happy happy birthday

i love this girl.

like really really love.

10 years ago, i made a friend who's honest, thoughtful, amazing, faithful and kind. and aside from being all of those things, she encouraged me to try to be some of those things too.

she's picked out outfits for me.
given me bathing suit pep talks. (heaven knows i need 'em)
thrown amazing birthday parties.
listened to me cry.
prayed i wouldn't get kicked out of school.
talked me out of crazy crafts. 
and been there when i needed her.

we can go to park city and have fun. or all the way to london.
we can sing along to dixie chicks in the car. or to kenny chesney in concert.
we can sob together at the notebook. or cuddle up on the couch to watch the o.c. all night long.
we can talk every day. or not see each other for months and be JUST THE SAME.
it doesn't matter what we do, if we're doing it together.

this july 20th, i'm especially thankful for 28 years of kimbers.
and all the exciting things that will come to her in the next 28 years.

loving...

 

lately i've been loving, in no particular order:

1. matt
2. spending time with the nicolai fam
3. stella & anton
4. the beach that is 20 minutes from my house. (come visit in stamford and i'll take you_ 
5. penny (my new bike)

2 minutes

lately, stella has taken to the phrase "two minutes."
as in "i'll be ready in two minutes." "i'll do that in two minutes." "i'll be finished here in two minutes." to let all of us know she's not quite done.

nap time? two minutes.
leaving the park? two minutes.
say goodbye? two minutes. 

she's not saying NO to what happens next, just that she's not quite done with what's happening now. she wants a little more time.

today was a hard day.
(a cry on the phone with your best friend for 40 minutes kind of day.)

i wish i could say that the problems were mine.
i can fix my problems.
or control them.
or try to.
but they aren't. and they can't be.
and all i really can do is cry with (and for) the people i love who really had a hard day.

and when these hard days happen i want to press pause.
stop.
slow down.

i want to determine what happens. and when. and at what speed. because it seems to me that things are happening too fast. and everyone just needs a little more time. even if it's just two minutes.

so for stella's sake, and really all of ours, i'm praying for two minutes tonight. 

the italian itch

it's hitting me pretty hard right now.
that annual itch to return to italy.

meet me in amalfi?

i should be sleeping...

i should be sleeping, but instead i'm mentally arranging furniture that 1) i don't own you or 2) is not even close to being finished, in the apartment we move into April 1.

 (like cobalt blue dressers and silver-leafed nightstands)

i should be sleeping, but instead i'm looking at pictures of the fitness facility at the hotel in Shanghai, because other than being in China, i'm excited about having easy access to a 24-hour gym.

(have you tried Gap's new workout gear? It's pretty great - and hitting the neon trend on the head)

i should be sleeping but instead i'm searching pinterest for ways to grow out a pixie. RUBI, are you out there? i have a feeling you know the answer ... 

i should be sleeping but i'm checking airfare JUST to see if maybe we could squeeze in some time in london in the coming months. (not even close to being an option...) 

i should be sleeping but i'm blogging - and tomorrow i'm certain i'll regret this! 

decisive

it amazes me that i got married.
the difficulty i had choosing a couch highlighted some serious commitment issues. lucky for us, it didn't feel like SUCH a commitment (the couch, not marriage!)  if you've been to RH, you may have even sat on it, which is precisely why we get to take it home for a basement bargain price.

other than that, my life lately has been packing, working, and frantically finishing some DIY projects. we're moving out of hotel nicolai in 2 weeks. and even though it wasn't our plan to stay at home for 6+ months after leaving london, it's been 99% wonderful. 

i'm going to miss ... 

(in no particular order) 

• playing with stella 
• my mom's delicious dinners on the table when i get home from work
• group american idol watching 
• cuddling with luci cat 
• forgetting my laundry in the dryer and finding it magically folded on my bed the next day
• dancing with anton
• the general hustle and bustle of 8 people in one house
• evening walks in this magical rural suburbia
• my tailor in town - she really is the greatest

i'm not going to miss ... 

• jim cramer's mad money on FULL BLAST 
• stella playing without me and with her drum set in the early morning
• not being able to put my clothes in the dryer because there are 3 loads of other people's laundry ahead of mine in queue 
• sleeping downstairs, but getting dressed / ready upstairs 
• luci cat sneaking in to cuddle / ask to be fed at 4:00am 
• the general noise and bother of 8 people in the same house
• compromising on which ice cream flavors to buy 
• feeling obligated to wear clothes around the house

bedroom

for the bedroom, we are thinking something more monotone. 

more sophisticated. 

less colorful.

and i'm paralyzed with indecision. 

and we have white walls. 

and we can't paint them. 

and i just can't make up how this place is going to look in my head. 

ugh. 

first world problems people.

leather?

we're having to make real life decisions these days.
and even though i agreed to marriage, it's become quickly evident, i still have commitment issues. COUCHES ARE A BIG DEAL. (and a lot of dollars)

we've heard leather is the way to go with babies. (and we'll have one someday).

would you rather have your today husband and someday baby sit on this couch:

or this one:

or no leather at all?

 

plumpelstiltskin

they say nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.
but they never had new york pizza.
or allene's home-cookin' ...

after we got married i managed to pack on 15 pounds. (yes, 15. and even though i've managed to delete 99% of all the unflattering photos of our first year of marriage, there's proof.) i spent the next two years of our marriage losing 13 of said pounds.

behold plumpelstiltskin.  

december 2009, +15 pounds

but since we've returned to the land of cars and carbs (read: america) my waistline is on the up and up, while my self discipline is on a steady decline. just this week i enjoyed the greasy delights of venezuelan arepas, gorged on a chicken tikka buffet, ordered pizza (twice- UGH!) and stayed up too late watching food network which turned into staying up too late eating pancakes. (damn you "diners, drive-ins and dives.")

and despite the fact there is a free gym at work, at the end of the day i just want to get started on my 45-minute drive home ...

so this is a very public plea for help. if you have any secrets of motivation, now would be the time to share them.

better late than never...

between instagram, pinterest and a full-time employment i'm having a hard time keeping up with dear life. what's new:

• matt landed his dream job.
• we signed on an amazing apartment that's not in manhattan. 
• which means we'll be living part time at the W Hotel at Union Square. (good thing i get a discount) 
• i'm traveling to china, australia and panama ... next month. 
• and i'm back in the decorating saddle, dreaming of tufted upholstery and campaign furniture. 

these colors:

this art:

 

this sofa: