feeling a little bridesmaid-less

Welp. I actually spent two hours on Saturday morning painting something for my office. Progress! The bad news is that I'm not loving it. I mean, I have a tendency to be slightly critical of the things I make (and by critical I mean neurotically unsatisfied) so I decided to just walk away from it for a little bit. I definitely think it has potential, just not sure what that is yet. I promise to post pictures when I actually make a final product I'm proud of. (And more pictures in general, I realize this thing is starting to read like a text book...) Just not yet. I feel like the victory is not in the final product but the process of actually creating so I'm still happy with my effort. Baby steps, people. Baby steps.

On a side note, Jason, his sister Kim and I went and saw Bridesmaids tonight. Wasn't expecting to like it but Kristin Wiig and Maya Rudolph are just amazing. Two ladies I could certainly see myself hanging out with. Remember my weakness for funny people - they certainly fall into that category. The Wilson Phillips dance scene is just classic.

The only unfortunate side effect of the two hours of belly-laughing is that it made me miss my girlfriends a ton. Fun fact about me: I have an uncanny ability to take seemingly harmless chick-flicks and turn them into poignant, thought-provoking reflections of my life. So of course I spent the entire car ride home thinking about how terrible I've been at keeping in touch with my best friends and how if I stay on this course I'm going to find myself engaged in a few years with exactly zero bridesmaids. (Sometimes I really enjoy these dramatic implications my brain seems to cook up. I find my irrational side kind of hilarious.) After talking myself down from the ledge (and sending exactly twelve text messages to girl friends about how much I appreciate them in my life...) I resolved myself to simply try harder at letting my friends know I care about them and spending time with them. I think that will do. Still impressed with my over-analytical abilities though. If over-thinking was a skill, pretty sure I could make a career of it.

Hope everyone enjoyed their Memorial Day and I promise to start posting pictures with some of these posts. It could certainly use some spice.

happiness these days

Things that are currently bringing joy to my life:

This blog. Obvious one, I know, but watching the evolution of this thing has made me so happy. Expect a future post showing the process because I've saved screenshots from the many stages of disarray it's been in. (Nerdy confession: Every other day or so I flip through them to watch the progress all over again. Dumb, but it brings me instant satisfaction and pride so I keep coming back to it.) In another life I would've liked to be a web designer so this is the closest I'll get, at least for now. Can't wait to see how much it changes over time.

Michael Buble. Jason and I refer to him as "The Bubbly," which I think is quite perfect because his music has this uncanny power to make life somehow seem... effervescent. (Not to be confused with Evanescence, the band. Which does the opposite in fact.) Anyway, he brings a smile to my face. AND I heard the other day that he's pretty funny at his concerts. And as you'll learn, I have a strong affinity for funny people.

Girlfriends. I admit I'm the worst person EVER when it comes to staying in touch. (Seriously, it's a problem.) I grew up with three older brothers and while I love my girlfriends to death, I'm just not one of those girls that can't live without chick-flicks and pedicures every few days. I like inappropriate humor and don't mind watching sports and enjoy sharing geeky tidbits of things I find on the web with my equally geeky boyfriend. This is just my nature. (That's not to say I'm not girly, I like shopping and Oprah and Us Weekly too, just not all the time.) However... i DID just get a pedicure with a friend the other day and loved every moment of our shamelessly girly convo. I also recently joined a group chat with all my best friends from college, and I must say it's refreshing. There's nothing like a little female perspective to remind you you're not crazy. I love sharing inside jokes and making fun of each other and knowing undoubtedly that at a moment's notice they'd be there for me if I needed them. I've made it a personal goal to stay in better contact with them because, frankly, they make my heart smile. (And we have a girls' weekend coming up in June that I can't wait for!)

Grocery shopping. Never thought I'd say groceries were a source of happiness in my life. I'm completely clueless when it comes to anything cooking-related. (Personally, I like to think my lack of domesticity is a part of my charm. Doubtful that the boyfriend would agree.) Regardless, we've gotten into a habit of going to the store together every week or every other week, usually Monday nights. Even though we always come away with the standard items (steaks/chicken/vegetables/lunchmeat/oatmeal), I just love it because it's become a ritual. We each have our few items that the other one doesn't eat and I love that we both eye each other as we put them in the cart. Cantaloupe? Really? I cannot think of a less delicious food than canteloupe and it's a poor excuse for a fruit. I can tell that's exactly what Jason's brain is saying as I place my fruit salad in the cart. It's simple, but it's our thing. And I love it.

