The Clubhouse!

I've been lacking on blogging lately - life is moving pretty fast. BUT - I wanted to show of my new clubhouse before I forget. 

(p.s. clubhouse = my new apartment!!)

So, my apartment is loft style with the bedroom and bathroom upstairs. I spent 15 minutes picking out a shower curtain..I'm proud of it.

I have a reading nook! I have a reading nook! 

There was this odd space underneath my stairs right off the kitchen, and it just felt right to make it a reading nook. My gold chair is everything.

My view from upstairs! Excuse the boxes - I haven't figured out what to do with everything yet - BUT, I have storage everywhere. 

Grown up rule #45: always be excited about storage.

And last, but not least - my little book shelf near my reading nook. I love it. I can't wait to buy another row of shelves so I can buy more books :)

I'll post more pictures eventually (when it's nice and decorated!), but there you have it. It's my little paradise and I'm so happy.

- C

Wednesday Weekday Update 5.26.15

Here's some interesting things I've found this week:

1// A House Made From A Church?

Mark and Elizabeth's 1850's New England Church home is amazing. I dream of one day having a gnarly house like this one!

2// This Man Surprised His Wife of 57 Years...

And it's pretty much the cutest thing in the entire world!

3// 37 Times Tumblr Made You Rethink Everything About Harry Potter

Tumblr has some real jokesters - and I love it.

4// The Five Stages of Grief After Binge Watching A TV Show

FOR REAL.

P.s. Pacey and Joey forever.

5// Floating Lanterns for Memorial Day

So. Cool.

And also..this song:

Jason. Stevie. And Keith. I can't WAIT for this video!

- C

Mixtape Monday: Brought to You Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue!

Before I get to the music, I'd like to take a second to honor those that this day is for. Those men and women who sacrifice everything they have, everything they are - just for the ability to keep everyone else safe. Most that you talk to don't agree with wars (and I'm not saying I do) and how this country is run, but you should respect those that do - and those that go out every day not knowing if they're going to come back home.

via

They're the true heroes in this world - and they deserve to be treated and remembered as so.

Thank you.

And this set of songs - they're for you. About you. And to you.

1// Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue by Toby Keith

He's not everyone's favorite singer - and heck, he's not mine either. But this song kind of pumps me up and makes me remember how bad ass this country is!

2// Citizen Solider by 3 Doors Down

This song and video makes me straight up bawl. Ugly cry. 

3// Ragged Old Flag by Johnny Cash

It's not quite the Man in Black singing per say - but it's good. Gives you chills.

4// I Drive Your Truck by Lee Brice

I'll be honest - for the longest time..I didn't want to like this song. It made me sad. Really sad, so I wanted to ignore it. But I can't - it's too good.

5// Star Spangled Banner performed by Jimi Hendrix

In 1969, Hendrix was scheduled to close Woodstock out by being the final act. He played his normal songs, and then this happened. In a time of heartbreak, war and self searching, Hendrix reminded people that we're still here. We're still for the same thing - and he crushed it.

(if you want to know more of that story, go HERE!)

I hope that you all enjoy your day off, but keep in mind all the people who are no longer here but made it possible just to be here. And say a little prayer for them and their families. I know I will. 

Thank you again.

- C

Book Review: A Girls Guide to Hunting and Fishing by Melissa Bank

I stumbled on "A Girls Guide to Hunting and Fishing" while in one of my favorite places in the world: the Half Price Books clearance section. It was a dollar, and it sounded interesting. Let me give you a little synopsis, and we can proceed from there.

"A critically acclaimed New York Times bestseller, this spirited and wickedly insightful narrative maps the progress of fourteen-year- old Jane Rosenal as she navigates the perilous terrain of love, sex, and relationships, capturing-with perfect pitch-what it’s like to be a young woman in America today." - via Penguin Books

The story of Jane Rosenal is told in seven parts - or short stories. Starting from a young age (14) and the last story being told when she is in her mid to late 30's. Each body of work is separate, yet complete each other wholly. Bank's voice is warm, enduring, independent and sad. I couldn't wait to start the next story after reading the previous one - I gobbled it up.

