In other news,

I...

had 25 people over for Jessica's last dinner.

played mom all weekend with Ashley and the Scott children

got nostalgic with high school friends

cozy'ed up the lily

Christmas crafted over mimosas with friends

wore some tacky sweaters 

learned to knit 

ate way too many christmas cookies at our school's "cookie blizzard"

played with Jessica when she came back to Chi for a weekend 

got classy

partied with really awesome people

addressed, stamped, sealed some NYE invites

watched as the world did not end
from the 27th floor of the wit hotel

got classy again.

watched Daniel teach Mikey how to tie a bow tie 

witnessed Adam's epic baptism in Lake Michigan on Dec 22nd

then went to brunch

survived a snowstorm doing some winter running

did a new project for a new year in the lily with my dear roomie

Life sure happens fast. Wow.

- 2 0 1 3 -

Ever since viewing The Great Gatsby trailer (original release date scheduled for Christmas), Ashley and I have been dreaming up the possibility of a 20's themed party. Not the kind with flappers and costumes, or fake rhinestones and plastic hats... the kind of party where you immediately feel like you've entered into the time era that makes you wonder if Gatsby might really be there.

So when some of my best college roommates / friends Jenny, Andrew, & Larry officially purchased their tickets for a Chicago style New Year's reunion... Ash and I knew it was our golden opportunity for putting our ideas into play... to ring in 2013 with the jazz & class we had dreamt of for so long. We busily went to work on invites (the design and brilliance of Miss Peters), addressed, and wax-sealed them off... made lists and grocery runs and pinterest boards... clipped pages of Design Sponge, devoted hours to DIY projects, and texted each other tirelessly with new ideas.

"Gatsby believed in the green light,
the organic future that year by year receeds before us,
it eluded us then, but that's no matter.
Tomorrow we will run faster, stretch our arms farther..."

Invites off to the USPS!

In an attempt to create a speakeasy lounge out of our dining room, we knew the only way to go is gold walls... so we made a last minute run to Home Depot and came out with gallons of olive green paint & metallic gold. Our ideals were quickly dismissed with the onset of logic reminding us to be semi-future minded. (Because let's be honest, we really wouldn't have the energy or time to "paint it back" as we hoped.) So, olive green is the new gold. And DIY gold wallpaper in the living room is the new lounge.

The yellow we have lived with for too long...

You know it's a real party when walls are being painted for it.

From all corners of the house you can hear the slow hums and whistles of Auld Lang Syne lyrics... (often mixed with bridges of Les Miserables tunes... because after seeing that movie, who can help it?!) as we steadily work on readying our home for our 50+ guests. As we painted, we recounted what a lovely year 2012 has been... favorite memories, quotes, ideas... as well as resolutions for 2013. What a perfect way to ring in the new year. It's been a lot of work so far - with more to come - but I wouldn't have it any other way. My friends arrive tomorrow and really, that is the best part.

New Years Reunion for 2012.
Excited to welcome in 2013 with these best friends again.

Merry Lily Christmas

The holidays are here... 

so we put on Christmas sweaters, drank hot chocolate, and exchanged gifts.

Thankful for these dear ones.

Winter : The Reading Season

"Because for some of us, books are as important as almost anything else on earth. What a miracle it is that out of these small, flat, rigid squares of paper unfolds world after world after world, worlds that sing to you, comfort and quiet and excite you. Books help us understand who we are and how we are to behave. They show us what community and friendship mean; they show us how to live and die. They are full of all the things that you don't get in real life - wonderful, lyrical language, for instance, right off the bat. And quality of attention: we many notice amazing details during the course of a day but we rarely let ourselves stop and really pay attention. An author makes you notice, makes you pay attention, and this is a great gift. My gratitude for good writing is unbounded; I'm grateful for it the way I'm grateful for the ocean. Aren't you? I ask."
:: Anne Lamott "Bird by Bird" [p.15]

Reading is magical, isn't it? I love to escape into imaginative worlds so easily created with words strung together on a page. As a child, it felt like I could devote endless hours of time to reading as if only a minute had passed. And now in my adult life, my love for reading is so easily overpowered by the pressing needs of life... it's a discipline to quiet my distracted mind and stop for a moment with a book. But now it's winter... and these brisk and snowy months offer a lovely chunk of time to read... an excuse to cozy up and spend those after-work hours with a book. For as much as I love summer, I know I need winter. I need it to slow down and let my mind and soul rest. I am thankful that winter gives us Chicagoans a break... a valid excuse to go to bed early, to watch snow fall, drink hot chocolate, stay indoors, and be less active. Winter is the perfect time to stack some good reads by my bedside and overcome the guilty complex of just "doing nothing" for a season.

 I really couldn't have said it better than Anne Lamott in Bird by Bird... a book that's piqued my literary spirit. Some other books that have caught my attention lately include: Epilogue (Anne Roiphe), Spiritual Formation (Henri Nouwen), Stumbling on Happiness (Daniel Gilbert), Perks of Being a Wallflower (Stephen Chobsky), and The Hemingway Reader - short stories and other excerpts.

Winter is here no matter what... time to embrace it and recognize the beauty in it.