Tuesday, December 14, 2010

simply, having, a wonderful christmas time

it's true. i love christmas.

and what's not to love about it? strings of lights, bright + metallic-colored decorations, those all-to-familiar tunes on the radio, the hustle + bustle of stores...i could go on.
then there's that feeling. you know the one: excitement. not necessarily the same as when you were a kid - but i think it's better.

sure, it takes a bit longer for me to feel it (it normally kicks in when i arrive around my family in NC). and maybe it's about different things (i now prefer the breakfast before or the bourbon-laced eggnog after presents, over the actual opening of them). but there's an excitement there nonetheless.

i look for it in faces of strangers, my friends and to be honest, myself. i reach inside for the reminder that while i don't believe in santa claus, i do believe in christmas and all that it brings.

i believe there's no place like home (wherever that may be) for the holidays.
i believe that through the years we all will be together - if the fate's allowed.
i believe that we all need a little christmas, right this very minute.
i believe in the jingle bell rock.
i believe that christmas eve will find me - wherever i am.
and most of all, i believe it's the most wonderful time of the year.

so cheers to you + yours this season. enjoy this time with friends, family and, most importantly, yourself. listen to those tunes that never change from year to year. drive around to check out decorations in your neighborhood (you'll get quite a show in some places). go stand beside the christmas tree in the middle of town. maybe even make some cookies to leave for santa.

whatever you do, wherever you are, whoever you're with, just be sure to have yourself a merry little christmas.

merry christmas from the fletchers!

Thursday, December 9, 2010

tea for two (or more).

a few weeks ago i was greeted by my good friends with a nice surprise. a couple of side notes about surprises:
a). true TRUE ones come so few and far between (especially the older you get), and
2). i LOVE them (duh).

my friend charlie's mum had offered up her mother's b-e-a-utiful silver-plated tea/coffee set to little old moi. i squealed (quite loudly) with excitement as visions of girlie tea parties and hosting divine dinners with friends, quickly filled my head and i promptly assembled it all and displayed it in my teeny dining nook.

you see, i had access to a miniature tea set when i was a gal, but some pieces were missing by the time it was passed on to me (ahem, older sister...) and frankly, i was getting a bit too big for the single spot of tea (or water) the pot could hold. this new set was complete with two slender pots (i could hear myself asking: "regular or decaf?" "coffee or tea?"), a stout little creamer and a twin sugar bowl. each piece with four tiny "feet" on the bottom for slight elevation, all resting on an ornate silver tray with a handle on each side, to boot!

all this on top of the fact that i live + die by second-hand treasures, just made this sunday surprise so much sweeter. while i have visions of the previous life this beauty of hosting...accoutrements...had before me - including mid-day coffee, holiday dinners and maybe even a brunch here or there - i also have big plans for it in the future. above all, my heart warms knowing where it's been: in a family of friends that i have come to consider a form of family of my own. and isn't that just the cream to my coffee?

thanks janine!
*yours truly prepared to serve up some goodness at thanksgiving dinner!

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

the last first.

hello december - welcome! you came all to soon, but i welcome you with open arms - you're one of my faves.

i look forward to all you bring in the next few weeks: trips to nyc, holiday parties, birthday celebrations, champagne, eggnog, lights, carols...maybe even some snow. but most of all, i look forward to the trip down to NC for a family (and friend) reunion.
and while i'm not sure where the rest of this year went, i will squeeze all the best that i can out of you to cap it off and prepare for the next.

let the fun begin!

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

i'll be gone till Movember.

Movember is an annual moustache growing charity event held every November which raises funds and awareness for cancers that affect men. nov.1, guys register with a clean shaven face and grow + groom their Mo all month, raising money along the way. funds donated to the organization are divided evenly to the Prostate Cancer Foundation + LiveSTRONG.

