I’m in San Francisco for a hot minute this week to round out work for this year and really enjoying the balmy 55 degree weather. And sunshine. And coffee. My lord, the (Blue Bottle) coffee…
What are the chances that I actually make it home to Chicago tomorrow though? My phone is blowing up with alerts about a winter storm that is threatening to make my return difficult. 1st storm overreacting or real deal, Chicagoans?
Only 7 days until Christmas- when am I possibly going to find time to create a design of my apartment building and then craft it out of gingerbread???
Real talk, this gingerbread NYC brownstone is pretty awesome.
Ryan and I saw this blur of holiday joy on our walk home from taking class at Flywheel on Saturday. We were lamenting on how we were exhausted we were, how the class kicked our butts, how we couldn’t possibly lift a finger for the rest of the night…but miraculously, the second we spied this decked out Dodge, both of our iPhones were out in seconds to snap a photo.
I wonder if it felt as festive on the inside of that car as it looked on the outside.
I once heard the moment you become a parent described as having your heart suddenly on the outside of your body, vulnerable and totally out of your control to protect, but filled with so much love that you would die trying.
I am not a parent yet but as I grow older and love fills my life stronger and more fiercely, I feel like this description is understandable.
But nothing that happened yesterday is understandable. Comprehensible.
These children were not Democrats. Or Republicans. They were just children. Going to school.
There’s not much that feels appropriate to say right now. Brene Brown expressed that her prayer was “love and light to those in pain and help me stay open hearted as I manage my own fear and anger.” That sentiment seems like a good start.
Because it is not a time for a gun control debate or mental health debate; it is a time for prayer. Exactly for what, I am not sure. Prayer for help, prayer for love, prayer for faith, maybe. But I am certain that when something happens beyond comprehension, when your heart outside of your body is broken, the only option is to hit your knees. And pray.
I am at my first corporate holiday party and these people understand me- champagne, poker, dance parties and killer views of Chicago.
Christmas __________.
Scrolling through my Facebook feed yesterday, I noticed so many comments devoted to the fact that the date was 12-12-12. Totally cool, I get it, these numbers aligning is something super rare. But it got to the point where people were lamenting that there was only a few hours left of this 12-12-12, how sad it was that this day would never be again, this is the only one we would ever have.
Spoiler alert, people: every dayis the last we will have of that day. Today will never be again, the same way tomorrow will never be again and so on. And maybe we should be looking at every day the way we did 12-12-12–this is a day that will never be again so let’s live the heck out of it, enjoy it, be present in it.
How’s that for a truth bomb?
Christmas David’s Tea!!!!
Remember when I got uber excited about David’s Tea coming to Bucktown? I was up on Southport yesterday and ta-da…David’s Tea! You guys, this place is the bees knees. They are so incredibly nice, pulling down tubs of tea for me to smell, and so knowledgeable (“Bubbly” is champagne tea. Yes….). I bought some gifts but being in a hurry, left without any tea for myself. Totally fine but I made a mental note to get back up there soon.
Fast forward to the evening and the cookie baking evening I had with a few girlfriends. My darling friend Ashlee bounded through the door with a blue bag filled with the best hostess gift of all time- a David’s Tea box with a new mug, diffuser, and 3 tins of tea! Those balls for loose tea suck so this diffuser has already changed my life and the cup of Coco Chai Rooibos I had this morning was equally amazing. Such a thoughtful surprise and such a treat- not that I need an excuse to be overly excited about anything but I was SO excited to wake up this morning and make fancy tea in my fancy new cup.
And I think I will be excited to wake up tomorrow morning too.
Christmas tea for the win!
Pretty much everything I do for the next 2 weeks is going to be considered “Christmas _____________.” This morning? Christmas Breakfast with my Co-workers.
Just addressing some more Christmas cards, Soda Stream’ing some water and watching our cat stick her head into a glass to get her fizz on.
It was really a fantastic weekend- we tried a new restaurant, listened to jazz, went on a Christmas light 4 mile run, got cocktails to celebrate some work-wins, saw a movie, ate mind blowing lobster rolls. But it was sitting in our living room, looking at our cat’s head through glass and laughing incredibly hard that made me realize that no matter what we do or who we do it with, I am so wildly grateful for the 2 beings I share this life with.