Fresh sweet cherries. Random, but they're in season and they pretty much function as my dessert. I have to eat them immediately after dinner every night. Just the perfect amount of sweetness. Yet another one of the aforementioned grocery items that Jason does not understand, which almost makes me enjoy them more because they are uniquely mine. When I lived in New York I would buy huge bagfuls at Whole Foods and munch on them as I read a book in my apartment. Eating them brings me back to that wonderful, independent time in my life. I'm a sucker for fruit and nostalgia, what can I say. (Maybe that should have been my blog title - Fruit and Nostalgia. Hmm...)

Anyway, life is good. That is all.

where crafty comes in

I've always considered myself a creative person, and I can honestly say I am the most happy and in my element when I'm creating things. Not only is it an incredible feeling of accomplishment when I realize I've made something with my personal stamp on it, but I can't get enough of that elusive-yet-addictive feeling of being overflowing with ideas. It honestly makes me feel alive and just...well...myself.

When I originally got the idea in my head that I wanted to start this blog, it wasn't just because I wanted a place to send my thoughts out into the world (though that was certainly part of it); it was also because I wanted a place to document my crafty adventures and all the things that inspire me. Sort of a digital reminder of how great it feels to make things.

The truth is, I've been crafty since the beginning. Whether it was for birthdays or Christmas gifts for friends and family, I've made small little artsy gifts and knick-knacks my whole life. I idea of making something was always more comfortable to me than buying something because I'm so terrible at remembering what people like and don't like. (I swear it doesn't mean I don't care - I just have a TERRIBLE memory!)

I distinctly remember being nine years old and hand painting little jewelry boxes for each of my best friends. I painted them each a separate color that I thought suited them and hand-decorated the top with an adjective that I thought best described them. Nine years old people! Where I came up with that idea I'll never know, but the point is I've always loved making things personal. I can remember people asking me, how'd you make that or where'd you come up with that?

I'm constantly picking up these tiny bits of inspiration everywhere but I don't fee like I ever DO anything with them anymore. It's like all these crafty little seeds are in my brain just waiting to sprout up. I thought it would be cool to have a place to show people my creative process and where I find inspiration, but also something that would hold me accountable to keep creating.

I have a growing list of ideas that I have to get out soon or I might go crazy. So again, here's to hoping I don't lose interest and move on to something else. (Please someone out there save me from my whimsical ways!!) Hope to have some crafty goodness to post in the next week or so - and if not, you read it here first. You have my permission to leave mean comments insinuating I'm a sissypants. Or just saying that. Or worse. (Don't think my mom is reading. Yet.)

an introduction

I recognize this isn't the most conventional of terms for us to meet on, but I've just made an astounding realization about myself and I have to share it with anyone that will listen. 

I have ADD. 

Not even like the excusable, clinical kind that has to do with the functioning of my brain, but the other kind - the kind that's completely self-imposed and just an implication of my utter inability to be satisfied or comfortable. With anything. Ever. So I suppose it's really more of a character flaw than anything else.

This blog is a shining example of my ADD. I started a blog once. You can check it out here. If you don't feel like clicking, fear not - I'll tell you what you'll find. Oh, about six posts. In six months. I mean, really? That's not a blog. That's a periodical. And a terrible one at that because it only has one article a month. (Tangent: Do kids today know what periodicals are?)

Anyway, the point is that I have a hard time sticking to things. My interests and attention waiver almost as frequently as my decision on where to eat dinner most nights. (Fun fact about me: Being asked to pick a place to eat is the bane of my existence. You'd think I was making the hardest decision of my life. I'll literally change my mind ten times.)

And while my lack of focus is probably mildly annoying for most people that know me, it's also something I kind of appreciate about myself in a way. I constantly want to try new things and figure out what I like and what I don't. I love that feeling of tackling something I've never done before. Plus if I've learned anything in my short year being in the "adult" world (those are air quotes), it's that you take that feeling of invigoration anywhere you can. When I think about the fact that I'll be working for the next 40 years, it kind of makes me want to cry. Anything to distract me from remembering this fact is good in my book.

So here we are. Starting a new blog and hoping that this one will outlive the last. What I realized about my last foray into the blogosphere (ugh, did I really use that word already!) was that I wasn't really doing it for myself. I was doing it because I thought I had to contribute some sort of commentary on social media and advertising and other things related to my professional life. The truth is I read that stuff all. day. long. Why would I want to go home and write about it? The things I actually want to write about are the millions of random thoughts that go through my head every day. Like why it's impossible for me to keep track of pens. Or how come when I buy a new notebook I can never bring myself to write on the first page, I have to leave a buffer page and start writing on the second? Those are the things I look forward to sharing because hey, maybe someone out there can relate. And that's cool. 

So here we go. Maybe this blog will be the exception to my rule. Feeling a little skeptical of myself at this point, but still quite hopeful. 

ps. In case you haven't noticed, I love parentheses. (ya think?)

pps. If you've made it this far, thanks for reading.