An American Girl in Paris...?!

So Carrie Bradshaw, right?  It's looking like this smitten kitten may in fact be relocating to France.  Details to come... But for now, I'm off to find that dress!

À bientôt!

It's currently Saturday night and I'm home alone, sick with a cold, frolicking around my living room, choreographing interpretive dances...with my dog. Does anyone else find this at all problematic? I foresee a lot of crazy in my future...

I like to imagine that this will be me, post-graduation...

On Love...

I recently requested the advice of an older and much wiser friend on 

matters of the heart.  The response I received was profound to say the 

least, and reminded me yet again of my perpetual naïvety.  I was 

especially struck by one particular passage in his response…so 

much that I feel as though it would be a disservice to keep such 

wisdom to myself.  Although everyone’s circumstances in this life 

are quite different, there are certain feelings that are universal 

to the human experience.  Hence, the reason I cannot keep this 

to myself.  Take it and use it as you will.

This man knows what he’s talking about…

"I would caution against feeling like you are a victim of 

circumstance. This is the only time we have. If you consider 

the whole universe, the fact that your souls ended up on the 

same planet at the same time, and that you met and fell in 

love, it takes on the proportions of a miracle."

Eyes red, swollen.

Black smudges across my face.

The tears flowed.

For two days.

A reminder of my vulnerability.

Mind numbing pain.

To feel everything and nothing. 

Fear of making the wrong decision.

The potential devastation.

Beautifully Said.

http://thegirlwontstop.com/

Some mornings almost make me believe I'm a morning person...

This was one of those mornings.

For me...

This justifies everything.

"The last time of anything has the poignancy of death itself.  This that I see now, she thought, to see no more this way.  Oh, the last time how clearly you see everything; as though a magnifying light had been turned on it.  And you grieve because you hadn't held it tighter when you had it every day."

               -Betty Smith (A Tree Grows In Brooklyn)

Lately, I'm finding that it's these moments that I cherish more than anything else.  In the midst of my generally hectic life, I sincerely appreciate these rare moments of quiet.  My apartment in the morning.  A strong cup of coffee.  A good book.  A hot bath. 

Puppy schnuggles. 

Nothing like making a Christmas ::wish:: list to help with a cold, dreary Monday...

A girl can dream, right?

It simply would not feel right to let my favorite season pass without some recognition...hence, my yearly homage to all things fall <3

Football and pumpkins and cold foggy mornings

Pea coats and rain boots and puppies in sweaters...

Lattes and baking, and all that the holidays bring....  

These are a few of my favorite things.

Seasons .Change.

I sat down for quite a while this afternoon, trying to find a way to put the last few months into words.  I'm the type of girl who craves meaning in even the most mundane situations,  and always like to have something to "show" for my experiences.  

The organized, highly neurotic part of me reasoned that I should make a list of things I had learned this summer.  This way, I could quickly and easily reference my life lessons in a pinch if necessary.  This task proved to be much harder than anticipated.  After much typing and deleting, I was ultimately left with a blank screen.  I finally surrendered to the fact that some things in life aren't that clear-cut (aka list material).  

Not ready to give up entirely, as I simply could not stand the thought of not having anything to show for the past three months of my life, I found that one thought kept swirling around in my head...

I was constantly being distracted by my surroundings. A rainy Sunday afternoon; my boyfriend putting together a new bookcase in our ridiculously cozy apartment; our puppy quietly napping on the couch. It finally hit me that these were the moments that I've longed for all summer. I was finally home. So, ultimately, I gave up on my lists, and this is what I came up with...

Sometimes what begins as complete life chaos and a lengthy series of uphill battles, can end in the realization that you're exactly where you're supposed to be. 

So there you have it folks...the silver lining.

Lesson learned.

 

      I don't know the girl behind this quote, 

but I'm convinced she's an 8-year-old genius.

Absence makes the relationship ::grow::

Flourish, in fact.

It's been a trying summer to say the least. One of separation, stress, and overall shitty situations. One that we knew would put our relationship to the test. Luckily for us, it passed. Someone once told me that you know you're with the right person, when you can successfully handle being apart for extended periods of time.  

