Happy Birthday to Me!

Another year, another Birthday.  My golden birthday year has come to an end, but it most certainly lived up to its expectations.  Of course, as in any duration of time, its highs brought along its lows.  Looking back at a year though, you will most likely find that it's actually the lows that bring the highs.  While I left so many dear friends at Mizzou, I returned to St. Louis and made a new home.  I traded in my textbooks and notebooks to learn some tricks of the trade.  Weddings were had, birthdays as well, and lots of just-for-funs were made.  Bills got paid, dollars saved, and that thing known as "life" became a little less scary.  Yes, it was a very good year.  Even after a truly satisfying 365 days though, I'm still that girl who bounces right back up.  No, the feet don't kick up.  And I always must ask "That was awesome!  What can I do next?" And I find what's left.

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Penmanship

Keep this in mind:  we're all authors.  The plot, characters, setting, and ending to your stories are all up to you.  Scribbles are more than welcome!

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We don't always know what we want. If you're me, you hardly ever do. Looking back and trying to connect the dots may then be our best gauge as to what is best for us now. Want as much happiness and excitement as you can possibly dream could happen next.

Image Credit:  6-9-10

Young at Heart

It's pretty refreshing to remind yourself once in awhile, just how young you are.  Enough hours of the day are available to scrunch it all in.  A million places still await to be discovered.  Right at this moment, you have plenty of time to do exactly what you've always wanted to do.

"Fairy tales can come true, it can happen to you if you're young at heart."--Frank Sinatra

I'm Not Afraid Anymore!

It's fun to pretend sometimes.  You think you're capable of doing just about anything on Earth.  Pretending is one of my favorite pastimes.  Especially when it comes to being brave.  Tuesday night proved to be in desperation of this sort of make believe.  It was a scorcher out-my absolute least favorite part of a Missouri summer.  The heat and its best friend, humidity, have never really included me in part of their clique.  The feeling is mutual.  Never one to let this sort of intimidation stop me from doing my "thang", I pretended I was brave enough to make it through a grueling session of spinning.  The headache that was caused from an hour of screaming profanities in my mind is going to be a tough one to top.

What's better to kick your shoes off to after a workout like that than a good movie?  Especially if it consists of a Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese team-up.  It looked a bit suspenseful with a tinge of eerie, but I figured if I pretended to be brave I could make it through watching Shutter Island by myself.  Unfortunately the viewing experience was a bit ruined by the constant thought of "at what point should I hit the eject button?"  I decided pre-climax would be best.  The utter ridiculousness of the ejection was only matched by the adventure of my quest to return the DVD.  Who knew Redbox reached full inventories?  Or that cyclists would be surrounded and handcuffed by police in a fast food parking lot?  Two different stop offs, two similar large groans.

Easing my workout down, and re-renting Shutter Island to watch it with some friends and red wine, made Wednesday evening a lot easier.  It seems that the older you get, the harder pretending becomes.  It's best just to go with what you know.  After all, what else are you going to do with all that living?

Image from CitrusTree

Weekend Withdrawals

Needless to say, from the Mad Lib below, this past weekend was a barrel of fun.  It surpassed all expectations, which is hard to do since I often envision musical breakouts.  Of course then again, I did find myself singing and swaying along to the Gigi soundtrack at one point...

In between getting chummy with the coffee machine, and laughing in the middle of spinning class because Poker Face came on I've realized what a grand life I have.  A little nutty at times, sure.  But if cutoffs and thick humidity can somehow make for memorable moments, then I'm in.

Image from Valentina Design

Tiny Fortunes

Recently I happened upon a carnival.  It had everything from lions, large spinning wheels, and disco balls.  It even had the most perfect purple and gold heels that you would make sure to bat your lashes twice at.  This carnival held all kinds of keys to my heart with handing me a nice discount off my purchase, as well as a cup of beer from their wooden keg.  Possibly my most favorite treat though was a tiny red fish that knew how to swim in the palm of my hand.  He was a gift to me for my purchase, as he was to all other patrons who came to the carnival at Ziezo in the Loop.  As commoditized as he may be, I just adored what he was intended to bring.  The easy child-like mystique of good fortune.  Something every talented shopper is always in need of.

You can buy the Miracle Fish here.  Makes such a cute giveaway!