Each bit tells a little bit of a different story, but the one main theme (as it is in many, many stories) is love. How do you get it? Maintain it? Fight for it? Why do we even want it in the first place? 

Because it's love.

Bank's writes:

And the more and more time I spend with those that I love - and I mean truly love, I feel the exact same way. How can you go from fighting to buffalo kisses? 

P.s. Shout out to my little sister for that one. It's where you literally lick someone on the cheek. It's disgusting, but she's my sister, so I am released from said bad mood. See? Love.

But it makes me ask - like the narrator Jane does - is it this way for everyone? Does everyone's emotions go from one spectrum to another just because of love? I don't know if I can answer that. Or if anyone can - not in the same way. But it makes love better. It means more.

It means "in sickness and health". I always liked that part of vows because it's hard to love someone when they're sick - even if it's just a cold. But you do it - even if marriage isn't even on the table. Or even remotely around the table - because that's what you signed up for. You signed up for life, and life makes you sick. It makes you healthy. It's everywhere in between, and like my main man John Green says in "Fault in Our Stars":

"You don't get to choose if you get hurt in this world, but you do have some say in who hurts you."

Because we get hurt. That's a simple fact of life. But there's some control. There's some ability to walk to a situation or walk away from it. We have that right. Jane has that right. She is confronted with a few separate occasions - from a boyfriend who cheats to diseases - where she is given the choice how much or how little it's going to hurt. 

In life and in love, you're thrusted into many things that you won't be prepared for. And whether you let it consume you or wash over you or mist you, that's a choice. There's an old Indian story that goes like this (via the Nanticoke Indian tribe):

"One evening, an elderly Cherokee brace told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said "My son, the battle is between two "wolves" inside us all. One is evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

The other is good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith." The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "which wolf wins?"

The old Cherokee simply replied, "the one that you feed."

So go to it, or walk away.

Sprint toward the finish line, or away.

Feed the good, or feed the evil.

Make a choice and stick with it. That's all anyone can really ask for in life. And love, always love. Always make time for that hurt. For that pain. That pain ebbs and flows like life. Pain in selfish and cruel, but it also reminds you that you are alive - and that you feel something. People go their whole lives closed off from the world because they don't want to feel anything. They don't want that pain. 

I think you should demand it. Demand that pain. Demand that hurt. Because it's worth it - it's worth it all - because God gives you joy as well. Grace as well. And like Jane finds out, there's joy from pain. There's health from unhealth. There's love from brokenness. 

Demand your pain.

- C

Fun with Buzzfeed!

Y'all, I love Buzzfeed. I think my generation gets more of their news from BF than from a regular news channel.

I found a few articles (etc) that I found fun/interesting - so, before I make my huge post about this last weekend, one more fun post (not that my weekend wasn't fun..ha):

1// 21 of the Best Made Up Jobs of the Bachelor and Bachelorettes

I think Pantsapreneur may be made up..just maybe.

2// 31 Flawless Celebs Dress to Kill At Cannes

This beauty, Melanie Laurent, is my favorite. 

Followed by Amy Poehler (hottie!), Emily Blunt (girl crush!), and Emma Stone (obviously..). 

3// How Far Frodo and Sam Actually Walked in "The Lord of the Rings" Trilogy

Interesting read..but, why calculate that? Lol, nerds.

4// 21 Genius Ways to Take Your Mozzarella Sticks To the Next Level!

I want it ALL.

5// The Power of Fan Fiction as told by Rainbow Rowell

YES YES YES YES. Love this.

6// If Guy Best Friends Vacationed like Girl Best Friends

Hilarious. And right. Mostly.

- C

I am both happy and sad.

Friday Favorites 5.8.15

Hi everyone! I hope you made it through the week unscathed - I mostly did. Working two..er, three jobs is tiring me out, but thankfully I have today and tomorrow off so I can rest up.

Let's get right to it, shall we?

1// This verse:

As a Christian, I've heard this verse a lot. A lot a lot a lot. Whenever you're going through something, it seems to be the big pump up verse - and it's true, it totally pumps me up. But I fell in love with it again this week after reading the Message's version. It seems more like a prayer over me, instead of just something I say. I don't know, it's more healing that way.

