coming straight from the heart

life can be kind of rough to say the least, when I've fallen I reach for sweet scenes-here are scenes from my favorite movies with love from me to you... if you feel a little down you should watch all of these films, but if you don't have time for that then at least watch one scene

1) Blue Valentine
when my favorite Ryan Gosling (Dean) "happens" to see Michelle Williams (Cindy) on the bus-He had been to the retirement home to ask about her because he can't stop thinking about her and it's raining-she wasn't there so he leaves and then on his way home, she gets on the same bus and  a perfect rainbow comes out!! Apparently it literally happened as they were filming this scene-it is one of the sweetest things I've ever watched in a movie.
also in this movie (can you tell I love it?)
the scene where they spend all night getting to know each other, and he sings a song that will set the tone for their life together-it makes me believe in true love y'all.

2) Rear Window
Grace Kelly's introduction-she enters the dark apartment and slowly begins to turn on three lamps, as she says her name you start to see how stunning she is and she quite literally lights up a room-it's the most feminine, stylish, sophisticated thing I've ever seen

3)Sweet Home Alabama
well as a southerner in New York I had to list this one-when Melanie cries and talks to Jake in the coon dog cemetery. it will break anybody's heart, it is the sweetest, most genuine conversation...and they are sitting beside a dog's grave. COME ON. sweet home alabama!

 

4)The Greatest

The greatest is in fact the greatest. The end of the movie is spectacular-when the family finally starts telling Carey Mulligan all about her boyfriend's life when he was alive specifically "his first word was WOW"-I DIE. I just fall apart...like can.not.stop.crying. and the song "these lovin' arms" by The Wood Brothers is playing OMGAH it is the greatest. and then she has her baby, and she holds it up in the window! Just watch it-I don't know why no one seems to have heard of this movie.

 

 5)Almost Famous

I saved the best for last. This movie in my opinion... is the best movie in the whole world period end of story-the scene I have chosen is Kate Hudson (Penny Lane's) monologue at the rv stop when she discovers Russ sold her for beer. It is the reason I chose to stay in acting- I watched this my senior year of high school, and thought I have to do that. She goes on this ride-the camera never moves from her face and she laughs and she cries and she is so beautiful and hurt-man oh man. If you've ever been hurt by a dumb guy just watch this scene. It is amazing. LIKE AMAZING.

 

the other one I must mention is about 5 sec. long-she is dancing on an empty stage and it's the purest thing ever caught on camera-the song playing in the background sings "where I'll end up where I'm going only God really knows"

Friday Favorites

Hey! Happy Friday! want to talk faves? me too! I was off work today, whoohoo!

 I spent the day at Brighton beach with some pals, and got some much needed peace of mind.

this city is full of noise, sometimes you just need to be out in the open listening to the waves

speaking of taking a break...I have been binge watching "The Killing" on Netflix. I'm completely obsessed if you like a good murder mystery I highly recommend it!

 have I mentioned...It's football season! Hail State!!
I went to the greatest school in the history of the world you guys. I can't wait to cheer Mississippi State on this season from Brooklyn.  This was at my first game as a student :( where has the time gone?! somehow we all unintentionally wore black dresses-too cute

I am loving this large groceries tote I bought-it's the perfect size, I even took it to the beach today!

I  feel like I need this  one-I mean clearly I do.

I hope you have a wonderful labor day weekend! cheers xo

let's talk hair girl

 warning stupid post ahead.....

how often do you wash your hair? I just had a long phone call discussing this age old question. (whatever what do you talk about on the phone)

I used to have bangs-which basically meant... measure the cleanliness of your bangs with your self esteem for the day. I loved having them, but they WERE A PAIN.

 

sidenote: never view old pictures without first accepting: you will never be that happy or skinny again. never ever.

anyways I decided bangs were too much work and grew them out

-around the same time I took a trip to Dublin!

 

Upon my arrival I was informed that showering had to be limited due to expenses and traveling ALSO there was no hair dryer

 (it was the dead of winter-do you want to lay in bed all night with wet hair?)

In Ireland, I learned the hard way what happens when you stop washing your hair...it goes through several stages (most of which you look disgusting) but then.... something amazing happened!

