Classy Lady Wish List

Tomorrow I start a new job and I am pretty excited/nervous about it. I have to dress like a classy lady everyday and I am pretty excited/nervous about that as well. Excited because it will be fun to play dress up everyday but nervous that it will get old and that I will cry many tears for my jeans. I created a little classy lady wish list to inspire me to be all about professional dress. 

1. Statement Necklace: Classy but still edgy and not too glitzy.

2. Make-Up Bag: All of my make-up (which isn't that much by the way) is in a plastic bag under my sink. I feel like classy ladies have make-up bags, especially ones with french words on them.

3. The Classic Dress: This dress screams "Look at me, I'm an adult!" Maybe I'll even wear it with nylons, nude heels, a cardigan, and red lipstick. Talk about classy.

4. Fancy Boots that aren't from Target or Old Navy: I officially dubbed these boots as my reward for getting a job. I have been holding out for a long, long while to purchase these bad boys. They are made with real italian leather and won't wear out after a month or two. I'm still going to wait a little while longer and see if they go on sale (because I still can't justify the price). 

5. A Kate Spade Planner: Now what is classier than Kate Spade? Plus I am into the watercolor book illustration on the front.

6. A Signature Scent: I have never really been into perfume until I took a whiff of No. 31. It is literally enchanting. And I want to smell enchanting. I feel like the classiest of classy lady things to have is a signature scent.  

P.S. all this blogging has been fun but it will probably be much slower now that I will be working again. Putting together this post was a fun way to celebrate my last day of unemployment/being a lazy bum all day.

Snippets of my week

Explored the neighborhood where my new job is! Yes! A job! Yahoo!! 

Went out to celebrate at Mioposto  for some delicious wood fired pizza.

Took a refreshing walk/run at Carkeek Park

Took some sneaky pictures of this house. I love the white with black trim.

Went back to one of my favorite spots in Queen Anne. What's better than ordering a mexican mocha and perusing a book store?

A Quick Trip to California

One of my dear friends from high school got married last weekend in California. Mike and I were so glad to be able to attend and soak up some California goodness. We were only in town for less than 48 hours, but it sure felt good to see my family, old friends, and take a walk on the beach. I didn't snap too many photos because we were busy celebrating/spending time with family/traveling. Here we are all in Cayucos, CA with my lovely family, the besty included.

It was strange leaving California and not knowing when I would be back, I usually have some sort of trip planned but I have no clue when I will be traveling here again. Mike and I plan on staying in the PNW for the holidays this year and then who knows!

Autumn Survival Kit for the Pacific Northwest

Fall is here, Trader Joe's is officially overrun with pumpkin EVERYTHING (even pumpkin flavored dog treats because dogs need to celebrate fall too), and the temperatures are starting to drop. As much as I love fall, its coming means that The Deadly 4 is on its way. What is The Deadly 4? It's what I call the 4 months of winter that the Pacific Northwest experiences. Halfway through November we change our clocks and the trees become bare and then we wait; through the darkness and the rain and the cold, until the middle of March when finally, FINALLY, blossoms start to peek out and we change our clocks again. During The Deadly 4 you eat a lot of grilled cheese and tomato soup and your feet are always cold (I swear my toes are frozen from November to March). Anyway, thinking about The Deadly 4 makes me think about cherishing autumn and taking pleasure in the little things that make this time, where the earth essentially dies, so beautiful. 

Below are some things that will be with me throughout fall.

1:: Stumptown Coffee - A PNW staple if you ask me. A good cup of jo is essential to enjoying cold, crisp fall mornings.

2:: A Way to Brew Said Coffee - The Chemex is really great. We got one as a wedding gift and I'm in love!

3:: Joseph - This PNW based band of siren-like sisters is incredible. I have literally been listening to it on repeat for days now. Plus their harmonies are pretty bad ass and when I'm home alone I definitely sing along with them.

