holi-daze

the last few months have been a blur of work and play, and somehow i've found myself on the other side of fall, staring christmas - and all it brings - right in the face.

this past weekend, sister, e and many, many sweet friends gathered to throw me a gatsby-inspired celebration of a lifetime (30 years to be exact) and it couldn't have been more perfect. i looked around at all the smiles and love in that room and my heart almost burst. it was yet again another sign, confirming i'm exactly where i should be in my life and i don't think i've felt a stronger joy.

this thursday, after e and i participate in our respective work holiday soirees, we'll head to NC for our annual christmas celebration with family. i'm looking forward to heading down south to the land of the pines, lounging in some comfies and starring at the lights on two trees, each in a warm, familiar environment. i'll have cookies, mom's spaghetti and burgin beale's spiked eggnog. i'm excited to hug all their necks and truly live "off the grid" for a few days, which always forces me to slow down. i'll visit with gram + grandaddy, i'll remember christmas evenings with grandma + papa beale and i'll watch the christmas story at least 3 times.

i'll officially ring in 30 on the 24th, with e in a small bar in chapel hill. we'll have a beer and take a shot. he'll tell me how he can't believe i was 22 when we first met. and i'll ask him if i'm the hottest 30 year old he knows (he'll say duh). then i'll open his gift (the first of the day) and we'll head back for late night cookies and bed. after many moments of agony over the past few months, it's safe to say i'm approaching a feeling of excitement about this new chapter. yes, i look at it as an end to much that i know, but i'm excited about the beginning it marks as well and all in all, i remind myself i haven't even reached the middle yet. all the faces of friends and family this weekend, the dances, the drinks, and the pure happiness soothed my anxiety, reminding myself that all this is only possible because of the passing of that bittersweet frenemy, time.

merry christmas to you and yours. may your reminiscing of the past, excitement for the future and most importantly, enjoyment of the present keep you all warm and cozy!

xx

my summer skin.

I don't recall a single care
Just greenery and humid air
Then Labor day came and went
And we shed what was left of our summer skin 

- death cab for cutie

summer certainly has come and by tomorrow, will be gone. someone asked me today, when i was expressing my love for fall, if i get a little sad to see summer go. and the answer is a complicated one. of course i get a little sad to wave good-bye to the season that brings warmth, longer days, beach trips, cut-offs, flip-flops and tanned skin with it. but my excitement for what's right around the corner is enough to pull me out of dwelling on my loss. 

tomorrow officially kicks off my favorite time of year and i'm all smiles welcoming it. i gladly switch over my closet, purchase some new fall-inspired wardrobe goodies and set my sights on dates for apple picking, pumpkin carving, football watching and halloween preparation. i think about how i fully enjoyed every minute of the last few months, and start getting excited for more weekends at home, changing leaves and that extra hour of sleep. 

tonight, i'll shed my summer mentality, leaving it with all the excellent memories i have of my summer adventures. and tomorrow i'll fall, heart first, into autumn. 

ladies and gents.

on saturday six of us boarded the train, nips (that's northern for mini bottles) in tow, sandwiches pre-made and cocktail treats pre-mixed, and headed on up to portland, ME for the Gentlemen of the Road festival. the day promised good music by a variety of bands, local food favorites and plenty-o-beer. but when we arrived, we were treated to a complete game changer that took our day to an e-lev-en: backstage passes a-la family member spencer lamb (thanks, spence!)

a day of music that was already going to highlight our summer quickly turned into a dream come true as we downed beers, played ping pong and threw cornhole alongside members of the bands. i was already starstruck hanging with mumford & sons, but as soon as they hopped on stage, i pretty much lost it. i'm a huge fan of their music - specifically the lyrics which i just find so beautiful - and on top of that, they rocked it harder than anyone i've seen in a long time. to this southern gal, these fellas from the UK who played their hearts out to 15,000+ of their new england fans, were the epitome of gentlemen.

official passport into the festival

@sammytb playing around backstage w/a larger-than-life 'stache

mumford and all the other bands gathered on stage to finale w/ the weight by the band

me & @alysonkaroly hanging with the bands side stage

cambridge/somerville ladies representing

no shoes, no shirt, no problem.

a couple of months ago e and i were able to convince our boston besties that a trip to the nc coast was long overdue. so we made plans to rectify that and a couple of weeks ago, despite rumors of record-breaking temps down south, the six of us packed our bags and took to the airways, then the highways, towards our final destination.

one costco stop, one liquor store stop, a bbq break and a grocery run later, we arrived packed to the gills in our tricked-out mini van. what followed was nearly a week of card games, family dinners, booze cruises, night swimming, sing-a-longs, morning, afternoon and evening cocktails, beach bocce, wave riding and general bliss that is often found outside of one's regular routine. we took in north carolina and all its barefoot, coozie-using, southern-accented, shirtless glory.

needless to say, as most weekends with this group are, it was yet another for the books. it didn't take me long to get emotional - about the time we'd just had and the kind of friend's we'd become. i sat starring at the ocean on the last day with a + k overcome with the fact that i'd finally introduced a huge part of my past to my present. in that moment i felt this indescribable split: in my heart i missed nc - it had raised me, taught me how to speak to strangers on the street, fed me vinegary bbq, fried okra and sweet tea. it was where e and i met and married, and is the place that i still run to when i need a break from the real world. but in my head i recognized a loyalty and love to the new home i've come to know in ma. where i learned how to grow on my own and with e, was introduced to winter, the red sox and this amazing group of people. it's the place that took me in even when i was alone, and where e and i plan to stay for the foreseeable future.

this thought was as refreshing as it was saddening. but with a + k both both at my side for comfort, i knew there was no need to focus on a rhyme or reason for my feelings. it was the perfect moment to remind me exactly where i was, despite where i had been or where i was going.