I realized not washing so often meant healthier, fuller, faster growing locks!

 My hair looked better than it had since high school!

 However, I'm worried I've taken this new found freedom way too far...I now hate washing my hair.  I avoid it as long as possible! I just throw it in a bun around the third day, or sprinkle in dry shampoo-

can you tell how much I care?

 how single I am?

so the question is...how often do you wash your hair?

cold weather blues

This past week it felt like fall in Brooklyn-perfect cool, breezy days. The thing is-I have a case of seasonal affective disorder S.A.D. indeed! The minute it starts getting cold outside my mood goes downhill fast.
Fall is a giant transition for nature, and it seems for me too. I feel like change always finds me in the fall, and bad news follows around Christmas time. I always seem to be anxiously waiting for April and May to feel like myself again. 

This was taken in Ireland when I stayed with Wendy-it was the coldest I've ever been and I'm sure ever will be.  We wore socks and scarves to bed, and still felt cold.

I read nat's descripition of fall a few years ago, and I've always loved it.

"the deal about fall is that it's hardly really here at all. right? maybe just for a few afternoons, when the sun shines just right--not too strong, of course, there must be a chill--while the clouds linger just so, and the leaves float by slowly. fall is wonderful just for the fact that it's so scarce. summer always bleeds too far in and the winter drops too soon, leaving us with this gorgeous scarcity. nothing about fall can last, not the colors nor the crispness, because in reality, fall is dying. fall is the death of nature. and it is beautiful. isn't that interesting? death is beautiful. do we recognize its beauty because it happens so fast and we can see it before our eyes? in real life, death is frightening because it sneaks up on us. we're young and we're young and then gradually and suddenly, we're not. but could it still be beautiful just the same?"

This year I am going to try my hardest to break this awful cycle. I wish summer was here a little longer, but I get to spend Christmas in New York city for crying out loud! I'm healthy with so many sweet  visitors planned between now and December-not to mention... It's still August! I plan on cramming in one or two more beach days this week.

Friday Favorites

It's Fridayyyyy!!!!! It's so great to be here with you dear reader.  Let's talk favorites shall we?

to begin
 I love The Beatles more than I could ever, ever, ever say on here-I'm sort of obsessed.

I forgot about this little song...it's one of those that seems to get lost in the many they wrote, but it's one of my favorites ever. John Lennon is just ridiculously sweet on this one-the lyrics kill me. It sounds like the perfect song to sway to at a middle school dance, or in your living room at midnight.

"all my little plans and schemes
lost like some forgotten dreams
seems that all I was really doing 
was waiting for you
no need to be alone
it's real love"

this article put a smile on my face this week-everyone should read it
everything i need to know i learned from my cat

The fabulous tennis team at Mississippi State University (my school) donated all of their old tennis balls to the Humane Shelter this week!

During a thunderstorm, I went bowling with a great group of girls-too much fun! This was our serious picture-I think it's the only time no one was screaming the entire time we were there

 

I saw "Magic in the Moonlight" on Tuesday-can't say enough good things about it! The acting, locations, story, costumes it was all spot on-GO WATCH IT.

 It was wonderful watching in this beautiful theatre! I'll be going back A.S.A.P.

I got to see Dawn Landes perform at Rough Trade last Saturday night-her set was amazing.
I especially loved this song. It was gorgeous live-everyone in the room went quiet.

This one was great too a John Prine cover! nice to hear a country song far from home

My biggest favorite is it is beginning to feel like fall in Brooklyn-there has been a soft, cool breeze blowing each day this week, and the sun is hiding out.  My whole world is transitioning y'all.

Cheers to the weekend pal xo

awkward Thursday

Thursday is awkward... I've talked about it before. In that spirit, here is an awkward update on Bart!

I have this picture on my phone (that I am obsessed with)  that was taken the second week we had Bart. He is sitting on a little purse.

This purse...

I placed a DVD underneath to give you some perspective on how incredibly small it is.

 I want you to understand so you can truly understand how ridiculously small Bart was!

 

I joke a lot that he refuses to grow. This week we all agreed he was starting to look a little more cat like...then he sat beside my purse again.

 

Four months later and he is still pretty teeny you guys!

