the alchemist

via

"People are afraid to pursue their most important dreams because they feel they don't deserve them, or that they'll be unable to achieve them."

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"The alchemist said, 'No matter what he does, every person on earth plays a central role in the history of the world. And normally he doesn't know it.'

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"Well, then why should I listen to my heart?"

"Because you will never again be able to keep it quiet. Even if you pretend not to have heard what it tells you, it will always be there inside you, repeating to you what you're thinking about life and the world...You will never be able to escape your heart."

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"We are afraid of losing what we have, whether it's our life or our possessions and property. But this fear evaporates when we understand that our life stories and the history of the world were written by the same hand."

Just finished reading The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho and have told myself that I am never allowed to give up on my dreams. I may have found them in my heart, but someone greater put them there and with Him, I'll see them come to life. Never give up, no not ever.

it's official

Yesterday, fall fell.

You know the feeling.

Crisp air seeping into your skin.

It feels as if the seasons switched in the flip of a page.

But really, He brought it to us.

So now I'll breathe a little deeper, letting the earth and sky fill me up with their cool air and sunshine.

So glad you fell fall, really, truly.

letter to fall

via

Fall, you're finally here and I'll let you in on a secret: you're my favorite season of them all. While spring may be green and summer easy, you fall, bring jackets, coolness, and color. You encourage us to savor the moment-the leaves, the afternoon air, the freshness all around. Thanks for being you and thanks for finally arriving.

timing is not my strong suit

How fantastically wonderful are these?

 The Jinger BOW and BOW scarf from Emmadime.

From MaxMelody on Etsy

Too bad I just made a pledge to myself that I wouldn't buy clothing items (yes, that includes accessories) until December- and now that I've admitted it to you...and my parents I am doubly committed. Guess they'll just have to go on the Christmas list...cough cough Mom and Dad. Let's look on the bright side, here in Texas it probably won't even be cold enough to wear them until then, but Paris on the other hand...

the right words

We try to be too reasonable about what we believe. What I believe is not reasonable at all. In fact, it's hilariously impossible. Possible things aren't worth much. These crazy impossible things keep us going. -Madeline L'Engle

Praise be to sweet Jesus who gives me the words I need to hear on exactly the right day, at just the right time: today's daily devotional (1 seemingly random out of 365) and the chapter I've been putting off reading. Why does this surprise me? The words both my head and heart needed- how can we doubt He is always active and present in our lives? If His grace is an ocean, we're all sinking.

it's the small things

Photos via

It's the small things...like the fleurish flourishes that filled Jason Wu's Spring 2011 Ready to Wear Collection. Petals galore, oversized-bows- oh how did Jason know? I'm crazy for the delicate femininity that fills the collection: the dresses that flit and flounce with every move, waist accents, even short suits, and stripety striped shirts. I want it all.

print-tastic

Photos via
Diane von Furstenberg  Spring 2011 Ready to Wear Collection







 



 

No one does prints quite like Ms. DVF. Distinct and bold yet lovely as ever, there’s something especially ebullient about those of the new Spring 2011 Ready to Wear collection. My favorite? Top middle in the collage above. Seriously, those prints together (or apart) make me crazy enough to consider selling everything I've got to get them...but then I snap back to reality... Make no mistake though, Ms. Furstenberg does not skimp on her solids either. Sleek and modern, they reinforce that DVF is her own kind of cool entirely.

fingers crossed

Fingers crossed as now I wait.

starting to say good-bye

Today marks the official beginning of the end- the end to the Oprah Winfrey Show. I don't exactly remember when I started watching her show- sometime as a little girl staying with my grandma in the afternoons. I remember once my grandma encouraged me to start a project of writing to women role models. I think the only two I eventually wrote to were Hillary Rodham Clinton (the First Lady at the time) and, you guessed it, Oprah Winfrey. I can only imagine what I must have written in the letter or how horrendous my spelling must have been (if you've seen my grade school writing journals, you'd know what I'm talking about), but they both returned my letter with one of their own along with an autographed photo. I can still picture the swirly "O" in Oprah's signature.

