Beyond 30: The Next Chapters

"Love, love is a verb. Love is a doing word" Firstly and most importantly, it's worth mentioning that I'm sorry this is so late. It is not an understatement to say that this week has been incredibly, incredibly busy. Between preparing for the trip, work being all manner of chaos, and preparing for my move next weekend (finally!), this mini vacation could not have come sooner. That being said, I am currently sitting in a hotel room with Isabelle curled up at my feet, a cold air conditioner protecting me from the unbearably hot Kansas humidity, and watching a movie in the background with a mere three hours drive left to my destination. Life is good. Let's talk about love.  As mentioned in the above named lyric, from the brilliant song (which you may recognize as the theme song from "House"), "Teardrop" by Massive Attack , love is something that you do. It's something that you give to someone else--whether that's time, affection...

In precisely eighteen days and twenty hours, I will finally be moving into my new apartment. Considering that I started searching back in February, this cannot come fast enough. While I'm less stoked for the prospect of physically having to move my things, I'll tell you what I am excited for: decorating. My new roommate, a guy who genuinely seems pretty cool, more or less gave me the go-ahead to decorate the apartment however I'd like to. And being someone that rather enjoys the nesting process of moving into a new place, this notion is fucking delightful. Earlier today, after a co-worker sent me a picture of a coffee table she found at the local Goodwill, my mom and I went to go check it out, see if it was still available to purchase. Not only was it still available (and a steal at only ten dollars!) but I also managed to find this gorgeous mid-century modern shelf that will serve to cross off yet another item from my #30Before30 list this year --  refinish a piece of fu...

I think Wednesdays are my new Sundays. When I started this project, I set out to write every week; and for the longest time, the day I accomplished that task was Sunday. Recently, however, as my social calendar has been unusually full, my weekly blogging has shifted to Wednesdays: by the time Sunday evening rolls around, after an incredibly busy week at work and jam-packed days of friends, outings, and general shenanigans, I am just too pooped to expend the effort at the end of my weekend. What a beautiful problem to have. Now, if you'll join me, I'd like to talk about personhood, the merit of self-care, and the importance in choosing things that make you happy. It shouldn't be a secret by now that when I started doing this #30Before30 project, it was in the vein of ending my twenties with greatness -- an effort of pushing myself to try new things, make memories, and kick off my thirties with a renewed sense of self. And while I'm realizing that with just a few sh...

The longest relationship that anyone will ever have is the relationship with themselves. People are often, though not always, selfish, sightless creatures. Believe me when I say that I am not exempt from this. I have my moments. The point of all this is that people will let you down because they're, well, people. This is not a pessimistic view but rather a practical one. You'll always have you. And perhaps it's my fiercely independent spirit speaking here but I generally believe in making time to invest in yourself as the strongest relationship, thereby setting the foundation for all other relationships to come after. And sometimes setting this precedent also means letting go of the toxic people in your life. Let me tell you two stories: one of my own and one not. An inconceivable amount of moons ago, I met someone online. A charming, obviously talented writer who would over the course of many years turn out to be one of my very closest friends. Though the exact memory ...