{finding peace on the walk home}

This last week has been very busy at work because I have been alone at the shop since Saturday. One of the things I look forward to after a long day of being alone at work, surprisingly enough, is the trip I make from work to home. It is always important to try to take in the small moments of peace in your day, and coming to and from work is actually quite pleasant. It is time just for me, alone, walking or riding my bike, getting to know my city. I can look in shop windows, people watch, scrutinize houses, and allow myself to stop and notice things that, had I been with a friend, we might have passed by.

 {l'amore vince tutto - love conquers all}

{king street barely peeking through}

{the path on my way home}

{entrance into the unitarian cemetery}

{can't wait to try the grocery}

{some cheery charleston wrought iron}

Everyone have a wonderful weekend!

{running sights}

running is becoming a try-weekly thing, and i am totally ok with it. the things i get to see on my runs gives me a better connection with the city i live in, it makes me a better resident. i get to know my neighbors, like the one who...

{survived flight 815}

and others who...

{...are restoring the beautiful jewish cemetery}

there is so much to do in charleston, new places to eat, drink and be merry seem to crop up all over the place, all the time. I am dying to try these places, that may not be that new, but are new to me.

{elliotborough mini-bar}

{i have heard nothing but great reviews of trattoria lucca}

{things that have gotten done, and things that are yet to do}

Sunday is my only day off, and soon, I will be working every day. In an effort to leave my house as nice as I can before I start my 7-day-a-week schedule, yesterday consisted of getting things done. Since I moved into my new place, It has seemed like a little bit of a shabby shack since nothing had been hung yet. I still don't have internet and so I have to resort to going to various cafes to check e-mail and research. I was able to hang my frescoes, pictures, engraving, and the flag my brother brought back home from one of his missions in Afghanistan.

  

{organizing my thoughts on saturday afternoon}

{art for the w.c.}

{flag of my brother from a mission of his}

{kudu's community journal wisdom}

 {symmetry, at last}

 My house is coming together bit by bit, but there are still things I am longing to do/have. I have more books on my To Read list than I know what to do with. I just finished A Moveable Feast and LOVED it. 

{some architectural prints, like the ones I found here}

{a lovely portrait of a friend all 18th century-like}

More to come, as always. 

{running and such}

In an effort to keep things in my life moving, so as to not notice the absence of friends and the constant that is change, I have signed up (along with my friend Carissa) for two 5Ks. This will prove to be most interesting considering I have not been to a gym since before graduation, and DO NOT run. Luckily have back up (Carissa) and we are trucking through the physical impediment that are our own bodies, workout by workout. Some good things about running outside, besides the runners high, are the silly and wonderful things you get to see while covering ground in your community.

{an attempt at picture taking while running. unsuccessful.}

  

{successful}

{don't talk about food while i'm running}

More to come to be sure. Our first run is on September 15th and is in Richmond, VA. It's called the Color Run, and will be a complete blast. We are reuniting with all of our college and high school friends (non of whom I would describe as runners) to run it together. More updates as the days get closer.

{SUMMER, or three months of anonymity}

Greetings! After months and months, the end of summer is drawing near and I am back. As seasons often teach us, change is unavoidable, constant, and a force for growth and adaptation, this summer was no exception. Graduation. Full time job. Bonnaroo. Weddings. Birthdays. Friends moving. England. More friends moving. Family. Texas. Runs. New home. Babies. Food. The following pictures are representative of what has been occupying my time this summer. 

{mr. fitzwilliam darcy, my friend carissa's new pup}

{scout, my faithful pup}

{the kitchen in my new home}

{lydia's bridal party}

{a picture of my grandfather from when he was young, found on my trip to texas}

{piling things into my new apartment}

{a magnificent charleston sky}

{laura's new baby nephew} 

{my bedroom in my new apartment}

{the cat I had for four days before discovering I was allergic to her. florence, a.k.a. white lip}

{sunday brunch and mimosas at caviar and bananas with hunter}

{the bride}

{picnics at the battery with a lovely sky}

{pre "i do"}

So many new happenings, new friends, old ones moving away. This summer has been busy and HOT. A big fat apology to those of you whom I have abandoned during this three month hiatus. Totally understandable, but I'm back! Hopefully a little more consistent with my posts. 

{wedding prep}

Lydia gets married Saturday, and with the wedding use days away we are all getting wonderful cases of butterflies! Excitement fills the air, and last minute projects are getting done. Lydia has done such a wonderful job of planning in advance so that nothing is really left to the last minute. I have planned a few things for this week. I want to make a little wedding day emergency kit. With just a few little essentials: Tide pen, water, tissues, breath mints, etc. I saw this

and thought it had a pretty good assortment of stuff. Kyle (the groom) comes in today from England! Lydia hasn't seen him in six months (he is in the Air Force and is stationed in England) so naturally, her heart is on the brink of exploding. 

More wedding updates to come as the week progresses. 

{the door: part 2}

So the door project is coming along swimmingly. The scraping has been going a little slowly, just because when I get home from work, there are only so many light hours in the day, and I have to work under the house (it is dark down there). 

{door progress}

I still have scraping to do, but I bought some supplies today that might make it go a little quicker.

{the supplies}

My roommate had a hand sander (a gift from the heavens!) and today I bought some 40 grit sand paper. It should strip the paint off very quickly. 

I also bought some TSP to clean the wood. The door has some rotten spots, so hopefully when I get all the paint off and get it sanded down, I can clean it properly. 

 I am still trying to figure out what color I want to paint it. Any suggestions? I was thinking maybe having an undercoat of cream or beige and then covering it over with a steely-blue. I would distress it after that so the cream would show through. Any ideas are welcome!