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}.

heart mobile.

so one of my dear friends sent me the dearest thing in the mail. you may remember her as having a really great love story {and, you know i'm a sucker for love stories}. she's also a gifted elementary school teacher... absolutely one of her life callings.

i'm calling it a heart mobile.

paper hearts sewn together on a single string. it makes me really happy. it's hanging smack dab in the middle of my apartment. for everyone to see. and to serve as a sweet reminder in the delicacy of love.

i'm so thankful to be back in touch. you know what amazes me? no matter how many years pass, the deep bonds you form with someone at some point throughout your life, they remain. bonds don't break. so, always choose your friends wisely.

together forever

never apart

maybe in distance

but never at heart

may the hearts serve as a symbol for good friends in far away places.

minnie.

it's time for an honorary, dedicated post. oh how i love these. words about my most beautiful well-deserving friends.

have you met my friend minnie?

yes, that's her name. and coincidentally she is also tiny in physique. it's so symbolic.

we go wayyyy back to the lulu days. you may know that she is an excellent gift giver, cd-mix-maker, and card surpriser. she loves celebrating life and has a knack for finding inspiration. she's also one of the tribal beauties.

oh, she's one of a kind, this girl.

minnie wants the absolute best for me.

it's as simple and as easy as that. the older i get, the more i see how incredibly rare and unique it is to find this quality in others. she is the most unselfish person i've ever met. ever.

she genuinely wants her bestest friends to have all the love and happiness in the world. you can feel it in every ounce of her being. in every word. in every action.

when i search her email address in my inbox, eighty emails appear in the history of our gmail communication. i'd say that seventy five of those notes are her just dropping me a line... hey geans, you'll love this: ______. hope you're having a great day! fill in that blank with inspirational quotes, thoughts, wisdom, videos, pictures, recipes, and more. she just wants to spread a little joy right on over to me.

i hope she knows how much those inbox treats mean to me. how comforting it is to have friends who know you so well.

she's so filled up to the brim with love and happiness that it overflows onto others. isn't that the best thing in the whole wide world to be known for?

see, i told you she's one of a kind.

someday we're going to take our coffee-yoga-running-veggie-wine-free-spirit-loving-selves and adventure around the world.

you just wait.

{you may say i'm a dreamer, one of her all time favorite pics}.

boy crazy.

i love my boy friends. notice the space { _ } between the b and the f. and take note of the plural s. my friends that are boys.

i am oh-so-grateful for the circle of gentlemen that surround me. my little army. i don't know if they even know it -  and i'm certain most of them don't stop in much to it's all happening - but i sure do love them.

you walk me home. you call to check in. you rest your head on my shoulder. we link arms, and you wrap me in a hug just when i need it.

you are pure comfort. and you make me immensely happy. 

so, thank you. thank you for the cheek kisses.

what a lucky gal i am.

shake it out.

oh florence, i heart thee.



the chorus gets me at my core. it makes me want to be utterly beautiful. to have wings for arms and to throw my head back in freedom.

8,789 words of wisdom.

i've had this book on my shelf for years, traveling with me from one living space to the next. it's one of those great, quick, pick-me-up-and-read-a page-or-two kind. most likely purchased at anthropologie.

well, i haven't opened it in ages, but tonight i randomly flipped to page two hundred and sixty six. and, low and behold, lie none other than a few simple words of wisdom to share.

tell people only what needs to be done, not how 

you are part of a big world and even bigger universe 

you may regret what you say but never what you do not say 

difficulty strengthens the mind as labor does the body 

laughter and crying sound the same in all languages 

a journey begins with a single step, and a road map 

all cats look alike in the dark 

don't weight yourself every day 

good posture means better health 

a drop of ink may make a million think  

remind friends of their own worth 

life has a certain responsibility code 

there are some qualities in life that cease to exist once we realize they are happening 

learn to let go

bolded ones are my fave. happy monday, my lovers. may we have weeks full of wisdom.

positive relationships.

i heard something pretty amazing bright and early this morning.

cheat on your fears.
break up with your doubts. 
get engaged to your faith,
and marry your dreams.

i sure do hope you break up with those fears this weekend, dolls. life is too short to stay in a bad relationship. xoxo.

i always will.

she had a thing for sleeve tattoos. of all things {said with an eye roll, emphasis on the all} the ink just melted her.

what was it about his armful of stories?

maybe it was the façade of a hard exterior shell that he portrayed, but really underneath it all, he was as kind as they come. 

the first time they met she asked him, what's the meaning of that one there?

but it took him until the third time they saw each other for him to give into her curious heart. to tell her his stories from past lives. dreams and memories and roads well-traveled.

though he might not admit it to many, he knew on that first encounter she'd have a mark on his arm someday. she'd be part of his story. and, so would two beautiful babies they would together bring into this world.

all of their names are transcribed side by side on his arm. because they will forever be connected. like ink, family is permanent.

ahhhh, she finally realized. that's the reason that arm of yours is so sexy. the sweet hidden meanings behind the "badass."

i love you, she thought. i always will.

*{oh max, you get me every time}

throwback.

i think it's time to get back to my roots. some good 'ol fashion five-things-a-day-i-am-thankful-for fun. it was, after all, what started this sacred space.

sometimes it's nice to revisit why things begin. and, to reflect on how some things never change.

one.
sarah and vinnie on alice ninety seven point three in the mornings. i mean every. single. day. of. the. week. monday. through. friday. they don't know it, but they are my dear pals. that's the funny thing about radio. you talk, hoping people are there to listen. well, i have been for over eleven years {wow that makes me feel old!}. thank you for the breaking news stories, celebrity trash, and crude sense of humor, all of which make me laugh out loud. starting the day would not be the same without you. you are pure comfort.

two.
discovery of feet up the wall pose. also known as viparita karani...and a godsend for digestion. give it a try. keep things a-movin'. it's my new obsession.

three.
fresh air. it's an uncharacteristically warm, crisp, and dry night for november that makes for a delicious open window breeze. i like it.

four.
quotes during practice that are right on.
said during half split or ardha hanumanasana {gosh i love sanskrit, don't you?}.

those who can't seem to find stillness, need to be still the most.

this is so true.

five.
friday night lights. i can't believe it took me so long to discover this gem of a show, but i'm so glad i did. currently i'm mid-series and loving every minute of high school football and love triangles.

{surrendering forward fold found among my pins}

if you could see my heart.

new discovery! my favorite band has a song called hummingbird! 

hold out your hand
yours is the only one that i dare to land