a little makeover

before.

this is shelley. isn't she adorable? she is one of my fellow hall counselors and a good friend of mine. word is slowly spreading about how much I love fashion and how I love to style everyone who comes in contact with me. friends of mine joke about whether or not they have graduated from the "mary school of fashion." needless to say, when shelley asked me and our other dear friend mary-kate to take her shopping earlier this week, i was super excited. 

shelley is off to her hometown to attend a friend's wedding and wants to wow them all with how great she looks. i decided it was a great time to see what some new clothes, make up, and a different hairstyle would do to this super athlete. she needed to learn how to dress this new shape of hers and have fun with some feminine touches. 

several hours and a whole lot of what not to wear references later, we did manage to come up with a rehearsal dinner outfit. 

now a lot of people wonder about the materialism of styling people. yes, we spent hours shopping. yes, sometimes i looked at what she had on like she was nuts. but as you will see as you scroll through, she just beams with happiness and confidence. that's what i wanted to pull out. no more tugging on clothing, no more settling for whatever is clean. i wanted shelley to believe she was beautiful, graceful, and could feel that way always. 

so, without further ado, here's how we ended...

#icoulddothisalways

fall colors

I have to say, I am totally enjoying fall in Michigan. I took another walk around campus yesterday and it was the perfect fall day--crisp, windy, and full of color.  

I just stood by this tree and took way too many photos of these leaves dancing in the wind. This is just one and I can bet you I'll be showing more of them later!  

magical.

take a seat. and enjoy the view.

just for me

Interlochen in the fall

Someone asked me what it was that I do for myself. It was a funny question because my constant struggle is not loosing myself in my work. I want to give so much of my time and concentration to other people, I want to have those conversations, and live in those moments, that before I know it, all the things that I love have gone by the waste side. There are things I need to do that make me a better person. I’m picky and finicky, when I eat better and work out and sleep, I’m better. When I call home and vent to my Mom I feel better. When I see my siblings, I’m better. When I remember to read a book and listen the news, I feel a part of something. When I remember something about the artwork I spent hours with in school, I feel smart and worthy.

But doesn’t really answer the question.

I watch TV for fun. I listen music to evade my own thoughts. I read because that’s what you do. I eat poorly because I eat my feelings.

What I do for me is much smaller.

My most selfish act is my writing. This right here, this blog, my journals, the internal dialogue of my mind, those are all mine. To immerse myself in words and ramblings, to find the time to put all of this on paper, to have minutes to devote to myself—those are the times I live for. To work on this blog, to build it up and share it, that is my favorite thing.

I’ve never thought of myself as a writer. I don’t read obscure authors. I haven’t read all the classics. I don’t spend hours in used bookstores.

But this, this is what I do for myself.

So maybe I won’t be an author. Maybe I’ll continue to write for the small audience that reads my stuff right now. But finding myself in these words, that’s the magic. And that I do just for me.

So, may the magic continue, for as long as you keep reading. 

pumpkins pumpkins everywhere!

here we go!

looking around... 

fresh doughnuts...way to go 

pumpkins!

oh hey, it's a pumpkin

me and my pumpkin. thanks sherene for snapping my picture!

this is what happens when you photo bomb my picture. HA!

FRIENDS! <3 

long weekend drives :) 

good conversation

and always end in ice cream!

parenting 101

Sit with me and tell me your story...

There is so much I’m learning so very fast this year. Most of it centers around parenting. I feel like that is such a vague, non descript word for the raising of children. I mean it just defines so much, how are you ever supposed to know what you’re doing?!

Now I’m very lucky. My world of parenting isn’t full time nor is it forever. I will let them go in a matter of months. But perhaps that doesn’t change the fact that right now they are my world.

So as of right now, here’s what I’ve gleaned:

It is true. Nothing prepares you for the worrying. In a matter of seconds of knowing they are under your protection you start to worry about them—Are they sleeping? Are they doing their homework? What do you mean you didn’t have time for dinner? Please wear a helmet, don’t hang out with THOSE kids, look both ways…

Their tears will break your heart. You want nothing more than to erase all their pain, and you curse those that cause it.

Nothing beats those moments where they are really sharing their lives with you. Nothing.

Their laughter makes you feel like flying.

When they are excited, you are excited. Period.

You sense their stress and fear. You know they are terrified of their future. They don’t see it like you do. You see the people they are going to be, the wonderful lives they will lead, where they see the unknown and the unpredictable.

You yearn for them to see themselves the way you see them. You see the magic, the quirk, the beauty, and the potential. They see the confusion, the messy hair, the weird, and all the faults.

You will undoubtedly make a ton of mistakes. You must accept that. You will say things, think things, punish, or forgive all in the wrong direction. You will lay in bed ruminating over decisions made or unmade. And you will always think of the right thing to say AFTER the fact.

Sometimes you will do it right. And you will breathe easy. Then something else comes along…