Sunday, July 31, 2011

Happy Monday {42nd ed.}

Happy Monday everyone!! Here is what is making me smile...

Book nooks
I want a house filled with cozy little book areas!
a slightly more grown up version :) ...
Super sexy shoes
Im madly in love with these!
via here
A modern teepee
I know, it would me more work than it is worth, there would be bugs, and rain, and yada yada...whatever, I love it and want to sleep and read in it all day long!!!
An adorable WA shout out
Isn't this cute? I love how simple a statement it makes :)
via this etsy shop
That, as well as discovering beautiful St. Paul is making me smile this week. What is making you happy?

Farmers Market!

Oh how I love farmer's markets! We gave the St. Paul one a try today and wow! Lets just say, it is giving Pikes Place a run for it's money :) Look at all this great stuff!

Cheap, fresh vegetables...
My personal favorite, the beautiful flower bouquets for $4....
Seriously, where else can you get this much fresh produce for only $20?!

(click on the picture, it looks even better blown up!)
Do you guys shop at farmer's markets? Which one is your favorite?

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Quotation Wednesday {27th ed.}

This is actually a print from an Etsy shop and I just copied it, but I really like it. My yoga teacher from Seattle, Terilynn said something like this often and I just think it is a really good reminder, particularly in our goal oriented society. Sometimes it is good to remember that right where you are is perfectly lovely!
via here

Monday, July 25, 2011

Love wins!

This article made me cry this monday morning, but it was a good cry, so I wanted to share!
This is love people...
Phyllis 77 and Connie 85; the first couple to be married in NY
To all the marriage equality protesters, this is what you are fighting against!
Equality and love will always prevail in the end. Everyone go out and hug the one you love  :)
ps: check this page out too, you can listen to couples' comments as they come out of city hall

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Happy Monday {41st Ed.}

Happy Happy Monday Everyone!! I am back on track with blogging finally and here is what is making me smile...

Bookcase cocoon
aka: heaven! I need to be reading in this right now.

This print
My time in Seattle made me realize how much I need water in my life. This quote sums up exactly how I feel when sitting by the water...like life is somehow "reset."
I love this entire Etsy shop actually
and This Print
I think I need her to go with my owl girl print (which I am still in love with by the way!)....maybe I just need everything this shop has!

These votive holders
The look on their faces just cracks me up!
get them here
That is all for me this week, what is making you happy?

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Paddle board yoga

I just found out about this and really really want to do it! Does anyone know of any resources and/or classes?

Doesn't it look awesome?! Plus, its probably the perfect core workout! Who wants to do it with me? :)

Monday, July 18, 2011

Just an update...

...cause we are still unloading and life is a bit crazy! :) My family (dad, gram, and aunt) came to help us and we definitely put them to work!
Ok, so that picture doesn't show it, but we did I promise :) We made an Ikea trip, got everything unpacked, dealt with the damn heat! What is with this heat, MN?! Meanwhile, back in Seattle, my mom was dealing with the crazy Goodwill pile that we left and cleaning the old place. 
how do we collect so much stuff?!
Isn't my family amazing?! Poor Domino was having a difficult time with the heat, so we decided to shave him...
...and left him a mohawk! :) We also got them a kiddie pool and tried to lure them in, no luck yet.

My grandma treated us all to this amazing dessert after unloading.
...and then (finally!) a relaxing moment on the front porch, which is going to be one of my new favorite places.
There is my photo update, I will be back to my regularly scheduled blogging soon!

Friday, July 15, 2011

Moved!

Ugh, we are finally in St. Paul! The trip was interesting, 1700 miles with 1 Uhaul, 1 car, 2 dogs, 2 cats, 1 gecko, and 2 very tired and sore drivers! Luckily the scenery was beautiful because that was far too much monotonous sitting.
Now for the unpacking...

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Quotation Wednesday {26th ed.}

Learning, growing, and thriving from your pain; this is something I feel strongly about. This quote states that beautifully.
"Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls;
the most massive characters are seared with scars."

-Kahlil Gibran

Monday, July 4, 2011

Happy Monday {40th ed.}

Well I took a holiday break, so its Monday joys on a Tuesday! Here is what is making me smile...

Purple chandalier
Damnit, I just fell in love with this chandelier....don't even bother looking at how much it is!
ok, if you must...here it is

This dress
from here
...with These Shoes!
Ahhh, gorgeous!! :)

Four-eyed cat
He is too cute for words!

Alliums
I love these flowers! Not only are they purple, but they remind me of Horton Hears a Who :)
find out more here
Pinterest
Do you guys know about this website? Its awesome! All of today's happiness can be seen here as well. You should all join and we can follow each other's smile inducing items all week long :)

That is all for me, what is making you happy this week?

Sunday, July 3, 2011

Love

I keep coming back to the idea of this post and for some reason the lyric from Hallelujah has been in my head all day, so I finally decided to get it down on...well not paper, screen I guess.

"Love is not a victory march, its a cold and its a broken Hallelujah"

First, I adore this song even though it makes me cry every time I hear it! I have always been drawn to this line for some reason. I take it as a "weathered" look at love, like someone who has been broken and hurt, but still finds the small hallelujahs in love and life. I feel like we all start out with this romanticized version of love, that we will find our perfect soul mate, fall in love, and live happily ever after. Then we get hurt. We cry. We vow to never love again, to never hurt again. And we do it all over. Love and relationships are really really hard work! I take this line as a statement of that. 

But that is just me. When searching for the lyrics to be sure I was quoting it right, I found some very opposite veiwpoints. One woman stated that the song is "largely a disillusioned point of view about love....a bitter realization that can only break you forever." Im not going to say that I disagree with her, basically that is the feeling of the song. Its depressing, like I said, makes me cry every time. But, I don't think that singing about or looking at the depressing parts of love makes it a "disillusioned point of view." I think it honors the fact that love can hurt, it can hurt like hell actually, and still be love. The pain is just as much a part of it as the absolute joy and embracing love's entirety is what makes it so unique and amazing, and well, worth it! What do you guys think? Am I just being emotionally dramatic, true to my Pisces, introverted, psychologically minded self?! (Its ok to say yes to that!)

Anyways, this gets to the post that has been brewing in my mind about love. I believe that love can have a multitude of forms, both within an individual and throughout people in general. Personally, I use the word love to indicate many things; a strong bond with my friends, the feeling that oozes out of me when I see my pets, when I like something so much that the word "like" or even "really really like" just doesn't seem to cover it (most things purple!), the warm and comfortable love I have for my family, and of course romantic love. These feelings are infinitely different, and yet all are encompassed by the word love. I would say that there needs to be different words for each form of love, but I don't really believe that. I think that the feeling you get when you say your own versions of love are enough. Just watch someone say "I love you" to their partner and then watch someone say "Look at my new shoes, I absolutely love them!" You can see the difference in the words, you can feel it. That doesn't mean that it each isn't it's own version of love. 

I have heard many people become irritated or uncomfortable when friends say "I love you" or when someone says "that singer is amazing, I just love her" and I never know how to react to that. I agree that saying you love someone who is not really close to you, or who you don't even know may make some people feel like you are discounting the idea of love. I disagree, but I understand it. Maybe we do need more words to describe the different forms. Maybe that would honor the love that people feel for shoes, movies, singers, whatever, while still honoring the profound feeling of love for family, friends, and partners. I don't know, I prefer to see it and feel it in people's use of the word, I think the minute differences are what make the word love so beautiful. What do you guys think? Would a language be better if there were different words for different types of love? Do you think that is even possible? Does it bother you when people use the word love in so many different forms?