4:: A Good Jacket - Living in the PNW requires a good jacket. It needs to be warm AND water resistant AND have a hood AND (if this is important to you) it needs to be stylish. Apparently Seattle is one of the worst dressed cities in the country because style isn't really our thing; REI is. Since I'm sort of into style (the functional kind) I think this H&M jacket would be a good choice.

5:: Bean Boots - I love my bean boots. I invested in a pair last fall and although they hail from the Northeast they are great for the Northwest as well.

6:: A Good Sweater - A warm sweater is essential for fall in my book. Preferably one that looks like your grandmother's, is way too big for you, and from Value Village. The one pictured here is from the British clothing company Toast. It is one of my favorite places for thriftspiration; aka where I love the style of their clothes but can't afford them so I find similar things at the thrift store.

7:: A Beautiful and Slightly Spooky Book - I think people often overlook the spookiness of fall. As much as I love the whole pumpkins and leaves situation, I am also into black cats, hocus pocus, and foggy walks through the woods. Jane Eyre seems to be an appropriate fall read to add a dash of spookiness to the season.

8:: A Good Smelling Candle - Never underestimate the power of a candle; it provides instant coziness.

Art for the home part I

I have been on the hunt for some art pieces for our home. Our budget is pretty low, as in there isn't really a budget for wall art (what a shame!) But, in the future we are hoping to fill our walls with some beautiful art. Here is what has been inspiring me.

Left Right

(1) (2) (3) (4)

(Left) (Right)

(Left) (Right)

(Left) (Right)

A Note on the Present and the Future

On the Present:

 I found this apple tree on one of my evening strolls. The textures of the thing!

 We finally ordered a new rug for the living room. We currently have this giant tan rug (that matches the colors of the walls mind you) that our landlord insists we have to have to "preserve" the hardwood floors, aka cover them up so no one can ever look at them :(. We decided to save up for two 5x7 rugs to replace the giant rug that covers the whole room. So here is rug #1, at this rate rug #2 won't be around for another 3 months... cause you know, paying rent is more important than a rug... #firstworldproblems 

 Coffee in bed with David Sedaris

Coffee on the couch with Madeleine L'Engle 

On the Future:

The Central branch of the Seattle Public Library

 Over the past six months the course of my life has taken a huge turn. I decided I didn't want to use my degree in music and didn't even finish my music therapy degree. I did a lot of processing/praying/staring out the window/dreaming and my mind kept coming back to this one thing, libraries. I love everything that they stand for; intellectual freedom, open access to anyone despite race, gender,  and socioeconomic status, and their value of community. I wanted to be a part of a "helping" profession but I don't have the stamina or personality to be a counselor or special ed teacher (two other career options I was contemplating). The thing is I am sensitive, introverted, and have a bit of an anxiety problem. The summer I worked with kids with special needs I had nightmares every night about something terrible happening at camp. When I was interning for music therapy I found myself becoming numb to my clients feelings because as soon as I began to empathize I became too sensitive and overwhelmed. 

After realizing all this I started to feel like a failure. I thought I was a selfish person who didn't have the capacity to help others. God sort of nudged  me and said "Come on kid, you are who you are, lets not be ridiculous now." True story God. I am who I am, how silly of me to think you couldn't use me. So yes, I'm anxious, I worry a lot, and I am not cut out for the heroic helping professions like social work/counseling/special ed. I think I am meant to help in a more quiet way. Thus the dream of becoming a librarian was born. First things first, graduate school. I am applying to University of Washington and the Pratt Institute in NYC where they have a dual degree program in library science and art history (can we say dream?) Mike and I have talked about the whole New York thing because we love Seattle and we have lots of family and friends around us, but he always reassures me that if its my dream then we have to go. Thankfully, his electrician's apprenticeship can be done anywhere in the U.S. so it won't get in the way of his school. But who knows what is coming next anyway. There are days when I am like "Yes New York!" and others day where I say "Seattle, I love you, I will never leave you or forsake you." Plus I have to get into grad school first... :). 

