Zoo Lights

Festive lights for the holidays at the National Zoo. Animals slept soundly to the constant white noise of hundreds of children crying from exhaustion, gasping with wonder, and talking with their little voices to their parents about the beautiful lights. 

Shoe Love: Glitter and Bold

A few weeks ago I went to a Sequin Happy Hour which consisted of a bunch of friends meeting at a bar and all wearing some sort of sequin, glitter, or sparkle. Even men were forced to participate. It was such a fun idea and I jumped on board immediately, before realizing that I have no sequins in my wardrobe. None. Not even a sparkly rhinestone necklace. I felt like this was some sort of huge womanhood fail. I don't think of myself as a tomboy, but maybe? I re-thought my whole identity.

Then remembered I did had some Miu Miu pumps with glitter on them (phew) but they are a sandal and freezing even if worn with tights.  I ended up wearing holiday colored flannel, denim, and leopard loafers. With red lipstick. And diamond earrings. Those count, right?

I love these Miu Miu glitter pumps! They would make the perfect holiday addition to any closet and they're on sale.

Do you have any sequins in your wardrobe?

Images via Net-a-Porter

A Guide to Gift Giving

Ah yes, tis the holiday season. A time recognized through ones physical senses by a chill in the air (or freeze, depending on your latitude), the smell of street carts roasting chestnuts, freshly cut Christmas trees waiting to be taken home and decorated, or Menorahs in the window waiting to count the days of Hanukah. To get in the holiday mood, some watch their favorite Christmas movie, decorate cookies, or go to church, while others start a Wish List Pinterest board, or email their families a Word doc listing gifts to be received, separated by category and price. ::coughs::

Ever since I was a young girl I’ve had some issues giving and receiving gifts. It’s not that I’m ungrateful or thoughtless, it’s that I take it personally. I want the recipient of my gift to feel touched by my gesture. I want it to mean something. I want to show my affections for this person, and I want them to think of me while enjoying their gift. In return, I would like gifts that are equally as thoughtful and fun. I don’t hide my “are you serious?” face very well. When someone misfires on reading what I will want, I do my best to diplomatically and graciously thank them for their thoughtfulness. Just because I ride horses, Grandma, does not mean that all I want is horse themed paraphernalia for every giving opportunity.

My favorite Christmas memory was when I was a young child, still playing with Barbie dolls. This is also my cousin’s favorite memory, and likely my sister’s too. We woke up Christmas morning to find three newly purchased Barbie motor homes waiting for us under our grandparent’s bountiful tree. They were the coolest things we’d ever seen. Barbie could pack up the family and go anywhere in the world, just like that. The back of the car separated and unfolded to reveal spacious living quarters complete with a mini kitchen, bed with linens, and fold out table and chairs. The car part, once detached, had fold out seats. Upon reaching their destination, the whole family, or group of friends, could venture out and discover new shops, restaurants, hiking trails, and even waterfalls. We played with those until we finally grew up enough to have cars of our own and a means to explore life as adults. I’m pretty sure my parents still have them in their attic somewhere.

But gift giving has its missteps too. Just two years ago my father tried to combine my love of shoes with my love of my college football team (University of Florida Gators, if you don’t know by now ;). He proudly presented my sister and I with Gator themed Crocs and I nearly fainted in disbelief. “Are you serious?” was too stuck on my face to hide with gracious praise.

I’m not always the best gift giver either. Most of my gifts to Gman consist of things that include me and that I will enjoy like, movie tickets to something I want to see, vacations, picnics, wine, and lingerie. I also buy him things I think he should wear.

However, I am a firm believer that giving a gift as an adult can be painless and enjoyable. Here are a few guidelines for always getting it right.

Give something consumable. If you aren’t sure of someone’s style or if you are like me and have a very particular ‘to purchase’ list for your home and closet, it’s a good idea to offer gifts like wine, chocolate, expensive olive oil, specialty coffee*, or even an all expenses paid night out to the recipient's favorite restaurant/bar. It’s the gift of spending time together; can it get any better than that? Flowers are also appreciated and fall within this category, though I don’t recommend you eat them.

Give something shiny. People love shiny things, including but not limited to – jewelry, crystal, ceramics with gold leaf, silver objects, stemware, new golf clubs, makeup, candles and candle holders, ipads, iphones, Venetian glass ornaments, scarfs with sequins, food with edible gold leaf on it, especially French macaroons or cake, and a new car (cue Price is Right music)!

Give something handmade. I handmade all my Christmas presents until… well I still do. Every year I write a letter and give it to friends and family updating them on our activities. I like receiving their cards as well. Also acceptable - wreaths, ornaments, picture frames with meaningful pictures (from one of your travels, perhaps?), artwork, moonshine, and food (cookies) fall into this category as well.

