Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

i may or may not have been staring at this screen for the past 90 minutes. creative thoughts have found a secret place somewhere deep, deep inside my brain. they are all huddling together, giggling that they have escaped me today. maybe they're all dressed up in halloween costumes, having punch & apple cider. 

sigh...

D & i make our home in a little Chicago neighborhood called lincoln park. we are just a few blocks south of DePaul University. our neighbors are mostly young professionals or young college students. however, all kinds of adorable kiddos came out to celebrate Halloween today. we saw scooby doo, a lone flip flop, oompa loompas, 4 brett favres and the cutest little chicken you've ever seen. (i also saw Michael Shannon walk by us on the sidewalk!!) we also stumbled across a Halloween party for dogs. ADORABLE! here's a few pics of the sweet pups we saw: 

here's a random tidbit that happened in our life today. i ran across a can of this sponge pudding today in the international food section. what in the world?!?

i stumbled upon this pudding in our search for tahini paste this afternoon. you see, D & i are starting a 'cleanse' tomorrow. november 1 marks our first day of the 'elimination' phase, meaning we start to eliminate those products in our diet that aren't considered 'clean.' this will include sugar, alcohol and caffeine. we'll also be cutting out processed foods & chocolate & cereal & milk. (as a side, i would like to apologize to D now for the major pain in the ass i will become in the next few days. sugar, caffeine & chocolate withdrawal simultaneously will not make me a happy girl!!)

so today, to prepare, we've had hot dogs (veggie for me), french fries, a caramel apple, a frappucino, grilled cheeses & beer. yes, we are going out with a bang. here is what our refrigerator looks like after our shopping trip today: (minus the beer we've consumed since 6p.)

greens, greens, greens & more greens!!  

i am genuinely craving this change. my body & mind & soul need a reset, a refresh. we've been busy busy & going going for so long that our bodies have taken the brunt of our lifestyles. i feel like i need to get back to center, to find balance. i have been setting expectations for my body without giving it the fuel or tools to achieve. so for the next 3 weeks (minus a day or two here & there), we will be seriously changing our eating & drinking habits. i'm sure you'll be hearing more about this in the weeks to come...

happy halloween, lovelies! 

j

Once in a while it really hits people that they don’t have to experience the world in the way they have been told to. - Alan Keightley

hello, dear friends. 

apologies for the delayed update. i’ve had a few blog topics rumbling around in my brain over the past 3 weeks. 

i had every intention of blogging before our short trip home to OK. 

and then after we returned. 

and then after we returned from vacation. 

but alas, it’s 25 days later & i’m just now getting around to it. 

geez. 

because i’m rotten. and so far behind, i’m going to tackle a few short tidbits. then i’ll feel ‘caught up’ and can wipe the topic slate clean. i'm giving myself a 20 minute limit to do this. otherwise, i'll get distracted & it will be 3 more days. 

i'm a mess. love me. 

let’s start with a few fun tidbits: 

• # of concerts since the last update: 2

• latest album purchase: Kings of Leon- Come Around Sundown 

• today’s weather forecast: Partly Cloudy. high 63. hello, autumn!! 

• what i’m listening to as i type: Iron and Wine, Live on NPR November 2005

in early October, D and I made our first trip back to Oklahoma in 5 months. the total length of the trip was 44 hours, but we somehow managed to squeeze some love & life into every possible minute.  i was overwhelmed by the effort people made to see us. it was much appreciated!! thank you all. 

sandwiched in between lunches & hugs & drinks was a wedding for my sweet friend, amy. what a blessing to see love bloom in the lives of your dearest friends! i finally got to meet miss barritt lord, courtney's newest bundle of snuggles. 

october 11 was National Coming Out day. D and i coincidentally celebrated the day at a jennifer knapp show. if you don't know jennifer's story here you go:

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/music/interviews/2010/jenniferknapp-apr10.html

my adoration for this woman began in 1997 when i was a freshman in college. i spent many, many hours drowning in her lyrics. she exposed a transparency in christianity that i never knew existed.  despite sounding cliche, jennifer's lyrics genuinely spoke to me. they still do 13 years later. i think it is safe to say jennifer and i evolved into people no one imagined we would become. 

picture it. (because this picture does not do the experience justice.) me at a jennifer knapp show celebrating her coming out with my most genuine appreciation and admiration for her bravery. me drinking a beer or three. listening to her talk about jesus. sitting with my boyfriend that i live with despite being unmarried. (gasp!) 

we've come a long way, baby. 

suffice to say, i'm more at peace with my spirituality and with myself  than i have ever been. as one dear friend told me once, I'm good with God. 

time's up!! 

i'm letting 'er rip! 

xoxo

J

What you are comes to you.

What you are comes to you. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

there are outfits in my closet that i endearingly label with a two-drink  minimum; meaning the courage to wear them comes only after at least two adult beverages. it's how i felt about rockin' my fedora for the first time or wearing my flashy cowgirl boots with a short skirt. there are just some things that take more courage than i am able to muster alone.

this blog is a four-drink, 8 month endeavor. 

so here goes nothing...

my. own. blog. 

music. 

my D. 

life. 

yoga.

friends. 

chicago.

fashion.

books.

food. 

and probably more on friends. 

and definitely more music. 

i've procrastinated for so long because i was terribly afraid i'd have nothing to say that would be of interest to even my dearest friends. so my resolution is to do this for me and only me; to exercise my creative brain, to document my transition into this new chapter of my life, to commemorate the travels, concerts & life lessons that will unfold. 

i know very little about how this blog thing works. i don't have a fancy camera for breathtaking photos. i don't have cute kids to tell funny stories about. heck, i'm really not even that funny.

but i promise i'll be honest. and transparent. and real. and if you happen to like it, then bonus! 

i'll be sitting here in my fedora, sipping whiskey & thinking of the next entry...