AB + i are...shall we say...challenged, in the facial hair department. and while e can grow a solid 'stache, he keeps a pretty clean palette. so we decided to take matters into our own hands to show support for this cause and our dad who is currently battling prostate cancer...for the second time.

he's upon his last week of radiation treatments and we're hoping this battle will be the last. so it's only fitting that we close out this month with a few photos of our progress in hopes he sees some as well. hats off to all you who participated this month and burgin beale, this one's for you.





Wednesday, November 24, 2010

thanks, again.

it's hard to believe that it's time for another thanksgiving.

this year, e + i are welcoming people to our home - a first for us. we'll be making the turkey, adding some sides, downing some wine + building a fire. all with an intimate group of friends and, for the first time in four years, my sister. that's right, i will finally share the table with another beale again.

i've said it before, and i'll say it again, thanksgiving is my favorite (juuuust after halloween). there's no stressful gift-giving, no nausea as you watch your credit card balance slowly rise and (for us at least) no travel anxiety. as long as you remember to take the giblets out of the turkey and turn the oven on, it's a piece of cake, well...pumpkin pie. it marks the beginning of my holiday season for sure and i actually find it the most fun day of the span.

i do miss my home - meaning my mom + dad - and the years i had with them, at their house. since those times, thanksgiving food just hasn't tasted the same. i know it never will. but i don't let that distract me from being thankful for everything else in my life. my cup runneth over. and i hope yours does too.

so cheers to a day of family, friends and delicious food. take a minute to count your blessings, hug the ones you're with and give thanks to whomever will listen.

happy thanksgiving to you + yours!

Monday, November 1, 2010

it's the first of the month

happy november 1! while october 1 officially marks my favorite time of year, after the halloween festivities are over, i find myself even more excited than before they began.
it's true, tearing down the cobwebs + packing up the pumpkin lights makes me a bit sad, but i'm excited for what's to come in the following two months. the stream of holiday fun that is upon us is so...well...just plain fun.

i look forward to the following highlights that will help me close out this year:
law review winter event complete with dinner + dancing (any excuse to get dressed up with my husband is fine by me!)
harvard/yale game with nyc visitors (sister + rob!)
thanksgiving dinner with friends here in cambridge (food + wine with good friends can't be beat)
bachelorette party in nyc to usher out a dear friend's single life (congrats katie!)
champagne + cupcakes celebration to close out the semester for e (two of my favorite things unite)
sister's birthday in nyc (fried chicken dinner + karaoke anyone?)
my big 2-8 birthday in nc (hello mid-late twenties)

of course this sporadic chain of events is punctuated by homemade eggnog, ice skating, the season's first fire in our fireplace, decorating with lights and holiday shopping. really, what's not to love about now?
while my calendar is pretty open at the moment, i know the agenda will certainly fill up, guaranteeing that these last two months will fly by just as fast as the first 10.

Monday, October 11, 2010

the pursuit of happiness

this weekend was a long one (thanks to the columbus day holiday) and it brought us perfect fall weather. e + i took advantage of the cool, sunny days + decided to go pick a few apples. we headed back to the orchard we visited last year (we're partial to the wine + beer tasting we can do there after we pick), and we grabbed a bushel of numerous crisp varieties. we spent the late afternoon on the porch, looking out over the orchard at the changing leaves + a few quintessential new england steeples dotting the skyline.

a quick reading of the forecast confirmed that saturday would be just as nice + i was SUPERexcited to finally take out my bike. she's a beaut and was one of my roadside treats that i stumbled upon a few months ago. i know, i know, i too am surprised someone would choose to let her go. my friend alyson + i took advantage of the day with ride + picnic along the esplanade. we gathered our group + grilled out in the north end before we headed down to the riverside bocce courts to get our game on. the chill that night reminded us that winter was not far off.

e + i did a little bike loop on sunday as well - dodging octoberfest traffic that morning, before we headed straight for the crowds that afternoon at charlie's beer garden. a re-group on sunday night for yet another grilled dinner was wrapped up with alyson's homemade cider doughnuts + some hot apple cider (with bourbon of course!).

happiness...found.