*A Starbucks gift card counts as specialty coffee, especially for this caffeine-crazed writer.

Destination: Ft. Myers, Florida

As you may know, Gman and I took a road trip for the holiday season. We started in his hometown, Ft Myers Beach, Florida. I've written about Southwest Florida briefly before here and it's true that this is where people go to experience a more relaxed lifestyle. Not only do Gman and I love to go home to visit his family but also to have downtime that we don't seem to get too much of in our daily lives. After a few days here we are refreshed and ready to take on the world again.

My favorite thing to do in Ft Myers is to lounge in the sun by the pool, drink a cold beer, and chat with Gman's family. I recommend going here if you are looking for a time out. This what you should see and do...

I highly recommend spending a significant portion of your time at the beach. Ft Myers Beach {where Gman's mother grew up} and Sanibel {which I wrote about here} are great options. Ft Myers used to rely heavily on its shrimp fishing industry and still does to a lesser degree {and now depends on tourism}. If you enjoy seafood, you can find the freshest around at the shimp docks on the mainland side of Ft Myers Beach. If you are looking for a beach-y souvenir then go to Local Color, also on Ft Myers Beach. They have a great selection of tacky, tourist-y objects and surprisingly chic beachwear.

taken with instagram

Spend a day shopping start by finding a deal at the Miramar Outlets then head over to The Shops at Coconut Point for lunch at Tony Sacco's for coal oven pizza and more shopping.  If you find yourself closer to downtown the shops at Bell Tower are great for grabbing the basics. I would stop here in the afternoon to sample beers at World of Beer and to have dinner at Paris Saigon Bistro for an interesting mix of French and Vietnamese.

You'll also want to take a drive down the palm tree lined McGregor Blvd and go for a tour of the Edison House. Both have the perfect old Florida vibe. Thomas Edison built his winter home here in Ft Myers. You can explore his laboratory, gardens, pool, and home which have all been fully restored. I found it slightly strange that you can not enter the home, only peer into the windows. However, the architecture was designed to maximize that coastal breeze so large windows and shallow spaces allow you to see everything despite being regulated to view from the porch. 

Henry Ford lived next door and you can sneak a peek into his Craftsman style house too. I'm obsessed with the wood floors and ceilings of the Ford home. The wrap around porches on both homes are also a dream come true.

Last but not least you must pick up some chocolates at Norman Love. If it's cold(ish) then try the Mexican Hot Chocolate otherwise just pick up a few truffles. They are so delicious that your mouth waters with anticipation of the next bite.

Weekend Recap: Christmas

Hello my dear readers! 

Are you back to work after celebrating the holidays? Are you still on vacation with family or taking time out to catch up with blogs and news online? In my daily life I'm on the computer for at least 10 hours a day so it has been nice for me {especially my eyes} to take a hiatus. I've been very busy catching up with family and friends this last week. I feel so incredibly blessed to have so many people in my life that love and encourage me.

I normally don't like to get too personal on here, but I feel the holiday season always brings such cheer and such despair for everyone and has especially my family this year. This Christmas has been a difficult one. Although it has been one of the best - I have spent a significant amount of quality time with my aunts, cousins, and friends - there has been one person missing. 

My beloved uncle died this year after struggling with alcoholism. It has been the most difficult loss of my life. There were moments I thought my heart would not stop breaking. Moments I thought I couldn't possibly get through the grief. Every time I would talk to my family it seemed to help and worsen my state of mind. I asked myself, why did this happen? How could this have happened? What was he thinking? Was I not enough? Was life not worth it? I cried every day for at least six months. I wished I could just call him and hear his voice. But then, little by little, day by day, I started to feel more balanced. I could take pleasure in things that used to make me happy. I started to feel inspired by my grief to take life by the reigns and do something meaningful with my time. 

Christmas day was difficult. There were jokes he would have laughed at. Food he would have enjoyed eating. And hugs we wouldn't be getting. It was also a very powerful day. We were there together, all burdened with grief, yet we still laughed at the jokes, still ate the food, and still greeted one another with a hug. We were healing because we were going through it together.

I know being with family can be very difficult during the holidays. They are people you might not spend time with were they not related. There might be severed ties or broken hearts. One thing I have learned over the course of this year is that you never know how much anguish and despair people are carrying with them. It is especially important to be gracious with each this time of year and remember that time does heal all wounds.

Before eating Christmas dinner we toasted to each other, to the meal, to healing relationships, and to the ones not with us. We cried together only for a moment before my sister toasted to Tim Tebow...

PS - If you are also struggling with grief here are a few things that have really helped me so far: reaching out to people I trust and talking to them about it, letting myself cry, being patient with myself, and journalling.