well....hi

let me just start out by saying i'm sorry to about the three people that might actually read this. or did read.

i stopped blogging back in december. this wasn't due to any sudden anti blog protest or anything. i just stopped because i found myself in one of those quarter life crisis funks and had nothing to say and quite frankly, just didn't feel like it. the last you heard from me, i was getting ready for a night out with my family to see 'true grit'. well let me update you on everything since that day.

i left work, and then this happened.

that's right. i had a wreck. i was on my way to pick up my mom's christmas present before heading to ruston to meet up with the family for our movie night. i glanced down for one split second and when i looked up, i was sailing into the back of a suburban who had slammed on their brakes in front of me. the civic was totaled. when it happened, my air bag exploded in my face and i couldn't see anything. the next thing i know, the people behind me are pulling me out of my car. once i realized what was going on, i freaked out. i literally sat in the middle of east 70th crying my eyes out for a good 45 min while the emt checked me out and the cops questioned me. thankfully, i was okay and only came out with some pretty nasty bruises and scratches. it still hurts to bend my shoulder a certain way due to the impact of the seat belt.

i called my parents who were getting ready to meet up with us all in ruston. unfortunately, they live an hour and half away so i had to wait for them to come get me. they cancelled our movie night but i wasn't having it. i told them we were still going to see the movie no matter what. and we did. and it was amazing.

three car-less weeks went by. let me just tell you, there were some serious meltdowns and fights.

that experience completely changed my outlook on alot. ALOT. i suddenly realized how fortunate i was to have always had my own car. i found myself being so much more grateful for everything i had. not that i never was, just more so. i almost feel blessed to have gone through that.

fortunately, the accident was NOT my fault and i got enough back from the insurance company to buy a new car!

i love her. she is perfect.

but i can't say i don't miss my civic...what with her sunroof and 33mpg. i was emotionally attached to that car. and i actually felt sorry for it when we left it at the impound lot....

but what's done is done and i started out 2011 with a new car and a new job. a job that sends me flying in private jets should i ever need to go somewhere like say...dallas to catch a flight to the caribbean. not too shabby. and now here we are....new car. new job. flying in private jets. escaping to the caribbean to visit friends when i feel like it. honestly, my life rules. i'm so blessed. but i want more out of life. sound bratty? no....i'm just young and free and i want to take advantage of that. i want to experience the world while i've still got the chance to do it. i mean, do i really need another reason?

i just got back from my third trip to the islands to visit my friends.

cheers to that!

i went for a second time back in august and september and fell in love with it all over again. not that i ever stopped loving it and not that i ever stopped wanting to move there. it's funny how things come full circle. when i first started this blog, it was during my first trip to st. thomas. and now i've just gotten back from round three and of course, i still want to move there. i've made so many friends there and it has begun to feel like home. friends i will keep for the rest of my life wether they move off st. thomas or not. friends that greet me with hugs and kisses when they see me even though they met me once when they were drunk because they still remember me from a year ago. i love them and i miss them all on a daily basis. every time i go, i come back with five more friends. it's never the same trip twice. and i hope i can buy a one way ticket soon. i know i know....it seems like all talk because i've said it a million times before but in actuality, i'm completely serious. so what's stopping me? oh remember that new car i mentioned? there went my bank account.

but i've come to a point in my life where it's sink or swim and now or never. if i don't live out my dreams now, i never will. i've never been the settling kind. i'm someone who always needs a mission or a goal to work towards. when i graduated from college i felt lost and like i had no purpose. i'm making it my new mission to make travel happen. all my life, all i've ever wanted to do, was travel. whether it's moving to the islands or finding a way out of the country to do something meaningful. it may be a year from now or two years from now but at least i have a goal. and it may change and i may decide to do something completely different. but at least i'll have something to work toward. i need to not feel like like i'm doing nothing. so here's to being young and free!

a drifter.

