A Song.

'Let Her Go' by Passenger

a quote.

"There are two basic motivating forces: fear and love.

When we are afraid, we pull back from life.

When we are in love, we open to all that life has to offer with

passion, excitement, and acceptance.

We need to learn to love ourselves first,

in all our glory and our imperfections.

If we cannot love ourselves,

we cannot fully open to our ability to love others

or our potential to create.

Evolution and all hopes for a better world

rest in the fearlessness and open-hearted vision

of people who embrace life."

{ John Lennon }

blessed to have sisters

they're the best.

Snowy day in the neighborhood

{thankful thursday}

My sister is home from San Francisco for 11 days, 

my bestie gets home tomorrow, 

and it's the most wonderful time of the year. 

Plenty to be thankful for, particularly my loving family & friends.

kanye. and ballet.

a quote.

Be soft. 

Do not let the world make you hard. 

Do not let pain make you hate. 

Do not let the bitterness steal your sweetness. 

Take pride that even though the rest of the world may disagree, 

you still believe it to be a beautiful place.

- Kurt Vonnegut

{thankful thursday}

Today I am thankful for beautiful fall weather, finally finding black boots (on sale!!), and red wine.

I heart camping.

And so does the dog.

 

Some day . . .

This guy is going to make a wonderful father. Some day.

PS - How cute is my nephew? Both of them. Super cuties.

hip hop dressage

I need to start every day with this video.

a quote.

I am the master of my fate:

I am the captain of my soul.

{William Ernest Henley}

Color

If the Color Run comes to your city, you should sign up.

So fun.

{thankful thursday}

Today I am thankful to be employed, to be in good health, and to have air conditioning in 103° weather. I am thankful for fun plans this weekend (especially this) and shopping on lunch breaks. I am thankful for summer and new possibilities.

Alt Summit Classes & Bing

I don't expect to ever be a full-time blogger, photographer, designer, or stylist, but it sure is fun to dabble with a bit of it all. Last year I took an InDesign course from Nicole's Classes, and I've been wanting to take a photography class since purchasing my DSLR over two years ago. 

Well, guess what? Thanks to Bing, I can take two Alt Summit classes for free. Class options include topics from photography to organizational skills to analytics. I'm for sure planning to take DSLR 101. (Maybe one day my camera will reach its full potential.) The other ones I'm leaning toward are Graphic Design for Bloggers or Technical Writing for Bloggers. I'd love to know some more basics in the big, bad world of design, but I'm always up for a writing class. Hmm, how does one choose?

If you're interested in taking a couple free classes too, here is all you need to know. Pretty simple, huh? I'm giddy with excitement already. Thanks Bing!

Homemade Black Bean Burgers

Yesterday we had a few friends & their dogs over for an afternoon cookout. One of the friends is a vegetarian so instead of our typical meat on the grill, we made black bean burgers. They were super tasty!

• Ingredients

  • 1 (16 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1/2 green bell pepper, cut into 2 inch pieces
  • 1/2 onion, cut into wedges
  • 3 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon Thai chili sauce or hot sauce
  • 1/2 cup bread crumbs

  Directions

  1. If grilling, preheat an outdoor grill for high heat, and lightly oil a sheet of aluminum foil. If baking, preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C), and lightly oil a baking sheet.
  2. In a medium bowl, mash black beans with a fork until thick and pasty.
  3. In a food processor, finely chop bell pepper, onion, and garlic. Then stir into mashed beans.
  4. In a small bowl, stir together egg, chili powder, cumin, and chili sauce.
  5. Stir the egg mixture into the mashed beans. Mix in bread crumbs until the mixture is sticky and holds together. Divide mixture into four patties.
  6. If grilling, place patties on foil, and grill about 8 minutes on each side. If baking, place patties on baking sheet, and bake about 10 minutes on each side.

  
  

  

  
  

  
  

a story for tomorrow

"Life is filled with so many exciting twists and turns. Hop
off the straight and narrow whenever you can and take the
winding paths. Experience the exhilaration of the view from
the edge. Because the moments spent there, that take your
breath away, are what make you feel truly alive."
 
{Stacey Charter}

{thankful thursday}

Today I am thankful for my two older sisters, shirts with sailboats, and super sweet memories.

Lenka - The Show

Currently listening to this sweet little jingle.

Lenka - 'The Show'

Sistertime in San Francisco

I've been to San Francisco exactly five times now, but it wasn't until this past weekend that I completely fell in love with the city itself. Perhaps it's because the weather was insanely perfect, I was with two of my favorite people in the world, or just because I badly needed a vacation.


