.Constellations.

It was just another night

With a sunset

And a moonrise not so far behind

To give us just enough light

To lay down underneath the stars

Listen to papa's translations

Of the stories across the sky

We drew our own constellations

The west winds often last too long

The wind may calm down

Nothing ever feels the same

Sheltered under the Kamani tree

Waiting for the passing rain

Clouds keep moving to uncover the scene

Stars above us chasing the day away

To find the stories that we sometimes need

Listen close enough

All else fades

Fades away

.Jack Johnson.

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The week of work after a vacation is always rough.  I work as a therapist and while I find my job incredibly fulfilling, it sometimes can make me feel like a really small, insignificant part of an enormous machine.  Yesterday was the first time I nearly cried at work and had to close my office door and just remember to breathe. 

Something I tell my clients when they're feeling distressed is to picture being safe; what does it look like when you're safe?  My picture constantly changes but yesterday I thought of Vermont.  After the wedding reception was over, G and I layed on a hammock and just stared at the stars... amazed and in awe of the view.  The sky was so clear and overwhelming on that night; I felt so small and yet so safe and satisfied laying there with my love.  So, by remembering that it's not always bad to feel so small in a complicated and largely unknown world, I was able to appreciate where I am and 'wait for the passing rain because the clouds keep moving'.

.Epic Emerald Escape.

I went... I saw... I conquered?

I went to Kirkland & Bellevue... I saw Seattle... I did not conquer Lake Washington.

My college girl's trip was amazing, incredible, unforgettable, hilarious, sentimental, legendary, relaxing, fun, and 1,000 other adjectives my brain can't come up with at the moment. Tiffany & Lauren did an amazing job organizing our visit and the itinerary to include a little bit of everything on our short stay. The weather was unbelievable and after speaking to several locals, it was apparently very rare as well. Because of the beautiful weather we were able to eat almost all our meals outside on decks and have an all-day boat ride on Lake Washington the day I left. I even thought it'd be fun to get super ill on the boat and only get to enjoy the pretty view with one eye as I tried not to throw up (cool huh?).

All in all we accomplished our goal of taking a few days from adult life and getting to appreciate friendship, fun and memories aside from work and school.

mt. rainier

space needle

roomie love

lake washington

Side note- I don't know how people who work bi-coastal do it. I am so jet-lagged I was almost completely a waste of space for two days and there is still residual exhaustion and time/place confusion as I write this. I had no business being at work yesterday straight from my red-eye. None... But grown up obligations had to resume...

.The Ones I Miss.

You get to choose the people you like. Not the people you love.

.I Wrote This For You.


I'm leaving tonight for Seattle! I've never been to the Northwest so I couldn't be more excited.   I arrived at college in August of 2004 with a long-distance boyfriend, homesickness and a lot of skepticism.  I left in May of 2008 with a degree in Psychology, a fiance, incredible memories, newfound insight, and the best girlfriends that turned into bridesmaids.  Two years ago we all promised to see each other at least once a year since we all live across the country...pinky promised.    This year's trip is where two of my best friends live in Washington and it's going to be epic.  I haven't seen my friends since last year's trip but I know as soon as I walk off that plane, it'll be like we're back in college, all cramped in one bed laughing until tears are streaming down our faces and we become delirious from lack of sleep. 

And it will be perfect.

.Life is Full of People.

Love the people who give you what you need. Be careful of the people who give you what you want.

.I Wrote This For You.

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.Chocolate is for Lovers.

Make no assumptions, I am not a cook.  I never have time (or really I would rather do 125+ things before slaving over a stove) but this is the only summer I'll have off of school for the next three years.  Therefore I dubbed this summer "the summer of flavor" and vowed to try as many recipes as possible.  I saw this perfect recipe to make this weekend for my cookie monster on La Mia Vita.  It combines G's favorite delights: brownies and cookies.  It was late at night, so I just used a brownie mix and ready to bake chocolate chip cookies for a quick and rich treat.  Diabetic shock, here G comes.  Thank God I'm a salt person and a nibble is just enough.

.Still Life.

While doing research for work online, I stumbled upon free sketching classes offered by our local museum. Focusing on the "free" aspect I recruited my friend Emily (who first introduced me to the artistic side I never knew I had) to come with. We arrived with our new sketchbook and pencils in hand ready to learn sketching technique, when to our surprise we learned that "Drawing from the Collection" meant just that. We were told to find a piece of art in the gallery... and just sketch it. Sure we had a guide there to make sure we didn't hurt ourselves, but the advertisement "sketch class" was a tad misleading... it was more of a sketch opportunity. We chose three different pieces hoping one would result in something we could show off to our significant others. Of course the abstract piece turned out to be the only one that even remotely resembled its original.  Mrs. Caleb Newhold's son Thomas looked like a little girl who was also a steroid-pumping human pretzel when I was done with him. It was a fun challenge, but I think I'm permanently trading in the pencil for a paintbrush.

Coffee and Tea Service: 1865, 1823, 1822

Painting: Mrs. Caleb Newhold and her son Thomas, 1813

Square Piano, 1831

Still Life: Lee Krasner, 1939

My version

.Dessert Muse.

Alabama is hot during the summer, unbearably hot.  Sunday was 98 degrees and with the suffocating humidity the benefits of being inside greatly outweighed soaking the rays outside.  While G fished at the river I decided to try a new recipe seen on Everyday Musings for girls night later that evening.  These Chocolate Coconut Icecream Sandwiches caught my eye because I live for all things coconut and the recipe called for baking cookies from scratch which I had been itching to try for some time.  

I learned 2 things from this experience:

(1.) I stress out way too much trying to follow instructions perfectly and should trust my instincts once in awhile.  (2.) Next time, less cookie and much more icecream... the icecream sandwiches were as big as burgers!  Luckily G still seemed satisfied with his chocolate fix.

This looks normal... right?

.Market on Broadway.

We've been meaning to check out the outdoor market downtown for months, but with our schedules it's passed us by Saturday after Saturday. Although we had friends over for dinner the night before, we were able to force ourselves out of bed early during the cloudy morning and take the most well behaved pup Tenley with us. While there are great finds in places like these, I usually just experience anxiety. I love everything and I can never quite find the best way to leave each stand empty handed without feeling like I'm being rude. This results in too much money spent but we did get some good buys from local vendors and now the real work begins of researching recipes and putting our finds to use! I have a bad history of forgetting and then having a molded surprise waiting for me, so here's to try trying again.

.Vogue Envy.

Forget the beach, this would be my perfect vacation from work.  No interruptions allowed!

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Photographed by Mario Testino

.Independent Celebration.

Because G, the in-laws and I were traveling back south all day from the wedding on the fourth, we had our own Independence Day celebration on July 5th with one of our favorite families. Ashley and I met freshman year of high school in gym (thank God that class was only required for one year) and became best friends. She left me midway through high school and transferred to our rival school, but in spite of her new environment (I kid), we stayed close. Senior year at her birthday she introduced me to my now husband and the rest is history! The years have flown by, life has happened, we were bridesmaids in each other's weddings and now baby Haidyn makes 5. The most exciting part? We have about another 50+ years to keep doing this.

.This image can make even the coldest heart melt.