 

some thoughts mid week

"Not knowing when the dawn will come I open every door."
Emily Dickinson


I've been thinking a lot about vulnerability-not by choice mind you.
I want to make movies that matter for the rest of my life. That in a nutshell is my dream...and to marry Ryan Gosling. It all goes together though because he likes to do that too-

In order to fulfill this dream, I have to be vulnerable all the time. I must stand in front of total strangers, and ask that they choose me. I have to ask  my acting coach if he likes my choices for the scene. I have to ask casting directors if they think I "fit the role".  I have to ask the other person in the scene to trust me. I have to ask myself to be open and feel scared and exposed in order to ring true. I have to ask people watching to believe that I am someone else.
it sucks. it really, really sucks.

Some weeks I walk to my apartment, and things simply feel hopeless. Sometimes being here feels like a complete joke. Sometimes, I feel far away from everyone I love and everything I know for no reason at all.  Sometimes I feel like a fraud. There always seems to be one more obstacle between me and this lofty goal. This pure idea I've held onto my entire life. I'm not saying I want to be famous, or have everything figured out-I just want contentment.

This picture was taken when Mom and I made the trip up here to interview with talent agencies. I was very unsure, and I was being told a lot that coming from the south was ridiculous. I was burning my safety net in Memphis for this whim. We didn't have a great trip- I was very stressed, people were sort of crazy and rude due to the superbowl going on, and  it was also freezing! So one night at our hotel around midnight we made the decision to just make the best of the three days we had left in town. Naturally, I proposed a "you've got mail" pilgrimage!
 This picture is on the steps of the restaurant where Joe sees Kathleen Kelly. It's sort of the perfect place to show I didn't know how anything would work out-much like the scene in the movie. It was a romantic, wild trip, but my lows were very low.

I look at this picture sometimes, and try to remember that so many good things can enter when you choose to be vulnerable-not just heartbreak. I was told yes the day after this photo was taken. I found an apartment about a month later-I am typing in Williamsburg where a new friend just called to invite me for dinner tomorrow. I now know the area in this photo, because my dialect teacher has an apartment around the corner from that restaurant.

 I found a life here that I didn't think would happen at all. I'm  frustrated today over how difficult things can be... how hard it is to stand and ask...how difficult it is to not be home when things are happening there, but I know that things can change in one night. It's always better in the morning.

you should be watching

okay.
I was up late-surprise, surprise-asking that same old, stupid question..."what should I watch?"
I'm a "go to sleep movie" enthusiast, as well as an aspiring actress in my own right SO I watch a ton of movies....so many that it is a struggle to find things I haven't seen when night time rolls around.

I texted Sloan tonight-"but what should I watchhhhhhh"-she replied with a couple of solid rom coms. Long story short we decided tonight was a night for something silly, romantic, cheesy, happy, and feel good. Now normally a perfect movie in my mind sounds more like....something dark, hopeless, depressing, down on your luck for two hours characters, quirky, and rain must be involved. I couldn't believe I clicked on "Endless Love".... I was downright shocked when I then LOVED IT.

It is honestly one of the best, over dramatic, we are 18 and gorgeous, romantic movies I have seen since Summer Catch and The Notebook. We all know I don't just throw around a comparison to The Notebook.

This movie had a beautiful couple with actual chemistry, her hair is amazing, an incredible soundtrack, set in Rhode Island at a mansion, perfect summer clothes that looked like a free people campaign, and a crazy house fire. 

SO BASICALLY 
you should watch it.

monday and carole

such a good song for a Monday...any day really what am I sayin?!
ALSO Zooey Deschanel's teaser cover is killing me y'all. I am obsessed.

also when I hear one Carole King song I just want to hear another

to me "so far away" is her best girl jam-
like is it an unspoken rule that all women love this song? just find someone who doesn't.
and if you do-don't be her friend, she's lame.
ALSO can we talk about the cat in this photo? That cat is my favorite...so are her jeans.

speaking of cats...
Bartholomew has been insane all day, but he apparently finds this album calming-
I'm pretty certain "it's too late" is his personal favorite.
 makes sense he is such a heartbreaker. 

