Category Archives: Inspiration

Celebrate

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Classic family moment, no? This is me {on the right} and my sister Michelle, who is celebrating 32 years today. I find this rather daunting  as I still remember the day she was born as if it were yesterday. I’ve mentioned this before in this post, but truth be told, I was hoping this little sibling of mine would be a brother. But I have to say, how happy I am that she is my little sister. Although we have had our disagreements {oddly enough, the photo above was not one of them} I am quite proud to be her big sister.

Michelle was never one to fit any mold. She decided to live abroad her junior year of high school and ended up in Nitra, Slovakia. If it were me, I would have been home within 24 hours. But not Michelle. She is one to face any challenge and do so gracefully. After high school, she took a little time off and lived in England, where she decided to apply to the American University in Paris to finish her studies. She has inspired my love of travel and I only wish I was half as creative as she is. Really. You have to check out her Instagram account Letters From Nantucket. What an inspiration!

So here is to my little sister. Keep being you, as you are pretty awesome!

Take Two

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It’s hard to believe that a year ago, I gathered up my belongings and re-rooted myself back in the city I said I would never return to. One should learn never to say never! But you know what? While I was going through my rebirth, Boston was too. This city is just bursting with energy and it is quite an exciting time to live and work here. So this week, I thought I would devote all my posts to my city, Boston. I hope you’ll join me for the adventure!

Celebrate

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Wishing one of my favorites Food52 a very happy birthday! For all of you who don’t know Food52, please allow me to make an introduction.

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Food52 was started by these two lovely ladies. Amanda Hesser, formerly of The New York Times and Merrill Stubbs, a former caterer {and Flour counter girl}. These two set out to create a community for chefs, both trained and novice, to exchange recipes, shares stories and support one another. And what a community they’ve created. From cookbooks to a podcast to an online store, Amanda and Merrill have reminded us the importance of food and sharing it with those we love.

Looking for inspiration? Look no further than Food52. But be warned, 10 minutes can easily turn into an hour… it’s just that good! And good news, they are offering free shipping on all orders placed today in honor of their big day. I just purchased these muffin molds and can’t wait for them to arrive.

I will leave you with their cooking manifesto:

  • If you cook, your family will eat dinner together.
  • If you cook, you will naturally have a more sustainable household.
  • If you cook, you’ll set a lifelong example for your children.
  • If you cook, you’ll understand what goes into food and will eat more healthily.
  • If you cook, you’ll make your home an important place in your life.
  • If you cook, you’ll make others happy.
  • If you cook, people will remember you.

*Photo credits: Food52

Daily Reads

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It’s Wednesday… two more days till the weekend! How excited are you? To show my excitement, I though I would share with you some of my daily reads. I only hope one day this little blog of mine has the following that these talented ladies do. Endless inspiration indeed.

Camille Styles – Inspired Gatherings + Effortless Style (her book that came out last year is a wonderful too)

The New Potato – The World Through the Lens of Food (sisters Danielle + Laura Kossan authors this delightful blog and their videos are hilarious and ones I watch frequently when I need an afternoon pick-me-up)

Victoria McGinley – San Francisco based web designer and blogger, Victoria aesthetic is quite similar to mine and thus I’m always getting ideas. She also redesigned Grace Atwood’s  The Stripe… another must read.

Oh So Beautiful Paper – A Celebration of All Things Paper (need I say more!)

Should you like these, check out my list from 2012. Still read these too!

Love Story

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Look at these two? My mother and stepfather. Married 24 years today. I asked them both to share their advice on the key to a successful relationship. Here is what they had to say…

“Best advise I can give is patience – gratitude – and ability to forgive and to know that sometimes it’s all about you and sometimes it’s all about your partner but you are willing to do that for each other because you are happier together than apart.”

“Men ARE from Mars and women ARE from Venus. We process things differently. Stretching ourselves beyond the limits of these psychological and emotional boundaries, makes for a real adventure in love and commitment.”

Pretty good if you ask me. Any words of wisdom you live by? Would love to hear, dear readers.

Enjoy the start to your week!

 

Beginnings

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Wedding Details
The first weekend of May I had the honor of celebrating the union of one of the greatest girls I know and her very lucky husband. Truth be told, Kristen and I will be celebrating our anniversary this week. 8 years. We fondly call each other wifey as we have found in each other what everyone hopes to find in a soul mate. And let me tell you, her wedding made me fall for her that much more. Every detail, from the save-the-date to the dessert buffet, was perfection. I thought I would share a few of my favorite.

The Venue
Barn
Kristen knew she wanted to have an intimate wedding, no more than 40 guests. To be included in this group was such a privilege. The location, a barn, just added to the closeness of this affair. Everyone invited shaped these two people as individuals and as a couple. A room full of great friends and many happy memories. And the best part, many were able to stay in the adjoining house so it almost felt like we were at someone’s home. Hardy Farm, 3 hours from Boston. What a place!

Placesettings
Placesetting
I have been to my quite a few weddings… as a guest, as a bridesmaid and even as a worker (yes the glamorous life of catering) and I have never seen such a creative and thoughtful placesetting. A photo of the bride or groom (depending on which side you are on) and you along your journey as friends. And the cool thing, after you found your seat, you were asked to hang the photo on the garland featured in the photo above. Beautiful. And the dinner plates were vintage. I thought they may have been from a family collection, but Kristen told me her resource was Etsy.

The Getaway Car
I love old cars. Like love them. And when I heard that Kristen’s father was bringing one of his, I couldn’t wait to see it. And what a beauty. Just look at this thing? And you know what, it traveled all the way from Ohio for this special occasion.
The car

There was cornhole, customized red silo cups, sparklers by the fire pit, a serenade to the lovely bride from her groom. A magical night. We danced well into the evening. I was most happy to find a “hangover kit” in my welcome bag the next morning. The 5 hour energy, aleve and breathemints certainly helped prior to my arrival at the morning after brunch.