Celebrating a Quarter of Fabulous

It looks like I'll have to chalk this week up as an "off" one.  The festivities of wedding weekend (I will eventually post on that) took quite the gust out of me.  I found the majority of physical activity was put into pumping Ibuprofen into my immune system.  Fortunately, as this new weekend very quickly approaches, I'm ready to get back at it.  It's a very good thing too since Memorial Day weekend kicks off with my cousin Steph's 25th Birthday celebration.  For someone so fabulous, it would only be too appropriate to start the evening off by seeing Sex and the City 2 at the Moolah Theatre, complete with lounge seating and cocktails.  While a couple scratches are still left lingering in my throat, I have every bit of confidence that I'll make a complete recovery by 6:00 tomorrow evening.  After all, when one is blessed with such great company, she must always play amongst friends.

Light Lunch

It may sound odd, but I've known to get crabby a time or two.  Extremely crabby, in fact.  The worst is when my day is going so well, and out of the clear blue I feel that sharp pinch of mental nerves.  Not only does it ruin a perfectly good day, but there's no where to go to take out the frustration.  A personal day isn't really an option.  You can, though have a personal moment.  That's the simple beauty of a lunch break.  After experiencing a short fuse today, I glanced at the clock and decided to plan a brief escape during lunch.  With no particular place to go and a wandering appetite, I headed home because of its proximal convenience. It seems just what I needed was a strong backwards dive onto my sheetless bed (of course I decided to throw those in the wash this same morning). a much needed release of wordless vocals, and a follow up at my washer and dryer to regain some solace.  Sometimes you just need to expend some physical energy to relieve the tension.  More often than not you need to complete a task, even if it's just a small one, to feel productive again.  To truly cap off the personal relief process though you need to consume something sweet to kick out those nasty nerves.  In order to not repeat the process by partaking in a guilty pleasure, I went for the Strawberry Vivanno smoothie at Starbucks.  Sweet, cool, and healthy.  A great catch.  Which is exactly what I went back to trying to be after a lovely personal moment.

[Strawberry Vivanno smoothie from Starbucks]

Spin It to Me

I feel that only good days are possible with a pink bicycle.

It's no secret that I'm not athletically inclined.  Nor do I possess a tremendous amount of coordination.  You may as well go ahead and say the same for my rhythm.  However, I think I may have found my niche in something that uses a little bit of all three traits.  Spinning.  An exercise on a constant motion bicylce.  Seems I can actually keep my feet strapped in, move steadily between all three positions, and maintain a strong endurance throughout the 60-minute class.  Once afraid of ever stepping foot in the class, it must be said that I've even come to impress myself.  Never in my wildest gym-routine dreams did I ever think I would be finding myself looking forward to sprints and push-ups on a bicycle.  Moreover, I never thought I'd find myself keeping on pace with the rhythmic counts for jumps or twisting my obliques with the music.  Derrick's spinning class has really been a game changer for me.  Just last week my bicycle actually came out of storage and cobwebs and was shipped down to the city where I have many ambitious plans for it.  Transportation to work, Saturday afternoons in Forest Park, and possibly even an investment in a basket for groceries.  The possibilities are endless.  I only hope they're making helmets a little more cute these days.

Seek and You Shall Find

It's been a few times along the road now that I've heard when surrounding yourself with what you love you will most surely find what you need.  It's not necessarily the actual tangible items you need.  It could just be pictures or words.  Just something that reminds you of what it is your after.  I've started doing this in a couple of variations.  At my windowless desk space at work I've brought in some of my favorite images of clothing and other designs along with personal photographs, and encouraging words.  Most all other times a camera and small notebook can be found in my purse to capture moments and ideas, or reminders of places to return (my iPhone serves as a great backup plan if these items aren't on hand).  The problem of data overload can often come into play though.  This would be when there are so many images, words, ideas, etc. to organize we forget which direction we were headed.  I decided it was probably a good idea to create a sort of filter for this.  The above document sections three important aspects of life to me.  A list for all the things I want to do, be it for career, outreach, or fun.  Then of course a spot to jot down all the things I love, whether it be characteristics found in people, interests, or items.  Finally, I need a place to remember all the stories I come across.  The encouraging, and sometimes just wise hand-me-down life lessons that people have to offer.  The great thing about this page is it that it's open for edits, can be kept on my computer, or made portable with just the click of "Print"  It can always be in front of me though.  A great reminder of the direction needed to take.

You can download this page for yourself here.