2// Graduation!

No, I didn't graduate again - but Cinco de Mayo will always remind me of the day that I did (the first time from college) - and this week marked THREE years since that day! Time has stinkin' flown by. Wow. I feel old.

3// Speaking of Cinco de Mayo..

I might have walked around calling myself Carlos and greeting everyone with an "hola!" when they walked in the door. Some people thought I was truly funny, others just stared. They don't have a sense of humor though, and we judge them for that ;)

4// MOVING!

I posted this to my Snapchat yesterday and got one reply - it said "you do that a lot". 

Yup, I do. Shit happens. *shrugs shoulders*

And while I was packing yesterday, I found a bunch of CDs that I had made in high school and college - and boy, was I emo! All of these slow, sad songs came on. It was weird. I laughed pretty hard at myself for that..and then turned them up louder :)

5// But these girls ARE GRADUATING!

Not one, not two, not three, but FOUR of my cousins are graduating this month! One from college and three from high school. I'm so excited to celebrate with (and in spirit with!) them this month. It's such an exciting time, and I hope it's just the best for them! New chapters are fun, my friends - don't forget that.

C

MOVING!

I'm moving back into the solo existence here in a week (yay for my own space!) again, and I could not be more excited! Living with my roommate has been nice to have someone around, but it's time for another change! 

I've been looking around Pinterest and trying to find some interesting ideas for my new space - it has these like 20 ft vaulted ceilings (oh the possibilities!), a long staircase and a tiny kitchen..which I'm totally okay with because I've never been a cook. Ha. 

So, here are some ideas I'm throwing around - just for fun :)

I love, love, love lists and having a giant one near the kitchen sounds like the best idea! 

I - like so many - love a good image wall. And this take with the wooden slats is different and unique. I also super love the orange couch for some reason.

I really want a fun door mat - and this one just might be it!

I have a cork board that I like, but it always seems super messy - this take with it's different inspirations and pictures might be the clean wall above my desk that I've been looking for! 

P.s. I really want that photograph of the woman in the cock pit. 

This is BY FAR the thing I want most in my house. It probably won't happen in my new apartment, but seriously - I loooove.

Exactly what I want in my living room. A gnarly leather couch, a herringbone floor and a Texas flag above it all. Yes. Yes. Yes.

Any other ideas I should consider? Shoot me a message.

- C

(images: via, via, via, via)

Runners World Read and Review: The Fear Factor by Peter Sagal

Every month when my Runner's World magazine comes in the mail, I get a little more excited than normal! It's like a bunch of nerds like me got together and created this place where we can talk about our favorite pastime. It's a community. Everyone needs community - that's why I love running so much. 

This month there was an article called "The Fear Factor", in which the writer, Peter Segal chatted with Katie Prout, a runner and writer from Chicago. 

Peter writes "She has brown hair, an upturned smile, and a tiny gold hoop in one nostril. She is afraid. And she is furious." And at first I wasn't sure where the article was going. At first I thought it was a feminist piece. Some little girl is mad at some man, and it'll make me feel uncomfortable. The hardcore feminists make me feel weird.

"The catcalls and shouts and whistles and "compliments" came all the time, she says, from all kinds of people - black, white, Latino, old and young. She's been harassed by old men in wheelchairs and young boys she guessed were 8 or 9 years old. Once, to her astonishment, she spun at the sound of some particularly obscene language and found it coming from an obese woman sitting on a porch, grinning at her."

And I sat there wanting to say "PREACH GIRL, PREACH". I've had countless times where I've been honked at. I've been catcalled. I've overheard "niceee" and "hey baby lookin' good!" before, after and during runs. 

It's uncomfortable. It's not appreciated.

But men (and women in Katie's case) think it's acceptable. Think that I want their "praise" - their feedback. 

I don't. I didn't ask for it. 

I brought this up to a runner friend, who shared my sentiments (about being uncomfortable, nervous, annoyed) about the subject and once said that her significant other told her "well, that just means I have what others want". But really, it's all fun and games until someone does get hurt. Mentally, physically, emotionally - and this HAS to STOP.

