nothing for granted.

to the men and women who have dedicated their lives to serving the citizens of this country and protecting the rights and freedoms that too many of us take for granted, thank you. 

lives lost, families scarred and a new 'normal' for the brave who have put everything on the line to serve.

take a moment today to acknowledge those freedoms and at what cost they come.

today, i serve up an incredible amount of gratitude to all who serve. to those living but especially those who have given their lives for me.

the little things

its' been a while, but i've been off enjoying the little things. 

tales about my 30th birthday celebrations, soaking up the love of my mister and friends, oozing gratitude for time spent in a small town in iowa and my spring cleaning must-do's will be shared soon.

in the meantime, don't forget to enjoy all of the little things.

monday evening//things discovered

daylight savings is a time for me to unfurl; to come out from under my cozy, textured layers and let my skin breathe; to see the the world in color and not just in the gray/black tones i've found comfortable for the last few months. the change in seasons is truly a turning of a new leaf, of digging out what's been below for just a little bit too long.

as i've said before, i need change - i thrive in the change of seasons (well, in all change, really.) i am more creative, more inspired, more me as the seasons change than at any other time of the year. right now, more than ever, i am craving this change; craving a new perspective on life, seeing things in color and not just through a dusty gray lens.

i need some color, some sunshine and some lightness of being.

oh, and might i add that i turn 30 this week?! maybe i'm feeling this a little bit, too...well, likely that's part of this feeling.

some of the things that are feeding this hunger right now are...

evoke the spirit | beautiful skulls handmade in the sweet town of sayulita, mexico. each skull starts out bare boned (literally) and is woven into beautiful patterns with the brightest of threads.

mexican + aztec print anything | rugs. pillows. prints. you name it. these patterns make a home feel alive and vibrant and i'm searching high and low for the perfect additions to our home. see also: meadow at dusk.

summer nights at dairy queen on riverside drive | i haven't been home in almost 2 1/2 years, so needless to say, i'm homesick...scrolling through facebook today, i saw this and was reminded at how many summer nights in high school were spent here with some people i cherish so much.

mamaandbean | i love going through my old posts - i love to reflect on my world then with the perspective i have now. at this very moment, there's so much of the old me that i'm searching for and am craving for in the me right now.

a rock your bliss retreat | i just started filling my piggy bank for this retreat for SO many reasons, amongst them is spending a transformational week with my best friend and achieving a goal of mine, to boot. it's happening - if there's a will, there's a way, right?

looking forward to taking off my sunglasses this week and thoroughly enjoying everything the sun shines down upon.

monday afternoon//things discovered.

[sigh.]

the penultimate moment of the last two weeks has come and gone. and now, we are here. on a monday, with nothing planned, dressed in my civvies, big felt hat on tip, bright red lips and the perfect jean jacket...sitting in a coffee shop, laptop in front of me, spring in the air, iced latte in a glass.

this is what i've needed. moments of ease. of comfort, of time and space to think and create.

[a-men.] 

a few things to ease into spring:

discover new music. // i often forget how much i love music until i hear something that moves my soul. when do i feel most alive? after a sweaty vinyasa yoga class set to the perfect soundtrack. what's a favorite past time? discovering new music on npr. when do i have some of my biggest a-ha moments? through tears and giant smiles on my mat.

artists to love.// [hozier] obviously. but don't just listen to 'take me to church.' check out his free session on npr - you'll realize he's actually more talented than you think he is. thanks to listening to npr, my ears were first exposed to his beautiful voice early last year. [chet faker] with a voice full of soul and some fun dance beats, he'll get you in the mood for anything. [jessie ware] i'm a sucker for voices and hers is beautiful.

and a handful of others: lord huron, lake street dive, fort francis, leon bridges.

a new mattress.// i think i've inherited a sleepless gene from my mother. [thanks, mom.] combine that with a mattress that my mister has had since at least 2006 and you're guaranteed to lack serious REM sleep. spring calls for a spring-less mattress, so i think we're going with one in a box.

a [re] newed diy project. or 12.// thanks to apartment therapy's january cure, i made a list of projects to tackle in the next couple of months. the list is long, but i'm ready to make our house into a home...even if only for a few more months or so.

on the list:

• give some new life to our diy dining room table project of last summer with this diy.
• finish my bench. be gone, wobbly base.
• paint. specifically, the bright lime green bathroom. it's messing up my feng shui.

happy spring.

monday evening//things discovered

the last few weeks have been beautiful, exhausting, exciting, emotionally draining, stressful, easy, all of the above. the mister and i have been juggling so many different [and really exciting] things, but it has been a challenge to just sit down and breathe.

the things i've needed most this week aren't material and instead will be the guidelines as i head into my week.

