things i'm thankful for, part two: my friends.

there’s an ani difranco song called “good, bad, ugly” that goes, “strangers are exciting/their mystery never ends/but there’s nothing like looking at your own history/in the faces of your friends.” how true is that? and i think it applies to new friends as well as old ones.

since i moved to sarasota two years ago, my friends—both near and far—have become the most accurate gauge of my personal growth. they are the people i turn to when i’m sad and—better yet—the people i turn to when i’m happy. they are the people who are the most honest with me and with whom i want to be the most honest. they are talented young professionals, husbands and wives, even mothers and fathers. they consistently amaze me with their kindness and generosity, and they make me want to be a better person.

last sunday, i was sitting on the beach (yes, the beach in late november—be jealous) on siesta key with two new sarasota friends. we talked, laughed, watched the sun set, met up with two other friends, watched the drum circle form on the beach and genuinely enjoyed each other’s company. and when i left them, i was overwhelmed with this feeling of luckiness and gratitude. yes, the sap is officially dripping from my fingers as i type this, but i can’t imagine where i’d be without my friends, both old and new, who—in great part—have helped shape the quarter-century-old person that i am.

so thank you for the lyrics, ani. you’re so right.

things i'm thankful for, part one: my family.

since this is thanksgiving week (and a short one, for me, to boot), i thought it would appropriate to do a series of posts on things i’m thankful for—a series that, i think, will culminate in one big list that i’ll put up on thursday. (if you do the same, please link me—i’d love to read your posts/lists!)

it makes sense to start with family, of course. now, i’m not going to lie: my family has had our ups and downs. without getting into too much detail, let’s just say that my mom and i didn’t really start getting along until after i moved away to college (i was never a bad kid—quite the opposite—but her personality and mine clashed all through my teenage years), and my dad and i, while spitting images of each other personality-wise, have our own unique set of issues.

and then there’s my brother, who’s five years younger than me. he and i—though we both love each other dearly—tortured one another for years. we’ll just leave it at that.

you can relate to all this, i’m sure, no?

anyway, after i moved to sarasota more than two years ago, my relationships with both parents started to evolve. i talk to my mom on the phone every day—she is a friend now—and when my dad calls me, i feel like i can speak to him without feeling angry or sad, which is huge step forward. (in fact, i now feel like i can speak to him and actually enjoy the conversation.) and as for my brother, well—the last time i was home, he called me and asked me if i wanted to go out to dinner with him. (i almost cried.) we did, and we just talked—about our lives, our jobs, our parents. it was lovely.

in very large part, it is my family that keeps me grounded. we are not perfect, but we love each other. i remember, after my grandfather’s funeral this past april, sitting on my aunt’s front porch and staring numbly into the empty street. people—extended family members, close friends—were talking quietly to each other, but all of the sudden a brisk wind rushed down the street, ruffling our hair—and in that moment, i could feel my grandfather with me (i like to say he was always trying to ruffle our feathers). without any kind of preface, i looked at my dad and said, “that’s grandpa.” with teary eyes, he looked back at me and replied, “i know.” and my brother and mother knew, too; when i caught their eyes a few moments later, they both smiled and nodded. that’s the thing about families: if you’re lucky, you just get each other. i am really lucky.

p.s. family includes pets. fact.

p.p.s. is anyone else incredibly full of emotion this week? in case you can’t tell, i am—for various reasons, my senses are on high alert; i feel like my heart is going to beat right out of my chest, it’s so full.

{ funny 50s family by flickr user lost fun zone }

loving: foudre blanche.

don’t you just love these beautiful, organic pieces from etsy seller foudre blanche? my favorite is the honeycomb, shown below with a piece titled torn—it’s definitely going on my christmas wish list, especially since it’s a total steal at $16. gorgeous.

speaking of the holidays—what with thanksgiving on thursday (can you believe it?) and all—what’s your gift-giving strategy going to be? i know times are tough this year—are you making gifts? scaling down? or are you going all-out because, hey, it’s the holiday season and it only happens once a year? share!

{ images via foudre blanche }

heart and soul.

for some reason, this makes me want to cry. i love it. and isn’t it appropriate with the holidays right around the corner?

from christopher david ryan, via the always inspiring oh joy!.

of cold, clothes and cookies.

hey, guys. sorry i haven’t posted since last wednesday—my life has been super activity-filled recently, and while i wouldn’t have it any other way, it definitely means blogging has taken a back seat. but here i am today—well, tonight—on a chilly november evening, curled up in my apartment with oscar and thinking about the three c’s i mentioned in the title of this post.

“i want to throw out all my clothes and start over” was the declaration i made to my friend k. a week or two ago, and the declaration i’ve made to a few other friends since then. and while you might be raising an eyebrow while reading this—i know, times are tight; the holidays are approaching; my clothing budget is practically nil—i can’t help it. it’s just the way i feel. so please, indulge me for this one post, my dears.

the thing is, this desire to overhaul my wardrobe actually came while i was doing a clean sweep of my closet. i realized last summer that my little apartment was full of clothes that i hadn’t worn in years—you may remember me loathingly mentioning my goodwill pile and its home in the corner of my kitchen. well, i finally bagged up everything and hauled it over to the local drop-off—and i felt free. i was happy the clothes would go to someone who needed them, and happy that i finally had more space in my closet.

that is, until the weather turned cool this weekend and i realized that i’d given all but one of my sweaters to goodwill, and the one that’s left over has three-quarter-length sleeves—yes, i live in florida, but a morning temperature of 40 degrees is still just too cold for three-quarter-length sleeves. (seriously.) and as i was pawing through the rest of my items, i realized there’s not a lot of cohesion in my closet—i tend to shop in pieces, not outfits, and because of that i either repeat ensembles or rely heavily on a rotation of jeans and the tops that i just have to have, but that—again—don’t lend themselves to collaboration. thank god i work in a creative field, i’m not sure what i would do if i had to wear suits or actual professional attire.

(also, since writing that post about revamping the way i think about health, i’ve lost a couple pounds. in fact, i’ve actually gone down a pants size. baggy jeans also lend themselves to wanting to shop. and to wanting to keep up the healthiness.)

so, yes. i want new clothes. but i also want to evolve my style. for a long time—a couple of years, really—i gravitated toward a sort of boho-ish, nouveau hippie look. i like flowy, vintage-inspired tops and layers and long scarves. i always will. but as i become more aware of my body—and what looks good on it—i’ve started to admit to myself that my personal style is actually much more classic and tailored and clean-lined. think j.crew as opposed to urban outfitters. it’s been an interesting realization.

anyway, i strolled into the gap—purveyor of all things classic—and its sister store, banana republic, on friday night while on a frantic search for the perfect birthday-party top, and i was smitten with a lot of the items i saw there—cozy sweaters, dark-washed denim, pretty tops. above are a few of my favorite pieces from target, gap, banana and j.crew.

have you all seen your styles evolve as time goes by? how would you describe your fashion “personality”?

p.s. the cookies i mentioned in the title of this post refer to my excitement that the holidays are approaching—my little pink baker’s heart is so excited to make dozens of lovely confections in my stand mixer!