Peter, the writer of the piece, goes on to say "one of the reasons I run is I want to look good. And if a woman were to shout a compliment at me - not that it's ever happened - I'd be thrilled. I guess, in the end, it might be hard for that reason for some men to understand why this is so upsetting to you." And my new best friend Katie replies with such fire - she says "Men," she said evenly, "are in danger of, at worst, being laughed at by a woman. Women are in danger of being killed by men."

Again, this is met with a "PREACH GIRL, PREACH" mentality by me. They don't realize there's violence in those words. The disgust. The lust. The hate. They are taking something that is for me and ruining it. The time when I can relax, push myself, and focus on nothing by the stretch of road ahead of me - you take that from me. 

And I don't like it.

Katie echoes my thoughts by saying, "when I run, I inhabit myself to the very edges, and then I spill out and inhabit space in a way I struggle to do in my daily, less Under-Armoured way. I move with power and purpose - not like I can never be hurt, but like I am truly alive and free, in sync with my own heart beat. How dare you - father with a stroller, two businessmen out to lunch, man in a group, boy alone - how dare you take my running, this thing that has put me back into my body again, and use it to try and claim my body as yours?"

Next time you see a woman runner on the road and want to "compliment" her, don't. If you feel the need, tell her she has a nice stride or she's fast. No one ever gets tired of hearing how fast others think they are. But I don't recommend any of it, unless you know the feedback will be received graciously. 

No woman, man, child - no one wants to feel uncomfortable or made to feel ungracious because of an off handed compliment or gesture - so why would that be any different on a track? Or in a race? Or on a trail?

And like my friend Katie says, "don't be a douche. I'm not here for you."

Amen sister. Amen,

C

Met Gala 2015 : Cuz I Wanna Talk About It.

Seriously though, if I was able to attend a celebrity filled event it would definitely be the Met Gala. (also the Super Bowl..but that's only if the Broncos were playing..) 

It's couture upon couture, dress upon dress, style risk upon style risk - and I L.O.V.E it. Let's talk about some of it then, okay? Okay.

1// Kate Hudson in Michael Kors

CRUSHED IT. The end. Her dress is perfection, her face is gorgeous..her hair, well, it is pretty, but there's this weird braid thing - but other than that, killed it. 

2// Rihanna in Guo Pei

You've no doubt, by now, seen this dress. While I think it's a tad gaudy and icky, she chose a huge risk (as only she can do!) and it paid off. It's a show stopper.

3// Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka in Ermenegildo Zegna

If you looked up "dapper" in the dictionary, these two would be there. I love that they wore tails - it makes me very giddy.

4// Hannah Bagshawe and Eddie Redmayne in Vallentino

My other favorite couple from the night. Her dress is simple, chic yet totally fashion forward - and Eddie, well, the man can pull of a suit. Amen and amen!

5// Joshua Jackson (in Alexander McQueen) and Diane Kruger (in Chanel)

Her dress - well, pant suit (yes, it's pants) is terrible - but he's flawless. Joshua, I love you.

6// Kristen Wiig in Prabal Gurung

This may not be a Met Gala risk, but whatever Kristen is doing lately, I like.

7// Sarah Jessica Parker in H&M

I give SJP passes for whatever she wants to do because she's SJP..and she's the queen. BUT, the headpiece is a bit much, my friend. (plz don't hate me SJP!)

8// Gabrielle Union in Zac Posen

The color is beautiful on her - go Gabrielle!

9// Jennifer Lawrence in Dior

She got slammed for this in multiple articles that I read, but I like it. The back is cool too:

It's different and a risk. The make up and hair are impeccable. So, bye haters.

10// Elizabeth Banks in Michael Kors

I've decided, I want whoever is dressing Elizabeth lately to dress me! She is on fire! The color is great, it shows off her killer body and everything else is just icing on the cake.

11// Hailee Steinfeld in Michael Kors

She got ripped for this too! For not being a risk - whatever, I love it. It fits her perfectly and it's a great color on her. AND her hair is beautiful.

12// Beyonce in Givenchy

 

If you got it, flaunt it. And then crush it, because..you're Beyonce.

(Images: via, via, via, via, via, via, via, via, via, via, via, via)

- C