We didn't do anything particularly crazy. It was the perfect mix of relaxation and excitement. We sipped on good wine, frequented coffee shops, and ate delicious food. We shopped, scooted, went running, and got our nails done. It was a wonderful three days.

{thankful thursday}

I'm thankful that I got a promotion at work, that my man knows how to diagnose + fix my car when it needs a new battery, that my man is my roommate and can diagnose + fix my car at any time of day, and that Instagram finally came to Android.

Nurturing Happiness

I came across this little article about nurturing your own happiness and decided to share a few specifics that I took away from it.

1. I will smile first thing in the morning. The sounding alarm has become quite a struggle in my day, which is not a good way to kick things off. I just love sleep. And dreaming. And snuggling. So to get things going first thing in the morning, I'm going to smile (right after I push snooze just once).

2. Work on something that's meaningful to you. Blog more. Finish that paint project. Get better at yoga. Those are my three for right now. 

3. Keep track of the things you're grateful for. This should come pretty easily, as I know I am very blessed. To make sure I stick to this one, I'll be implementing 'Thankful Thursday' posts weekly. Should be a fun one, don't you think?

4. Truly appreciate those around you. Another one that should be easy because I have some pretty special people in my life (near and far). To make this one happen, I will do one random act of kindness once a week for someone special. Snail mail is always a good option, or maybe planning a special date for the boyfriend, bringing cookies to co-workers, having dinner with grandma, or taking the dog to the park.

5. Take a hot bath. Yes, please.

6. Stand tall. "Look the world in the eye."

7. Tell someone you love them. Everyday.

Here's to nurturing our happiness!

Music for Monday

'Vagabond' by Beirut

baby bundt cakes

I wouldn't list baking as one of my top five favorite things to do, but whenever the mood is right (and when it's been raining all week) I do enjoy spending a little time in the kitchen to make something sweet. Thanks to my grandma, I happen to own a baby bundt cake pan.

They're quite cute, don't you think?

A Rainy Day

Let the rain kiss you.

Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops.

Let the rain sing you a lullaby.

The rain makes still pools on the sidewalk.

The rain makes running pools in the gutter.

The rain plays a little sleep-song on our roof at night--

And I love the rain.

-Langston Hughes

red + purple

We had a little party this weekend.

growth

"What we perceive as a failure

may simply be our inner being's

way of telling us that we are ready

to move to a new level of growth."

{Anne Wilson Schaef}

Food With Friends

Food and friends are two of life's joys that, in my opinion, should come together quite often.

Last weekend sixteen friends and I gathered for my boyfriend's birthday at Westport's recent addition, The Boot. My advice to you: eat here. Its charming atmosphere, good food, and excellent service make it an ideal place to get together with your pals.

What originally enticed me to make a reservation here was the large family-style dining room table in the middle of the restaurant. It's the first thing I noticed when I took a peak inside, and I instantly envisioned my friends and I cozily seated around it. The ambiance is pleasant with exposed brick on both walls and simple floral accents giving it sweet pops of color. It has a quaintness that reminds me of the endless blocks of cafes in New York, all full of charm and character.

The food was good. We started with a plate of mussels, followed by short rib ravioli and pizza. My favorite of the three was the short rib ravioli, and I hope to try the ricotta next time I'm there. The portions were perfect. I like a little white space on my plate or else I end up eating more than I ought to and leave with that I-shouldn't-have-eaten-the-last-meatball feeling. The Boot left me satisfied, yet not too full to finish my glass of wine.

Throughout the evening the owner stopped by our table a few times, kindly introduced himself and made sure everything was satisfactory. Our waitresses were friendly and competent. They gave their personal recommendations from the menu, encouraged our singing of Happy Birthday, and (most importantly) didn't roll their eyes when we discussed separate checks. They seemed happy to have us, and we were happy to be there.


Kansas City's food scene has a good thing going, and The Boot is a tasty addition to Westport's mix. So grab a few friends. And eat food. And be joyful.

A little wishful thinking...

I wish I were wearing sparkly shoes.

I wish my dog could come to work with me and that real life was as pretty as Pinterest.

I wish my nails were painted red, my coffee wasn't lukewarm, and I had really cute bangs.

I wish I could take a nap right now.

Just a few wishful thoughts to get me through the workday. Works every time.

Lana Del Rey

Have you heard this girl's voice? She's kind of amazing & I've been playing this song multiple times per day.

Lana Del Rey 'Video Games'

Boo! Happy Valentine's Day.

Here's wishing you all a lovely Valentine's Day. 

(I'm back.)