sweater personality.

a few weeks ago i spotted this heart sweater on a cup a jo! love me some cup of jo. she is one of the very first bloggers i ever followed, and she's still a daily go-to read.

anyhow, within seconds of seeing the post i clicked on the link to purchase this j.crew heart sweater. it's me summed up in one little knit. i can tell it's going to be a holiday fave.

thank you, darling jo!

give me a g.

i'm having a little love affair.

...with a little place called catbird. brooklyn-based. {if i'm lucky, i just might get to make an in-person visit this very weekend!}

two words: stackable rings. obsessed. {does this sound familiar?}

see, dolls, this is just the beginning of the stack. it all starts with love. then comes a g for me. i'll be adding letters forever and ever for my someday lover and my someday babies {ohhh, the very thought of that just gives me butterflies}. there's something so subtle and sweet about a lower-case initial, don't you think?

thank you, catbird, for making my day today. you're the sweetest.

i did receive a little note from the owner, leigh. see, i told her that i did a little boyfriend consulting for two of my bestest gal pals' loves who both received these precious rings as birthday gifts. 

can i get a b + a. and, a d+l? i admire both of your relationships oh-so-much and am beyond happy and thankful to do as much boyfriend consulting as possible.

{big hugs}. xo, g.

thanksgiving.

thanksgiving is it's all happening's favorite holiday... since, well... we are in the business of giving thanks as much as we possibly can.

i don't want this looooong weekend to end. not just yet.

the sheer exhaustion has set in. words are escaping me. i'll leave you with photos instead.

just a few things {among many} to be thankful for these past five days.

precious baby cousins. sissies napping. first-time six a.m. black friday shopping adventures. best friend visitors. christmastime in union square. life-size justin beiber.

sending love and gratitude. the end.

sunshine.

i received the niiiiicest compliment from one of my faves the other day. honestly, i can't stop thinking about it.

gina, this song reminds me of you.

ready, play.



i've got sunshine on a cloudy day.
when it's cold outside i've got the month of may.

{gasp! to think i resemble sunshine. could it be true? only on my good days, maybe. and that's a big maybe.}

you know what the funny part is?

i once made up the silliest dance to this song. i've got this vivid memory - age eight, most likely - standing in the entry-way of our house {aka my stage, let's be honest} with "my girl" playing on the stereo. the sweet moves consisted of innocent swaying hips and hands crossed over my heart with maybe a slow four-count turn in there. simple, but clearly my best independent work at that age.

i bet i can still break the dance out for you if you want.

gosh, this made my day. thank you. xoxo.

good people find each other.

we drove home from a quick, delicious sushi dinner at one of our all time favorite spots. we hadn't gone out in a quite some time. just him and i. father, daughter {he says he's never wanted a son, but i can't help but not believe that}.

i was trying to articulate this quote i heard that i just can't stop daydreaming about. it also fascinates me to imagine what my dad may have been like in his twenties.

you were never a jerk, were you dad? i asked.
well, no.
why do you think you weren't?
and he answered: that's just not how i was raised.

then it hit me.

my dad is the one of the most genuine and kind souls you'll ever meet. at least to his daughters two and wifey one. he'd do anything for us. anything to know that we are content. he aims to please his girlies three.

they say daughters look for a man exactly like their daddies. only the lucky ones, i guess.

well, lucky me.

as we were just about home i said, it's tough out there, dad.
i know it is, hunny. you've got to go through the bad to find the good.

and, just like that, i got it.

good people find each other. i need not worry because i will find someone with the same honorable qualities that he has. because i come from such an upstanding father, my standards are high and they will be met.

it was your birthday this past weekend. happy birthday. i believe with my whole heart, you're the best dad out there.

{i think we should live by this and this}.

love chooses us.

what would you say to the twenty six year old girl who's never been in love? in deep, real, all-consuming, healthy love.

would you tell her to open her heart and make a little room for someone else?

i would.

but, see, this girl, she peels her heart open each and every day. one back bend... one smile... one hug at a time.

i have faith in her, though, i really do.

i'd also tell her to read this ny times article all the way through to the end for a modern take on big, epic, fairy-tale love story.

and to remember, love chooses us.

{you're my happy place: here and here. article spotted on a cup of jo}.