Monday, October 4, 2010

country grammar

although fall technically began almost two weeks ago, i feel like i just got the official kick-off to the season this past weekend. we piled two cars full of people, food, drinks and warm clothing, and headed to a friend's house in upstate new york. our saturday was filled with ATV rides, target practice, oh-ing + ah-ing over the changing leaves, exploring the few + far-between houses of the countryside, and preparing a family feast. it couldn't have been more different than what we do in our day-to-day routines and we couldn't have been more happy about it. we ended that saturday toasting smores over a bonfire and checking out stars that we can never see in the city.

last night i arrived back in cambridge to (much) cooler temps and an excitement for my favorite season. seeing fall's arrival each year has been one of my favorite things about living up here in MA. it's something i feel i never really got to experience down in NC and it's something that will be hard for me to leave when it's time. but for now, we're celebrating the fact we have another year here after e finishes law school. he'll begin a clerkship after graduation that will keep us around until 2012 + we're so excited to stay. on the list of things i just wasn't ready to let go of yet, were the definite changing of the seasons.

so long summer. i'm ready for mums, pumpkins, boots, chunky knits, halloween and some hot apple cider.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

the third + final

there's a part of me that wants to scream "how-oh-HOW is it september 1!" but most of me can believe the cold hard fact of this passing of time. the summer has gone all too quickly, but it was an amazing one for sure.

e + i are approaching our last summer retreat with friends for labor day weekend, and when i return to cambridge, i'll be expecting (and wanting) some fall-like temps and i'll begin looking out for the first sign of falling leaves. my favorite season is upon us + i couldn't be more excited for the change. e starts his third year of law school today. every year i do the same two things: take a picture of him departing to class; and reflect on what the last school year brought us while wondering what the coming one will hold.

i won't forget the sadness i had two years ago when we first arrived. the loneliness that just didn't seem to go away quickly. i'll never forget thinking, "these three years are going to be a long stretch."

now, i can't stop saying, "these three years just aren't enough."


---

Thursday, July 29, 2010

doubtless, we've been through this, so if you want to follow me you should know:
i was lost then and i am lost now, and i doubt i'll ever know which way to go.

- the broken bells, vaporize

beautiful, honest words. every time i hear/sing them, i think to myself: "big deal, still go with."

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

the road to home.

this summer, my ipod's been repeating this song.
the beat is happy + the lyrics are sweet. but there's just something about it that always makes me tear up.
maybe it's because i think of family, friends, NC, cambridge, my past + my future - all at once.
maybe it's because i remember the afternoon i first heard it (thanks to my friend*), when i had recently opened up my heart again to a home i had long left.
or maybe it's because i think of thomas wolfe's novel, you can't go home again, and i think to myself...how tragic.

"home, let me come home. home is wherever i'm with you. oh, home, yes i am home. home is when i'm alone with you."
- Edward Sharpe + the Magnetic Zeros

*Thanks Steven!

Thursday, July 15, 2010

yes, please.

i want this watering can SO bad. i asked e to get it for me for labor day. that's right, labor day.i pass it everyday on mass ave. and it teases me. i just KNOW that our (dying) houseplants will flourish when being watered with this beaut.

*the bright pink cart it's sitting on ain't to shabby either...

Monday, July 12, 2010

dear e,
when we grow up (although i hope that never happens) can we have a kitchen that looks like this + has a view like that?
so lived in, so loved in, so...perfect.
think about it,
me

Friday, July 2, 2010

time flies when you're having fun (in the sun)

how oh HOW is it july 4th weekend?

it feels a bit like a fall day here in cambridge, but the sun is shining, friends are in town + a weekend of celebration is about to be had. didn't july 4th technically mark the middle of summer back when we used to have a summer?

is it weird that i still sing patriotic songs in my mind when i watch fireworks? "ameeeeerica, ameeeeeerica god shed his grace on theeeeeee..."

