A Sailor's Kiss

Happy Halloween!!!!

And while I had originally slated Sunday night to do an all encompassing Halloween post... I have quickly determined that that is not going to happen tonight. My body, mind and soul are too exhausted- I celebrated Halloween on Friday and Saturday and if there's one thing I do know, it's that my old a** can't be going out two nights in a row.

So along with well-wishes for a lovely day- I'll leave you with this picture from Saturday night:

{He thinks it's funny to lick my face. Thankfully my reflexes dip me back fast enough to avoid that "joke".}

Aren't we stupid classic?? It's always funny to me how hard everyone tries in the beginning of a relationship to be poised, put-together and polished... but in the end, everyone really just wants someone they can be themselves with- tongues out and all.

It's BOO time!

{Yours truly}

Halloween Weekend is almost here. And it's THE BEST.
I would never, could never and choose to never associate with people who don't celebrate it for "moral" reasons... because they must be crazy a SNOOOOOOOOOZEFEST.

As for me, I'm counting down the days and according to my calcs', it's almost happy HAUNTING time... It's also my Friday today (thank you PTO), so can I gloat a bit?

What are YOU going to be?

Coco Yuki

I remember the first time I met Yuki. We were both wide-eyed Freshman in College enrolled in the same Fall Term Journalism pre-req courses. She was instantly a memorable and personable figure on the college scene: nice to everyone, super talkative and very outgoing. I liked her right away.

{Yukes and Me}

To make a long (long) story short, Yuki and I ended up joining the same Sorority (hilarity ensues! Stories? Oh, I got some stories...) and thus lived together in the house and remain friends to this day.

For that, I am very thankful.
Especially since she likes all things from the huge Harry Potter franchise to underground bands that no one knows- she never tries to conform to a mold or any one type of "scene", Yuki likes what she likes and she'll be d*mned if anyone gets in her way about it - but you're always welcome to join her on her endeavors, Yuki loves the company of her friends. Plus, she's a diehard Brit fan like me... and you know how I feel about those girls (swooooooon, pitter-patter, thump-thump!).

{favorite picture of her}

As thankful as I am to be surrounded by a good person all these years, I'm also supremely thankful to get to watch Yuki exhibit herself through fashion. Yuki rocks a unique look that expresses an understanding of trends but always is coupled with an embellishment which suits her own style.

Over the last few years, I've noticed how her fashion skyrocketed into a wonderful, pristine style Even though she will always modestly claim 'she has no idea how to dress', so I guess one of her negative traits is 'being a bold-faced liar'.

The girl has killer legs and that is a cold, hard fact of life. Another fact? Her world travels have only made her a kinder person with a positive, cognizant spirit.

Thanks Yukedizzle for being my friend, for supporting everyone in their personal goals (true story-you're always right there smiling and saying "yay!!!") and for being the only one who attaches "Dawg" to my name, making me perpetually feel a bit more Gangster than MirMirFoSho than I'm qualified to celebrate.

Gurrrrrrl, you da best!

Speaking of Dawgs, she now lives in Boston, so you locals get to hang out with her on Halloween weekend and beyond you lucky dawgs, you!


{Yuki as the Queen of Hearts, a Penguin and Harriet Potter}

Do you find yourself inspired by your friends' styles??
[Some images mine, all others required me stalking her online. Her Sister took the beautiful ones!]

Books, Brew and Bagdad.

A ways back (pre-the return to the dark hair), The Boy and I explored a bohemian enclave in SE Portland. The jubilant market is housed on Hawthorne Street and is comprised of organic markets, homey bookstores, sophisticated eateries and wonderful nooks to sit and enjoy three of the things that Portland does best: Coffee, Beer and Wine.

Sporting my Michael Kors wide-leg denim jeans and a big, white sweater- I found myself lost in a sensory overload of spices, herbs, paperbound books and the palpable feeling of chilly air greeting you with each departure of a store.

The quick remedy, of course, is to scurry as quickly as you can into the adjoining location. With the variety of personalities that make-up the eclectic shops, you're bound to find something to appease you in this vibrant, unique neighborhood.

