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.

mona lisa smile

While it was extremely cold our entire visit to Paris, we had a few days of amazing sunshine.

We arrived to everything covered in snow, so it was actually kind of fun experiencing the city in snow, sunshine, and rain throughout our time there.

As I said in a previous trip post, I had to be creative in my layering. My husband would laugh at me, because I would do my best to look "cute" and colorful, despite being in 100 layers.

This outfit is actually composed of a black v-neck t-shirt, the patterned top, a black cardigan, my cashmere sweater, my big black coat, a scarf, tights, coral pants, socks and boots. Whew!

Napoleon's Tomb

We were marathon sightseers. Looking back through all of our pictures, I'm amazed at all that we saw each day. Napoleon's Tomb was a shocking experience; it's something that we added last minute to our agenda and I'm so very glad we did.
It's full of beauty and history and exquisite art. I would highly recommend visiting Les Invalides if you get the chance!

Top: Ruche, Pants: Ruche, Scarf: Primark in London
Boots: Urbanog, Purse: Target, Sunglasses: Ruche

I love art and architecture, and walking up to the Louvre for the first time was inexplicable.
I had heard a million times how massive and extensive it is, but I hadn't really prepared myself for the weight of taking it all in. It was unbelievable. I couldn't believe this structure was dedicated all to art!


"Mona Lisa Smile" is one of my favorite movies.
If you haven't seen it, you should -- there are so many things to uncover in that movie. The music is wonderful, the cast is great, and there's something magical about it that I'm not even sure I could explain.
In any case, it was on my mind when we went to the Louvre!

Obligatory tourist snapshot!

Once inside the Louvre, it felt amazing to shed our outer layers and take our time walking around.
We had a list of all the pieces of art we had to see, so we made our way through the museum with those in mind.

I know many people say that seeing the Mona Lisa in person is disappointing, but I definitely didn't think so. I think the hardest thing is trying to appreciate her while huge crowds are bustling around, taking pictures, making noise, and rushing through.
The true tragedy is that The Mona Lisa is surrounded by crowds of people, none of which truly appreciate what they're seeing...the average viewer spends 15 seconds or less in front of her.
We took time off to the side, staring and wondering about her, taking in every detail. Why do so many people gather to her? What made her so famous?
I doubt anyone in that room could even tell me.

As for me, I wish I could do outfit photos with miss Mona every day of the week.
Maybe then I could discover her many secrets.

parisian rooftops

Top/Scarf: Primark in London, Sweater: Banana Republic,
Pants: Ruche (shop!), Boots: Urbanog, Sunglasses: Ruche

Mornings in Paris were my favorite.
Our apartment was warm, cozy, and happily situated on the 7th floor with a darling balcony.
It was full of natural light, and something about waking up in that atmosphere was even more than perfect. It was like a dream.

Before the cold could hit us, before the day officially began, I would spend a few minutes out on the balcony, listening to the noises of life below and straining my eyes to see as far as I could into the city.
It was surreal and beautiful, completely invigorating and personal.
I think moments like that are the ones that often stay with us the longest, after traveling.
The intimate moments, the ones no one else will ever see or feel.

new hair + parisian flair

It was almost warm enough yesterday to go without a coat in the early evening. Almost. 
Today, it is a boiling 66 degrees and I'm already planning on getting a snow cone after work!
I can't wait to soak up the warmth of the afternoon.

Cardigan: J. Crew, Scarf: Gifted/World Market (shop), Dress: Ruche (similar, similar)
Jeans: Forever 21 (shop), Boots: Urbanog (similar, similar), Headband: J. Crew

I did it.

I cut my hair!

I talked about it earlier (last week), and managed to get to the salon for a fresh bob.

It's not super short, which I'm happy about! But even so, my husband cringed a little at the first cut.

Men do love long hair!

For the first time, I went for the a-line lob look. Unfortunately, I made that bangs-cutting mistake earlier this year, so they're still growing out and get in the way of a true, straight a-line cut.

To me, this outfit speaks volumes in favor of travel. 
I think Melina from The Caffeinated Closet has been a subtle influence to that effect!
I'm dreaming of Paris often these days, hoping we can make a trip there soon.
I think my subconscious was working toward a Paris-worthy outfit yesterday, with the classic stripes and layers.

Short dresses make for great layering tools in cold weather.
This dress served as a very comfortable tunic yesterday, layered over jeans, combat boots and a scarf and cardigan!

This spot on the hill is a pretty incredible view of Lynchburg.
I got a bit distracted from picture-taking as lights started to twinkle in the early evening light, lit from all the houses and businesses sprawled out below.

 Without the layers, the dress is soft and sweet, little fabric-twist bows on each shoulder.

Warm weather will definitely be welcome!

Can't wait for that snow cone in an hour or two. :)

Enjoy your Tuesday, too!
Cait