the instagrams that never were

All too often I'll screenshot a photo I love and just see what it would look like with an instagram filter...

from the top...strolling in the street in the early fall || overlooking an italian courtyard

|| some lovely french riviera fleurs || a glimmery goofy shot of S and I 

|| my favorite wax seal from montepulciano || a delectable, decadent cheese plate from talulah's garden || one of my favorite canal-side restaurants || another halloween shot from the weekend

Lately life has been so busy that these are the only snapshots of daily happy that I have!

I wish I had time to break out the camera - which really is my favorite - but every weekend is booked up, every minute is accounted for.

not to mention everyday...

so consequently...as you may have noticed, blogging isn't a #1 top priority for me at the moment.

career! work work work! job! of course.

sometimes its hard for me to even picture what summer life was life, or what italy felt like, or that simple moment I marveled at those french flowers.

was that even me!? how could it have been? life just got so...hectic.

I keep in tune with that little sliver of me through my pictures, my friends, planning fun adventures.

even the little things.

i have a bunch of things and little events here and there to look forward to, and that is keeping me happy. :)

ah, thoughts...there i go again!

ciao, xo

halloweenie party

 this year I was lady mary from downton abbey! :)

I type this with a bowl of Halloween candy in front of me, and it's the most tempting thing ever.  I already took a little bag of peanut M&Ms, but that is absolutely it. I had enough sugary treats and halloween-themed goodies over the weekend at our annual halloween party - and it was a blast. I was Lady Mary Crawley from Downton Abbey, and I do have to say, the costume was a hit! $12 on gloves, and that was it. the rest, I owned!

It was a festive weekend, with lots of oranges and yellow hues in the leaves outside; weather that actually required some sort of coat, and plenty of pumpkin-everything to be had. Georgia and Scout even dressed up to add to the mood :)

Highlights from the weekend...
+ a crisp morning walk in the park along a hidden creek
+ eating rice krispies for breakfast on sunday morning (oops)
+ both S and I working late into  friday yet meeting for a quick, much needed dinner date
+ starbucks hot chocolate
+ wearing my grey wool cape (!!!) for cooler weather
+ having a bonfire, sharing spooky classics like Poe and Doyle, our tradition

have a happy week! can you BELIEVE that this week, it will be november?
ciao, xo

delights of fall

Every morning I wake up at 5:17 (yes, 5:17) am and curse the fact that it is 5:17am. I absolutely hate those first few minutes, lamenting the long day ahead, and desperately wishing to plop back down in my feathery soft pillows and warm blankets. The first step out the door is chilly and cold and I clutch to my fleece Columbia jacket - so unfashionable and baggy - dreading the cold. It's my least favorite part of the day.

But then as I wake up on my drive to work, I see the sun come up and I see the leaves turning golden red. It's a beautiful sight. The sky sometimes is lit up in beautiful shades of lilac and goldenrod, and against the shadows of the trees it's quite breathtaking. The country drive I make every day seems to get beautiful as each day passes. I know I often forget how beautiful the fall is, because I am dreading the cold and long winter - but this time of year truly is remarkable.

I love walking outside at night - any given night - and smelling embers of a bonfire.
The advertisements for pumpkin-flavored anything.
The ominous look of a foggy, wet sunday morning.
The buds of mums and the golden tips of dried up cornstalks.
Bumpy, ugly pumpkins with coiled stems and dirt all over.

What do you love about fall? October? this very day?

ciao, xo

things i've learned...

july 2013

I know I'm not even half way through my (third!?) decade of life...but sometimes I sit and think about the wonderful, not so wonderful, and very important things that life and people have taught me. This post is kind of a blend of what my twenties have taught me and what others have taught me. Sometimes I wonder just why a certain person comes into my life - sometimes I want it to be for a certain reason, and my expectations get the better of me. I tend to idealize people, in a certain context or memory. Perhaps these people that come and go are meant to teach a quick lesson in...well, just life.

1. Just work hard. mind your own business, and be proud of what you do. simple as that.
2. All nice things come to an end.
3. Being friendly really is better.
4. Be selfish. it's okay to splurge on the $4 coffee sometimes. it's okay to take a break. 
5. Honor those before you. Venerate and celebrate your ancestors. Let them live through you.
6. Be adventurous. Be spontaneous.
7. Sometimes nothing beats a good story.
8. "Be the water, not the rock." let it flow. never push.
9. Be relatable. What's the use in being unapproachable?
10. Be simple. Be happy. also: be goofy.
11. Life is easy, and sometimes we make it hard. i tend to overcomplicate sometimes. living simply can be so hard when we think too much!
12. You can't kick every little pebble that you come across on the street. a quote from my great grandmother. if you kick every little pebble in the road, you'll scuff up your shoes ;) and get tired of all the kicking. let it goooo.
13. Travel is a necessary extravagance.
14. Never burn bridges. you never know when you will cross paths again - you have to assume you will. life is odd that way.
15. Trust your gut feeling. It's usually right.
16. Absence makes the heart grow fonder. that's a quote my grandfather used to say...and I think it is true. The jury's still out on that one.

What do you think? Anything in particular resonate with you?
Life is full of so many questions for me right now. It's nice to revisit these little axioms once in a while :)

ciao, xo