Friday's Favorites

I have always love classic wooden toys. These beauties from Sarah & Bendrix are by far the cutest I have stumbled across. I think the little dog with the xylophone is my favorite.

I write letters as often as possible. I fell in love with these personalized return address stamps from Paper Pasteries. I want this to be my first Louisiana-themed purchase.

I need this book (The Wes Anderson Collection) in my life. Our next night in we plan to watch Bottle Rocket because no.1 I love Wes Anderson, and no.2 it's on Netflix.

♥ Have you seen Bottle Rocket? What is your favorite Wes Anderson film?

Sick Day

This week has consisted of endless glasses of Simple orange juice, 500 Days of Summer, and reading Robert Frost. Today my mother-in-law is coming to visit. We have a lot of fun activities planned, so I have to get better real soon!

♥ Do you have a favorite go-to sick day movie?

Audubon Park

The Mighty Oak

Seul Arbre

The Roots, Minus Questlove

Sciuridae

Truth, Speed, Lightness, Flight and Ascension

Crepuscular Rays

Duality

"By three methods we may learn wisdom:

First, by reflection, which is the noblest;

Second, by imitation, which is the easiest;

Third by experience, which is the bitterest."

-Confucius

Still-ness

Crescent City

"Never be afraid to sit awhile and think."

Jason, Through the Looking Glass

Dedicated To: This Moment

"It's our party we can do what we want

It's our party we can say what we want

It's our party we can love who we want."

The World's A Stage

Grass stains, spilt coffee, and a cold. 

He still thinks I'm beautiful.

"I love our story."

-Me

Oxytocin

5:33 pm - Sunset in New Orleans, LA

Together: 8 stars, 42 to go.

♥ What did you do over the weekend?

Nouveau Château de George

Moon Phases

As you may know, I am obsessed with The Walking Dead. I woke up this morning silently reciting a quote by the character Dale:

"I give you the mausoleum of all hope and desire, which will fit your individual needs no better than it did mine or my father's before me. I give it to you not that you may remember time, but that you may forget it for a moment now and then and not spend all your breath trying to conquer it."

Ever since we moved from Phoenix to Louisiana I have taken more notice of how my time is spent. I feel like my days are fuller, my weekends are more exciting, and I am more and more open to trying new things. 

Fernweh

I bought two calendars this year - I'm living on the edge. No, but I had to get this one. Every month is a beautifully drawn depiction of a famous city. I have the most amazing memories of my trip to New York with Jason, so I was sold.

Olfactory Memory

The first weekend we were here in Louisiana we visited Baton Rouge. I saw Anthropologie and immediately felt at home. I sprayed myself with a little Eau de Toilette Vanille and felt such at ease. On the drive home I told Jason how much I liked it, and how whenever we got it I would remember my first happy memory living here. The following weekend we went to New Orleans and I picked it up there. Now I wear it everyday, and it makes me really happy to be on this new adventure of living in a completely new place.

Tattly

Arrows are kind of my thing. I cannot wait to try these bad boys out. Tattly is such a cool company, and there are a bunch of other designs I would like to try.

Books-A-Million Date

Houma has a really cute bookstore called Books-A-Million. I also have to mention that Joe Muggs, the little coffee shop inside, is our go-to place for a mocha. We sat at the cafe sipping our lattes, playing Banangrams, and wandering around the store. This magnet was the first local purchase we made.

♥ What is new with you?

Martin Luther King, Jr.

In August 2012, Jason and I took a trip to New York City, Baltimore, and Washington D.C. Through all of the beautiful memories we made on our little East Coast adventure, stopping by the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial was one of the most moving. Every year on Martin Luther King Day I listen to the full 'I Have A Dream' speech.

I have decided to celebrate every holiday, whether it be something as small as watching a 17-minute video or as big as decorating our entire apartment. It's a way to remember that every day is important, and there are so many opportunities to learn and grow. I, like everyone else, am very busy. Getting adjusted to living in a new city, starting a new semester, and making time for all the little things like working out, crafting, and picking up a new instrument can be all-consuming. But these are the things that make my life mine, and I want to celebrate every day in a unique way. I am loving this list of obscure holidays. 

♥ Do you celebrate any obscure holidays?

Currently

Winter | January 2014

Watching: Last night Jason and I finally watched the season premiere of Downton Abbey. We haven't had too much time to watch television, but we are both really excited for The Walking Dead to start back up again next month. Anyone else counting down until February 9th? 

Reading: I wish I could say something cooler than my textbooks, but classes started back up on Monday so I have been trying to finish all my assignments before the weekend. Jason and I have some fun plans and I don't want to be stuck with my nose in a book.

Loving: My new espresso maker. I'm completely obsessed. It took me a couple tries to really get it down, but now I can confidently say that I make one mean vanilla latte. If you want me as your barista you are welcome to come over anytime.

Playing with: Finding a place for all of our things in our new apartment. We discovered that our entertainment center doesn't really fit in our new place, so we are planning a little road trip to Houston, TX to pick up something new from IKEA. It's the closest location, but we don't care because we wanted to explore the city more anyway.

Thinking about: O Me! O Life! by Walt Whitman from Leaves of Grass 1892.

Oh me! Oh life! of the questions of these recurring,

Of the endless trains of the faithless, of cities fill’d with the foolish,

Of myself forever reproaching myself, (for who more foolish than I, and who more faithless?)

Of eyes that vainly crave the light, of the objects mean, of the struggle ever renew’d,

Of the poor results of all, of the plodding and sordid crowds I see around me,

Of the empty and useless years of the rest, with the rest me intertwined,

The question, O me! so sad, recurring—What good amid these, O me, O life?

Answer.

That you are here—that life exists and identity,

That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse.

Working on: I have been planning a bunch of fun weekend trips, both close and far. I just found out that there is a castle an hour and a half away - the true beauty of the internet.

Tasting: Seriously, cinnamon raisin Ezekiel bread from Trader Joe's is bomb. Enough said. 

Listening to: I am still loving Passenger's album All the Little Lights. His lyrics, voice, and humor are simply amazing.

Anticipating: I can't wait to go to Oak Alley Plantation on Sunday. We were supposed to go last weekend but we had a bit of a flea fiasco. Luckily we are currently sans fleas and ready to spend the upcoming weekend exploring our new state.

Thank you to Danielle at Sometimes Sweet for the idea for this post. What are you currently into?

Last Day in Phoenix, AZ

Camelback Mountain

The view of the McDowell Mountains from my parent's house

My dad, Leona, and Jason

My mom, dad, Leona, and yours truly

The curtains my mom, Jason and I made together

The Fountain Bleu, F106, is where Jason proposed.

It was the perfect first place to start our lives together.

Joker is ready to start the 1,500-mile journey from Phoenix to Louisiana!

Black Betty (our Prius) is all strapped in.

I'm going to miss this place, but we are on to bigger and better things.

Goodbye mountains.

♥ Have you ever moved to another state? What was your experience like?

Austin, TX

The second day of our road trip was ridiculously long, but not boring at all. We spent about fifteen hours in the truck listening to: Passenger, Macklemore, and Mindy Kaling's audiobook Why's Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns). The next day we woke up and did a little exploring in Austin, Texas. Jo's Coffee and the "You're My Butter Half" mural were my favorite stops. I would love to go back and spend more time adventuring in the city. We wanted to go to the Space Center in Houston but we didn't make it in time to go inside. 

♥ Have you been to Austin? Houston?