Here to Cheers

Admit it, you do want to go there.  Where everyone knows your name.  Ever since Cheers aired (and for many of us, this means when Nick at Nite ran its reruns) we've all wanted that little nook to go and take the edge off at.  A place where camaraderie is plentiful, and you're allowed to make up your own order of cheese fries off the menu.

I've always loved old speakeasy sketches, such as the one Cheers used in their intro.

Well it may be possible that I have found just that.  After receiving a spur of the moment text, I cut my Target trip short, and headed up to Joey B's on the Hill for Monday night trivia with a small group of friends.  The night proved to be exactly what me and my other pals in the working world have been looking for.  A place to look forward visiting after the most dreaded day of the week, and be able to show up in your finest sweats.  Not to mention trivia is one of the few gaming events where I thrive in competition.  Though it should be noted our four-man team failed to come up with Mexico, one of the world's largest countries, as a Latin American nation.   So maybe you partake in a bucket, or maybe you just have a couple glasses of refreshing cola.  Do make sure you study a world map though.

Map prints available from Etsy.

"C" is for Cookie

Sometimes, no matter how much you've had to eat, that rumbly in your tumbly still comes around. It doesn't matter what you have, but that you get it immediately. Last night, after drinks (and for my three friends, dinner as well) at BARcelona, we headed over to J.P. Fields for a nightcap. After finally settling into our stools at the bar, a box was suddenly placed before us by our bartender. It was a box of Girl Scout cookies purchased by my friend Anna. Not just any Girl Scout cookies though. They were Tagalongs, which everyone knows is the most addicting of the confectionary line. It seemed either the bar or bartender, or a phantom scout was in the business of selling cookies to those desiring a midnight snack. Whoever it is can pat themselves on the back for being such an ingenue. The box of Tagalongs was consumed by four 23 year old girls in under five minutes flat. You ask "why?" We say, because those chocolate peanut butter patties were right in front of us.

Other Twilight Cravings to Swoon Over:

El Rancho chips, queso, and rice. Let me have a moment...

White Castle cheeseburgers. Rebels without a cause.

Stouffer's macaroni and cheese. Lick the cardboard good.

To the Fullest

When I was younger I never could quite imagine it. If I did, the pictures in my mind were quite different from what they became. It seems my parents managed to turn 50 without too many gray hairs and geriatric medications on their charts. Tonight it was my Dad's turn to cross over the hill (my Mom made her journey in October). Taking a different approach from his Birthday extravaganza the other weekend that went into the midnight hours, we just had a quaint dinner at a hidden gem in Maplewood, Acero. It turns out they had an absolutely scintillating menu from top to bottom, including some savory sea scallops. Just what I was in the mood for! Of course good food is always made better by tremendous service, which is exactly what we received from our server, Zach. He exemplified true hospitality chivalry with his charm, menu knowledge, and genuine gusto for his job. [Turns out we weren't the only ones who though this either. He's been reviewed on UrbanSpoon!] It was the same sort of attitude my Dad not only shows everyday on the job, but at home too.

A more "lively" shot taken by Zach.

While barely able to reach the wheel after such a filling meal, something occurred to me on my ride home. Living ain't easy. Especially 50 years worth. Or working to please a restaurant full of others' needs worth. In the midst of the pitfalls and setbacks though, you'll find these things pass. Usually with some speed too. It becomes important then to remember to enjoy the moments that just simply are. Think with your heart, speak with a smile, and always pass it on. If you do, you may just get to 50 gracefully too.

"I'll reach out my hand to you, I'll have faith in all you do. Just call my name and I'll be there."--Jackson 5; I'll Be There

Playing Halvsies

If you have a summer Birthday you get it. Half birthdays are most certainly observed events. They were the days that brought around your turn for bringing in Birthday treats, picking out a rad new school supply from the grab bag, and reminding everyone that you too deserve to be told "happy birthday." It may have been second rate, but it was a day you were recognized nonetheless. On Monday, upon noticing February 23rd (my half birthday) was the next day I decided I could use some flattery in my life. Of course it was then quickly realized that any sort of well wishing and gifting would have to come from myself. As it is, flaunting a halfway point in another year of adult age does not bode well with other adults.

