mug o' tea

ok everyone, i'm here at school. the unpacking is basically over, the target list is still forming, and trash still needs to be taken out. but for the moment i'm just enjoying the sweater weather with my hug cup of tea (i know, it's a latte cup, don't get too particular).

a big thank you to my mom for helping me move in and spending the weekend here with me. thank you a million times! another thanks to all my friends for the happy trails vibes and the calls to check in on me today as i spend my first hours flying solo.

training starts monday so send only happy thoughts this way!

muah! xx

this is traverse city

my first time to traverse city!  

E. Front St.  

the bay

Grand Traverse Pie Co. YOU MUST GO!

look bobby! Cornish Pasties

ok, so you can't really tell, but this woman's hair is AWESOME

welcome

welcome to my new home!

need to get any work done?

read? or tea?

have any ideas for a cute way to use this space and store/display all my scarves and winter garb i get to wear this year?

powder room

sleepy time

finally! some shoe storage

the view from my window 

i need something for this space too! 

fall wear!!

the view from the living room

what do you think? ready to come visit? there are still some spots i need to mary-fy, but for the time being, I'm pretty darn pleased with how things are working...if only i had brought all the other book boxes for all these shelves!! :)

ps--having trouble with formatting the photos, so my apologies!

as i begin again...

We create first impressions based on the smallest of things. A smile. A firm handshake. A friendly demeanor. But, humans are layered. We lift veil after veil, and it’s only when we slip past a smile and meander through our cortex that we find something that we can truly call human. We’re built as natural defense mechanisms. We hide our vulnerabilities and show strength with an upturned chin and a straight gait, but which of us mean it? Which of us can keep our shoulders like level weights without showing the vulnerability in our curves? We create angles in our form. We’ll choose empowerment in the form of redwoods instead of bending ourselves like boughs. We’re strong enough to hold an ocean instead of admitting that we’re fragile enough to be swallowed by the sea, and in that, I find humanity’s greatest flaw. We pretend to be someone we’re not, although fragility is what makes us all beautiful. We don suits and straighten our ties and walk around holding our breaths, knowing that once we step into the safety of our homes, we’d take off our skin and place them side-by-side next to our loafers. We are who we are when we believe that no one’s looking, and in turn we’re losing ourselves to what society is trying to mold us into. We’re told to conform to a monochrome world instead of painting our skies the colors we feel in. First impressions bother me because they’re nothing but well-dressed lies. I’m not interested in who you are at first glance. I’m not interested in the person that you claim to be. I only want to know what color your seas are. I only want to know what you bleed. 

(image/ words via Modern Hepburn)

family affair

the midwest.  

mamma c and granddad

archie. she's driving.  

lovely LC who played "unforgettable" for the grandparents in honor of their 56th wedding anniversary. 

LC and me.  

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!

i adore this photo. my dad and his parental units. 

new spectacles!

LOOK! new glasses!

please excuse the no make up, but aren't these crystal spectacles just the coolest? ok, maybe i'm bias. but, in my quest to become my favorite art history professor who wore clear frames, these are a winner. and i got the approval of my hipster sister. just wait til i can pair them with my flannel for the fall!

from around...

fly with me

stay right here, forever

love you, totally love the outfit

so trendy

humans of new york, lower east side

hidden beauty--a new spin on street art

now THIS is bringing back overalls

sweet dreams lovely