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Friday, March 28, 2014

who is she?! pt. 7


Happy Friday!!

I am happy to say that my dad's surgery went well yesterday & he is at home resting and preparing for the long weeks ahead, pain, and therapy, but in the end all of this will be worth it.

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This week's "Who is She?!" is my amazing friend, Moriah.
I call her MoMo  :)



We went to high school together, after graduation she studied Journalism at Oral Roberts University in Oklahoma and then moved to Israel to study at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. 

She is currently living in Perth, Australia and is a media adviser for a federal member of parliament (the equivalent of a US Congressman in the States). She basically writes press releases, speeches, blog posts, looks over social media and helps manage his website.

(I just realized how that description could make her sound a bit serious, maybe... I will have you know, she is crazy smart... but also one of the silliest people-she would be highly offended if you took her as "uptight", so don't!)

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-What is she wearing?
Target. It’s pretty much the only store I buy clothes from. I am easily overwhelmed when I shop because I honestly have no idea what I am doing. I consider myself a relatively smart person, but I often find myself looking at women’s clothing, asking myself, “What is this? A shirt? Dress? Skirt? Sweater? What do I do with this?” I usually just stick with jeans and t-shirts or dresses.


-What is she listening to?
Cage the Elephant, Two Door Cinema, Coldplay and Sin Fang.


-Where is she going?
Currently on a trip to Israel, Thailand and Cambodia for a month, visiting friends and eating a ton of food. “Eat. Pray. Eat.” That is the motto for this trip.
-What is she reading?
a book called, “El Alamein” that my friend’s dad wrote. It’s about how a critical battle won by the Allies in World War II prevented the Nazis from expanding the Holocaust into North Africa and the Middle East.


-What is she working on?
Working on making this trip the best it can be and soaking up this great time with friends.


-Who is she with?
Friends mostly, but I also enjoy spending time by myself.


-What is she afraid of?
Living a boring, unfulfilling life. There is too much living to be done to be stagnated.


-What is she hoping for?
To one day become a foreign correspondent in the Middle East. It’s a region that fascinates me and I absolutely love the complexity of its many cultures and diverse history.


-What is her favorite part of the day?
After work when I am able to work out. I sit at a desk for much of the day, so I like being able to get out and move, whether it’s at the gym or on running paths along the river.


-What is she eating?
Hummus and rugelach (a mini croissant with chocolate swirled in it) every day! Israel makes amazing hummus and the BEST rugelach, so I eat it at least once every day I’m here.



-What is she drinking?
Water, all the time. I drink at least a gallon a day.


-What is she loving?
I love traveling again. I get restless every few months, and traveling provides me with an outlet. I like finding new ways to challenge myself, connect with people from different cultures and broaden my worldview. Traveling does all of that.



-What is she watching?
I am currently rewatching 30 Rock, and am always watching a ton of CNN, History Channel and National Geographic.


-What is her favorite quote?
"Few men are willing to brave the disapproval of their fellows, the censure of their colleagues, the wrath of society. Moral courage is a rarer commodity than bravery in battle or great intelligence. Yet it is the one essential, vital, quality for those who seek to change a world which yields most painfully to change."
Robert F. Kennedy



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MoMo, you are so very brave!
your sense of adventure and hard work are so perfectly balanced and a great example to all of us.

I hope you are enjoying your "eat pray eat" adventure & new hometown!!

____

Have a great weekend everyone!

Thursday, March 27, 2014

before i die________








this wonderful wall was inspired by Chandy Chang's TED Talk.
You can watch the 6min video here.

basically she took old abandoned spaces in New Orleans and turned them into inspiring places where people can come together in the crazy of life & have some commonality. people have taken her ideas all over the world & I found this wall in Houston.

She discusses that  time and relationships are the two most very important things in life, 
and I think she is absolutely correct.

It really is all about maintaining perspective, which gets harder and harder the more caught up we get in the day to day of life. 

___

What did I add?

well, I could have said:
-be in love forever
-have amazing children
-travel the world
-work really hard & see success

and those are all great answers... but they could also all not happen.
and would I have not had a fulfilling life if they don't?!

so I simply added
"HAPPILY!!"
to someones 
LIVE!!
someone else wrote "live passionately"- which was one of my favorites!

bc at the end of my life if all those things on my "check list" don't happen,
it really won't matter as long as I lived happily & passionately! 



but life is a whole lot of fun too, and some of my favorite answers were:

-"live in a house with a secret passage way"
-"go to a Super Bowl"
-"see U2 in Dublin"
-"go to a fashion show in Milan"
-"enjoy the little things"


 "thinking about death, clarifies your life" -Candy Chang

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Some exciting news is that the little piece on yours truly was printed in District Magazine! 







this was the idea behind my little blog series, Who is She?!

and I do have to say tomorrow's is really great :)

____

go live a little!



Wednesday, March 26, 2014

bachelorette fun.



my dear friend, Jena, is getting married a month from today!

so what better way to start her wedding month, than reminiscing the 
Bachelorette Party!

___

It was fun, chill weekend in Gruene, Texas.
her bridesmaids rented a cute little house with a fire place out on the patio.



Saturday we woke up and headed to a little winery,



we shopped around the trade days,


 

and then got lunch @ the Gristmill...
my favorite-their chicken fried chicken & sliced potato fries would be a contender for my last meal... and those pineapple wine coolers.

so much delicious.

and the weather was perfect! 




that night we got ready and went to
Gruene Hall
to hear Roger Creager play.







it was a really great trip.  A lot of times it is tricky blending friend groups and long days, but I have to say, this was the best with that.  We all got along so well and laughed a lot.