Friday Favorites

Hello there! it's been a looonnnnggg week on my end-how about yours? There was a minute that I wasn't sure I would make it! I am going to attempt-for the sake of this little space of mine-to pull out some positivity and light to share with you dear reader!

 Here are my favorites as follows:

-Anne Shirley is sort of the essence of everything good to me- I read Anne of Green Gables at my grandmother's house at around nine or ten, and suddenly my life began to make more sense. I was out of new books to read, and Mama Jo sort of half way threw it at me one afternoon after school-"entertain yourself and stop following me around" basically....Two days later she had created a monster! I had to follow her around even more furiously through the house to tell her how great that book she gave me was. This is one of my favorite quotes from Anne-I have a vintage print with this saying, and it always makes me feel a little better.

 

-I mailed three stunning engagement rings across the country to three boys who are going to propose this week. 

-Speaking of work I am on the blog this week with a few picks for you in the store this month! 

 August shop girl

-My video doesn't do this girl justice! She had a full on song and dance rehearsal while at the subway stop. She danced for ten minutes, and sang two hits from Rent.

-Baked lays are always, always a fave

-I've never talked about faith on here, and I'm not sure I will...but this verse is a favorite if you're cool with the Bible y'all

"Because of the tender mercy of my God by which the rising sun will come to me from heaven-to shine on my darkness and what feels like the shadow of death to me-I will find peace." Luke 1:78-79

-this is so incredible, and I will love it forever. It's probably one of my top 5 favorite- most romantic scenes in film

-while on the subject of romance- this is one of my favorite romantic songs... that seems to always make me cry 

Cheers to the weekend! xo pal

whos that giiiiirrrllllllll

it's Grace!

Surprise dear reader! My new, not-so-secret-anymore project is a fun interview each month with someone cool-our very first guest is Grace from sometimes gracefully!! Her blog is so sweet and honest you guys-let's get to know her shall we?

1) Why Blog?

The main reason why I love to blog is because I love to write! I love to tell stories, read stories, hear stories, etc. I’m currently a full-time graduate student, which requires a lot of analytical writing, so blogging offers me a writing outlet that allows me to think a bit more creatively!  

2) Last Meal?

 I’d have to say that my last meal would include a juicy steak, steamed broccoli and brussel sprouts (my favorite! with lots and lots of butter!), an entire strawberry cheesecake (I mean, duh, right?), and chips and guacamole from Chipotle. A somewhat random assortment of my favorite things. Throw in a cold Diet Coke and I’m good to go!

3) Phone, keys, wallet…

               

 Dry shampoo. I’ve got a lot of hair that gets greasy real fast, so I like carrying around a travel-sized canister of dry shampoo in my purse! And it sure comes in handy on those days when showering seems like such a burden!

4) Heels or flats?

              

 Heels. I’m a short girl, measuring at 5’1 on a good day, and my husband is about 6’2, so I’m all about adding a little height whenever I can!

5) Favorite thing about where you live?

   

 I love living in a city that experiences all four seasons of the year. Sure, we experience our fair share of freezing winters up here in Minne-snow-ta, but we also have extremely colorful falls {my personal favorite}, blossoming springs, and hot summers. One month we’ll be swimming at the lake, and a few months later we’ll be at the same lake ice skating or ice fishing. There are so many different kinds of recreational activities throughout Minnesota because we’re a four-season state, and I love that!

6) Dogs or Cats? 

 Dogs! I am such a dog person. I don’t mind cats, but there are some cats that I’m convinced are plotting my demise as I stroke their back. I love dogs with smushed faces {pugs, boxers, bulldogs, etc.}, but Darrin is convinced that we’re going to be buying a Great Dane in the future. If that’s the case, then I’m convinced that I’ll be riding my future dog to work each day. Yikes.

7)A perfect day would be…

 A perfect day would be spent at home in my pajamas, snuggling next to my husband while watching one of our favorite television shows and eating a Chipotle burrito. No place to be. No pressing obligations to fulfill. Just a day spent relaxing at home with my favorite things!

8)My Humans of New York quote would read:

              

 “I’ve got a whole lot of goals, dreams, hopes, and desires, but life’s really just about loving people.”

9) Currently listening to…

               

 I’ve recently started listening to a band called Johnnyswim, and I can’t get enough of them! Their song “Home” has been on repeat whenever I’m walking around the city. Along with their entire Diamonds album!

