{dear friend}

weekend links and musings.

January 11, 2014

Last night we got pizza delivery and hung out sprawled on the couch, each on our respective ends, legs overlapping in the middle. I was hovered over my book and Zan spent a few hours watching his “stories”, as he calls them. When my eyes got heavy {around 9:00} I laid the book on my chest, settled in and closed my eyes. I never feel guilty about doing this on Friday nights. By the end of the week I’m always the most exhausted. Too many early mornings and my brain works on overdrive during the week. This morning I woke up around 9:30. 12+ hours of sleep and my body rejoices! I felt the urge to get up and do something, go somewhere as I often do on the weekends, but it only lasted a moment today. When I looked outside and saw the grey sky my mind changed. I cozied into my warm flannel bed for another hour, finished my book, and sipped my coffee slow.

Winter is good for slowing down, I’ve come to realize. There is freedom in not doing much and not feeling bad about it. And I’m down with that.

Here are some things that have gathered in my browser this week— things I’ve been loving, and reading, and pinning…

The Eighty Twenty // A brand new online magazine started by some of my favorite bloggers. Essays, book reviews, advice, recipes.

KNIT 101: A Knitting Series // One of my favorite blogs, Bleubird, is hosting this knitting tutorial series by Rebekka Seale. From what I can tell so far, it’s slow moving {the way I like it} and the photos are spectacular.

Iviebaby featured on Etsy // so proud of my friend Elizabeth. Chase your dreams and catch them, girl.

This 2014 calendar printable calendar // simple and lovely.

VSCO Journal // I am always up on the VSCO journal, but I particularly loved this feature and this one, too.

Bridget’s Make Way for Ducklings Tour // CUTEST. My heart.

Notegraphy // a really cool way to add graphic design to your writing. I love it.

Place boards on Pinterest // Inspired by Kate, I plan on making my own “Boston Favorites” placeboard, and also think this feature will be great as we plan our west coast trip for April. Speaking of, I’ve already started a WEST COAST TRAVEL pin board for trip/photography ideas. Smiling like a fool when I think about it.

Tonight my sister and I are headed to the National Figure Skating Championships at the Garden. Thanks to all these comments, we have more than enough places to choose for dinner {I think we’ve settled on the new Ward8 for tonight}. It’s fun to have this list for later, too. Thanks for dishing out your ideas, if you did!

22 Comments · Filed Under: things i saw things i love ·

52 lists // week one

January 5, 2014

It’s been pretty good so far, settling into this new year. I had one day of school, and then a snow day, so you can’t really beat that.

I’m halfway through a new book. I stayed up until almost 3 in the morning last night turning the pages quicker than lightning. Zan and I went on a de-cluttering spree on January 1st. That felt amazing. I went to the yarn shop because I’m going to use my knit and purl skills to make a cowl scarf this winter. We bought an alarm clock– an actual old school alarm clock– and I haven’t slept with my phone in the room once in 2014.

Good things, all very very good things.

I found this 52 week list project on Pinterest and I’m going to try it out for awhile. I like lists. I can do lists.

Here’s my week one.

This has helped me choose my “word” for 2014 as well, since that’s what I’ve decided to do this year. I’ve never chosen a word before but this year is going to be THE year. I liked my resolution list last year, but ultimately felt clogged down by it in the end. I don’t like feeling clogged down– I like freedom, wiggle room, a space to dance– and so this year I’m simply going to pick a word to encompass that. I will share soon!

What’s your word? What words touch your soul?

23 Comments · Filed Under: 52 lists ·

dear 2013 // a year in review

January 4, 2014

year in review 2 year in review 8

Dear 2013,

Even though you’re technically gone, I still wanted to take a moment here to recognize you. To thank you for being such a big, challenging, joy-filled year for me. I am SO THANKFUL for all the adventures this year brought me. When I look through these pictures I get this crazy strong nostalgic feeling. Happy and sad and everything in between. Happy because you brought me so many significant memories, and sad because you’re gone for good.

I opened Dear Friend Shop. I can’t believe I got my act together and really did it, but I did! It proved to be fun, but also overwhelming for me. Since it’s not my full-time job, I haven’t spent as much time with it as I ultimately would have liked to {or more honestly, had the energy to}, but that’s okay because it just means I can work on it more in 2014. I think I’ve started to find my niche, and will use this new year to build on it and bring it alive in my creative work.

I visited Denver, a brand new-to-me city with the very best of my friends. This showed me how much my heart wants to see so much of the rest of this country. I want to see the world, I want to see everything!, but it was this trip that made me realize how much of the US I yearn to see. Oh my goodness, I want to see it all. It also showed me how much I love my friends. How much happiness I feel when I’m with them, and how much it means for me to find the time {and money} to see them. I’m really pretty terrible at keeping in touch {on the phone and email front}, but I am committed to making get-togethers happen, so this I will try for each and every year to come.

I left my old teaching job, and began a new one. This was probably the biggest and most significant change for me in 2013. It came upon out of the blue and challenged me to my core. It was both sad and exciting to leave, and honestly a little hard for me to transition, but I’m really coming into my own now, and I know it will just get better and better with time. I miss my old teaching friends {but can and do still get together with them} and am also starting to make new ones. I look forward to the day second grade feels as natural to me as first grade did– the curriculum part of it I’m still getting the hang of– but the kids are still as fabulously funny as ever. I can hardly wait to see how far they’ve come in June!

I have so many amazing people in my life. The photos above speak volumes to that. Zan, my sister, my parents, my extended family, Zan’s family, my friends. I love them all so much I could cry. How do you measure a year? In mighty, mighty love.

And! I turned 30. I feel… kind of different? Not really different at all? Some days I feel older. But mostly, I feel the same. My eyes have been opened to how lucky I am. How much I have and see and do. How blessed I have been with my experiences and also with my sense of appreciation. I hope I never lose sight of that. I want to be grateful until forever. And long after forever, too.

Oh, life, I can’t help but think– it really is so amazing.

Here’s to the good, here’s to the better, here’s to the best.

Cheers to you, 2013. So long, sweet memories.

17 Comments · Filed Under: life, nostalia ·

this is marvelous // oh holy night.

January 3, 2014

I know Christmas is over, and it’s 10:45 on Friday night, but have you seen this yet? I wanted to share it, and put it here for me to come back to for all the Christmases to come.

My favorite holiday song ever and this rendition is I N C R E D I B L E. GOLD, honestly.

And goosebumps! All the goosebumps in the world.