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!

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!-

who is she?! pt. 6

Happy Friiiiiiday!

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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! :) 

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. 

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! 

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!

_____

-smores on the patio with my fav girls

(yes, I like patios, friends and food. lots)

_____

-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.

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solid quote

Happy Thursday!