Subtlety and simplicity, as always, are key for giving yourself the perfect sendoff into the second half of your current adult year. My half birthday consisted of very simple pleasures. An extra stop on my morning drive to Starbucks, and allowing myself to indulge in an iced vanilla soy latte made my morning tremendously sweeter. Of course nothing makes me feel better and more relieved than spinnning class, which on a normally busy Tuesday night, was a rare treat to myself. No Birthday celebration of any sort is complete without a gift though. While I couldn't allow myself to purchase 98% of the items on my various retail wish lists, I did find quite the steal at the always fabulous Target. The black romper from their Xhiliration line.
Oddly enough this is the one romper I could not live without. After a wild goose chase, I was finally able to track one down. While it may seem a little mainstream, the simple detail of the ruffle, and the solid black color make this perfect for a Saturday afternoon shopping trip, or a Saturday evening out. Accessories are what will really make this onesie a statement piece. I'm bursting at the seams to wear it on my upcoming France trip in April and pair it with any of the following items:

Boater hat from Topshop

Corwin Cardigan from J.Crew

Buttons Ribbon necklace from Forever 21

Gold lace up sandals from Dorothy Perkins

It's not always easy to find things to celebrate. So when you do stumble across a date or event of noteworthiness, do yourself a favor and remember you.

Shoo Flu

Sick days aren't what they used to be. Back in the day a few sneezes in the morning coupled with a migraine or scratchy throat would prove as a great excuse to stay in and rest myself back to health. It was amazing what a couple of extra hours in bed and some retail therapy were able to do in such a short amount of time. Just like a decent working pen though, vacation and sick days are hard to come by in the working world. I treasure those that I have, and try to use them sparingly.

Yet there I was at 5:13 A.M. on Tuesday making that dreaded phone call: "I won't be able to make it in today due to illness." Taking a sick day when actually being sick. An action not deemed necessary since my bout with Strep throat freshman year of college. The stomach flu had me bound by its cold sweats and severe nausea in the captivity of my bed, taking for ransom my few and lovely available sick hours. The worst part of it was I had no clue what the treatments for it were. Skilled in the treatments of post-intoxication syndrome, and spring wardrobe fever, I often fall short in the area of domestic remedies. Why would I though, when I have dear ol' Mom to mass communicate with?

Immediately after my dawn breaking phone call into work, I shot an e-mail to my Mom (as I was too dehydrated to vocalize over the phone wires a second time in a row) asking exactly what to buy at my neighborhood pharmacy, should I ever be able to roll out of bed again. A couple of bizarre lucid dreams, silenced cries of joint pains, and failed attempts at being able to lift my own self up, I was able to make the half mile trip to Target. It quickly became clear that I should not have been operating a vehicle nor have traveled without water. It was nothing short of a miracle that the Target associate was able to make out "Pedialyte" through my heaving and shaking voice. As it turned out, I could have saved those sacred bits of oxygen, as she had the item confused with "BeneFlex" and other such products. Seeing as I had no time to waste until my next passout, I immediately put in another call to Mom, who advised me in the direction of the infant section. Needless to say a few concerned glances were directed my way by some mothers-of-the-year.

While I had my doubts throughout the day, I was able to get back in good health just in time for the Wednesday workday. Unfortunately with it brought the realization that the sick days of quasi-illnesses may now be gone. On the bright side, a mother's advice never seems to fade.

A Resolution to Resolute

Shortly followed by the most wonderful time of the year, is that most dreaded time. The whole 36 hours that is the New Year celebration is one of the most overhyped, and for the most part, worthless of holidays. Since we are a society of traditions though, we go along with it anyway. The extravagant celebrations, popped champagne bottles, midnight countdowns, and of course the resolutions. Those lovely empty promises we make to ourselves in order to appear more ambitious. Personally I've known very few people who have resolved their promises through the whole year. However, those that have, usually come away with a unique anecdote to their personal memoir. Always one for a good tell-tale, I have decided 2010 really will be 20-win (props,C. Gallay).

The best way I have found to achieve long-term goals is to set many short-term goals along the way. With that in mind I have taken inventory of my life at present as an ambitious 23 and four-month year old homeowner. Much can be created from that toolset. So why not be two-fold in my quest? And why just have one or two? Why, each month brings in a new Day 1. It has thus been decided that each month will have a new productive goal to attempt, as well as one project to complete in my humble abode. Perhaps not everything will turn out in a triumphant success, but they will at least be something that has been turned. Stay tuned...

