Happy Little Thankfuls

The end of semesters always fly by. Thanksgiving has come and gone. My belly was full of mom's best of the best. But my(!) how quickly we go from expressing our gratitude for the wonderful things in our life to putting focus on what we want. Thanksgiving to Christmas in such a quick flash. I found myself composing an annual christmas list to present to my parents the same night we carved the turkey and heard, once again, of our Pilgrim past. However, I'm thinking I need to keep up some of this Thanksgiving "spirit" alongside my Christmas "spirit" to keep my eye on the true holiday meaning.

Random Happy Thankfuls

a wonderful new home in Connecticut, where I hope my parents will happy retire someday

staying at home, cozy in bed on black friday, avoiding the crazies

supportive and understanding friends, who despite my flaws, are always there for me

puppies, because, what doesn't make you smile more than puppies. let's get real.

finishing a trying and tiresome semester, feeling accomplished

having my family fully support my college and life choices and have my back 

cozy, fluffy, white comforters and spending full afternoons blissful snuggled up

the possibility and excitement that the future holds

lazy, gray sundays on the couch with warm wool socks and good company

a loving and forgiving God who I owe this all to

adventures. even if they only sometimes remain in my head

and

cookie logs.

It's amazing how quickly we get wrapped up in the silly, stressful ways of life and forget to take the time to sit down, take a breath, and really think about all of the gifts we are given in our life daily. This semester has been an unbelievably selfish time for myself and this break was exactly what I needed to get my head back on and my heart in the right place. Hopefully I can keep up with some more "thankfuls" as I continue onto my next stage of life. The scariest one. The one with the most unknowns. And I couldn't be more scared excited.

It's Tuesday Tune Time Hoorah!

Bryan John Appleby ::: photo by Josh Lovseth

Written Here: Bryan John Appleby from Sound on the Sound on Vimeo.

Cliffs Along The Sea from Christian Sorensen Hansen on Vimeo.

Meet Bryan John Appleby, quite possibly the most adorable and handsome songwriter ever. So here's a little 12 minute video done by Sound On the Sound that I've been wanting to post about for awhile. Love what they do always. And then a beautifully done music video done by Christian Sorensen Hansen. Check out Bryan on iTunes for sure y'all.

That's about all I've got time for tonight. It's almost not Tuesday anymore anyways. Eek!

xo.

Summer Wrap Up

1. Weekends spent on the beach with good friends Melissa and Christen; summer night spent roaming around the bay in Fairhope.
2. Long weekend trip to Arizona to enjoy family time celebrating my Grandfather's 90th birthday, great mexican food, and a visit to the Frank Lloyd Wright museum.
3. More weekend beach; a bachelorette weekend for the lovely Christen Holmes Teague
4. Moving apartments and dealing with reorganizing (not something I'm good at); a final goodbye to the beach for the summer
5. One last hurrah in downtown Mobile exploring the city from up top; creeping around empty buildings to get great views of the bay.
6. Reminders of a unsuccessful trip to the beach filled with mean jellies; invitations and goodies completed for Christen!
7/8. Insightful fortunes from all of my fried rice eating along with homemade cookies and some rustic looking whiskey
9. Beautiful places around my new home in Connecticut
10. The sound is two blocks from our house and on Thursdays' in the summer they have sailboat races. 


It's time to finally say goodbye to summer. For the past couple weeks I have been back at school getting everything ready for my final senior project. I suppose that's my excuse for the lack of posts. I warned you I would be horrible at this, but I am determined to not let it completely bust! So, here's to a new season. Things will be different and possibly difficult at times, but I think I'm finally ready to face it.


xo.

Tuesday Tuesday

The Doe Bay Sessions - The Head & The Heart (bonus session) from Sound on the Sound on Vimeo.

The Doe Bay Sessions - The Head & The Heart from Sound on the Sound on Vimeo.

The Head and The Heart - Rivers & Roads (A Doe Bay Session Extra) from Sound on the Sound on Vimeo.

Time for some music, ya'llll. I may have a severe obsession with both The Head and the Heart and Sound on the Sound. I could probably go on and on about both, however, it's late and let's be honest, they speak for themselves. :)

Lex & Loren

Lex & Loren - Engagement/Save the date! from Brinton Films on Vimeo.

This may be my all time favorite engagement save the date videos. I love how quirky and pure it is! These two actually own their own film making company. I may or may not have a crush on them. Weddings and save the dates and invitations have been surrounding me for the past 6 months and I'm about to embark on a new wedding design for my good friend, Melissa. Last weekend, I just finished and got to see everything printed and put in use at Christen's wedding. Hopefully I can post some pictures of some of the stuff soon. I've never been into the whole wedding planning thing, even as a little girl I was never one to dream or think of my wedding or getting married or anything. But now I love all of the various and creative ways people are going about planning their wedding. Some may argue things get over the top, which I know they can, but to each his own.

(d)rainy day.