So here is to one of the greatest couples I know on the beginning of their journey together. I was beyond honored to be included in this celebration of love, family and friends. Certainly a strong foundation for a lifetime together. Much love to you both!

Justmarried

Endings

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My girls
Friends… once again I apologize for my silence as of late. Last week was my last day at Nantucket Looms so as you can imagine my days had been a bit hectic making sure all the loose ends and little tidbits of information I acquired over the past 18 months were passed along. As with all transitions, I’ve been doing quite a bit of reflection of what I’m looking for in my next move. And while this summer I will be keeping busy in the catering kitchen, I’m excited for my upcoming move back to Boston. Finding an apartment, reconnecting with old friends, checking off all those things I never got around to the first time around (list forthcoming)… starting new.

I’ve been out of college for 13 years now, have worked at 6 different companies (4 law firms and 2 small island businesses), and have collected a few pieces of wisdom. As I begin to think about what’s next, I hope these will help guide me to that “near perfect” opportunity.

1. It’s all about team.
I have worked with some fantastic people along the way. My colleagues at Nixon Peabody and WilmerHale are still some of my closet friends. And at the Looms, I had the privilege to work side by side with the two ladies pictured above. Stephanie and Becky. Creative souls, amazing moms and business women who are carrying on the tradition of Nantucket Looms. Work is certainly work but to collaborate with those you respect, care for, can laugh with and generally like… that’s the key.

2. Work to live, not live to work.
The COO at Nixon Peabody use to always say this at our annual retreats. Of course we are employed to fulfill a certain set of tasks and job functions. But we have to work in-order to indulge and enjoy the things we enjoy in life. While I have loved every minute living on this little island, I have realized that the ability to do my weekend road-trips and impromptu travel is difficult. And for me, the ability to pick up and go is a must.

3. The bottom line.
The world lost an amazing voice today: Maya Angelou, who I believe said it best. “Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.” Liking and believing in oneself has always been a struggle for me. Part of the reason I returned home was to heal and work on that piece. And today, I can confidently say, “I like myself.” And so the rest will hopefully follow. I like to do so many different things. I want to be creative but analytical. I want to write. I want to present. I want to tackle a project head on. And I want to work for a company I believe in. That has vision. That is a member of the community and believes that comes with some responsibilities. Hopefully when these things align, I will find success.

So here begins my search for what’s next. Endings are always hard but they lead to beautiful new beginnings. Beyond excited for this next chapter!

35

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Friends… please accept my sincerest apologies for my absence as of late. I was in a bit of a funk last week. You see, Friday was my 35th birthday. That’s right… in 5 years I will be 40.

I share a great deal with you on this blog: dreams I have; failures I’ve had along the way; and thoughts on the future. I have no regrets. Only one wish that my sweet brother was here to celebrate these moments with me. But something about turning 35 just set me back a bit. My evenings were filled with worries that I don’t have a child. That I’m divorced. That my savings account has dwindled down to nearly zero after taking these past two years off from corporate life. That I won’t find a job back in the city. Worries.

But you know what, so many great things have been happening lately. I have a wonderful group of friends who helped celebrate my birthday with a bang and who I know will be lifelong friends after I leave this little place. My nephews showered me with cards and a cake and sang happy birthday to me (if you follow me on Instagram you will see the artist talents of my nephew Tuck). But the greatest gift of all… I have met someone who has changed my life in ways I never knew were possible. And while I don’t want to jinx anything or share too much, I can tell you that all the heartache was worth it. So I welcome 35 with open arms. And every morning while blow drying my hair, I greet those gray hairs that have finally come to be with open arms!

Found

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Found
While scrolling through my Instagram feed yesterday, I saw this photo of Liya Kebede, founder of LemLem in a fantastic dress and thought to myself… there it is. My found item for the week. The color, simple lines and versatility… a great summer piece. I was quite pleased to find out, after a bit of research, that this dress was designed by LemLem for the exclusive Vogue + Born Free Collaboration, which includes fashion pieces from 22 top designers (including LemLem, Tory Burch, Prada, Carolina Herrera, and Isabel Marant) that are available for purchase on Shopbop. 100% of the profits from this collection will go toward Born Free’s mission to end mother-to-child HIV transmission at birth. Shopping for a cause always make me feel good. Take a look at the collection. Beautiful pieces indeed.

And can I just say, Liya and her company. Inspiring. A supermodel, actress and former World Health Organization’s Goodwill Ambassador for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, Liya founded Lemlem in 2007 as a way to inspire economic independence in her native country of Ethiopia after learning that the craft of weaving was fading away. By designing beautiful woven tops, beach cover-ups and dresses, Liya is not only preserving the art of weaving but helping those in her native country to be financially independent and successful. Doing good by doing well. So good.

#BostonStrong

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Boston
Boston. What a place. This city is like no other. The architecture. The people. The landscape. Home.

My heart aches that I can’t be there today to watch my city come together for the running of the Boston Marathon. So many incredible stories have come out over the last year. Stories of tragedy and triumph. New beginnings. Bravery. Community. One such story is from my sweet church Old South located at the corner of Boylston and Dartmouth. The finish line.

In February, members of the Old South Knitters Club came up with a beautiful idea: the Marathon Scarf Project. A simple idea really. To wrap runners in marathon blue and yellow scarves knit by hand. The group thought they could complete a few hundred at best. But like all good things, news of this project went viral and as of this weekend more than 7,000 scarves were handed out to runners. What an act of love. Now that’s what I call Boston Strong!

Boston Marathon