round three

Long time, no see, friends!

What’s that, you say? You thought you’d never hear from the likes of me again?

Not so fast. You’re not getting off the hook that easy. After a (very eventful) six month hiatus, I finally had a chance to breathe last week (read: I was on spring break) and this little blog sent out its siren call and I just couldn’t refuse.

Guys. It’s been a full six months.

I have a lot of projects in the works (mostly because I am a bridesmaid in two weddings right now and the DIY is coming on hot and heavy), but before I get back into the swing of things, I’m going to catch y’all up Instagram style. Because I’m sure you’re curious about what I’ve been up to since August (ha. I’m under no delusions. But I want to have a chronicle so you get what you get and please don’t pitch a fit).

So. Without further ado!

In the past six months I…

…went back to Washington, D.C. for a semester long internship at a very awesome think tank

…watched my favorite team (go Hawks!) play in my favorite city

…went to Baked and Wired in Georgetown every Saturday for dirty chai lattes (swoon)

…got dressed up a lot and posed by monuments (it never gets old)

…took a weekend trip home to see my friends and family

…spent a great weekend in D.C. with my best friend who came to visit

…watched Davide Martello play an impromptu concert on the National Mall

…went to the National Gallery almost every weekend

…visited Annapolis with my family over Thanksgiving

…feasted on Maryland crabs and fell head over heels

…came home and got to work on a bajillion calligraphy projects

…celebrated Christmas in Dallas with my family

…came back to Chicago and was greeted by a polar. vortex. That is actually a thing (seriously, it has been the WORST winter ever. We’ve broken every record for snow fall and low temperatures. Hell is not warm my friends. It is very, very cold).

…holed up indoors and watched movies on movies on movies

…ventured out to Chicago and discovered hipster heaven by way of the Heritage Bicycles General Store and Coffee Company

…watched my best friend get engaged on Navy Pier

…traveled to the West Coast for the first to speak at fundraising events for my school and explored Seattle and San Francisco

…ate my first In N Out burger and scratched another item off my bucket list

…reluctantly came back to hell Chicago and did a lot of cross country skiing

…travelled back to DC for the National Prayer Breakfast and met some amazing international leaders

…was asked by the sidewalk if I was okay during a really hard week and was reminded again of God’s faithfulness

…was also asked to be a bridesmaid in my two best friends’ weddings! (so. excited.)

…travelled to the Outer Banks of North Carolina with ten of the best ladies on the planet for the most relaxing Spring Break in History…

…where I did yoga on the dock every morning and generally enjoyed paradise

And there you have it, folks. I’ve seen so many places, met so many new people, and am looking forward to some incredible opportunities coming in the near future. And now that one of the craziest portions of my life-to-date is over, I’m ready to get back to blogging (sporadically, because this is me we’re talking about).

I can’t wait to see what’s in store next. See you real soon, friends!

lately

Oofta, busy week! Let’s do a lil recap, shall we?

READING The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman. This is one of those books that have sat on my shelf for absolutely forever without being finished, and I can’t for the life of me figure out why. It’s beautifully written, which is my number one criteria for a book (and considering the way I babble on here this is probably coming as a big shock), so I’m definitely enjoying it this time around. Jess, if you’re reading this, you would absolutely love this book. Please let me send it to you.

  

WATCHING Friday Night Lights. Su baby, this one is for you…I’m about 7 episodes into the first season and I’m at this tipping point where I need to figure out if I’m really going to commit to this show or give it up or try something else. And given the fact that I have to think about it this hard I’m not entirely sure if I want to keep going…quick! Somebody give me a better option! I need a good show to get into while I’m in DC. Suggestions?  

DESIGNING two wonderful websites for two wonderful people. They should be done this weekend, so keep an eye out next week for some dirty details and finished photos. Also keep an eye out for a new August desktop next week (and download the old one while you’re waiting!)

LOVING relaxing with my two favorite people in the entire world over a bottle of wine and the first season of Gossip Girl. Can you say flashback? And can you say ohmygoshidontwanttoleavedontmakemego??*

*Yes, I am a nutcase. The range of my emotions regarding spending a semester away are off the wall out of control. Somebody tell me it’s going to be okay! And then tell me to pull myself together.

LOOKING FORWARD to a wedding of an old friend this weekend and dinner with my one of my favorite people at my favorite restaurant. Perfection.

