Thursday, January 29, 2009

Thin Mint Madness


Back in the day when i used to go to Weight Watchers meetings (OK i confess - i think i went to, like, 2 meetings total), a hot topic amongst the group was Girl Scout Cookie season. And the "leader" who spoke at the meetings would say, "Just think... Thin Mint or Thin Me?" I never found the saying particularly profound, and all i kept thinking was man i'd kill for cold thin mint (or 2, or 3, or..). I prefer mine nice and cold, stored either in the refrigerator or the freezer and no, i can't only eat just one. I'm also a fan of the Samoas (also known as Caramel deLites), but i usually can only eat just one of those. They are UBER sweet. Anyway, i'm fixated on Girl Scout Cookies because one of the partners brought a huge box in (her daughter's), and i really really really want to go down and buy a dozen or two. Thank goodness i didn't bring my Hello Kitty checks today!

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

A Day of Mourning


I am deeply saddened by the news I learned over dinner. My cousin and i were discussing Korean mini-dramas (i.e. soap operas) and how it's been so long since i've watched one (i used to love watching them with my Mom). The only Korean actress's name i ever could remember was Choi Jin Shil. She was in the first mini-drama i ever saw, way back in the early 90's. She's beautiful (as evidenced by her picture) and considered one of Korea's best actresses. (I'd say she was Korea's Julia Roberts.) Well apparently she committed suicide in October of 2008. As if that's not bad enough, she HUNG herself!! She has 2 little kids, and her mother was the one to find her. The news was/is shocking. Suicide is always difficult to understand, but i really don't understand the hanging... it's so brutal. My prayers (and apparently the rest of South Korea's) go out to her family, especially her children.

Love is Everywhere!


Bonjour, mes amies!! I'm having the loveliest day - how about you? Maybe it's because the sun is shining here in beautiful Austin, TX, and I spent the morning at a symposium focusing on women in leadership. The panelists were all incredible, and i just find it so inspiring to hear from such accomplished, kickass women. Also ran into my own mentor (also a superwoman in her own right.. partner of one of the major law firms, mother to a five-year old and twin 2-year old girls, etc.) which was a pleasant surprise. :-)

I'm back in the office now, trying to catch up on lost time, but i took a petit break to take a peek around Etsy. As i was browsing, i noticed that i had feedback (frequent buyer.. have yet to sell!) from all the sellers from whom i've purchased. And WOW what nice feedback! "Lovely customer... lightning fast payment... wonderful transaction.." Even in my private conversations with some of the sellers, they are always the sweetest, most creative women, and i just can't help but smile. What a delightful space Etsy has become for individuals to expose their creative pursuits to the rest of the world.

On a much lower note, i'm saddened to hear that Conde Nast has officially closed its doors on Domino Magazine. Quelle nightmare!! I just can't imagine a world sans Domino.. where else can i turn for fresh, chic and fun design inspiration?? The only other publication that rivals Domino, in my opinion, is the British magazine Living etc. It's FABULOUS, but also a bit pricey for moi to buy on a regular basis here in the States (yet another reason i miss my London life). Don't get me wrong, i enjoy House Beautiful, Elle Decor, Metropolitan Living, etc., but they don't have the same pizazz as Domino and Ideal Home. Ah well... thank goodness i have the wonderful blogging community to turn to in times like these. ;-)

Ok - back 2 work!

Monday, January 26, 2009

Sneak Peek

Eureka! I think i've got it!! Clearly the area above the TV needs a little love, but i am loving my mini library, reading chair, and new earthy elements (basket, coffee table, branch side table). And even though the rest of the apartment might be a bit chaotic at the moment, i am determined to make it as uncluttered, but still colorful and fun as my nouveau living room. Off i go!


Sunday, January 25, 2009

Intentions



Bonjour, mes amies. I hope you all had a lovely, restful weekend. (Mine was way, WAY too short). I'm about to snuggle into bed with my precious Lola-bear, but first I wanted to share my intention for this week. I've started a new "Intention" column in my planner pad, and now that i have an awesome chalkboard door in my kitchen, i've started writing them there. Last week's was "Love your enemies" because well.. i always need to be reminded of that. I got this week's from a great daily devotional book - "Simple Abundance" by Sarah Ban Breathnach (i guarantee you'll find it at your local Half Price Books!). Her entry for January 23 is on accepting real life. Here's a snippet -

What is acceptance? Acceptance is surredering to what is: our circumstances, our feelings, our problems, our financial status, our work, our health, our relationships with other people, the delay of our dreams. Before we can change anything in our life we have to recognize that this is the way it's meant to be right now. For me, acceptance has become what I call the long sigh of the soul. It's the closed eyes in prayer, perhaps even the quiet tears. It's "all right," as in "All right, You lead, I'll follow."... Today, let go of the struggle. Allow the healing process of change to begin. You're ready to move on.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Fashionista No More?


