did we just fall in love?

i hope this doesn’t come on too strong, but, i’m about to make you fall in love with me. yes. sh*t is about to get real.

have i kicked your interest? i thought so. it peaked mine as well when i read Hallie of corals + cognacs post on a recent essay from the New York Times on how to fall in love… with anyone. you betcha, anyone. and she threw out a challenge to the blog world for us to post our answers. so, peoples, i hope you’re ready to take things to the next level. i mean we have been chatting online for like two hours every day, so i figured things were getting pretty serious anyways, so here we go.

New York Times How to Fall in Love

alright here’s how this is going to work… according to psychologist arthur aron there are 36 questions that when answered with mutual vulnerability fosters closeness. i hand picked some for this post, you can see them all here. ready, set, love.

before making a telephone call, do you ever rehearse what you are going to say? why? not really; it would have to be a super important phone call, but even then i would worry about sounding too rehearsed or getting too flustered because it isn’t coming out the way i practiced.

when did you last sing to yourself? to someone else? my co-worker and i sang a line of the gem in a meeting today. and i can’t not jam out to this current song obsession when it comes on in the car.

given the choice of anyone in the world, whom would you want as a dinner guest? as much as wholeheartedly believe that jennifer lawrence or lauren graham and i would be instant best friends if just given the chance, i would choose my baby sister, Haley Ellen. we lost her far too soon, and i would love nothing more than to meet her and have a sister, even just for an evening. hopefully she learned how to cook up there though; because otherwise we’ll be having wine for dinner. (not that that’s a bad thing; but i would get hangry)New York Times How to Fall in Love

what would consistute a perfect day for you? in some order or another it would involve these items: caribou coffee + snuggles with #starksthepup + spending all day with [b] + wine + peanut butter + dancing + lots of pictures + all my family & friends. hmmm. i think i just described 9.12.15 <3

for what in your life do you feel most grateful? my family, my fiancé [b] and #starksthepup. they’re all just kind of beyond incredible.

if you could change anything about the way you were raised, what would it be? i would have let me have that barbie jeep. man that would have been fancy.New York Times How to Fall in Love

is there something you’ve dreamed of doing for a long time? why haven’t you done it? the short, vague answer; yes. i have so much that i’ve dreamt about… taking my blog to a more “legit” level; becoming a social media consultant; etc. the why? fear. fear of failure, of not being (gasp) perfect, that i’m not good enough. the happy ending is that i’m working on it. i’ll get there.

what is the greatest accomplishment of your life? being asked to host a half day workshop at EXHIBITOR2013 on social media. i will never forget getting that email while at baggage claim at the airport.

what is your most terrible memory? seeing my dad after he had surgery to remove cancer from his prostate. they had to move him to the bed in his room and the tears just rolled down his cheek because he was in so much pain. to see the strongest man you know so vulnerable and weak… so hard.

New York Times How to Fall in Lovehow do you feel about your relationship with your mother? my mom is my best friend. i couldn’t feel more grateful for the bond that we share. she is my role model, my rock, my inspiration and my biggest cheerleader. she’s incredible.

if you were going to become a close friend with your partner readers, please share what would be important for him or her to know. mornings are for quiet and for coffee. directions are hard. i need snacks. (always). some nights you just need wine and non-stop marathons of criminal minds. i am fragile; be gentle with my emotions. my hair sheds. everywhere. once i let you into my life, i will be there for you always and will expect the same in return. and sassiness is just part of the package.

tell your partner readers what you like about them; be very honest this time, saying things that you might not say to someone you’ve just met. thank you, i appreciate you, you inspire and motivate me. there is nothing like someone telling me that they enjoyed something i wrote (heck, them just telling me that they read something i wrote makes my day); that it made them smile, helped them feel like they weren’t alone… those are the comments bloggers live for. to every single person who reads this, i love you. thank you for taking part in my story.New York Times How to Fall in Love

share with your partner readers an embarrassing moment in your life. just one? oh Lord. i used to have so many they were coined as “emma moments.” one of the top contenders would have to be when my dad and i went through the drive thru at the bank; i said my name and that i wanted to make a deposit. and then a wave of realization washed over me… i don’t bank there. #truestory (perhaps i will bring back some posts about emma moments, what do ya think?

when did you last cry in front of another person? by yourself? i’m an emotional person. so it was probably yesterday.

your house, containing everything you own, catches fire. after saving your loved ones and pets, you have time to safely make a final dash to save any one item. what would it be? why? i think about this all the time actually. and as petty as this sounds it would probably be my phone. it has everything in it; my photos, my messages, my work, my blogs.

