Vision board magic.

For the past few months, my cousin Lyndsay and I kept promising each other that we would sit down and make vision boards together. I had been hooked in the idea for a while; she learned about it after a spa retreat last summer.

Last night, we FINALLY sat down with my mom, some sangria, and a crazy collection of magazines and got to work.

As most impromptu girls nights are, this was an escape from the stresses of life and an instant mood lifter. Work has been insanely busy and I was running dangerously close to empty in the emotional/spiritual sense. This was very necessary, and to top it off, I'm in love with the board I created.

Working (and chatting).

Finished product!

Favorite quote.

Favorite image (yes, that's T-Swift but it was included because of the pink sparkly dress).

If you've never made a vision board, I highly recommend it. Just flip through some magazines and tear out what speaks to you, even if it doesn't make sense. You can always toss some out, but I found that somehow everything gelled together effortlessly - it took two hours to find the images and only about two minutes to lay them all out.

Happy Friday!

Early Arrival.

You’re either going to give me a huge thumbs-up or a very loud sigh (and an eye roll for good measure) in response to the following statement:

I’m already knee-deep in the Christmas spirit.

For most of my life, I’ve held off until Thanksgiving is over before I launch into all things Christmas. But this year, something is different. Maybe it’s the extremely premature snow storm we had two weeks ago. Maybe it’s my excitement over exchanging gifts with Erik and DIY-ing the majority of this year’s gifts. Maybe it’s a subconscious need for something to be excited about to balance out the things I stress about.

Whatever it is, I decided last week that I wasn’t going to hold back. Many people, annoyed with how commercial and over-emphasized Christmas has become, scoff at any and everyone who is even thinking about Christmas already. I’m tired of it.

This year has been a huge lesson in doing what feels right to me and not suppressing my desires. So when I had a sudden burst of gift inspiration earlier this week and had the urge to listen to Christmas music, I did just that. I queued up some holiday tunes on Spotify, flipped through my December issue of Real Simple, and made shopping lists for all the craft projects I hope to undertake. I embraced what I wanted and didn’t ignore it simply because, by some people’s norms, it’s too early.

It seems silly now that I would’ve even considered pushing aside my holiday excitement, especially over something like other peoples’ opinions. Being happy is an important part of taking care of and making time for myself; I’m glad I’m learning how to do it.

being productive RULES.

There's something about being productive that I absolutely love. It makes sense that getting things done results in a good feeling, but I get absolutely giddy.

It's probably because I spend much of my time lollygagging around, especially now considering my job search is on pause. I'm the kind of person who can go on doing nothing for days and days without even really realizing it, until I sit down one day and go, oh wow a WHOLE WEEK has gone by, and I've just been sleeping and eating all the leftover Kit Kats from Halloween.

(True story. Bouncing between sugar rushes and sugar crashes really isn't healthy.)

Last week I kinda dipped my toes in the Doing Stuff pool, but all I accomplished was my little craft projects and finally sending out my cousin's care package. So today I vowed to get things done. As much as I despise Mondays, I usually look at them as a fresh start, and fresh starts are my BFF. Why? Because I'm one of those crazy perfectionists who falls off the wagon of whatever I'm trying to accomplish as soon as one little thing goes awry. Mondays, in my mind, equal a clean slate for me to totally fuck up again be completely successful.

First I ran errands. I mailed the Playstation 2 game that I sold on eBay, picked up photos from Walgreens, and put gas in my car. Then I sorted the photos, put them in albums for my cousins, and wrote little captions by each picture. I cleaned the entire living room for my mother, vacuumed my own room, finally hung up all the things that needed to be hung, and threw out posters I'll never put up again. And it felt oh. so. good.

Why am I telling you all of this? Because I'm on a Successful Day High right now. That, and I'm abnormally excited about my just-planned sleepover with my favorite cousin at college. Having fun things to look forward to is definitely a good thing.

grace in small things, 17/365.

I've neglected GiST for far too long, so I'm bringing it back with a twist (at least for this post). I usually make a little list, but this time I feel a full entry coming on.