1. embrace the ebb & flow. | life gets crazy. sometimes, it gets really crazy. the chaos that ensues almost always wanes and life can be approached with ease. the one thing i do know is that change is the constant and the only thing i can do is do what i can with what i have.

2. live simply. | clear out the stuff that doesn't serve you. that on-sale on-trend top you purchased and never wore? it takes up mental space. donate it to someone in need. the mountain of toys that make it look like you have three children when you only have one? there are less fortunate kids in this city who would be grateful for just one of those. find that child and make their day. your child probably doesn't need yet another flashing, noisy, plastic toy.

3. learn to say 'no' without feeling badly about it. | projects will come and go. sometimes, projects will last longer than you expected and be more fulfilling than anticipated; more important, however, is the occasional drive to the suburbs for a trip to target and a solo lunch date at panchero's. i'm telling you, it's good for the soul to say 'no.'

4. hard work pays off. | we are working our butts off - we like to call it hustling. juggling this with that, throwing this out and bringing something else in. long days, exhaustion, all of it. it's all worth it in the end.

5. don't forget to celebrate the good stuff. | we are kicking ass and taking names and it feels DAMN GOOD. and my husband looks so good working this hard. yep, i said it. and silas has 'textbook' perfect teeth and just learned how to pound fists with the explosion at the end. and i finally found a jean jacket. i mean, come on, people, this is the good stuff.

monday afternoon//things discovered.

my sister once called me a nomad. my good friend, dana, told me i am most alive when i travel. since they know me pretty well, what i can say is that i am most inspired when i get to travel and come back to my 'home' with a fresh perspective [and clearly, i needed a fresh perspective of this city.]

just a few things i discovered on the road:

1. pittsburgh//if you haven't been, you must. it's basically a midwestern city in pennsylvania. pittsburgh stole my heart --- juuuuust a little bit. 24 hours in a city all about love, kindness, community and being great together is what my soul needed.

2. tam dao by dyptique//so, i'm  guilty - i discovered this cologne two weeks ago while shopping for my mister. after a dropped hint or two (and his own wish to wear this cologne), my belated valentine's gift 'from' the little one came on wednesday. i haven't doused myself in anything else since.

3. daftbird//the perfect classic tee. and by 'classic,' i totally mean 'relaxed fit, west-coast styling, flowy cotton tee.'

4. be a nice human by ohmydeer//i've loved these sweet prints for a while now, but this print was such a great reminder of what my soul is craving.

5. perfectly distressed denim//i've been on the hunt for the perfect pair of distressed black denim and gap took me by surprise. high-waisted, stretchy, can't-take-them-off-of-my-body-perfectly-placed-holes skinny jeans. no, really, i actually haven't been able to take them off since.

hope your monday was rad.

xxbon

naacp. the pope. the dnc. and now you want the super bowl?

this isn't just about the super bowl, right?

the super bowl is just a representation of the bigger picture, right? the bigger picture that philadelphia has to live up to the name of being a world-class city in anticipation of hosting people from around the globe. it's about that, right?

so, if that's the case, how do we shift the generational mentality of mediocrity and thinking small, that moonlights in many different uniforms (i.e. filthy streets in front of half a million dollar condos, a gentrification that only challenges san diego's, a failing public school system, a growing population rooted firmly in the food scene,  and the mentality that everyone is out to get them - read: trust no one.)

we have company coming, philadelphia and the entire world is watching.

things you should know after reading this: 

• i like philadelphia. for the first time since 2010 when i moved here from the progressive towns of washington, d.c and iowa city, ia, i can confidently say i like philly. no, i don't love it. it's got a lot of work to do. (see below.)

• i truly believe philly has the potential to be a great city. mixing old ideas with new ones, jaded perspectives with bright ones. the collaboration could be mind-blowing. i get excited just thinking about it.

• i am here. while i will likely never claim that i am 'from' philly, my husband is from here, our son was born here and we are starting businesses here. we have roots here, so we are in this.

• we want to make philadelphia great. the kind of city that only needs to dust and put the flowers in vases when company visits.

monday [late]//things discovered.

some days, when i sit down to write, i get distracted.

i forgot to fold the clothes. i have to run to ikea. the floor got dirty [again] and has to be swept. sit to write. oh wait, i need to load the dishwasher. the load of laundry is done. the play-doh has to be cut into shapes. oh, last-minute tickets to see the ringling brothers? of course. you get the picture...

that's how this monday went.

so, for the last 30 minutes of this monday, i sat down to write...and discovered that words don't always flow freely, nor do sentences always make sense.

but when a throwback photo magically appears in your drafts, the opportunity is not to be missed.

enjoy.