Isn't this place amazing? 

Come to this place in four years and find me working here. I'll help you find a book or something. 

Pinspiration: Muted Fall

Fall is on its way already and lately I have been finding comfort in muted colors. I'm excited for chunky sweaters, boots, and cozy blankets. 

 Chunky sweaters everyday. Living in these Madewell trousers that I bought sale on sale. 

 Eucalyptus, a clean and simple home, printed rugs, and a warm drink and a book in bed. 

Cognac booties and a big white sweater

Muted pinks and greys, more eucalyptus, white ceramics, and some beautiful art

 Forest green boyfriend blazer, and a oversized tweed coat.

 army green slouchy pants and a crescent necklace

a grey bedroom and a productive workspace. 

Settling

 It is almost mid-September and we are still getting settled into our cozy little house in Seattle. Sometimes I am still in awe of the reality of my life. Despite being unemployed and having a horrible time finding a job, life is sort of ridiculously idyllic. I live in a cottage in an adorable neighborhood with a handsome ginger (who somehow agreed to marry me) in the city of my dreams. Yes, life is good. God is good. Since I have more time on my hands than usual, I have been able to nest and give our house lots of attention. First things first was get rid of as much as possible. When my roommate moved out and all my things/Mike things got shuffled around I realized how much we both owned that we hadn't even looked at in over a year. That being said I took over 5 large trash bags to Value Village and it felt SO GOOD. No clutter is vital for this tiny little house and probably for my well being too.  I tried to register us for a lot of neutral colored things (whites and greys mostly). I did this because I believe the gifts we received we will have for years and I wanted them to be as timeless as possible. Everything seems to be working together quite nicely.

Evening stroll on the Tour de Little Free Library

Had our first date night in Seattle as a married couple

Rode our bikes to the Fremont Sunday Market on one of the last sunny days. 

The Great Canadian Honeymoon Part III

Here is the last and final post of our honeymoon. The last 2-3 days of our trip were probably my most favorite. We took a beautiful drive up to Jasper on a particularly chilly/rainy day and went canoeing on Moraine Lake and at Lake Louise.

Peyto Lake

Bow Lake

Peyto Glacier

The Columiba Ice field in Jasper National Park

Stopping to skip rocks on the side of road. I was pretty paranoid about bears the whole time on our trip, which I regret in hindsight because we didn't even end up seeing one. So while Mike skipped rocks I was on bear watch. 

Handsome husband

The colors of this place!

Canoeing on Moraine Lake. We were so glad we happened to be early risers this day. We got to the lake around 10am because we planned to canoe on Lake Louise as well that day and didn't want to rush. We left Moraine Lake at noon and they had closed the road up to the lake because there were too many people already. AH! There is always that conflict in me about touristy places like this, the crowds can sometimes ruin the experience a bit, but for us our solution will always be get there early. Also to really keep the crowds away, take a hike. Most tourists in Banff don't like to walk more than a 100 ft. from there car, which you can have the luxury of doing and still get amazing pictures and see so much beauty.

Quite the photogenic place

Reflection

Canoe part 2 on Lake Louise. We decided to use our Moraine Lake plan with Lake Louise and got there at 8:30am on our last day in Banff. The lake was empty and we were the first ones out on the water. 

The fog cleared right when we finished canoeing. 

Goodbye Banff, you were perfect. We then began our long 12 hour journey home. We left Banff at 11:00am, got back into the US around 4:00pm and arrived back to our home in Seattle at11:00pm. We were pooped to say the least, but so glad to be home as husband and wife. 

It was so wonderful traveling with Mike. We have gone on small trips together before but nothing like this. It was so fun to laugh together and suggest crazy dreams for the future (like moving to Europe, learning a new language, building a house, getting a dog, maybe having babies, going to grad school, and adventuring in the mountains). We came away from this trip knowing it was just the first of many more to come!