ALSO! My Mumford Quote and Endless Summer Piece have been going somewhat viral on pinterest and instagram…if anyone is interested in me making these into prints or desktop wallpapers, email me and let me know. And get excited because according to my August goals we still have two more coming atcha this month. Aw yeah.

Have a beautiful weekend!

looking back + looking ahead

July, you were a good one. Last month I…

…started out in DC

…found my new favorite iced drink (dirty chai, extra dirty) at Baked + Wired

…got sick on the fourth of July

…but still saw the most amazing fireworks show I’ve ever laid eyes on

…spent a weekend in Baltimore

…explored DC to the very fullest with some wonderful people I’ll never forget

…toured the Newseum, the Museum of American History, and the International Spy Museum

…came home and recovered

…designed some July desktop wallpapers

…went back to work

…stayed home alone (grumpily) for a week

…where I learned I absolutely cannot live alone ever ever ever

…baked a cake in celebration of really committing to this blog

…went to the French Market too many times

…scanned about 1,000,000 folders

…got a little life direction

…welcomed my family back home

…finished my first NYT crossword without any help

…got my nails done
…spent some time with my two best friends in the entire world
...and got an internship for the fall

That’s right, I’m heading back to DC. In three weeks. For a semester! Let’s go.

I don’t know what my life will look like a month from now, but looking ahead I’ve set six goals for the month. These aren’t hard and fast rules, but things I’m choosing to do. I’ve chosen anywhere between three to ten goals at the beginning of every month for about a year now because I know that if I don’t have things to work towards, I won’t work towards anything. Mostly that looks like me lying on a couch somewhere reading too many books, ignoring the piles of essays screaming to be written, and having minor panic attacks when I realize how much needs to get done in a short amount of time. These little lists keep me sane, keep my moving, and keep my procrastination in check.

This month I choose...

1 to transition smoothly to DC

2 to complete 2 graphic design projects

3 to run 3 miles without stopping

4 to share 4 calligraphy pieces

5 to complete my 5-week Beth Moore study

6 to drink 6 glasses of water a day

It's not much, but it's something. And I’m so ready to see what August has to offer. It’s gonna be good. 

*all the photos are from my instagram...follow along! Let's be friends.*

peace + paper

Today I’m loving…

new perspective

                                               courtesy of the voice translation

early morning meetings

                                               because they were actually interesting today

a little life direction

                                               long overdue

creative juices

                                               from a beautiful, creative friend

the international terminal at O’Hare

                                              because mom finally came home!

onion rings

                                              on the porch on a perfectly breezy night

…and these stamps I mentioned on Sunday from the Little Cat Studio. They’re perfect and I want them all. Could I find an excuse for each one? Probably.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

5 | 6 | 7 | 8

blush & chalk

I’m slapping my wrists, I’m cowering in shame…

I’ve finally settled into my schedule and I’m back.

Finals really did me in. I had two 10+ page papers due the day before I began four incredibly rough exams. And as soon as they ended, I moved out. And as soon as I moved into my house, I started an 8-5 job (my suitcases are STILL unpacked in my room. Again with the cowering in shame…). And then on Thursday we drove to Texas so I could see my new baby cousin! She is beautiful, she can work her little tongue like nobody’s business, and the next time I see her she’s going to be huge and saying my name, because she loved me (that’s kind of a lie. I looked at her and smiled at one point this weekend and she immediately started to cry. But that was an isolated case and I am chalking it up to a fluke…I may not have my daddy’s touch with babies but they typically love me. It’s the gargantuanly huge eyes, I swear). I also got to meet my older cousin’s boyfriend, which was pretty much just as exciting. Our family is fully on board both the Gracie and the John boats. Fully.

And now that I’m decompressed, looking forward to a summer (and semester!) of good, good changes, I am fully committed to you. And to letting you into the excitement as it starts.

And we’re kicking it off with someone who’s been incredibly inspiring to me lately, the beautiful and talented Dana Tanamachi. You’ve probably seen her work in Time Magazine, or O Magazine, or in Tommy Hilfiger’s store front, or a numberof other huge names, but this is one incredible designer. She worked for my design icon, Louise Fili (like another, Jessica Hische), found her calling recreating vintage typefaces, and chose chalk as her medium. Her work is heavenly. I’m trying this new thing where I’m not making any promises, but * hopefully * I’l be posting some of my work soon, and her method is one of my biggest inspirations. I love her. I actually do.