Friday, June 25, 2010

my best friend's wedding.

somewhere between a cookout on thursday night + getting ready for her best friend’s wedding on saturday afternoon, a gal found herself strolling down memory lane.

in a setting so familiar I could’ve called it home + surrounded by so many people that helped me become who I am today, my heart + soul relocated the soft spot for wilmington, nc. it was a surreal moment to watch a kindred spirit get married and reconnecting with friends from my past was just as touching.

cheers to the cape fear river, drinks downtown, wrightsville waves and first dances at weddings.
cheers to growing up, moving on, forgetting feuds and recalling memories.
cheers to loving, committing and a common bond.
cheers to the old + new: friends AND versions of yourself.

Congrats Caroline + Sean!

Monday, June 14, 2010

a talk of two cities.

my how the time has flown! here's a run-down of what's YOU'VE missed:
a quick cheers for the end of 2L, a (not-so-quick) FANTASTIC two-week trip to costa rica followed by a (two-tear) goodbye to e as he flew down to DC to begin his summer internship. all this punctuated by a one year anniversary celebration - whew!

two lonely weeks in cambridge later, i made my way to DC over the weekend to visit my hubby and check out a city that may very well be our future home. between catch up with good friends, making new ones, bites of delicious food (including ripe tomatoes), and swigs of some fine brew and sweet tea, i took in the sweltering southern temps as well as the lively surroundings in each neighborhood we visited. all the while thinking to myself, "what if i had to start over, and what if it was here, could i do it."

of course the answer is yes. the answer to that question, no matter the place, will always be yes. with e (and gus) by my side, i can start over anywhere. but it's a thought i won't let stay in my head for long.

i prefer not to acknowledge the fact that i may very well be staring down the barrel of our last year here in cambridge. i would much rather spend my time here + now enjoying backyard bbq's, long days and summer temps with our beantown buddies.

i'll spend these months trying to have just as much fun (and more) this summer as we did last. i'll enjoy the fact that the boston skyline makes me smile, my neighborhood feels like home and the hydrangea are starting to rapidly bloom along each street. i'll get ready for a best friend's wedding, a week at the beach with my family + e's return to our little apt for the second half of summer.

and i'll save my "what-ifs" for a rainy winter day.

Monday, April 26, 2010

celebration station.

it's never easy to leave nyc. this time was equally hard after sharing a long weekend with girls that always warm my heart, to celebrate another that warms each of our souls. moments like these are an amazing reminder of what it's all about: friends catching up with laughter, tears, drinks, dancing + gossip.

each time i enter that city there's something in me that changes. and heading home, somewhere in between connecticut + boston, it changes back. maybe it's me, my sis, past memories, or maybe it's just nyc itself, plain + simple. whatever it may be, i hope i'll always feel that switch.

cheers to friends, recalling old memories, making new ones and a city that NEVER sleeps.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

full speed ahead.

a big congrats to all those that ran the boston marathon yesterday. a friend + i headed across the river to take in a close up from the sidelines. we had a view right around the last "bend" of the race.

once runners turned left in front of us onto bolyston st., they were in the home stretch straight for the finish line. and man was it exhilarating. the applause! the cow bells! the signs! hands in the air, smiles on faces, limps of pain but a determination to finish. and every.single.onlooker cheering at the top of their lungs.

it was one of THE coolest things i've seen + heard in quite awhile: strangers cheering on strangers. applauding them for their dedication, their will, their drive, their dream. pushing them the last few feet to the finish. now, i'm not the gal to put a 26.2 foot-race on my life list, but i'll never say i don't understand why some do. when you run that far, that hard, that long by yourself, for a crowd that large, on a course that demanding, there's not much in this world you can't do.

Friday, April 2, 2010

a spring fling.

on my run yesterday i was surprised with budding trees, little flower shoots from the ground + the warm sun shining on my face. welcome, spring - i love you!

i was remembering last year + how the season crept up on me while i was preoccupied with trips to nc, work + wedding planning, and i got excited knowing that i'd easily be able to track the season's stages this year.

two winters down, one to go - not that anyone's counting. but it's one of the things i'll miss most about new england: just when you think you can't stand the cold, the rain, the grey, spring shows up. and just like that, you forget all the nights in by the fire, all the layers you wore for months + all the words you made up to curse the freezing temps. i thought of how this paralleled with my life + was immediately thankful for the "springs" that i've experienced at all the right times.

looking forward to celebrating with egg dyeing, a picnic in the sun, catching up with friends and finally (after the seemingly-endless 40 days + 40 nights) SWEETS!

happy spring to YOU!