this morning while reading one of the many blogs that i frequent, i read something about how this girl classifies herself as downtown. the word 'downtown' was linked to a quiz that makes the distinction. i took it and found out that i myself am downtown as well. which i'd say was accurate. i like to be in the mix of things. the energy excites me....but off to the side was another quiz that was meant to determine what area of new york you should live in. that is a question that i have pondered for years because i have a life long obsession with new york. i was bored at work so i took it and the results indicated that i am best suited for the village. then that led to 3 hours of reading about different neighborhoods in new york on wikipedia...and now i find myself overwhelmed with the need to move...again. but here lies my problem. no money and no idea where i should go if i did. i feel like i could flourish in SO many places and that's exciting to me. but i wonder if this means i don't know myself as well i thought i did. or maybe it just means that i have a versatile personality. here is a list of places i think it would be cool to live in and why i think i could live there.

i adore the south. it's where my heart is. i love the heat. i love the hospitality. i love the food. i love the people. and i love the soul.

nashville:
music and art and a lovely downtown.
but the outskirts are just as small town as i'm used to.
the best of both worlds.

charleston:
the old south on the beach.
why and how you could not love charleston?

savannah:

i think savannah is about as southern as it gets.
classy, artsy, and if it were a boy you could bring him home to momma.
a gem if you ask me.

jacksonville:
the largest city in the country according to land mass but not overly crowded.
this city is so gorgeous and clean and right on the water.

the east coast is loaded with pretty places. there's so much history there and it seems to have quaint little places scattered everywhere. i'm a sucker for old artsy neighborhoods.

dc:
i have a thing for historic areas.
it doesn't get much more historic than the capitol.

philadelphia:
another historic city with lots to do.
the neighborhood streets have some of the prettiest townhouses i ever did see.

new york:
my heart will always hold a special place for this one whether i live there or not. i love the neighborhoods that are hidden in the streets of nyc. each with it's own personality. and even in the middle of one of the world's largest concrete jungles, you can still find your quiet place in the woods.

the west coast is laid back and so am i. when i think of the west coast, i think of another world. one that i want to be a part of.

los angeles:
hollywood baby!
it's got so much life in it...young and fun life.
but leave it to me to find the old victorian houses in la.

seattle:
the pretty and clean pacific northwest.
cool houses on the water and a city close to the woods.
i love exploring...
but no matter what, my heart seems to always come back to the south.
specifically...

new orleans:
my favorite city of all cities.
modern architecture doesn't appeal to me.
gothic architecture however.....
new orleans has more soul, more history, and more love in it's little pinky than any other city in the world...not that i've been to every city in the world. but you don't have to to know that new orleans is the greatest place in the world. the prettiest houses. the prettiest streets. the prettiest music and food and people. filled with a whole lotta love.

so basically, i love old houses, pretty architecture, the city, the country, and history. and i think i could find it all in any one of these pretty little places. i've said before that i lie somewhere between a city girl and country girl. i love the city, but i'm in search of the soul of a city. it has to have a feeling and it has to have roots. i should be sitting on a porch somewhere close to downtown listening to blues while the neon lights of the city shine down in my yard. i want to have my cake and eat it too. now....somebody wanna give me some money to move somewhere to find that?

moving forward

first of all, let me just say that i LOVE living in shreveport! and i LOVE my new place. it is EXACTLY what i want it to be as far as apartments go. lauren could not have done a better job at finding this place and our styles are combining perfectly. just a handful of more things that we need and we will officially be "settled". our new home is what is making me happy lately. it makes everything else okay. which brings me to my next point. it's not a question of fairness...and maybe this isn't even relevant, but someone elses actions lately have just seemed thoughtless and spiteful and mean. but i'm dealing with it. i don't know...maybe this is for the best. having things thrown in my face unmercifully and being forced to face it. maybe that's better. it'll make me stronger in the long run. it's harder, but at the same time it's easier. knowing that i've cut that part of my life out completely and not having to directly deal with the complications. i've been literally FORCING myself to be okay with it and not letting this get the best of me. it's hard loosing a best friend and finding out that they're not who you thought they were. but like i said, i'm dealing with it. and i. will. be. fine.