Just try to avoid the Hipsters. Or wear a Britney Spears shirt and they'll avoid you as much as possible (thank you Britney!)

$32M? Chump change.

Have you ever heard of Winnetka, IL?

Did you want to answer 'no' to that? Well think again, of course you have.

Uncle Buck, Ferris Bueller, Curly Sue, Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club... oh yes, Home Alone.. all filmed there... pretty much any John Hughes film you can think of is either rooted in Winnetka or offers a glimpse of it at some point. Even Mean Girls shares a Winnetka link having the famed Plastics at "North Shore High" was really a reference to "New Trier High School" in Winnetka.

{Me roaming Winnetka}

It's a BEAUTIFUL community on the North Shore of Chicago which is full of quaint coffee shops, manicured pathways and old money homes which make you hate your own life faster than you can say "look what you did you little jerk!" OR "Hey, Cameron. You realize if we played by the rules right now we'd be in gym?".

Due to my masochistic need to always look at the greener grass, I regularly Google Winnetka and find new homes for sale so I can sit there and wallow in self-pity while I imagine myself easily forking over Millions of dollars so I can live with 3 Butlers, a Masseur (gender specific of course) and a closet the size of my entire apartment right now.

{One of the classic homes in Winnetka. I took this in 2008 and couldn't get the entire house in one frame}

A current 32 million dollar contender for my dream come true (hey, can someone loan me 32 million dollars?), Le Grand Reve. Completed in 2008 and boasting trendier, contemporary designs- this home is definitely an exception to the usual Winnetka properties which typically have been around for centuries. And though this new-money home is a wee bit on the tacky side and totally a far-cry from its neighbors, I must admit that the kitschy side of me is still drooling...






Pretty dang snazzy. For all the pictures of the house- click this link here. {all images used in this post found at aforementioned link minus the first two which are mine}

So that was fun. But now it's Monday. Which means less home fantasies and more coffee and desk work. Hello reality!

Happy Monday, friends.

Carrie, Remembered.

{all images via}

I often think it's just impossibly hard to not want to spend a few moments taking in the vibrancy of little Miss Carrie Bradshaw.

Thanks to Patricia Field, the character popped right out of the TV and became a living, breathing, work of fashionable art...
More, please!

My Closet Go Boom!

Last week, I had the genius idea to do a Blog post about my Closet. I've never done one and I ALWAYS enjoy being a bit voyeuristic and looking into others' closets so I figured it was due time for me to shed some light on mine. That's why on my way out the door, I snapped this picture below of me in my very first walk-in-closet. I had plans to go into it the next day and clean it a bit and show all the nooks and crannies- you know, really put you into my changing space

Before you say anything like "OMG- your closet is totes not that cool and pretty messy", let me tell you a couple things (starting with 'shut up'): I live in a Studio Apartment in a very old building. This closet is the ONLY closet in the entire space and if you know anything about Studios, they aren't exactly known for their size. So I don't have the luxury of putting all my memory tubs (seen stacked behind me) in a garage where they'd be better suited or my Linens in a Linen Closet, or my Laundry in the Laundry Room or my Ski Gear in an attic. Nope, it's either in the closet or out where everyone can see. So think of all my superfluous, gigantic sundries (if you will) as 90's Ricky Martins- better in the closet. Secondly, I know my closet isn't fit for a Princess but do you know how much I love it? I can WALK into it and everything in there is mine- to me, totally worth showing off, even if isn't color-coordinated and lined in silk carried in by Doves.

Well, that was until last night. As I lay in bed, drifting off to sleep... I heard a huge thud originate in the closet. Knowing that something fell and assuming it was a one of my tubs or something like that, I decided to deal with it in the morning. OKAY, let's cut to the morning shall we?

I'm not a Morning person in general and thus hate rousing myself to be at work at 7:30 every day but I do it because I have to with no time to spare. What I DON'T need to deal with in the morning??? The result of the "THUD".

Yup, my ENTIRE 8 foot bar on the right side of my closet came crashing down, taking boxes, clothes... EVERYTHING with it.