Monday, March 29, 2010

rain, rain, go away...

listening to julian casablancas, cut copy + throwing in some vintage earth, wind + fire (on vinyl) on this rainy day.

and i was thinking...
julian, you say so much so well.
thanks for satisfying my lyrical cravings:

*your faith has got to be greater than your fear
working on that...everyday.

*forgive them, even if they are not sorry
is it really that easy?

*oh, I got music, coming out of my hands and feet and kisses...
it's true - i do!

*but don't you dare get to the top and not know what to do
fact.

*lyrics from 11th dimension

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

i could be LOST

after spending one blissful, warm, relaxing + absolutely lazy week on an island in the sun i came to one conclusion:

if this gal were stranded on a deserted island in the middle of the caribbean, she'd be...just fine.

of course i'd need a few things: sunscreen, a hat, an iPod that never needed charging, a natural water source, a bottomless bottle of vodka, an endless supply of mint (to make my new fave which they called a "guaracha." very much like a mojito but swap the rum for vodka...delish.), the twilight series + of course, my husband. (what? too much?)

but really, i could do it. some people get bored, need a change of scenery, need new company. but me, i'm at home with my toes in the sand, my face in the sun, the ocean in my view + eric by my side.



5 things i missed while on vacation:
1. daily skype with sister
2. daily "coffee" with caroline
3. daily chats with the parents
4. 70-degree weather that apparently hit boston while we were gone
5. gus

5 things i miss since i've been back:
1. the view from my beach chair
2. everyday, uninterrupted, with e
3. abundance of (ripe) fresh fruit (papya! mango! kiwis!)
4. the warm temps + sunshine
5. cocktails around the clock!

Thursday, March 11, 2010

diving right in (part deux).

the wait is over. after months of lusting after multiple marysia swim suits, i finally purchased one. you may remember a previous post regarding Marysia + last year's line. she's since had an amazing year, debuting styles at urban outfitters + anthropologie, as well as having a few suits appear in sports illustrated.

she's about to show a new line in charleston + i wish i could be there because i know it will be just as fab. i can't wait to enjoy this suit (perfect for me especially because of the color!) all summer long!

*Marysia Swim knot bandeau bikini.


*look at the super-cute packaging it comes in!

thanks for creating such fun, beautiful pieces marysia!

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

how sweet it is.

one of the many reasons i love cambridge so much is that i always find little treasures here + there just hanging out, right on the corner, waiting for me to scoop them up. i'm sure it's like this in most cities, "one man's trash..." sort of thing. but i feel i've been especially lucky as our apt is littered with these gems i often take in like stray cats + fix up.

after lunch with a good friend, i wandered by a table of used books + records in harvard square. in a matter of minutes i had picked up this puppy.
i'm enjoying listing to sweet baby james this afternoon. thinking of spring days + friends in carolina but all the while, certainly enjoying mine up here.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

her colors are pink + pink.

everything about this photo screams kbf. right down to the little kitty statue resting on the books on the right.


thanks to julie from SHELTER for posting this pretty pink picture. :)

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

there's a place in this world...

where people like me are found by people like you.
you're the best damn friend that i've ever had you always smile upon me when the season's bad you always make me feel best even when i'm blue you always smile upon me + i smile upon you too.
-passion pit

thankful for all my loves! happy valentine's day!




































































































my personal playlist.

i spent the better part of my fall and early winter following passion pit back + forth between nyc + boston listening to their music that i'd heard a dozen times, dancing, singing, trying to get the attention of the lead singer so he'd fall in love with me...you know, normal groupie things. i mean, how can you not become infatuated with someone who writes, "like the sun + the moon i will circle you till you bloom..."