Do you ever have days where all you want to do is stay in bed? Or where you get home and all you can think to do is just fall into your sheets and surrender to your mattress? Today was a bit like that for me. It rained most of today in Mobile. It was a calming, beautiful rain. But it was the kind that would have been most enjoy from a large bed with a massive, fluffy white comforter. And maybe even someone to cuddle with. Regardless, my body is tired and sleep is calling my name.

Gimme, Gimme!

As a (5th year) college student living off of Taco Bell and $2 Wednesday Wells, my pocketbook can't always handle the beautiful clothes that my eyes crave. However, sometimes you just find those pieces that you don't want to let go. ModCloth always has pages and pages of lovely little dresses for me to drool over. If you've got the moolah to drop or if you just want to feast your eyes on some fun pieces, go give them a visit! Such variety in style and price. 

1. Too Much Fun Dress $77.99

2. Beach House Barbecue Dress $99.99

3. Simply Stylish Dress $44.99

4. Fetching Fresco Dress $209.99

Tunes Tuesday Ya'll!

Just a little something, something. Always a favorite of mine. (And now two different version!) Not the best video quality but still so soulful and raw. Makes me wish I could sing or perhaps stuck with my piano background of 8 years. Enjoy!

One Day List.

We have to force ourselves to create these scenes. We have to get up off the couch and turn the television off, we have to blow up the inner-tubes and head to the river. We have to write the poem and deliver it in person. We have to pull the car off the road and hike to the top of th hill. We have to put on our suits, we have to dance at weddings. We have to make altars.

–Don Miller, "A Million Miles in a Thousand Years"

This weekend was a tiny little spark in my summer. An eventful few days full of celebration, both of marriage and birth and ideas. Donald Miller has a book discussing his struggle of turning his novel into a film. He explains how telling a story is so very different than acting out a story. I've really been sucked into this idea of living your life as a story and as a character, rather than going through the motions of everyday life with either small purpose or discontentment. It's a difficult challenge though, and sometimes I feel silly comparing my life to a movie script. In fact, I'm too embarrassed to actually go so far as to compare my own dull life to a movie- I tend to swat away those thoughts before they develop too deep. Either way, it's a book I'd like to read again... about every 5 pages or so, I have a corner folded down for a section I've found interesting or want to explore more in depth. He touched on so many various points, that it's clearly hard for me to put into my own cohesive thoughts.

One thing I do know is that both this weekend and this novel have got me thinking. And desiring action. In both big and small ways. A new person in my life and I discussed how we both have things we want to eventually do.... not just in the typical "bucket list" sense, but more so on a small scale, as well as perhaps a larger scale. Even right down to the bad habit of keeping numerous tabs open in our browsers because eventually we want to come back and try that new recipe or purchase that awesome print once it goes on sale or read that article. Or even...write a blog entry. 


At dinner tonight, there were many trips taken down memory lane and Melissa's oldest sister Rachel had an old photo album of when their family took a two week road trip across the United States. She also had her journal that she had handwritten (in cursive!) Her preteen self had started out documenting every minute of their drive away from their house out into the big world. "6:10 enter the tunnel"...."6:12 come out from tunnel"...."6:13 drove by field" She had even made a second copy after the trip was done just to have everything in order. As the trip continued, her entries got more spaced out and had more stories to be jotted down. I admire her young selfs persistence with her journal though. Ever since I was young, I always start a diary or journal or blog and would hardly ever keep up with it. Last summer, when I began to find all of these inspirational blogs, I was back at being convinced I would start my own. Even if it were only to keep track of things I find interesting at the time and websites I like, artists I admire, food I want to cook. However, unlike Rachel, I tend to give up after the first day. Laziness consumes me and convinces my once eager self that blogging will take too long or how refreshing Twitter and Facebook is so much more convenient.  If you will, starting a blog basically has been one of those "one day I'll get to it" things. I actually have quite a long list of "one days" that are constantly changing and being added and subtracted. 

I've just gotten to the point though, that I'm realizing not to just let these interests slip away and fade out any longer. If I want to do something, do it! Stop just thinking about it and do it. Nike says it best, right? And have they failed me yet? Nope. So, why not? So here is my first small step to doing something off of my little list. Start a blog (that's doesn't resemble a whiney teenage livejournal from my youth).....check. Who knows if I'll actually keep up with this. Or what it will become. I acknowledge the need for a consistent space where I can let my inspiration poor into, not only for myself but maybe, mayyyybeee one day for others as well. You know, once I actually find my style and tiptoe into the design world. Or hey, even if I ever start my own little company one day. It'll be good to have a place to show and pour a little of myself into.

One thing's for sure, this girl right here is not gonna be down for writing super long entries like this always. Short, sweet, and beautiful. That's what I want this to be about. Maybe an occasional rant or two of my thoughts. Or perhaps a jumble of them thrown together, similar to this one.

But this, this is just my explanation and reminder to myself that I have things I want to do and I need to suck it up and get out there. Get off the couch so to speak. And I did do that, this very weekend, and I loved it quite a bit.