In all honesty, one of the best(material)gifts i have ever been given is the sketchbook my parents surprised me with on my 18th birthday. I had told my mom that I'd like a "nice sketchbook" to turn into art, & the one she found was most definitely far beyond the one i had envisioned.

It came in a soft handmade fabric sleeve, & is made out of leather. 

It's a piece of art in itself.

It took me nearly a year to even put a mark inside of it. I was just waiting for the right moment.

Upon starting the book, I have decided that I'm not going to let anyone see what goes on between the pages until it is entirely full, & who knows when that will be.

But really though...I just want you to know, Momma(since I'm sure you're reading this at 5:30 A.M.) that I am making use out of it & it is a very beautiful thing. So, I thank you & Dad both. 

You two know me so well. 

School has been back in action, yet i feel like i've hardly been. My schedule this semester is absolutely amazing. I only go to class on Mondays, Wednesdays, & Fridays. 

So, every Tuesday & Thursday is a free day off of everything, & once i get a steady job, I plan to keep it that way. 

Living in Arkansas, we see a crazy change in weather, often in less than 24 hours. Last Thursday, the sun was shining & it was a perfect 60 degrees! So, as soon as i stepped outside & felt the sun on my skin, i decided to call Nick & we made a trip out to Cadron-which is a trail/overlook that borders the Arkansas river. It's always a really beautiful sight.

I took out some 35mm that i had lying around & took advantage of this rare day in January.

Now, it is near freezing/bordering on snow & ice, & i will probably not be in school tomorrow. Yay! Nick & I are spending the night staying warm by the fire-me working on my 3D Design sculpture, & he on his music. 

Congratulations to my best friend & her love, Luke!

I am more than excited to watch you two create a beautiful future together. 

Oh, you're in my blood like holy wine.

After officially meeting Nicholas at a party a year & a half ago(we first saw eachother at a Matisyahu concert in the middle of the summer of 2007) & being charmed by his easy going personality & his way of inconspicuously glancing at me from across the room of my sisters tiny house the night we met, I have fallen unquestionably in love.

 

He is the epitome of everything i've sought in a person

but always thought i'd never find, as cliche as it may sound.

He radiates love, charm & certainty like no other & i can see in his eyes that it is real. 

& i've found in myself that it is, without a doubt, a mutual feeling.

I'm meant to be arm-in-arm with him for always.

Love is touching souls,

surely you've touched mine

'cause part of your pours out of me in these lines from time to time.

i love you, Nicklove. 

I am so very blessed to have your beauty in my life.

Yesterday morning, after waking up to fresh fruit and a beautiful feeling of restfulness, i noticed ittybitty flakes of white falling from the sky! Since we don't get snow often in Arkansas, i took my time to watch it fall for a good ten minutes. 

The snow was nothing substantial, but definitely the kind that reminds you that there are times when life should be slowed down to enjoy little moments like these.

One of my absolute favorite places to eat in Little Rock is Boulevard Bread Company, & as i walked into my last class of my first day of my second semester of college(good lord) i felt my stomach rumble & immediately craved the vegan hummus that is my favorite sandwich to order there. 

So, i decided to make one on my own & was so happy with/excited about the results and eating it(& isn't it so pretty, too?) that i couldn't wait take a picture before biting into it.  I have a feeling I will be making a lot of these this semester!

Upon waking up at 7AM, which isn't usual for me(but will be very soon when i have to rise for an 8 0'clock class)...i got on flickr to feed my addiction, & was quickly reminded why i've always been so amazed at the unabashed beauty of vintage photos of actresses from the early 20th century.  

Seriously, the photos of those women who appeared in silent films, black & whites, etc, radiate (natural) beauty like no other. You can not match it these days, even with the highest quality digital cameras and photoshop enhancements. 

(Dolores Costello-AKA Drew Barrymore's Grandmother & "The Goddess of the Silver Screen")

Leila Hyams

Lillian Bond

Madge Bellamy

the ones i love(among many)

The weight of the world 

     is love. 

The weight of the world 

     is love. 

 I am, without a doubt, partial to front porches-namely those with swings & good company. 

We are lucky enough here at the birdhouse to have not one, but two swings, and when school is in session and the weather is right, i often find an array of beautiful people migrating towards that part of the house.

there is just something so comforting about the act of starting my morning, afternoon, evening, what-have-you on my front porch that brings so much charm and peace.

this is one of my favorite kinds of mornings. the ones where i wake up early, do yoga, & cook a simple breakfast(this mroning, a sprouted grain english muffin with banana slices & honey on top, with a scrambled egg.) i always feel so much more refreshed when i start my day this way...perhaps that's why i've been feeling so shitty lately. With lack of proper eating & a lot of oversleeping, my body is finally reverting to sickness. But man, I'm fighting it!

i must say, breakfast is probably my favorite meal of the day.

i do miss the summertime when berries were in abundance & my mom discovered we had blackberries growing wild in the backyard. i could pick them right before breakfast & not have them travel a thousand miles to get to my plate.

i wish everything could(easily) be this way!

& oh all of the animals, all the animals.

Hey there little mockingbird, they sing about you in songs

'Oh where ya been? Have ya broke a wing?'

I haven't heard ya in so long

And hey there mister happy squid, you move so psychedelically

You hypnotize with your magic dance all the animals in the sea

For sure

And hey there Mrs. Lovely Moon, you're lonely and you're blue

It's kind of strange the way you change

But then again we all do, too.

It's kind of baffling to realize that another year has past, but it's always a beautiful, refreshing change in the way things go.  I've been celebrating the new year by being very lazy with my love & staying warm by the fire.

I've no complaints.

For the past couple of years I have found myself replaying Jolie Holland's "Mexican Blue" on days like this...those that aren't necessarily sunny, but always bright.  

When the moon is as clear as an opal 

And the amethyst river sings a song 

I'll remember all your dreams and the mysteries 

You have borne in your crystalline soul 

That you sing from your golden throat 

That you shine from your sparkling eyes 

That you feel from the goddess in your thighs