10) Cannot live without…

               

 My husband. Kind of a corny, cheesy, sappy type of answer. But a truthful one! It’s tough not to be sappy with this question! He makes everything better…and he knows the kind of wine I like, so I’ve just got to keep him around. ;)

Conversation opened. 5 messages. All messages read.

O' Captain! My Captain!

words can not express the heartbreak I feel tonight-

the entire world just lost someone special- depression is real, and it can happen to anyone... no matter what gender or race...regardless if you are talented or ordinary.  I got the news in acting class-ironic since I saw Dead Poets Society at age 13, in my very first acting class. I had seen Mrs. Doubtfire and Aladdin,  which are exceptional, but this movie impacted me so much as a performer, as well as, a person. I was personally struggling with a deep depression at 13-I watched a movie about a young man who saw no way out but through death-it changed my entire perception on suicide. Over the years, I fell in love with each performance he gave-Good Will Hunting, Jack, 1 hour photo, and Patch Adams are favorites of mine. I plan on watching all his great works over the course of this week. My prayers and love go out to his family, and those who are struggling with inner demons. I sincerely hope he has peace tonight, and feels the love that the world is pouring out.

words on a Monday

"You're twenty one or twenty nine and your heart's been broken between four and twenty times-fetal -position-on-the-bathroom-floor-broken, real-country-music-broken-and you don't know how you can ever be expected to go on like this for fifty more years and change."

-Jade Sylvan, "You know how sometimes you're in your twenties in America"

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday dear reader! Congrats on finishing the week! Let's dive into my favorites shall we?

1) I have a super secret project in the works for the blog, and I think you are going to love it

2) I got eyelash extensions this week!!!!! let me just say...game changer.

 

3) The best news came today! She&Him  announce  their new album coming this fall! sounds spectacular -per usual

4) I'm amazed by just how big the world is, and how many people from amazing places come to live in Brooklyn. I sat beside the sweetest lady yesterday on the train-look at her book-can you imagine reading sentences vertically?

 

5) I finally got a great phone call in with my Sloan yesterday. She has been traveling abroad all summer-my favorite is she is back in the states!

6) coming from someone who is verrryyyy intimidated by cooking anything.... I must tell you this girl's cooking blog is the greatest thing I've ever found! Also the recipe I am listing below is spot on! I crave Chick-fil-a all the time in the city-so when I saw this I was pretty excited. I made it tonight so so good-can't wait to try everything else she lists!

damn delicious

7) my final favorite is binge watching The Real Housewives of New York City-no I'm not ashamed. It's been a long week for me and no sunshine for the city. Just curling up with Bartholomew and watching crazy women in fun shoes has been an excellent use of my time!

cheers to Friday! Happy Weekending pals xo

 

Thursday

I have this theory that Thursday is the most awkward day of the week. It can be great, but it will never be Friday.  In honor of Thursday, I decided to share my favorite awkward picture of all time with you  dear reader!
On a cloudy day in Memphis, Jessica and I were in the car on the way back to her apartment...from grabbing lunch I think...minding our own business...when we spotted THIS.

After we finished laughing- we backed the car up to take a picture-knowing no one would believe what we had seen, or for that matter understand how perfect it was. 
A sky blue house, with a white picket fence, baby toys all around, and puppies cuddling. The little guy on top was fast asleep until we reversed-he promptly looked up like "um what."

that grown up life

I just composed a grocery list, and a week of meals that I'm going to attempt to cook....
who am I?!
 Does this mean I am growing up or something?
I still used a pretty/impractical notebook!

show time show timeeeee

 Hey!

so last week I saw Bear's Den play a show at The Bowery Ballroom! The venue was beautiful-easy to see why it has become such a New York staple.

 Bear's Den has been on my list of people to go see for a while now, so I pounced on tickets when I found out they would be here! They were a sweet, humble group of guys who played very well. They talked mostly about being very excited to be staying in the city, and playing at a beautiful venue-they're originally from England. The crowd could not have been better-I ended up meeting about ten really kind people throughout the night.

This song was the best one of the night-everyone was singing and the band couldn't stop smiling as they played!