Having failed this test in the past, I was slightly nervous for the challenge. Thankfully, this time it was a success, cause I'm pretty sure this one's a keeper :) 

Just another reason I love coming home.


No matter how old I get, my mommy still spoils me.

A Dad's Day Tribute

To the most wonderful Daddy/...

Hard Worker

Spud Lover

Gangstaaa

Lunatic...

...and all-around badass

You are loved more than you know :)

I will never ever

...get tired of waking up to this face

Alexander McQueen = brilliance.



I really should spend more 
time studying for finals...

      I'm certainly thankful for mine.

I .heart. New York

I've been doing A LOT of daydreaming lately...

About stoops

Tree-lined streets

Claw Foot Tubs

Fire Escapes

And this.

It's hard to believe this place was once my home. It almost feels like it was another lifetime.  Every once in a while I start feeling a bit nostalgic and I miss it dearly.  Besides the city itself, I miss the people and the relationships I formed that were so completely unexpected and wonderful.  Something about this place is enchanting, and I so long to go back.

Someday.

Oh Audrey, I could not agree more.

Some days you just need a hug.

Today is one of those days.

The kind where you just want to be some place familiar and warm.  

It's days like these when I'd give anything to spend just one more afternoon curled up in my favorite chair at the Grands house...

Eating fig bars and listening to my grandpa's soothing voice.  

My grandma's pretty smile, my grandpa's hugs, the smell of their house...the calm.

I need ::calm::

My favorite 

place to 

spend 

a Sunday 

afternoon 

studying.

Ahhhh Finals.

I can sense them approaching. 

The lack of sleep, the pit in my stomach, the ever present caffeine jitters.

The make it or break it point in the term. 

Will I live to see another term of French? 


Peut être...

It's Official.

Thanks to my very generous friend Kayla, Taylor and I were able to attend game 4 of the first round of playoffs.  Kayla has also deemed me an "official Blazer fan", due to my fantastic basketball knowledge (and small crush on a certain M. Batum).  This was only my second time seeing a game at the Rose Garden, and I could not have asked for a better one.  Amazing...or as my Frenchie would say "Le jeu etait fantastique!"  I get chills just watching the replays. 

I Almost Forgot...

You know you have good friends when they give you these...

Gluten-free goodies galore! Cupcakes, frosting, and sprinkles, oh my!




Thanks Megs and Jarrett :)

A Girl Loves A Surprise...

You'd think after my many years on this planet, I would have experienced a surprise party (or even a lame attempt at one).  Nope, not a single one.  

This year I'll admit, I was a little suspicious.  I had a sneaking suspicion that my amazingly intuitive and thoughtful boyfriend was up to something...I just didn't know what.  

It wasn't until the night of my birthday, when I was blindfolded for our dinner date, that I was convinced something was up.  

This is what I walked into...

My beautiful friends gathered around a table at Bluehour, a lovely French bistro that I'd been dying to try.

Needless to say, the boy did good. We're talking major boyfriend points here...

Like, I should have all puppy potty responsibilities for a week, points. (I won't).

After a delish dinner and drinks, the after party commenced a la maison de Jaime et Taylor.

    Individual wine boxes (with straws!) Why didn't I think of this??!

 

An amazing evening (from what I can recall).

And then....

The aftermath.

                                     Birthday s.u.c.c.e.s.s.

When I Grow Up...

I want to do this.

Hypochondria at it's Finest...

La Vie de Folie

I'm learning...

-Some people will never change, no matter how much you want them to.

-It doesn't matter how much I love my family, they will always know how to drive me absolutely crazy.

-Complaining about things does not make them better (although I keep holding out for that one time it actually will).

-Music is the best therapy.

-Truly genuine people are few and far between.

-Although I can fake a lot of things, French is not one of them.

-A boyfriend that puts up with my bullshit is hard to come by...he doesn't get enough credit.

-Boston Terriers named Anderson Cooper = happiness.

Introducing...

.Anderson Cooper.

...360 Williams Durham (bunce)

 My baby.

  (and the best addition to my life since the Asian)

 

My inspiration to remain childless as long as possible.

Love him with all my <3.