The Final Countdown

Tempus fugit. I can't believe how quickly time has flown by since Paige and I made the decision to uproot ourselves from little old Hillsdale and move west to Denver, CO. The more the clock counts down the more anxious I become. Not anxious in nervousness; I know I can handle strange new environments on my own. Heavens, I lived and traveled abroad on my own for 8 months when I was only 20! No, I'm more anxious about leaving the things I know, love and take for granted on a daily basis. No more generous financial security from mom & dad. Food will no longer magically appear in the fridge. No more lovable Phoebe, the English Springer Spaniel to come home to cuddle with. Bye bye, Jilly Beans Coffee House, Alumnae Wine Nights with the girls, weeknight hangouts at 94 Fayette Street... but at least its not goodbye forever. Mom and Dad will continue to live here, Hillsdale College will continue to be a higher education powerhouse, friendships CAN continue long-distance and little old Hillsdale will remain as unchanged as it has been the last 50 years.

Most everything except my daily essentials are packed now. Somehow, it will all need to fit into two SUVs and a tow trailer. Hmmmm.... We are also still in need of acquiring some basic essentials: mattresses, hollywood bed frames, a couch or chairs, dining room table, side tables, etc. On the other hand, our bathroom and bedrooms will be well outfitted! So for now, we'll have to resign ourselves to blow-up mattresses and suitcases of clothing. I'm actually okay with that. There's nothing better than the pressing need for something to spur one to go out and search for it. Hello classifieds & Craig's List! It'll be good for us to live bare bones for a little while though.

Let me also take this opportunity to introduce you to my latest accomplishment! I have successfully, for the first time ever, navigated the intimidating waters of bank loans and fought off the misleading temptations of car salesmen. I have purchased my first car! I'm pretty proud of my dark green 2002 Land Rover Discovery II.

I admit, my selection was aesthetically driven as it typically is for many other women, but for the most part my research has shown it can be a very reliable vehicle if maintained on a regular basis. I love the paradox of rugged utilitarian exterior features with interior luxury and amenities. And most of all, it makes me feel that much more British. : )

Not sure yet if I'm going to name it. I've not really been a fan of naming cars. We've done it once with our family's old '98 Buick LeSabre, but the name "Agnes" just seemed to come to the lips much more easily than "LeSabre." We'll have to wait and see if a name seems to work for this Disco II. Now on my birthday wish list, a false Great Britain license plate for the front end. I'm thinking something like this yellow one perhaps. (Hint, hint mom & dad...)

Coming up: the apartment search narrows down! Cheers, and I'll try my best to write one more time before we hit the road next Wednesday.

Not a day goes by that I don't long to return once again and read history in the hallowed halls of Oxford's colleges.

"I wonder anybody does anything at Oxford but dream and remember. The place is so beautiful. One almost expects the people to sing instead of speaking. It is all like an opera." - William Butler Yeats

Once you go vintage...

I like the word vintage. It evokes a sense of originality in its day, a timeless respect for the creativity that went into its artistic production. And it sounds so much better than the dated and eclectic mix of "antique" things I grew up around, but I'll probably grow to like that word with time and more interior decorating experience.

I've always eyed the pieces of "State" art over Julie Powell's bed in Julie & Julia. What a perfect way to represent the different places you've lived, and with timeless style. After a bit of searching, this fantastic blog helped me track them down at this site. Turns out they're embroidered hankerchiefs instead of prints. At first, I was slightly disappointed, but now I'm thinking it would be a better overall effect by bringing in a different play of textures into the room.

Found California & Michigan.

Now, I just have to find Colorado. I wonder how much it will grow over time as I move to different states...

Who ever knew wine could be so en"light"ening?

Okay, so I'm on an interior design kick. How about this awesome idea for turning your favorite bottle of wine into a timeless lamp?

Love it! Doesn't look like too much work either. Now for that bottle of Dom Perignon.

The Fun Part of Moving

I love moving. The act of arranging furniture, organizing my belongings and decorating bring me an invigorating sense of renewal. Like I can start over new. I can shed my compulsion to watch movies late at night and read more instead. Yes, I will cook more, now that I have a neat and organized kitchen. These mini-resolutions never really end up holding, but I still love that feeling of purity and good intentions that come with starting a new life.

I most likely also have a good opinion of moving because I have relative little experience (and personal things) to cause me to become disillusioned with it yet. So as I prepare to move to Denver in the next 3 weeks, I've done lots of dreaming and fantasizing for my new bachelorette pad. Most of which will never happen because I have perhaps $27 to my name, but it doesn't hurt to dream and practice aesthetic imagination!

I recently read an article in the WSJ about the virtue of blankets & coverlets for a clean and crisp bed look vs. the no-longer-vogue look of rumpled down comforters & duvets. After you read this, you too may find yourself on the side of the more simple and crisp look of blankets & coverlets.

