i am more than ecstatic to be home in my old, cozy bedroom with its beautiful aura & feeling of home. I came home wednesday & saw that my mom had made some beautiful new curtains out of an old bed-sheet she had found while we were thrifting in Florida this past summer & hung them up in my bedroom. I love them! I wish they were in here while i lived in this bedroom. As a matter of fact, i often still wish I still do live in this bedroom, which is why i am so happy it is the holidays & i can spend more time enjoying it...& feeling nostalgic all the while. My dad had brought in some of my old artwork from junior high/high school & hung it on the walls, rearranged the room, and put a nice comfy bed in it. He did such a good job! i have the sweetest parents. 

(this is post-meg cutting my "bangs" which i never really had. i promise, i had a much cuter child-hood stage than this picture portrays. But, i love it nonetheless.)

Meg & me with our daddyo in front of his old 1969 mustang fastback. Oh, we all miss that car.

it's weird to think that my mom was my age here!

My Thanksgiving was more than lovely. I spent the day cooking with my mom & grandma, playing wii with my little cousins, taking photos & wishing i had more of an opportunity to spend a lot of time with these beautiful people i call my family. 

my beautiful grandma & handsome poppy in 1966.

the four of us back then...

... & the four of us now. 

thank you guys for your beauty & inspiration.

much love & happiness to all.

love is the best endeavor.

I am counting down the days until I go home for Thanksgiving...which are quickly dissipating, much to my happiness. Although I have a "home" here, nothing will ever be home like my mom & dad's house, or my grandma's house...both of which i will be spending my week at...baking delicious pies & drinking coffee in the warmth of my loving family.

I was able to chill out & have coffee with Taylor, Katy, & Mark the other evening which was so lovely & so needed.

We ended up spending the majority of our time at Something Brewing taking photos for Lookbook.nu-a fashion site that we share an understandable addiction to.

Despite my obvious dislike for the cold weather season, i am incredibly ecstatic for Christmas time-i seriously do not understand how some people can hate Christmas time so much. Every December i am filled with joy at the thought of making homemade gifts, and seeing the people i love enjoy them. This will be the third Christmas we will spend without my Poppy around, and that feels very weird to say. Although happiness abounds, there is a lingering emptiness without him there to wait until the last minute to inconspicuously open his presents, & then grab my mom's had to dance around the living room to Frank Sinatra. 

Here is a photo of us from Christmas of probably...1998ish.

love.

Winking Cosmos

We & the Cosmos are one.

Love beams!

Nick & I hiked Petit Jean last Saturday for the second time together. We went last January & froze our asses off, but it was nice since we were the only people out there. 

The waterfall was frozen & absolutely beautiful last year:

As is obvious, it was rather cold.

This year, it was littered with little kids with sticks, parents looking for their children, and old folks trying to stay warm. So, we found a secluded rock to rest on this time, instead of by the waterfall. It was, nonetheless, lovely.

We decided that we're going to try to go every season, if not every year.

Now, I am trying to heal myself of sickness by stuffing my body full of echinacea, ginger root, & lots of tea & soup.

It has been a beautiful week, no doubt.

Nick & i woke up at 6:30 this morning for some unknown reason, and decided to go have breakfast, & just spend the morning together before i had class at noon. i enjoy waking up early without really planning to, & feeling like my day has been well-spent. And it has.

There are so many exciting things happening-the leaves are falling, the sun is shining, our country now has hope for something beautiful to happen, & I'm feeling inspired by all this positive change.

As I have said over & over again on here, this is my favorite season, & i do not want to see the bitter cold take over in a month! But, I am excited Thanksgiving is soon. I miss seeing my family as much as i used to be able to. They bring light to my life, & it often feels weird to have that absent for longer than i am used to.

 I will leave you with a photograph taken this morning of my handsome love.

thank GOD for this beautiful change that has become a reality.

"Yes we can to justi​ce and equal​ity!​

Yes we can to oppor​tunit​y and prosp​erity​!​

Yes we can heal this natio​n!​

Yes we can repai​r this world​!​

Yes we can.

We know the battl​e ahead​ will be long,​ but alway​s remem​ber that no matte​r what obsta​cles stand​ in our way, nothi​ng can stand​ in the way of the power​ of milli​ons of voice​s calli​ng for chang​e.​"

-​Presi​dent Barac​k Obama​

I have never in my life felt so proud to part of this nation as i do now.

Finally, A CHANGE WE CAN BELIEVE IN.

Last night, as i stood on a chair listening to the words of our new President while watching the faces of all the young college students that surrounded me, i couldn't help but think how surreal it was. I felt how followers of JFK, and MLK, and every other leader who called for peaceful change, must have felt. This is the greatest thing i've seen happen to this nation in my nineteen years of life, and this is only the start. I've less fear for my future children, and their children. 

I have faith that we will find peace, prosperity, justice, opportunity, equality, understanding, and love in a world that seemed at a loss. 

YES WE CAN!

& in his own words,

"It drew strength from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on doors of perfect strangers, and from the millions of Americans who volunteered and organised and proved that more than two centuries later a government of the people, by the people, and for the people has not perished from the Earth.

 This is your victory."