Who You'd Be Today

I'd like to think you'd still be climbing mountains, always searching for the higher peaks. And still be walking around with a guitar in your hands, ready to serenade at a moment's notice.

I know you would still be the person everyone wants to be around. You could make us feel like we were the only people in the world when you talked to us. How did you do that?!

You would still be funny and in the running for world's best practical joker. And I'm certain you'd be driving around in your yellow '68 Chevy. Hopefully with the cracked windshield fixed, but maybe not. 

Maybe you'd be famous by now, or a father. Those things we'll never know. And so, we will have to remember you as you were.

I hope that you'd be proud of me. I'm married now. To the most amazing man. He's kind and gentle and I feel like I am breathing again after holding my breath for so long. I think you two would like each other, be friends even. He keeps me laughing constantly and nurtures my adventurous spirit. Like you used to do.

And I'm a mom. Wow! I'm experiencing love in a whole new light. I wish you could meet the little man. I'm sure you would get him into all kinds of trouble, though.

I often think of all the things you've missed. You've become an uncle several times over by now. I see you in some of those kids. 

It's unfair how life keeps pressing on, but beautiful at the same time. Do you know what I mean?

I think of the gigs, the travels, the births and marriages, the sunsets you didn't get to see. But I imagine you are seeing far greater things, where you are.

I've had some crazy adventures since you've been gone. I think you'd be happy to see that I didn't curl up in a ball to get swept away by a strong wind. It took awhile, but the sun has returned.

We still talk about you. We tell old stories, again and again, and laugh until we are blue in the face. And cry.

Don't worry. We have not forgotten. That would be impossible. And so, we remember you, today on your birthday, and every day in between.

Rest easy, my friend. All is well here.

Lace Love

3.1 Phillip Lim

Givenchy

Anthropologie

Dahlia

Delias

I Wish I Could Sew

When I was about nine or ten years old, my mom sent me to the woman across the street to learn how to sew. We decided to make it part of a homeschool project, and I would have something that I could wear at the end. It sounded like a good plan, and I remember getting so excited, thinking of the rad pink and green shirt with gold sequins splattered all over it that I would get to walk away with.

Those dreams were quickly dashed however, when on the first day I discovered that the neighbor had already picked out the fabric, as well as the most hideous dress pattern she could possibly find. It was like a mutant "Little House on the Prairie" dress and I hated it (I also hated dresses back then, but that is a different story).

Naturally, I lost all interest in the project, and barely remember a thing about those sewing lessons. I did walk away with a completed dress, though, which I believe lies dormant in my parent's attic.

In retrospect, I do wish I had paid a bit more attention. I've been doing little drawings of dresses for years now, and so wish I had the skills necessary to bring them to life.

Enter my adorable husband, Nate. 

For our first Christmas, unbeknownst to me, he took one of my drawings to our friend Helen, an amazingly talented fashion designer and seamstress. He had her make the dress, which he then presented to me. Did I tell you he is amazing?

The Drawing

The Finished Dress

Helen had Nate write an inscription, which she then sewed on the inside of the dress, in his own handwriting. Breathtaking.

Spring Is In The Air

We enjoyed a lovely respite from the cold this past weekend here in Nashville, with temperatures hovering in the upper 60's and the sun finally busting out from behind the clouds. Naturally, we had to get out and go hiking at Warner Park. Nate and I joke that we've felt like cave people this past winter, stuck indoors and in serious need of some vitamin D. 

I'm finding out that my son loves being outdoors, which brings joy to my heart. I plan on taking him on many camping excursions, hikes, mountain climbs and windows-down road trips throughout his childhood, so I am very happy to see him enjoying nature so much.

Within a couple of days of his birth, Nate and I would bundle him in his Baby Bjorn and take walks around the neighborhood. If he was fussy, he was instantly soothed by the warm early fall breeze across his face, and would almost always fall asleep, depositing baby drool all over the front of my shirt, of course.

Now as a five month old, he is alert and taking in the world around him. His favorite pastime seems to be watching the dogs play and chewing on his Kelty backpack. 

I'm so excited to see the first tiny hints of Spring and can't wait for more adventures with my little Munchie.

Unurth.com

New York City

Marseilles, France

Arizona

Turin, Italy

My latest web obsession is this website that showcases street art from around the world. One of my favorites is the top image, Pixal Pour 2.0, by artist Kelly Goeller. Seriously talented people here.

Love

In honor of Valentine's Day.

Robert Indiana's iconic sculpture at the corner of 6th & 55th in Manhattan.

A beautiful photograph.

A timeless movie.

A fun date night dress.

Super cute stationary.

A killer dinner party.

And last but not least, a kiss.

Happy Valentine's Day. May all your wishes come true.

Thrifty Mama

Growing up with seven brothers had both it's pros and cons. A definite downside was that I didn't have a cool older sister to give me her well-loved hand-me-downs. But the flip side of that was I got to buy new, or "new to me" clothes. 

My mom was and still is a huge secondhand aficionado. She will spend an entire afternoon scouring a flea market for one of a kind antiques, or whittle the day away perusing shelves at a thrift store for the perfect teapot.

When I was a kid, I dreaded our "thrifting" days. I was embarrassed to be the kid shopping secondhand while most of my friends and classmates rolled into school in brand new J. Crew duds.

That all changed when I went away to college and all of a sudden, just like that, thrift stores were the epitome of cool. And ever since then, it's been almost a personal mission of mine to see just how much I can buy secondhand. In fact, I often find it difficult to buy brand new because I find myself saying, "I can find this exact same thing for less than half this price."

A lot of my friends say they have a hard time finding good pieces at a thrift store. I always tell them one of the keys is a virtue we all learned in grade school: patience. It's tedious sifting through other people's junk to find something bright and shiny, but it is well worth the effort. The outfit pictured above, minus the tights, was thrifted entirely from Nashville area stores, including the brand new Via Spiga boots.

So I will proudly continue my mom's tradition and hopefully pass my frugality onto my son. Hopefully, he won't be too embarrassed by me.