I know she has lost fans in recent years for her endorsements New Age religion, but Oprah is still in my eyes, so much more. Oprah to me is proof of what can happen if someone believes in her(his)self and goes after their dreams. Letting nothing- not closed doors or criticism, not setbacks or big change stop them, but continuing on until they find a way to live the life they feel called to.

Oprah is also an example of a person who lives vibrantly with arms wide-open. She seems to be a person who sees, breathes, lives and gives possibility. She cares about others and uses her name and resources to help them.

The night before her first national show, Oprah wrote in her journal, "I keep wondering how my life will change, if it will change and what all this means. Why have I been so blessed? Maybe going national was to help me realize that I have important work or that this work is important. Which is it?"

It's both.

whistle while you work

When writing for extended periods of time, I call upon music as my trusty side-kick. I tend to stick with the instrumental, because they work a special magic (particularly the strings) in provoking my words to work. That and there's just something about words pouring in my ear while I'm trying to pull others out and onto the page that is simply too much for my brain.

Meet Joe Black via

I'm not sure why, but I have an especial affinity for soundtracks that include Meet Joe Black (side note: if you haven't seen this movie, watch is NOW. It's exquisite and at the top of my Movies Too Few People Have Seen List.), Last of the Mohicans, and Schindler's List.

What do you like to whistle while you work?

mantra

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, "Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?" Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to manifest the glory of God that is within us...And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others. - Nelson Mandela


Amazed by the possibility and promise God is waiting to unleash inside each and everyone of us. Holding these words close to my heart and in front of my eyes today.

shine on

There's been much ado about the J.Crew sequin pant (pictured above). While I concur that in all their sparkle splendor they make a spectacular trouser, they're not exactly the best shape or cut for most women. Imagine my excitement when thumbing through Vanity Fair, I caught glimpse of another sparkle treasure. The St. John Mahogany Sequin Pant (pictured below) is the safer route. Wide- legged and richer in color, this sequin pant will most likely look good on any woman daring enough to try it.

wall flowers

Give me a wall! I need a wall! I've fallen madly for these wallpapers by Joy from Oh Joy! and Hygge West.

When I get to the point and place in my life where I am living on my own and in a permanent, long-term home- which A) I can't fathom right now and B) is a whillllllle down the road- I absolutely want to use one of these goods from Mrs. Joy!

pokes, pinches, & whispers

Life gets tough Most of the time though, life gets hard because the world loves to pinch and poke at your heart, or even worse, whispers its sweet nothings into your ear and mind, which coincidentally happen to also be your strongest self-doubts and fears.

 No one quite tells you how life is going to be after you graduate from college. Maybe they had a completely polar experience or they've forgotten their own, but I wasn't expecting all of this. I was under the impression that I had bought the package that included a life changing college experience that upon its conclusion, led swiftly and easily into a more grown-up, yet happy, satisfying, fulfilling life. Maybe my order got lost in all the paperwork, I don't know, but lately, I'm been experiencing my share of pinches, pokes, and whispers. I'm a failure. I will never leave my parents' house. I'm never going to become anything more than I am right now. Things are never going to change. On days that they're feeling particularly cruel, they laugh at me for thinking I could ever be a writer and that I have nothing to say and no one who wants to hear it.

Seriously, what is it with these pokes and pinches? In my heart of hearts, I know that things are going to change. I will move out and onto something- these things and so many others, God has shared with me since coming home. On a personal Caitlin to Jesus level, I feel that I've entered a new season of intimacy and dependency. It is sweet and good. I also love being home right now to hear the day to day, sometimes minute to minute developments in the coming of the 2010-2011 Optimist Year. My parents are entering a remarkable year of their lives and it makes me happy to watch them prepare to soar.

To borrow from Steven Curtis Chapman, God is God and I am (wo)man. I can only see a part of the picture He's painting. This I cling to every day, come doubt or dismay.