today, i have to make a quick run to hobby lobby and then i'm going on a search for the thrift stores around shreve. i'm SO excited! hopefully they won't disappoint.

tilly and leon are adjusting well to their new home. they're still a little weary of their new surroundings and all of their new visitors but they will come around. they've learned where everything is and found their new favorite places to hide and sleep. leon is still loving naps in the sink and tilly wasted no time figuring out how to make it to the top of the cabinets. the under side of my bed is also a favorite. i love my chirren.

news

the past few days have been stupid hectic. and busy. and crazy. and long. and scattered. but, it's finally coming together. slowly but surely! i moved this weekend so last week was filled with closet purges, packing, finding and getting all nostalgic over old photos, you know...the typical moving charade. so anyway, saturday i woke up at 4am to do some last minute packing and then by 11am, me and my parents formed a caravan to shreveport with my belongings. they were darlings as always and made my moving process flawless. they were SUCH a huge help! lauren's parents were also kind enough to stick around and help us unload some things. so sweet of them! afterwards we all went to a late lunch. i bought for my parents as a thank you for helping me move. dad went home after that but mom stayed in town with me to help me out with some shopping and the hanging of curtains (which by the way, i should NEVER attempt to do alone which is why she had to stay in the first place). we didn't go to bed until 4ish so it was a full 24hr day for me. then we were up again at 8:30 the next morning to do more shopping for toiletries and groceries and such. my room is finally looking like a room. now i'm just waiting on all of my ordered wall art to come in so that i can create my collage in my room! i'm so excited about my ideas and can't wait to see them come to life! as soon as the final touches are put on our new place, i'll have pictures for you! (p.s. i never posted my snow pictures...haha i WILL get those up at some point).

it was such a hectic weekend, that i was a little out of the loop (jenny i apologize for that!) but things with moving are finally slowing down a little. thank goodness!

so, with the move comes a whole set of new beginnings. this is the first time i've ever lived in a new place. granted, i did live in ruston for 5 years for college but i still call ruston home. this a new experience for me and i'm so excited about it! i'm hoping that being in the city will help in my search for a new job. i'm also going to start a whole new set of paintings! woo-hoo!

i am now on tumblr. i decided that this blog was getting to scatter brained as most of the rest of my life is (i should work on that). so, i know this started out as place for me to collect all of my found inspiration but then it became a place for my everyday happenings and what's going on and inspiration and thoughts and pretty much everything under the sun. so from now i will only be posting my more personal things on this here blog. but for some really cool, fun, inspirational shit...head on over to indie house. i'll still be a frequent on here! no worries there. just more words. less random pictures. my tumblr was set up as sort of my online scrapbook; a collection of tweets, feeds from this blog, my art, and found art, music, vintage and styles in fashion and interior design and all of my polyvore creations. basically. a place for everything without the mess.

saturday, while out shopping, we went to best buy to look for a new TV and i applied for my first credit card against my better judgement. but it was so i could get this baby. it's something i've always wanted and has been on my wishlist. and in two weeks, "it will be mine. oh yes. it will be mine." at first i kinda freaked out alittle bit over the credit card biz. but mom talked me down and said that it would be good for me to build my credit which is something i need to do. i DON'T want a credit card. credit cards scare the living daylights out of me. but, as soon as i get my TV, i'm putting it away.

so that's that. i've got lots to do but they are all things that i'm excited about. i'm glad to finally get my life moving back in the right direction. i hit a bit of a bump this week but that was my own damn fault. i'm going to stick to my routin (like i should have done in the first place) instead of over estimating my capabilities. and i. will. be. fine.

t h | n g $

recent purchases for 609.

latest additions to my shoe collection.

my easter weekend.