Go look at her portfolio, her Dribbble, and this interview, and I think you’ll see what I mean.

Till tomorrow!

grown ups

Setting the scene: between Monday and yesterday I received 79 emails, all school related. I have a 12 page literary analysis paper due on Monday. I’m coordinating a scholarship, performing qualitative research for a professor, and trying to finish a hand lettering gift for my roommate’s birthday on Friday. In times like these, my closet is first to go. My poor roommate.

Poor Roommate: Ready to work out?

Me: (pantsless) Um. I can’t find my yoga pants.

PR: What do you mean

Me: (pointing to closet) They’re…in there.

PR: Oh.

Me: I can’t face it.

PR: Well you can’t go looking like that. Dig.

Me: (frantically digging) they’re…not…oh. Here they are.

PR: This is getting out of hand.

Me: (panting and shoving clothes into closet and slamming doors) Clearly I am not ready to be a grownup yet.

It’s official: my life is chaos and I am in no position to take care of myself. My parents have failed to equip me to be a productive citizen. There is no hope.

At least these pictures of model Lindsey Wixon taken by the talented Paul Wetherell are beautiful and polished. She clearly has her life together. I’ll bet everything in her closet is pressed and hung with care and folded and put away. I’ll bet she knows where her iron is. Talk about productive citizen! My closet and I can only aspire to be half as put together as she is. Maybe one day…

Happy. Wednesday (oh lord is it Wednesday already? I really am in trouble).

word

Phew.

Sorry for being absent last week after an astonishing display of commitment during Spring Break but. What a week. Typically, you expect the week after Spring Break to be tough, seeing as though you’ve sat on you lazy butt for seven days and neglected to do a stitch of homework, but I got hit hard this week. And, in a word?

It was awful.

I had to deal with blow after blow - some big, some small - but they piled and piled on top of each other, slowly crushing me, and culminated yesterday with the death of a classmate.

I don’t know why some weeks are worse than others. I don’t know why some weeks are worse than some years. I don’t know why such good people are called home so early.

But I do know that I have no reason to fear. I don’t shy away from the dark places when they yank me by the wrist and threaten my false sense of comfort. I have an unshakable joy walking alonside me in the valley, casting out all doubt. I will fear no evil.

I want that to be my reminder for this next month. And week. And year. And forever, really. Have a wonderful Tuesday (and I will be back tomorrow!)

on sunburns & waffle cones

So last year on spring break I was superdumb and didn’t wear any sunscreen my first day out. Seeing as though my ghostly, Midwestern skin hadn’t seen the sun in, oh, a year (I was stuck in an office that whole summer and the sun seems to have a personal vendetta against Chicago for some reason), I’m sure you can imagine the utter horror my poor body went through after five hours of unprotected sun exposure. My skin was this color. I had to stay shut in the house for the remainder of the trip, shivering and pouting and bemoaning the fact that it felt like my skin was trying to eat me.

So, naturally, as an older and wiser woman (and surrounded by three premed students), I slathered on the sunscreen yesterday and was very. careful. And, for the most part (don’t talk to me about my back), I had great sunning success.

Except.

I didn’t realize your eyelids could burn. Eyelids! Who thinks to put sunscreen on their eyes? Why didn’t one of my smart, going to be doctor friends warn me about this? I knew something was up last night when I was getting ready to go out. I smugly dusted on my blush, proud my nose and cheeks weren’t screaming at me like they were last year, but when I went to swipe on some eyeliner…yowza.

And then I woke up this morning.

The eyes, my friends. The eyes have puffed. Now, instead of looking like a pale, sickly tall girl I now look like a little less pale, sickly tall girl with really bad allergies. I can’t cut a break.

So it looks like I’m going to have to stay shut in today with aloe slathered on my lids. Real cute. At least it’s absolutely freezing outside today so my girls are shut in with me, discussing organic swag and psychoanalyzing our strange dreams from last night. Definitely could (and has been!) worse.

* * *

In other news, look at these beautiful pictures by Parker Fitzgerald! They were featured in Kinfolk this month and I’m just swooning. Not only are they absolutely perfect and straight out of Wonderland but I’ve got mad respect for the styling…I know that if I tried to do this I would end up with broken waffle cone shards and a handful of dejected, severed petals. I’m in awe. Have an equally magical Thursday (and stay out of the sun)!