This past weekend, I ventured out for the first time in a while. I was due to visit The Boy, and since his house is halfway between my house and my aunt's shorehouse, I figured the two of us would drive down and visit. Aside from the ridiculous amount of traffic, I'm glad we made the decision, especially considering there was a farewell party for my cousin and another neighbor, who are both going off to college soon.

The ride to The Boy's house and the subsequent drive to the shorehouse were nearly unbearable. While the combined time for both trips should've been just about two hours, instead it was nearly three and a half. Of course, it's mostly my fault for planning to make these trips on a Saturday. In the middle of the day. On the first sunny and warm weekend of the summer. In New Jersey.

If you're from North Jersey or travel the GSP to get to the shore, you can probably guess what bridge this is.

I was instantly at peace with my decision when I stepped in the house. As usual, I was offered a lovely alcoholic drink (which I passed on, since my tummy had been icky all day) and a comfy seat amongst family and friends. We talked, laughed, and traded playful banter about things like stupidly using your finger to test the heat of baked penne vodka, my aunt's hot flashes, and sneaking bread before the food was put out.

My cousin, at the ready to light the sternos at a moment's notice.

As we waited for dinner to be served, the guests continued to show up, sharing stories, hugs, and smiles. I love the people who live on the block by the shore house. They're so bubbly and welcoming, and remember me even if I only visit once or twice every summer. At one point, the random mix of old and new songs being generated by the random "party mix" TV music channel came to a meeting point when Only the Good Die Young started playing. My 18-year-old cousin, whom the party was for, came running inside with her friend and started belting out lyrics, along with me, our cousin's 27-year-old girlfriend, and a few of the parents. It was one of those moments that doesn't make for a great story, but at the time it just feels so good for your soul.

Sunset.

The best part was after we'd all eaten, when most of the party guests had drinks in their bellies and the sun had just finished setting, and the dancing commenced. My aunt recently had an addition put on the house - a gorgeous back patio with screen windows to keep the cool breeze coming in but the nasty greenheads and mosquitoes out. With the outdoor speakers blasting Just Dance, the twist, and everything in between, we all hit the makeshift dance floor. The older guests danced in a tipsy stupor, while the teenagers let loose as best friends enjoying themselves together one last time before my cousin left for college. We did the Hokey Pokey and the limbo, laughing and dancing and sweating.

My youngest cousin, giving the girls a run for their money.

She has no shame, although she did try to tuck her dress under before she went for it.

Those are the moments I live for. While we were spinning in circles during the bridge in the chicken dance, belting the lyrics to a favorite song, and laughing at made-up dance moves, everything else fell away into the background. All my worries, concerns, doubts, shortcomings, and feelings of sickness were gone, and I was happy.

I was letting go and laughing loudly, something I need to find a way to do way, way more often.

bits and bobbins.

There are a million things swirling around my head lately, and I can't seem to put them into coherent posts. So, you get a nice bullet-point list instead.

• I adore using my webcam and being able to connect with people. Of course my favorite part is being able to talk to The Boy every night on Skype, but leaving and receiving video messages on Facebook makes me smile.
  
  
• Etsy is my continuing addiction and I can't seem to stop. When I find something adorable, it just makes me giddy. I'm currently putting a care package together for my cousin, who's off to college on Thursday, and I've been looking around for cute magnets (the doors to their rooms are magnetic). Problem is, there are so many that I simply can't choose!
  
  
• I love it when an idea becomes reality, even in something as simple as making plans. The Boy suggested that we stop by my aunt's shorehouse this weekend, which I agreed was a good idea, but was a little hesitant about because I wasn't sure if they would be at the beach half the day. Turns out they'll actually be having my cousin's off-to-college party that day, so we can go down anytime and spend the day setting up and having a party.
  
  
• Remember that post about being a giver? It's so very true. I've spent a big chunk of my time these days posting on a Facebook group that's for incoming freshmen at my alma mater. Since I was already in college help-out mode for my cousin (who's going to the same school as I did), I figured I'd help out answering questions on the group as well. It gives me a great sense of satisfaction.
  
  
• This song is adorable and just makes me happy:
  
  

i can swing higher than you.

Sometimes, all it takes is a few minutes on a park swing set to make everything in life okay again.











What's something in life that ALWAYS makes you feel better?