In 20 Photos

I came across this article yesterday and it had me in hysterics. I've never seen two cuter kids with a more talented dad, and he has captured their personalities and the joy of childhood so amazingly well! If we only all had creative brains like Jason Lee's.

Deck the Walls

We moved in to our apartment in June, and from day one it felt like a home. Comfy couches, walls painted with rich hues of blue and eggplant, a kitchen stocked with tools, dishtowels and gadgets that would make Ina Garten jealous.
But our bedroom? Three barren white walls. A desk. Two dressers. A bed. And lots and lots of clothes. It needed help.

So off to the antique market I went, five months after we moved in. Then to Target. Then to Aaron Brothers. Then back to Target. Z Gallerie. Etsy. Pottery Barn. Slowly but surely, our bedroom doesn't look like a hotel room. Our bedroom is starting to look like ours. An eclectic mix of picture frames and vintage prints make up this shelf that shows off a few of my true loves: Paris, big leafy trees, Marc Chagall, vintage keys, old street signs and more. It's a work in progress but it's something I can finally be happy to sit and stare at from bed on a lazy Sunday morning :)

Public. Private. Public. Private.

So my track record is kinda stinky. 10 months in between blog posts is a far cry from consistent, but really... I can attribute it to an ongoing battle in my own little head. I don't like pouring my heart out to the world wide web, yet I sometimes feel that if I don't write enough, I might just explode.

If I make it "invited readers only", I'm afraid I'll subconsciously screen what I say, and at the same time, I probably wont reach the group of anonymous readers that I'd like to reach. I'm a total blog-stalker myself and would hate to miss out on an entire audience of random people that mistakenly find my blog. That's a big part of all the fun and I'd kinda hoped to one day have a little interactive bunch of groupies that converse, share thoughts and ideas and random musings within the context of my blog.

So here goes...take five? I guess I've given up on privacy! Public wins...for now.

two thousand and ten.

Oh hey there. Remember me, the inconsistent blogger who just gave a whole new meaning to the word “inconsistent?” And remember back in November when I said I was going to blog. Every. Single. Day. of the month because I felt an overwhelming sense of thanks and that’s what November is all about?

Then I got engaged. Can you imagine the overwhelming sense of thanks I felt on that day and, oops, never once blogged about?

Until now.

November and December were a complete and utter blur. From the most perfect engagement day to weeks of emails, facebook, phone calls, Thanksgiving, engagement celebrations, Christmas, Hanukkah, dress shopping, sister bonding, holiday spirit, a trip to Canada, a trip to Arrowhead. A trip to Los Angeles… or twelve. Wedding talk. Moving out talk. Moving in talk.

Here I am, 10 weeks later, ready to rock it out.

Oh, and J.D. Salinger died today. In his honor, I leave you with my most favoritest quote from his claim to novel fame, Catcher in the Rye.

“The best thing, though, in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was. Nobody’d move... Nobody’d be different. The only thing that would be different would be you. Not that you’d be so much older or anything. It wouldn’t be that, exactly. You’d just be different, that’s all. You’d have an overcoat on this time. Or the kid that was your partner in line last time had got scarlet fever and you’d have a new partner. Or you’d have a substitute taking the class instead of Miss Aigletinger. Or you’d have heard your mother and father having a terrific fight in the bathroom. Or you’d just passed by one of those puddles in the street with gasoline rainbows in them. I mean, you’d be different in some way – I can’t explain what I mean. And even if I could, I’m not sure I’d feel like it.”

bringing in the new year, beachside in malibu. perfection.

a month of thanks, day three (on day four...oops)

is there a way to back-track a blog post? cuz i'd sure love to pretend i didn't forget to blog yesterday but wait, i did.
yesterday and today and every day, i'm thankful for: my job.

yup, i said it... it has its tough moments, challenges, politics, gossip, morons, white trash, smelly people, stress, gray hairs and days where i sometimes think i'd rather be anywhere else. but the truth of the matter... the really big picture... is that i'm blessed to be doing something i love, advocating for children (albeit indirectly) and getting to use my creative license to make things happen for over 400 charities across the country. i've had experiences in the last 5 (eeeeek!) years that some will never have in a lifetime, and i'm grateful for that. when i move on from this place, i know i'll appreciate the person it has made me.
phew. that was kinda tough.

a month of thanks, day two

today i'm thankful for: pandora.

i can't imagine a better way to get through the work day than to have a customized playlist of songs - new, old, and never-before-heard - streaming for eight solid hours. you can bookmark your favorite artists, check out other listeners' playlists, and give songs a "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" that clues the station in to whether or not you want to hear it again. you can even mix it up and select various types of music to hear throughout the day.

deargodthankyou.
in case you missed it, i'm blogging a month of thanks. check out my first post here.

a month of thanks

nine days in to the month, i was inspired by several other blogs to celebrate the season by blogging every day during this "month of thanks". every day i stop and think about things i'm thankful for, so why limit that to my own thoughts? i'm going to try and share it with the interwebs and if i inspire just one other person to reflect in this way, my job is dunzo.

today i'm thankful for: water.

why water?

...why not?

don't ever underestimate its power! one billion people in this world don't have water. that's one in six of us.

one of my favorite charities in the world is called charity: water. they have a simple mission - to bring clean, safe drinking water to people in developing nations. what they've done in a few short years is astounding and at the center of it all, they're providing one of the most basic human needs to the most desperate of people. the photos and stories that come out of charity: water are incredible.

so go have a glass and enjoy every last sip of it... because you can.