Two Thousand and Sixteen

I'm not really sure what to say about this year. I guess I'll look back and remember it most for the fact that I changed jobs. 11 years was a long time.  I was ready for a new adventure. Other than that, Miss A is still keeping me company and I'm grateful for all of the wonderful people I have in my life. They kept me laughing in June when I hurt my leg. Four months of recovery felt like forever. 

The 19th of December marked 8 years since I bought my house and that seemed to be some magic number because everything started to break and/or needed some sprucing. Inevitable, yet annoying and somewhat overwhelming. 

I rounded some invisible corner this summer and something that had occupied so much of my energy and brain power for years no longer got the bandwidth it had. That might be my biggest accomplishment this year.

I couldn't get my act together so my annual Christmas Card will be a New Years Card this trip around the sun. Making lemonade and all that. 

My family is healthy and I feel like I have a lot of things to smile about. I get to sing with the boys and my camera keeps me honest. Next year I need to keep reminding myself that saying no is ok and putting other people's needs before my own all the time isn't. 

Thank you to all of my readers for stopping by year after year. I appreciate your support more than you know. Kisses and happy holidays to everyone!

See you next year....

Love,

K

It's Friday, Love

{ The Governator )

This week's post is dedicated to time robbers. Those little things (both good and bad) that add up over a week to mean you're behind. At least it feels that way. Nothing a few hours of uninterrupted quiet can't cure, Also, can we talk about how freakin cold it is? I'm not a fan. I was in DC Thursday and at a certain point I couldn't feel my face. Pulling out cozy sweaters, laughing with friends and catching up is on my to-do list this weekend. See ya Monday!

PS.....I haven't even started Christmas shopping yet (insert frown). 

{ My front door makes me happy right now }

{ Staying warm in pink this week }

{ Love the Jefferson at Christmas }

The Dance Floor

Ever have someone pull you on the dance floor when you didn't expect it? You're standing there balancing in your high heels sipping champagne and all of a sudden your hand is taken and you find yourself off balance as you listen desperately for the beat. Left, right, back, turn left. Your new partner pulls you back in finally and you grab his shoulder for support, your right cheek and his left suddenly smitten with each other. As we get older the holidays feel like everything between the cold champagne and the warm cheek, totally unexpected and fun, but also a bit crazy and exhausting. This past weekend Church Hill threw out the holiday red carpet with event after event to celebrate the season. We had our annual candlelight Vespers walk to Libby Hill Park, the holiday ball and the house tour in the neighborhood, I also ventured with a friend to Agecroft Hall and finally checked out the new location for Secco. A whirl to be sure, but a great one. 

It's Friday, Love

{ Brunch at En Su Boca }

Crazy busy week. My brain power is at a minimum. I've been here and there - to and fro - talked with everyone and am ready to sleep in. Probably won't be doing that, but a girl can dream. This weekend is packed with holiday activities and I'm especially looking forward to Saturday night. See ya Monday!

{ The last of the leaves }

{ Don't blink }

{ Old Fashioned Donuts }

{ Christmas lights make everything look better }

The Parade

As we get older sometimes we forget how magical life can be. Maybe its because we're not as small as we once were. Things that seemed larger than life are now a disappointingly normal size. Glitter is now messy, not the stuff of dreams. I got the chance last Saturday to photograph the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the Paralyzed Veterans of America march in the Richmond Christmas Parade. I hadn't been in over a decade. Ugggggh it's cold. Who cares about a stupid parade. As we traversed the two mile route, I couldn't help but get caught up in the little smiling faces, the cheering and the holiday attire. Parades can be magical whether you're two or thirty-two. They celebrate the best in us and offer a chance for us all to come together, thousands of faces all lining the sidewalks standing next to one another. I'm getting waaaaaay corny....must be all of the cotton candy I ate that day. Stay tuned to their Facebook page for more pics, but here a few that I also took on the route. Happy Holidays everyone!

It's Friday, Love

{ The cure }

Something's different. I don't know how else to say it. I don't really know what happened though. I mean I know something happened, but it always happens, and honestly I've come to expect it. So why was this time different? Maybe it wasn't. Maybe it's been coming on for a while and this was that final nail. I remember a conversation a friend and I had almost exactly a year ago. Afterwards, I thought to myself that if I were her and had been listening to me be unhappy for this long but basically doing nothing about it, I'd pretty much be done hearing about it at this point. That conversation was about another area of life. That conversation was one of the final nails in that coffin. Sounds like I have a lot of coffins, right? Fitzgerald's Mortuary has a nice ring to it. I guess maybe I do have a few, things that needed to be put to rest. Things that needed to come to an end. Things that I am sick of spending my time and energy on. Things that,  in the end, give me nothing and therefor don't deserve me. 

{ Winter Boots }

{ One Way }

{ Coffee Pals }

{ Morning }

One More Day

One more day. I just needed one more day. I start these holidays with a crazy schedule thinking that the to-do list I would also like to get done can happen in an hour here or an hour there. Everything always takes longer than I assume and I hit Sunday night thinking....I just needed one more day to get to everything. Then I look back at the fun and the laughs and the good times with people I love and I try and tell myself that's what's really important, not if I cleaned the baseboards in my house. It was a great holiday and I'm thankful for that. My mom and I celebrated Wednesday night because she had to work at the hospital Thursday. I spent the actual day with my best friend's family and we had a wonderful time eating too much food, drinking too much wine and running around outside since the weather was so gorgeous. The rest of the weekend was spent with friends, slogging through a long bike ride and putting up Christmas decorations around the house. I hope you had a wonderful holiday as well. 

Thankful

I was talking to a friend this weekend and we were thinking about the fact that this year is coming to a close. You won't be surprised that the first thought in my head was how will we remember 2016? Both of us talked of challenges and frustrations. Neither of us has had a perfect year. It hasn't been all bad, but neither of us said, damn, it's been a great one. I guess that might be a good thing. When you have one of those amazing years the next will undoubtedly not be able to live up to the last and therefor is guaranteed to disappoint. That's something she spoke of too, life being peaks and valleys of a sort. There have been one or two developments this year that I'm extremely grateful for, but I guess when I look back at 2016 the things I'm thankful for will be the constants that always get me through the valleys.

Miss Austen giving me kisses...she just wants food, but, whatever...

Wine....

My camera.....

My best friend letting me text her giant diatribes of word vomit when necessary....she should get paid, it's ridiculous....

The knowledge that when I produce or create something that I love I feel immediately better and more in control of my life....

That everything changes....

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! I'm taking Friday off but will meet you back here Monday will all new posts.

Love,
K

Raking Leaves

Life, as it always does, has continued to march on. Little by little all the normal things that happen in the course of a week have happened and my heart has slowly started to heal from disappointment. My niece and nephew were in town this weekend and we had a great time bopping around Richmond and eating too much food. They stay at my mom's house when they come and she offered them $10 each to help her rake leaves. They actually had fun doing it. I supervised, management and all.

I think its important for them to learn the value of work, the value of working your way up. Along with lessons like that, they will have disappointments as well, big and small, to deal with. My first instinct is to shield them from things but if I'm not honest with them about what life has in store, they won't be able to deal with the bad things as they get older. Watching someone go through pain, even if it means good will come in the end, is hard. Being patient is hard. Knowing that everything that happens offers us an opportunity to learn and grow even if we don't see it right away is hard. Life is hard. We, and the munchkins, will make it through the tough times, together.