messy hair

i've always had great hair.
as a little one i had thick curls that glistened with a hint of red.
one time {in college} i obtained blonde highlights to appease a boyfriend.
i'm now happily holding steady at a light brown hue.
although i do miss those hints of red that somehow disappeared over time.


i've put my hair thru the ringer over the years. beyond just changing it's color.
straighteners, diffusers, hot rollers, bobby pins & elastic for pony tails.
worst of all, i have a bad habit of twisting & twirling a particular strand.
poor thing. i've twirled & twisted inches off of it.
i mess with my hair when i am nervous, tired, bored, or comfortable.
{which is pretty much 16 hours of the day}


my hair starts the day off straight & down. & progresses thru various stages.
twist & twirl. up & down. half-up, in a bun, back down. twist & twirl.
it ends the day piled atop my head in a perfectly messy knot.
i don't know why i mess with it all the time.


but i do know this:
at the end of the day, i'm proud of that little knot atop my head.
twisted & twirled and put thru ups & downs throughout the day...
consistently messed with, but always with the potential to appear
chic, pulled together, and purposeful.


one day i will be old & my hair will no longer be blonde, red or brown.
i'll no longer be able to twist it, twirl it and throw it up & down.
but i hope that, even when i'm old, i'll still appear
chic, pulled together, and purposeful.


photo by cali vintage via bippity boppity boo

glittery love

today is valentine's day.
and while my wonderful husband is certainly my valentine...
there are a few more people that deserve a mention today.

my parents.
for supporting me in everything that i set out to do. always.
for always telling me how proud i made them.
for giving me a remarkable education and lots of love.
i love you, happy valentines day.

my friends.
for those crazy nights we shared, back in the day.
for staying in touch.
for never failing to share embarrassing stories over drinks when we reunite.
for loving my husband as much as you love me.
i love you, happy valentines day.

and to my husband.
for making me laugh, everyday. for cooking me delicious meals every night.
for making my friends your own. for the "just because gifts."
for sticking with me. for being yourself & letting me be me.
for not banning me from target.
for loving my family. and putting up with my obsession with peppermint.
for letting me be right every once & a while.
i love you, happy valentines day.

i love you garland via the sweetest occasion

15 things to do this winter

well my friends, winter is here!
it's my hope & belief that spring is right around the corner.
here are just a few things i'd like to accomplish this winter.
15 to be exact.

1. bake something. cupcakes, preferably. {check!}
2. host a fantastic new year's eve party. toast to a new year. {check!}
3. build a snowman. decorate with scarf, stick arms, etc.
4. keep a few of my new year's resolutions. {in process}
5. go to a butler & university of cincinnati basketball game.
6. wear every scarf in my repertoire at least once.
7. go sledding, ice skating or skiing. breathe in the fresh cold air.

8. pretend bathing suit season will never arrive. {in process}
9. get snowed in for a day. turn on the fire & sip cocoa. snuggle
10. start buying gifts for next christmas. even for oneself.
11. curl up on the couch with a book. read it.
12. have our nieces & nephews over for a sleepover. giggle with them.
13. plan husband's 30th b-day party. succeed. {in process}
14. see a movie at the movie theatre. eat buttery popcorn. {check!}
15. make it thru busy season at work. toast to that.

i once had a darling little sled like the one in the photo above.
i would hop on it & soar down my childhood sledding hill.
which now, to my 26 year old eyes, resembles an ant hill.
those were the days.
as mentioned in this post, i only have a few more months to live up my youth.
so, where's the nearest sledding hill & where can i find such an adorable sled?

this year: turning twenty-seven

something really odd happened today after it started to sink in that it's 2011.
i realized that this is the year that i turn 27.
and i had a mild panic attack.

twenty. seven. already!? for some reason i imagined that i would be so much more {something} by 27.

more sophisticated.
more in love with my career.
more into lipstick... & less into sweatpants.
more ready to be a mother.
more able to cook.
more into politics.

i am honestly terrified to turn 27 in july as i always equated 27 with "old."
i have 6ish months until the big day & i'll be living up the rest of my youth by:

continuing to shop @ forever 21. banana republic can wait.
working for the weekend at my day job. ceo status can wait.
wearing chap stick & sweatpants. lipstick & frilly dresses can wait.
appreciating my freedom. children will {god-willing} come along. later.
enjoying my husband's cooking. let's be honest - i'll never be as good as he is.
& watching bravo tv instead of c-span/cnn/fox news. politics can wait.

27 isn't going to wait. here's to living up the last of my youth! xo.

photo by Jennifer Hogan of Ever Whim Photography from
this amazing wedding feature on grey likes weddings.

the world is a book

i was born in indiana & now live in ohio.
i took trips with my parents to colorado & florida.
i've seen phoenix, nashville, omaha, new york city, hilton head & chicago.
i've been in new orleans & a few cities in the northeast, but only for a few hours.
but they'll be time later in life {knock on wood} to visit the rest of the usa.
outside of the usa i've only been to st. lucia {our honeymoon}.

i've made it clear to the husband -
prior to starting a family, we will be going overseas for a 7+ day vacation.
he's already been to italy, greece & turkey.
clearly, all signs point to a trip to portugal, spain & france.
husband is pushing for australia.

regardless if its europe: castles, wine & architecture
or australia: the outback & coral reefs.
let's just go while we're young & beautiful.

photo via bippityboppityboo

pop, pour & flow

happy new year!
for the record, my four {favorite number} resolutions for this year are as follows:
shop at target no more than two times a week.
drink at last a glass of water a day.
take more pride in my appearance:
{new clothes, more manicures, wearing make up for errands, etc.}
text a friend a day.

fairly confident i can keep these resolutions.
the first one will be the hardest.
here's to 2011, what will hopefully be a year full of peace & personal growth.

be a lifeboat

back in the day, when i was six, i had lots of aspirations.
a teacher, a librarian, a firefighter, a secretary, a waitress
& somewhere along the way, an accountant.
all too often we let our jobs/careers define us.
job titles should not be our aspirations.
dreamer. doer. giver. helper. listener. lamp. ladder. lifeboat.
those should be our aspirations.

a nye resolution for 2011: be a lifeboat.
photo via: bippity boppity boo