This afternoon, as i was grabbing a cup of delicious corn chowder from my favorite little bakery - Bakermans Bakery for those of you in Austin - the sweet lady who's always there to greet me complimented me on my "always fun and interesting outfits". I was both surprised and grateful for the comment, as it's been a long time since i've felt trendy/funky/fun at all. And although i admittedly enjoy the semi-grown up attire i've had to adopt since starting my job, i desperately miss dressing like a young 20-something should (i.e. the kickass chick above!). So please indulge moi as i reminisce about some of the things i miss the most...

~microminis (or minis of any kind, really)
~rugged boots with flow-y dresses
~really, really big hair (work hair is only semi-big and only on special days)
~bangles covering my arms
~leggings
~colorful tights (these days i only wear black, navy, brown or grey.. aka BORING)
~knee socks and leg warmers
~wearing my Uggs with everything in the winter
~edgy denim shorts
~hot pink streaks in my hair
~hot pink anything
~sexy tanks (um, sexy anything?)
~bare shoulders
~glitter

On a brighter note, i do SO appreciate the awesome comments i've been getting lately! It inspires me to blog more regularly, AND i love meeting (albeit virtually) all you fabulous, creative women. The blogging world is so unique, n'est ce pas? I've discovered oodles of fun new blogs (and incredible women who write them!) and promise to post an entry sharing the love. For now, back to work and dreaming about strutting the streets of London in head-to-toe TopShop!

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Domestic Goddess


After months of complete disregard for my home and especially my kitchen, i'm reconnecting with my inner domestic goddess and i'm LOVING it. Last weekend i made a delectable beef daube provencal (aka "stew") that i finally polished off tonight. Next i'm going to try to master chili and cornbread (have been inhaling Whole Foods version these days), and this weekend i might even give red velvet cupcakes a shot (i'm not much of a baker..). I've been playing around with my apartment and am happy with the progress, albeit slow. And today after work i stopped by Breed & Co., an Austin jewel, and picked up some chalkboard paint. I've wanted to include chalkboard surface in my apartment since i moved in but just never did it. Today at work i decided to give it a go and painted the pantry door. It's great! I hope to use it for inspirational quotes, recipes, grocery lists, etc.

I can't wait until i have a real home. :-)

Turning Inward

Oh how i wish (me and everyone else!) i could've been in DC yesterday. I probably wouldn't have enjoyed being cramped on the Mall (and unable to get to a decent bathroom!), but to be in in the Nation's Capitol on such a momentous day would've been incredible. I kept hearing about how "electric" the city was and was uber jelly. Instead i watched the festivities unfold on the TV in the lounge/break room of my office. Humph. Not the same thing at all, although emotions ran high, tears were shed, and hoots heard. It was a great morning.

The rest of the day, i found myself irrationally emotional. I felt like i was constantly on the brink of tears (mostly happy, some confusing) ALL day/evening. All this talk of change and the sobering reality of the state of the nation got me turning inwards and doing some serious reflection. Don't i always do that? Something was different about yesterday. The gravity of the economic crisis weighs me down more and more with each passing day. I'm inspired by our new Mr. President, and i am confident that he is most capable of paving the way to a better tomorrow. And i find myself wondering... how can i help?

Friday, January 16, 2009

Friday Funday

I just watched what i think will be the series finale of Lipstick Jungle and yes, i cried. Sigh it's been a long week, and wondering where i'll get my Victory Ford/Lindsay Price fix just adds to it. But not all is down in my world - I just had quite a revelation. A new deal I've been working on this week is going to force me into the office tomorrow, on a Saturday, a Saturday i must say that i've been looking forward to for a long time. But it's no big deal. In fact, i offered to come in, and i'm genuinely happy to do it. Wha?? This is so not a Carolyn-esque reaction, but it's for real. Anyway the point is, the fact that i'm totally fine with going to work on a Saturday made me really happy. Backwards? Yes. Wonderful in that life lesson/i'mgrowingup/wowhowmature kind of way? Absolutely.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

"We Need to Talk"

One of my goals for 2009 was to create some distance between me and my family when it came to finances and my lifestyle in general. We've always been such a close-knit family, but the fact that my attitudes and opinions on certain things have been so drastically different from the rest of the clan has always been a source of contention. I've said it before and I'll say it again - sometimes I'm the only one who knows what's best for me. I tried to have two mature and rational conversations tonight that inevitably ended in disaster. The guilt of hurting my mother has literally eaten away at me for my entire life. Guilt in general, actually. And the fear of always not being good enough? That's toxic, too. I love my family more than anything, but I think we need a break. You know how a relationship can be, for the most part, really good but there's that one big issue that the two of you just can't seem to compromise? I'm not sure that we'll ever get there, but I'm also not sure that our relationship will recover the way it used to. I'm not sure I can recover anymore. I'm grateful that I have such a wonderful, loving family, I truly am. But they have the capability of bringing me down soooo low that it's become really unhealthy. We need a break.