I gasped. Grabbed the nearest dress and headed off to work in agony. WHHHY.

All day I was dreading coming home and dealing with what lay ahead. I love clothes but man-oh-man do I hate them sometimes. Upon arrival post-the-long-tiring-business-day, I got into my ugly, slave attire and began moving my finely hung wardrobe out of the closet so that the Landlord could fix the bar on Wednesday.

But wait, did I mention I live in a STUDIO downtown?? There's no extra bedroom or safe place to put my clothes. So they're here. On my Bed. Piled huge, high and disgustingly as I curl up on the couch tonight as if my wife had found my secretary on my lap at the Company Christmas Party.
So after a lot of sweat, annoyed thoughts and cuss words, I made a manageable workspace for my Landlord... and then Mama and her beautiful hair (see for yourself) needed a nice glass of wine.

And because I'm a good Roommate who lives alone, I was sure to offer Wine to all my in-house favorites:

{Clockwise from top LEFT: Frank, Brit, Demon Dog, My Parents circa 1980 & Holly all had some wine with me}

{Clockwise from top RIGHT: My PiggyBank, Marilyn, Reggie the Horse all enjoyed a glass of Red. But my Chicago friends??? Well I gave them a bottle. After all, I want to make a good impression for when I get there.}

Speaking of Favorites... thank you Blouse and Skirt side of my closet for acting like the Straight-A student and staying intact, easy to reach and oh-so-cute. I just wish your Sister (the Fallen 8-foot bar on the other side), could be like you.

Hurrumph, goodnight!
Now a poll: Great or GREATEST Closet Blog Post you've ever read? :) wink, wink, nudge, nudge

Braces Sure Can Pick 'Em

I'm 27-years-old, I live wholly off my own means and I spend 40 hours of my week sitting at a desk, nose to the grind, earning my keep.

By all standards, I've figured a lot of things out in terms of independence, much like most of my peers.

However, in 1999, with money coming from my modest "Caitlin's Sophomore Year of High School New Clothes Fund", I made a purchase at "The Limited": A 3-quarter-length, stretchy, boat-neck, white with faint gray striping tee... I wore it my very first day of 10th grade... with Braces blazing.

...And a couple weeks ago, I paired it with a skirt and wore it in the office. It's still in amazing shape (no stains, no non-desired stretching) and based on what I remember in terms of my per-item budget at that time, it couldn't have been more than 30 dollars.

So as I routinely spend my time every season throwing away jeans, shirts and bags that I bought on a whim and hated just as quickly, I wonder what special gifts my 15-year-old Brace-Face self possessed that knew just how to pick 'em and make them last for over 11 years.

My longest relationship ever.

Little People, Big World, Weird Picture

Ever heard of "Little People, Big World" on TLC? Well they're an Oregon family. In fact, their farm is about 20 minutes due West of me and (As Seen On TV!), every Fall season they open it up to the public and you get to ride their train, visit their exotic animal zoo and meet-and-greet with the family. It's quite a lovely little time, no pun intended.

{Me in my tanning (2008) days and Jeremy Roloff}

When I was last there, I had met all of the Roloffs and was feeling pretty happy and excited because I did meet Jeremy and he's utterly A-DOR-A-BLE, even if he's much younger than me, pish-posh! 

{my Sister and I and Zach, Jeremy's twin.}

Anywayyyy, as I was waiting to leave, I noted the bench by the exit where you could sit and get your picture taken "with the family" aka the borderline creepy/borderline fantastic row of cardboard cutouts behind me. As I sat on the bench and was obviously about to take a picture, this girl next to me wouldn't move. In an effort to get her to move, I clung to "hope" but when that ran out, I told my Sister to just go ahead and snap it. At that point, this girl next to me lifted her head, turned to me and deadpan states "Jeremy loves me".

{one of the weirder pictures I've ever taken}

I really wanted to laugh out loud but after gathering my composure and deciding that wasn't the best move, I coherently formulated what I wanted to say:

"OH H******LLL NAH *****, Jeremy be MINE! [finger snap]"