Today you get special words of wisdom, Kate style. I know that all of these things will universally apply to everyone and anything (ha), so be sure to pay close attention (double ha). Drumroll, please!

1) Don’t ever ever ever do the Daniel Fast for more than two weeks unless you have a truly iron will, do not care about the taste of the food you put into your body, or a stomach of pure steel.

2) If you do not possess all of the qualities above and insist upon eating like a masochistic caveman for a month, do not, I will repeat for slower readers, do not jump right back in to eating like a person who likes to eat normal food the day your fast ends.

       2b) Especially with the flu going around.

3) If you ignore the above advice and insist upon eating delicious Swedish pancakes and Pasta Fresca, even small amounts of each, with flu season in full swing, be prepared for a night of agony in the bathroom.

4) If you are not used to throwing up, like I am, and forget that you’re supposed to not throw up on the floor, make it easier on the people you share a bathroom with and make them a pretty, witty sign that explains your foolhardiness.

5) When you’re lying in bed cursing the day you decided to be a disciplined pray-er and eat-er and wondering if you will ever be able to enjoy good food that does not taste like dirt and natural things again, get a head start on finals studying. Do not watch movies to dull the pain.

6) When you do decide to start studying for finals, don’t waste thirty minutes of your precious time making all of your study guides look like Kate Spade herself could have designed them. You’re only going to use them once. Does it really matter what the Kate Spade Font is?? (A form of Bakerville, if you’re curious)

7) If you do decide to do all of these stupid things, do yourself a favor and go on a friend date to numb the pain of your stupidity. The girls you go with and your date will make you feel a lot better about yourself and your diminishing state of mental capabilities.

Lucky, lucky you! Not only do you have the privilege of benefitting from my utter smartness and common sense (triple ha), you also get a weekend recap and an excuse for lack of Monday post all in one! It actually wasn’t that bad (at points)—the game at Calvin was so exciting and the Melby family was as sweet as could be and my friends were hilarious and friend date was very fun. But the sickness and the studying and the fact that I may never be able to eat like I used to ever again was a little ironic/saddening. Oh, well. Can’t think about this now, there’s studying to do! Finals are a week from today!

Happy Tuesday!

PS I’m loving Amanda Jane Jones’ awesome party in a box today. I could use one of those right about now!

Today was great.

For the first time in what seems like ages I finally finished all my work. All of it! This would probably mean more to you if you knew all that was on my plate, but take my word for it. It was a lot. I worked this morning, had a great lunch with two good friends, wrote an entire paper (about cities in children’s literature! Classic), walloped people in Words With Friends, ran to Jewel, watched Tangled, got a fantastic babysitting job for friends tomorrow, found a driver for the ministry I oversee at school, answered emails…it doesn’t seem like much, but it was perfect. It’s the little things, you know?

And I found Sasha Prood’s beautiful portfolio! I’m kind of sorta really obsessed with watercolors, and these are great. Wow. Scroll through, okay? I’ll take a print or two and charge it please (I wrote about Eloise today, alright? Cut me some slack)

Oh, Thursdays. You’re the absolute best.

Yes.

Today was my favorite kind of day. Kind of gray, a little sun peeking through, not too cold, just crisp enough. I called these kind of days “magic days” as a kid, half expecting some angry faun to storm across my path (I don’t know why, they were always mad about something or other), or fairy dust to tickle my nose. I’m pretty sure I could count on one hand (with a mitten on) how many more days we have like this, before I have to break out the puffer and bid the sun farewell until…let’s see…oh yeah. Next April.

But I have to admit, I love Chicago in December. It’s beautiful. The snow hasn’t gotten that dirty brown tint to it, the neighborhoods have just enough pine to make it look like a Christmas card everywhere you look, and then there’s the city itself. If you haven’t been to Chicago at Christmas…you need to. It’s beautiful. Go skating, stroll through Water Tower Place, and eat a piece of Christmas pizza. Or, heck, just a straight up pizza. Yeah. We really like our pizza.

Needless to say, I’m ready for the weather change (at least I think I am. Let’s talk about it again in January). I think still take the kind of weather in Kate Tower’s beautiful Oregon pictures, though. The light, the colors, the clothes.  While you’re waiting at your windowsill in eager anticipation for snow (like I am), scroll through her site and live in these pictures. For five minutes, at least. Then you can go back to waiting for winter to come.

Happy Monday!