home of three years and many fantastical people, places and memories. There were many tears involved. We're living the cliche, the poor broke married post-grads that are desperate for housing and love and money. 
I can't possibly say that it's terrible, though, because in so many ways we're living the dream. There's a lot of ice cream in our basement freezer. We're living in Arizona, finally, again, for good. The desert has welcomed us home in its typical summer way: scorching, sunsetting, wind-blowing, monsooning, stunning.
We get to see our families again. I get to see my parents all the time! We watched SYTYCD together and get to hug and talk and just be. We're being taken care of. We're watching our nieces and nephew grow up in-person. I get to drink my dad's coffee every morning. I am finally able to get my hands on the basement, the crazy boy-dorm that has been destined for messiness and boyish grime for the last 20+ years. We've scrubbed and painted and settled and decorated. It's cozy.
I have a job, too, as of yesterday. I am officially a Technology Media Communications Specialist, and I'm going to let you guess and figure out exactly what that means.

The last few months of our lives have been hectic and hard and sad and triumphant all at once, and I'm here to say hello, I'm back. I never truly left, I've just been living my life away from this screen. It feels good to be moving forward. The beauteousness (I love making up words) of life is always there, even if it's hard to see.

For us, though, it's not hard to see, because Arizona is the greatest place in the world to call home.

Welcome home, us.

wanderlust wednesday

View of the Sacre Coeur from the Arc de Triomphe; Paris, France. March, 2013. 

Exhilarating. That's the only way to describe this cold, sunsetty evening, the whitewashed light of the setting sun casting a bright line across the Sacre Coeur.
The Arc de Triomphe has the absolute best views in Paris.

a toast to best friends: homemade scoops and cinnamon rolls

me and my bff: the era of awesome

Let's be honest: there is nothing as wonderful as best friends.

The story of best friendship is epic and everlasting, it's tragic and it's beautiful, it's tormented and resilient. It's full of jokes and memories and victories and confessions.
Best friendship, in many ways, is what a romance should be -- through those trials and tribulations, you have each other's back. It's a relationship that lasts. For life.

Which is probably why I took it so hard when a beautiful little show called (appropriately) Best Friends Forever was cancelled by NBC last year, after a measly 6 episodes. Measly but potent, meaningful, sweet, wonderful, friendly.

I think one of the reasons it resonated with me and my BFF so much was that the show highlighted everything about our lives and our relationship. Lennon Parham and Jessica St. Clair created this show from deep within their own real-life best friendship, and it totally showed.
It was a show that focused on the love, rather than the cattiness, the mean-girlness, and the backhanded "joking" that comedies so often use when illustrating the friendships of women. It was truly about being there for each other, being honest with one another, loving each other, and going through the best and the worst of times...together. 

If I could have a chance to write a note of goodbye, one last tribute to this show, it would probably go something like this:

Dear BFF,

My Wolverines chair has been deflated ever since you left. 
I've felt like nothing but a baby -- a DUMB DUMB BABY -- without you in my life. Remember the good times? The homemade scoops, the hot cashew breath, the steely mags. 
It all had to end, Fatal Blowout style, because the seats were a bit distant from the stage and people like short bangs cause they're broken in the head and LeRoi LeBaller isn't a real critic. 
I meant what I said, that where you go, I follow.
But ignore the butt dials, and my confessions of wearing swimsuit bottoms (which is unhealthy, those trap moisture), and the day-long baths with my Lilith Fair double disc. 
Because here it is: it's time to get out of these sad khakis. To get back to my fighting weight. To put a pin in the cinnamon rolls, cinch that waist, and move on. 
Maybe to a candle shop in the birkshires, or to a restaurant where I can serve up sweet meats and cougaritas. It's time for me to have a life of razzle-dazzle, to have my moment in the sun. To be the Braveheart of my own story, to tell the sons and daughters of Scotland that they are free!

Thanks for everything, though. Done and done. We're all in the tub now. 
I love you guys.

Caitlin


If you didn't understand a word of that, invest a few hours to watch those treasured 6 episodes and you'll be up to speed.

The bright side and the good news of this entire thing is that Lennon and Jessica are still BFFs, and they're still going strong. And the really good news? After waiting and wishing and hoping, they have created a brand new show for us which just premiered last week!
It's called Playing House, and centers around Maggie (played by Lennon) and Emma (played by Jessica).
Emma leaves her prestigious career in China to move back to her tiny hometown to be with her very-pregnant best friend Maggie, who is going through a devastating separation from her husband.
Along with a host of other fantastic characters (and some gnomes), they will be figuring out how to raise a baby together in this delightful comedy about life and love and facing your hometown demons.

The new episode airs tonight on USA, 10/9c. Give best friendship a chance. 

remix: floral dress

collection of old posts: 1 // 2 // 3 // 4 

If I could pick out one dress in my closet that I couldn't live without, it would probably be this one.
By far the most worn item in my wardrobe, it was my first purchase from Ruche and remains my go-to when I want something pretty, comfortable and easy to remix.
I think having a floral dress is one of the best staples! This one is short enough to wear as a tunic (I often pair it with skinny denim or my pineapple yellow jeans), and also works great with tights in the winter. I've worn it in every season. I look forward to finding new ways to wear and remix this favorite.