Monthly Archives: February 2012

So, it’s the weekend – you’ve got some fun plans, or maybe just some mundane ones (anyone else spend all weekend doing laundry?) – and you’re looking for some new tunes to get you off the couch.  Or maybe, you just want to sit on the couch and listen to new tunes?  Definitely ok by me!  That’s where Today’s Soundtrack comes in: music I’ve been loving lately and that’s sure to put a spark in your step.  Whether you’re cleaning or road-tripping, batch-cooking or painting.

 

Growing up, I remember my dad listening to classical music, opera, and Buddy Holly.  Anyone else picking up that “one of these things is not like the other?”  Perhaps I should explain the seemingly random addition: my dad is from Lubbock, Texas.   Buddy Holly is from Lubbock, Texas.  They went to the same high school, albeit a few years apart.

Buddy Holly Statue in Lubbock, via Flickr user The Horror

Buddy Holly Statue in Lubbock, via Flickr user The Horror

So maybe it’s the nostalgia factor that earns Buddy Holly a special place in my heart; that would probably be a good presumption.  Makes me feel somehow closer to my dad and his experience.  I remember my family would go see The Buddy Holly Story (biographical rock’n’roll musical) almost every time it came to Chicago.  And this past Christmas, we all got a copy of The Real Buddy Holly Story – it’s a regular family tradition at this point.

This weekend we are chillin’ in Texas to with my brother and his family celebrate my soon-to-arrive nephew and although we aren’t in Lubbock, for some reason this Buddy Holly stuff has to happen during my travels to the Lone Star State.

So, if you’re down for some good Elvis-era-rock-n-roll, this is where you want to be.  Also, please note the hipster glasses.  So cutting edge, that Buddy Holly, so cutting edge.

 

(Image Credits: top photo from flickr, and second is of this album cover, photo taken by me)

Filed in:Music

The nice thing about where we’re living in Colorado is that the mountains are so close – you don’t have to drive far to get out of the “hustle and bustle” (which to be fair, seems pretty minor compared to big-city-hustle-bustle back in Chicago).  In any case, we can hop in the truck, and be hiking in more-or-less middle-of-nowhere in under 30 minutes.

One of the afternoon drives we’ve made a few times from Colorado Springs has been up Gold Camp Road, which makes a nice little loop with a few places to pull off and picnic or hike.  Random Fact: the photo my husband and I used for our Save-the-Dates was actually taken on our first hike of Helen Hunt falls.

The trails to the falls are far from strenuous (in fact you can see them without hiking at all), and there are even well-maintained walkways, steps and bridges that lead you around the area – good for a relaxing stroll or an outing with kids, not really if you’re looking for an extreme athletic mountain adventure.

Though the falls may not be the most dramatic you have ever seen, they have a nice rambling feel to them.  As a artistic eye, I prefer the play of water tumbling over rocks than water falling into space on most days – though they both have their unique impacts.

Helen Hunt Falls is named for an early American author and novelist, Helen Hunt Jackson, who lived in the Springs for a period in the 1800s and was buried there after her death in 1885.

It is definitely fun living in a place whose beauty has inspired other artists and creatives over history – it is almost as if that mutual inspiration connects you to something bigger than yourself.

What inspires you about the place that you live?

Filed in:Everyday Adventure | Travel

Hello! I’m back with another Fresh Friday installment!

We’re finally getting some snow out here in Colorado and even though it’s not as big of a blizzard as I would have hoped (at least where I am), I’m enjoying the powdered-sugar-dusting for what it’s worth.  As far as I’m concerned, snow gives you an excuse to enjoy extra coziness like warm drinks and big, chunky sweaters.

Lately, I’ve been getting fancy and doubling up on some unconventional layers to keep myself warm as “real” winter seems to have shown its face at last.

Two Collars?  Totally Kosher.

Infinity Scarf: Gap, Plaid Top: Banana Republic, Shirt-dress & Tights: Target, Boots: Zara

Two Sweaters?  Absolutely – especially if cashmere is involved.

Cable Knit Sweater: Hand-me-up from little sis, Sweater-Dress: JCrew (gift), Tights: Target, Bow Belt: Gap, Scarf: bought in Spain

Perhaps I’m breaking some rules here, but my toasty-warm self doesn’t really mind all that much.  Double sweaters and double collars are double warm, if you ask me!  And well, don’t question me on the tights – I know that they create a contradiction.  For all you know, I have a big blanket at my desk at work, right?

What is your favorite way to layer up for the cozy winter months?

Filed in:Style

Alright, here’s my final post on resolutions (yes, it’s February first – don’t tell me you have given up already?) and my three themes for 2012. I’ve already talked about Simplicity and Creativity – so here comes the last (and scariest!) one.

Bravery is tough – it means putting myself out there and stretching myself past my comfort zone.  It means taking risks and facing fears.

I hope that Simplicitiy is what will ground my year, Creativity is what will make it beautiful, and Bravery is what will make it exciting – you will never have what you never reach out for!  I heard someone say that if your dreams don’t scare you a little bit, you aren’t dreaming big enough.  And for me, Bravery isn’t really the absence of fear so much as the ability to overcome the fear that you feel.  These are a few mantras I’ve got running through my head to get me pumped for an adventurous and Brave 2012:

Get Over “NO”:  I saw this great post by Becka featured on Makeunder my Life yesterday – and felt like it summed up a lot of what I knew Bravery needed to be for me this year.  Because if you don’t get over having to hear a few noes, you will never give yourself the chance to hear any yeses.  And I am definitely ready for a yes or two, aren’t you?

Make Mistakes:  Ah, this is a kicker for the perfectionist in me.  I am known to all-out avoid things that I don’t think I can do perfectly – and this means, usually, that I’m not doing much of anything new.  So this is the year where I kick my fear of failure to the curb and step out on a limb with some things that I’ve been wanting to try, but have been letting nervousness hold me back (i.e. open mic nights – eek!).

Give Myself Some Credit: Sometimes it takes just as much Bravery to admit that I am good at something as it does to face up to the things I still have to learn!  We feed ourselves all sorts of self-defeating lies: no one would want what I have to offer, everyone else is much better, and on it goes.  Being Brave not smugness or pride, but it is having confidence in yourself – or at least (or greatest?) having confidence in the One who sent you.

Staying in the safe-zone of life is easy, but if I’ve learned anything lately, it is that if you are going to live a creative life, you have to be willing to make mistakes and accept that some people are going to think you are a bit crazy.  Be brave, and you’ll be surprised at what can happen.

So there we are, my themes for 2012: Simplicity, Creativity and Bravery.  I hope reading has inspired you to pare down, amp up, or otherwise make your 2012 the best year yet.  Here’s to a new year and a myriad of new opportunities!

Exodus 15:2 – The Lord is my strength and my song. (ESV)

(Photo Credits: first two are my own, third was found on Sacramento Street, and the fourth came from my la la loveliest friend, Trina)

Filed in:Inspiration

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