Friday, January 9, 2009

It's the Little Things...


Bonjour, dear friends. I must say, regularly blogging again feels so nice. It's so therapeutic for me, and I hope a little entertaining for you. ;-)

Last night I was returning some things to the mall (i swear, returning is almost as much fun as buying), and i passed one of those big calendar kiosks. Everything is 50% now and so naturally, i had to stop and peruse. There wasn't too much to buy, but i found myself drawn to the High School Musical 3 calendars... The thing is, i don't hang calendars in my apartment anymore b/c i realize that (1) they don't go with my decor and (2) i NEVER look at them. But now... i have an office! The question is: do i dare hang an HSM3 calendar in my office? And the answer my friends is... oui! I bought the mini one, and it's hanging right by my computer monitor, really not visible at all to any partner that may stop in to chat. Anyway i'm positively giddy about it! :-) It's the little things in life that make it brighter.

Monday, January 5, 2009

*Simplicity*


The lovely Kimberly Wilson asks, "What's your word for 2009?" It came to be so easily: SIMPLICITY. I want to simplify my life emotionally, physically, environmentally, socially, etc. Life doesn't need to be more complicated. It seems the more complicated I make it, the less I thrive. Once upon a time I loved busyness, a million balls in the air, and every minute of my time scheduled. These days I crave the quiet - it refuels me. So while I may have, like, 30 New Year's Resolutions, my overall theme for 2009 is to simplify.

Today I spent time with two very inspiring women: Oprah and Kimberly Wilson. Today was the first of Oprah's Best Life Week and focused on falling off the wagon and the war against weight. Obvi this topic speaks to me on many levels, but the one thing that's been on my mind is Oprah's statement that one's problem with her weight is not about food, it's about love. It's a LOVE issue, she says. You NEED TO LOVE YOURSELF, she says. Do I love myself? I haven't tackled this issue in awhile, and I definitely want to spend some time reflecting on it.

Kimberly held her "New Year, New You!" le chic teleclass chat tonight, and I loved it. She gave me some great ideas for adding some zen and zest into 2009 and inspired me to start doing my morning pages... in the morning! Morning pages are Julia Cameron's concept of writing 3 pages of whatever's on your mind first thing in the morning. These days my morning pages have been more like afternoon pages, evening pages, at work pages... And while that's all good and well, there's something to be said about getting your pen to the paper first thing in the morning. Problem is - that means I need to wake up earlier. My goal is to start tomorrow, but tomorrow is Tuesday which is the morning I work out with Deb, which means I have to wake up super early anyway, and well, it's going to be hard. So with that, I'm going to say au revoir and try to catch as many zzz's as possible!

xoxo

Sunday, January 4, 2009

2008 In Review

1. Got my precious pup - Lola!
2. (Somehow) graduated law school
3. Took and passed the BAR
4. Fully furnished, painted and decorated my apartment on my own
5. Started my first, real, full-time job
6. Got back on the workout wagon and began training with Deb (yay!)
7. Spent 2 wonderful weeks in the south of France, Paris, and London
8. Bought my first car (Friday - woo!)
9. Got into my first real accident (New Year's Eve - not woo at all)
10. Turned 25.

These past few weeks have been a blur of the Holidays, loving work, hating work, loving life, hating life, eating, rearranging, car research, and loads and loads of stress and frustration. But just in time for the New Year, it seems that things are falling back into place. Call it a quarter-life crisis, call it what you will, I've been out of sorts lately. But I'm determined to make 2009 fabulous, and I'm determined to start NOW.

This morning I went to yoga for the first time in over a month, and it was divine. Getting back to yoga, focusing on my breath, and turning within is KEY to my 2009 life makeover. This afternoon I met a dear friend for chai lattes and loads of 2008 reflection and 2009 goal-setting. Afterwards we hit up Central Market to get fresh veggies to aid in our 2009 resolutions to cook more and eat whole. Tonight I cooked myself a simple but delicious dinner of whole wheat pasta with a meaty tomato sauce and roasted brussels sprouts. And now I'm tucked into my recently decluttered bedroom (though a tad bit messy right now, i must say..) with my darling Lola curled up and sleeping at my side. For once I'm not totally dreading going to work tomorrow because hey, at least I get to drive my new ride! ('06 Acura TL in case you're wondering)

This week's plans include morning pages, regular workouts, daily prayer, seeing Marley & Me, funtimes with friends, staying busy at work, lots more cooking and as much ME time as I can squeeze in. Here's to 2009 - cheers!