by the sixth time i saw them, i still hadn't had enough. the youngin's know how to make music and it has soothed my craving for amazing, emotional lyrics as well as my need to dance, for close to two years now. now, i'm a love-all-music type of gal, but you wouldn't believe that if you stole my iPod at the moment. it's filled with tons of indie-dance-rock, much of which e has discovered, and it has me taking walks in this cold when it's not even necessary.

currently loving:
the xx
tigercity
julian casablancas
fanfarlo
local natives
new vampire weekend

still loving old-faves:
cut copy/phoenix/passion pit/mgmt/bloc party/hot chip

Friday, January 29, 2010

my love seat.

there were not many things that i "had to have" from her house when my grandma beale passed away. i had plenty of great memories in my mind + frankly i preferred to have her instead. there was plenty that family members threw my way - literally - perhaps feeling too guilty to give it away to strangers so soon but not wanting to take it themselves. i took most of this stuff - pots, pans, picture frames - that i knew i'd never use, because maybe even i too felt guilty not to take them all in that moment. however, there were two items that were left over that i gladly claimed - a wardrobe that stood in grandma's bedroom + a beautifully worn, cut-velvet, mustard-colored chair. i don't know how i got lucky with these two pieces + i couldn't have been happier that they were overlooked.

i have the best memories of my grandmother in that chair, sitting in the corner of her room, putting on her stockings + shoes every morning, taking them off before bed each night. the sides, much darker than the seat + back cushions, which have permanent imprints of where she sat each time. until i got that chair, i don't think anyone else ever sat in it and i'm comforted to know they're her marks only.

despite the small corner that my cat has made his own (insert eye-roll here) and the unique fabric color + print that some find dated. i am in love with this chair. if i can help it, it will simply be mended over the years, not replaced or recovered. and when the time is right in my life, i will move it from our living area to our bedroom where i can sit in it each morning + each night. putting on, taking off, reading, crying, laughing. remembering her.

Monday, January 25, 2010

winter soul-stace.

my mind, body + soul are in need of some inspiration this monday. it's not particularly cold outside, but it's gray. and wet. and windy. which has me remembering that january is no fun for anyone. nor is february. after the build-up that october, november + december seem to bring me, i can never quite prepare for the hard fall i experience after all the holiday hype.

so i transfer my gloom to spring fever which technically is right around the corner since january is almost over + february's a short month. so i mean, in a blink of my eye it will be march 1. we're practically done with winter people!

so, in celebration of this revelation, i'm bypassing the gym today in favor of a glass of wine pre-dinner. i'll turn to my journal this evening as i jot down my agenda of summer activities including trips to nc, dc + nyc, a best friend's wedding and days on new england beaches with good friends.

Monday, January 4, 2010

ushering in twenty ten

christmas has come + gone and i can't believe it's been weeks since i've jotted down recent happenings + random thoughts. one week of sickness followed by two weeks of a whirlwind tour through the southeast didn't exactly make it easy for me to organize my words.

but what a great christmas it was. filled with family, friends, four birthday celebrations + one rockin' NYE concert, i escorted 2009 out as one big holiday. ready for a change, a new beginning + a general blank slate, i welcomed 2010 with my hubby (of seven months now) and some great friends that always warm my heart. i looked back (but not for long) on the year (and decade) gone + thought of all the things that happened. above all, marrying eric topped the list (duh), but each month/year had held something fun + exciting, and i made a quick vow for that to happen in the year/decade to come. i measured where i began my journey to where i have arrived so far and i realized that while i've always loved looking forward to the new beginnings + start that jan. 1 never fails to bring, it's the ability to tack the current year's accomplishments, events, laughs, tears + all the times in between, to the last, that makes the holiday so amazing. it's actually looking back that makes looking ahead so exciting.

i've shortened my resolution list this year. i want some that matter + that i can keep. i hope you've given yourself some great goals as well. here's to 2010, a new year, a new decade + the SAME you - with minor improvements.

Happy New Year!