-So happy for you Jena, the countdown begins!-




Friday, March 21, 2014

who is she?! pt. 6

Happy Friiiiiiday!

_____



This Friday I introduce the wonderful, Blair!
(aka Blur, Baylor Blair, or Blairian Foster)

I met Blair in 2nd grade at Girl Scouts. and we have remained close pals alllll this time.
She is a Baylor Alum and works as an Interior Designer at Laura U Interior Design.

 this is her, last week, at the grand opening of their new space:
(yes, that is her super cute work desk!!)



What is she wearing? 
To work: nude flats, skinny black pants, a slightly embellished top, Baylor ring, pearl clip ons
Casual: flats, relaxed, colored shorts, v neck tee, cardigan, sunnies 

What is she listening to?
Bastille, Ingrid Michaelson, Drake, Lana del Ray 

Where is she going?
Pittsburgh for a friend's wedding this summer and High Point, NC for market in the fall 

What is she reading?
Chelsea Handler's new book, Uganda be Kidding Me (as soon as I get to Barnes and Noble) and Domino, Elle Decor, and House Beautiful magazines 

What is she working on?
writing a ton of furniture and fabric orders for a project at work; framing a stack of art that's been building on my dresser for at least a year

Who is she with?
 friends and family as often as I can be

(blair with her family//niece Penelope) 

What is she afraid of?
all the bugs I know are coming with the rising temperatures 

What is she hoping for?
 (futilely) a mild summer; also to purchase a beautiful MacBook soon because my poor laptop is on the fritz, for real 

What is her favorite part of the day?
in the morning after my shower, sitting in a towel on my bed and taking a moment to slow down to pray and think about my day ahead; close second: going to sleep! 

What is she eating?
 a petronella panini from Paulie's 

What is she drinking?
crystal light raspberry lemonade


What is she loving?
My new desk succulent ,
seeing the azaleas starting to bloom; seeing my niece, Penelope grow and discover new things, a color scheme using pale pink, olive green, rose gold, cream, and black/brown/bronze 
These lucite desk accessories from Anthropologie:




What is her favorite quote?






and her personal favorite...
 "Hide and watch me" - Debbie Foster 

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Thanks Blur! :) 




Wednesday, March 19, 2014

real talk.


december 2007.

I was sitting at lunch in between my first semester of college classes.

my mom called & told me she was following the ambulance to the er, 
my dad had broken his ankle.

when I say he broke his ankle, I mean...
8+ surgeries, muscle graft, skin graft, a halo, infection, weeks in the hospital, etc.

it was a very long road to "recovery", and by recovery,
 it of course has never been quite the same.


my dad is a beast though,
still does karate, rides his bike for miles and miles and hasn't let it stop him.


but,
he is continuously needing surgeries for bone spurs & muscle issues.

so tomorrow (next week) he is getting an
ankle replacement surgery.

-and to say I am nervous would be an understatement-

I don't know why, I think it just takes me back to a place I don't want to go.
and it is hard seeing your dad not 100%.


but,
like many things in life.
sometimes you have to go through a lot of pain and lots of hard work to get where you want to be.

and so say a prayer.
bc this will be another road to recovery for him, but hopefully and new chapter in all of this.


and for that, I am very thankful!





***as it turns out, my dad's "new" ankle did not come in just yet,
surgery postponed for a few more days***

appreciate all the prayers. 

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

workin' girl.




 PLT has been doing lovely lately.
(I will be glad to never see another snow/ice/rain/cold day though!! not good for business lol)

I feel like I haven't talked about "her" in a while,
so here is a little update:



-We are networking with a local senior photographer, DigiSmiles.

We had a photo shoot in December & are getting the final touches done on our "look book".
pretty exciting and it was nice to use all the sweet girls from the area.




-I will be featured in District magazine next month.


-We had a fun event at Arturo's Hair Salon.


you know, just twinning @ work. 

-We styled a "fashion show" for NCL.



-and of course went to MAGIC Market in Vegas





-and last Friday, I spoke at CHS Career Day.
they had quite a few of us alumni. I really, really loved it!

I always wanted to be a teacher, so it was the perfect mix for me, teaching them about PLT.



-and then there is this daunting task ahead of me:


I feel like I do a ton of inventory & it never goes down, but new clothes are always exciting!!



***

Have a great day,
enjoy this weather,
work real hard while you have to
& have a lot of fun when you don't! 

Thursday, March 6, 2014

get happy.


often times I get caught up in the "big things", the next goal or whatever it is I am looking forward to.  We think the "big things" in life are really what makes our life, 

but I think actually it might be all the tiny little things that give us the most happiness. 

 I have been really trying to focus on the day to day, and not so much the "big picture", 
or my next big life event.




so here are the little things (as of lately) that have made my heart happy:


-nothing like an unhealthy salad and an iced tea on the patio in 70 degree 
weather- with a lovely friend & good conversation

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-dinner with these fun pals

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-those Rockets though... 
so proud!



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-smores on the patio with my fav girls
(yes, I like patios, friends and food. lots)


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-cliches that are real funny & true:

*funny thing is I have had all of those coffees & I tend to order those certain drinks when I am feeling that way. ha.

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Troy Polamalu and Heath Miller are still Steelers :)

*say that 3 times fast.


_____

solid quote




Happy Thursday!