Illustration of "Abstract Fireworks" courtesy of Little Black Journal

Perfectly Imperfect

Sometimes it's funny, those things you catch out of the corner of your eye. Tiny meaningless items or traces most of the time, but every once in awhile they grab your attention. Usually for no extraordinary reason at all. Just the other night I noticed my beaten and stained, four year-old Ugg boots, whom have endured a full Chicago winter and three eventful seasons of Mizzou football/tailgating. Two soles whose union together was never properly prepared for the endurance I had selfishly expected from them. They have unfortunately lost many of their looks, no thanks to me, since the day I first set my adoring eyes upon them on Michican Avenue. Yet, even though a more glamorous pair has come into my life since them, they still bear the burden of most of my winter journeys.

Maybe that's why they caught my eye the other night. All I had done was set them down in my room to move them out of obstructive view in the family room. One stayed in the upright position, and the other leaned over to the ground; a position unnoticed at the time. Hours later when I came back to my room there they still were, in the same position they had taken when I set them there, but this time they caught my eye. It wasn't a perfect position, but it was characteristic. While meaningless and inanimate objects as they may be it just brought to mind an important truth in life. Most of the time we're just where we are because we're placed there by various circumstances of our life. Once in awhile though, through all of our messy journeys, we'll do something that catches the eye of someone. And sometimes that makes all the difference.

Spice Up Your Life

After a delayed flight, a quarter mile cab line at Midway Airport, walking everywhere from Wrigleyville to down the Magnificent Mile, surviving an event that needed on-the-spot adjustments, and a 305 mile drive home from Chicago, I decided my weekend still had some room to squeeze some fun into. Just a mere 20 minutes after hauling my luggage and shopping bags back into my house, I found myself tapping my finger on my nose and eyeing the keys I just put down, wondering "do I get back in the car and drive?" After returning the numerous voicemails and text messages from my friends who went back to Columbia, MO to celebrate Mizzou's Homecoming, one friend informed me there was still a straggler or two left in town and they were all going to dine at our favorite late night eatery, El Rancho. Just hearing the name makes me start craving some of my favorite dishes (of course this happens with any Mexican restaurant), so I jokingly threw out that I should join them. All too quickly the joke became a reality, and I was cruising down the highway in fog and rain to try and make it to dinner. At a dive restaurant. In a town two hours away from my house. It seemed ridiculous when talking about it in St. Louis, was an even more ridiculous notion driving in undesirable weather, completely ridiculous when actually in Columbia, and still seems ridiculous looking back on it now. Yet it was one of my most favorite Sunday night dinners to date and worth every penny of the recently spiked gas costs and delicious greasy "authentic" Mexican food. Sometimes you just have to look at the real facts of the matter: you can either sit and wait for time to pass until the next day, or you can go and enjoy every moment leading into the next day with the people who taught you how to enjoy yourself in the first place.

Mow-zy On Down

It is now quite obvious that a young female has moved in on the block. All you have to do is look at the lawn. The last two trims my lawn has received were courtesy of my father, who made special trips to my house to complete this chore. I would slowly and subtly tiptoe away as he started the gas and tried to instruct me on proper lawn care. Truthfully it seemed like a mundane subject that I took absolutely no interest in, and immediately decided that my Dad would have to continue making the seven minute drive to my house after work about every other week. Until today.



You know you're becoming a mature adult when you care about what your neighbors think of your greens. The slightly overgrown grass and random dandelions were starting to resemble the horror of pilling on a favorite sweater. It had to be manicured. My only experience with a lawn mower prior to tonight was just a month ago as a volunteer. Someone literally handed me an already prepped and running mower and I just pushed. I lasted behind the bar for just a few back-and-forths before I was relieved of my duties to help cook lunch, another one of my domestic strong suits...



So there I stood this evening. Me, the mower, and a lot of pulls and switches. Where did we go from here? Well, once I eventually figured out not very far without a little gas in the tank, we went to the backyard. Around the corners. Through some thick brush on the side of the house. And finally we trekked it to the front. Just me, the mower, and the setting sun. It was a proud enough moment just getting the mower to start, but an even prouder one shutting the appliance down after trimming the whole lot. That is until I looked out onto my busy street and saw every car waiting at the intersection looking in bewilderment at me and my lawn. Or shall I call it an an abstract work composed of grass and earth textiles? As I tried to look oblivious, a neighbor walked by and asked "How'd you get this job?" My response: "Lost a bet." It seemed most acceptable. I mean, what kind of homeowner is incapable of mowing their own grass? As I walked the mower back into my garage the answer suddenly appeared right in front of my nose: The kind of homeowner that cuts her whole lawn while the mower bag sat in the garage unfulfilling its purpose.