Also, I've always pictured (no pun intended) a theme of art in my entertaining or living room areas that is strictly black & white or sepia photographs of some of my favorite places in Europe. I most definitely don't consider myself a professional photographer at all, but some pieces by my more artistic friends, Bekah and Kate, which have always stuck in my mind as some of the most beautiful photograph series I've seen. This isn't their work, but it looks something similar to this or this. They're images that evoke what I hold most dear in my heart.

I love the color gray, don't you? I love it most when it's a deep charcoal or slate color. Kinda like this. There's a part in Chevalier's Girl with a Pearl Earring that discusses the vast range of undertones of a wide range of colors you can pick up in something we often take for granted. Colors of yellow, orange, or purple are in the white clouds that float by us on a cheery day. Likewise, I love how undertones of red, purple, orange, yellow or blue can become fabulous accent colors to a gray wall because they exist deep within that gray to begin with. I also love gray because I'm not really the girly-girl type to have a pink or floral shabby-chic look, and, I would hate to impress the gaudiness of it all on my future husband. I therefore find the happy medium in masculine colors such as gray which I can accent with cheery feminine touches like red pillows, a vase here or a throw there. I always picture something like this.

Other decorating dreams include a wall of prints, photos & art (I mean floor to ceiling), arranging my books in a decorative Pottery Barn/Banana Republic display sort of way, a closet organized to perfection (eventually I would LOVE to have one like this but that probs would never happen), and the list could go on and on. My inspiration? Pottery Barn, Domino Magazine, some Anthro, but mostly just stuff that reflects the many facets of my personality. Country meets Modern meets Nerd meets World Traveler meets... um, yeah.

As for now, my finances and inability to plan themed interior decorating will most likely only allow my apartment to look like a hodge-podge of college dorm room, hand-me-downs, and random cute things. I'll be sure to post pictures after it all happens, but I'm sure it'll end up resembling something similar to this. Dear God, I hope not...

Jumping on the Resolution Bandwagon

Every January 1, the Western world takes advantage of the new year to change bad habits, develop new ones, and accomplish life goals through the "New Year's Resolution." What exactly is a resolution? What makes it different from a goal list or to-do list?

Coming from the latin word resolutio, it implies a more serious decision that is cemented, determined, and "resolved" in one's mind. Goals may change with our financial circumstances, our wishes and aspirations. To-do lists are endlessly evolving as the demands of adult responsibility demand our time and attention throughout the year. In this understanding, then a New Year's resolution must be one that is firmly decided upon with a sense of purpose and planning. The word resolution is most often used in legal terminology when committees, legislatures or formal organizations vote on a specific intention. Should our New Year's resolutions therefore be considered with more seriousness than simply resolving to buy more fashionable clothes this year?

Then in the zeitgeist of making life-changing decisions for the new year, here is a review of 2010 and my list of determined resolutions for 2011.

In 2010, I...

• Graduated from Hillsdale College with a TRIPLE major and great GPA (and had the time of my life all five years.)
• Taught myself about Oenology from square one & wrote a thesis about it
• Founded and built-up the marketing and management positions for the Historic Dawn Theater from ground zero
• Invested in friendship with a bosom friend who has enriched my life tenfold
• Made plans to move to Denver, Colorado
• Bought my first car, which means I took out my very first bank loan too!
• And started this blog

In 2011, I resolve to...

• Move to Denver the date is set, February 7!
• Land a full-time career which involves narrowing down exactly which field it is I want to pursue in Denver
• Read more detox from technology more and pick up a book instead. I'm only taking 20 of my 3oo-something books with me to Denver, but thank heavens for paperbackswap.com and libraries.
• Strengthen friendships and relationships call and write to my friends and family more often. I tend to be a type A recluse which means I will have to work even harder being long distance this next year.
• Strengthen my faith through devotion in the word and through song. I'm looking forward to what Anglican churches I'll find in Denver.
• Strengthen my body Gone are the glory days of playing Rugby or Football (i.e. Soccer) when I was at Oxford University. Apart from high-school, I was feeling great and looking great when I was abroad. Everyone resolves to lose weight for the new year, but for me, this needs to become a way of life!
• Cook & Drink more Wine inspired by reading Julie & Julia and my expanding knowledge of oenology, there really is a fine art of cooking that I hope to discover this year. But keeping in mind the above resolution, all in moderation!
• Look for adventure! One of my number one favorite past-times is when I've traveled the world. Now that I'm about to find myself in a new hometown, it's time to get out there and soak it all in.
• Pursue the Fine Arts More now that I'll be in a metropolitan area I have available outlets for theater, singing and patronizing the arts. I will take full advantage of it! No excuses...

So those are my big resolutions. I have many small goals that could fit in any of the above categories, but that's not something I need to bother you with.

I have some really great thoughts ruminating in my mind for the next couple posts, so I promise they'll get more interesting from here.

p.s. I promise to make my posts more interactive with pictures, links & stuff!