New York Times How to Fall in Love

so… are we in love yet?

sass and sarcasm aside; i think there is definitely some truth behind this. when you open up to someone and the open back up to you… you get place and REAL relationships are formed. though it may seem easier to hide behind who you really are online, sometimes i feel like this is where i am most genuine. i’m so much better with the written words than i am with the verbal ones.

want to join in on the fun? create your own post with answers to these questions and be sure to link up to Hallie’s post! (here) and please share them with me too! xo

building our home // we bought a bar

building our home we bought a barbuilding our home we bought a barbuilding our home we bought a barbuilding our home we bought a barbuilding our home we bought a bar

i don’t know about you, but i am still struggling to get back into the swing of things after the holidays. one thing is for certain though, the weather this weekend was simply top-notch. was able to spend time outside shoveling and, for lack of a lady like way of putting it, picking up #starksthepup droppings from amongst the yard. glamorous, i know. anyways, it was so nice to be outside, with fresh air, not crazily bundled up. it was so refreshing. sunshine and fresh air… so good for the soul. seasonal affective disorder is a real thing. the good news is that spring is getting closer and the days are getting longer.

i had grander intentions for this weekend than what actually played out; but such is life. if nothing else i was ridiculously productive this weekend. cleaning, organizing, laundry, dusting, dishes, blogging, wedding and such. if we’re being honest i was not so accomplished with the last two but i gave it a solid effort (or so). and plenty of relaxing and binge watching of crappy reality shows.

the highlight of the weekend was our newest addition to the house; a bar. we’d been eyeing this bad boy for several months now at our favorite local spot, mama’s happy… in the city. it is seriously no exaggeration when i say that either one or both of us have been there every weekend since my mom and i first discovered it back in october. we may need to cut ourselves off for a while; this being the third substantial piece of furniture we now have in our home.

it’s perfect though. and what was also perfect was being able to finally unpack several boxes of bar related items that have just been sitting in the laundry room for months. you really don’t realize how much drinking related items you have until you can completely fill a piece of furniture. what can i say, we’re pretty fancy like that.

i have to say i’m rather jazzed about what i have in mind for tomorrow’s post… stay tuned. in the meantime, cheers lovelies.


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2015 in a word // mindfulness

2015 in a word mindfulness

in one word, could you sum up your goal for 2015? what would it be? what overarching theme will you try to keep as a trending topic all year-long? i had mine even before i knew this was a thing. and by thing i mean picking a word for the year aka one little word, etc. and by thing i also mean a social media/ blog thing. it’s a thing. i first saw this on my new favorite social accounts to follow, Best Kept Self. (sidenote, these women are incredible and will both motivate, inspire and encourage you daily) each of the women of Best Kept Self tweeted their word of the year and asked followers what theirs would be. it took me no more than a second to know what mine would be. mindfulness.

mind·ful·ness // ˈmīn(d)f(ə)lnəs/ (noun)
1. the quality or state of being conscious or aware of something.
2. a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique.

awareness, acknowledgement, acceptance… all of these things are things that i need to focus on. i’ve chatted briefly with you about my struggle with mental illness and how my anxiety and obsessive compulsive personality disorder often disrupt my day-to-day life. and the fight continues, and the journey towards overcoming it all has tons of bits and pieces to it. but, this, mindfulness. this is a key factor.

being present and living in the moment has become a difficult task for many of us with the glorious wonders of technology and so many other distractions toying for our attention. and i do mean glorious, because i have met some of the most fantastic people through blogging and social media. but there needs to be a balance. of our online and our offline. i feel so fortunate to have this incredible online world of people who i have connected with, but we must keep in touch with those who are right in front of us, and with reality.

2015 in a word mindfulness

but technology and distractions are only part of the reason why i struggle with being present. my mind is strong, very strong. and it would work to my benefit if i could harness all that strength to think about the things i would like to be focusing on. rarely am i experiencing the moment in which i am in. even in the best moments, i’m usually not all there. my mind and thoughts will wander and spin and circulate. about things that happened earlier that day, week, month or years ago. obsessing over a tiny detail that doesn’t really matter. or i’ll be trying to live in the next moment, worrying about the future, tomorrow, ten years from now, or the next hour.

a constant and perpetual state of being overwhelmed by thoughts.

the acceptance party is a slippery little sucker, too. that’s where my perfectionism rears its lovely head. things are supposed to happen the way they were supposed to happen. from our plans for the evening to plans for the wedding and everything in between. my rigidness to the way it was “supposed to” happen becomes paralyzing. to be able to accept myself, my feelings, my thoughts AND (here’s the kicker) move forward… that, that is the goal.

2015 in a word mindfulness

2015 has a lot of fancy things in store for me already. i’m lined up to present on ‘unleashing the power of social media’ twice (once in las vegas and once in san diego), we’re working on renovations to our home, making some major overhauls with my blog and personal brand, numerous trips for both work and fun, oh and you know just getting MARRIED. and i don’t want to miss a moment of any of it. i’ve already robbed myself of so many moments, enough is enough. on our wedding day i don’t want to be worried about a million little things that have nothing to do with the fact that i will be surrounded by my family and friends and starting my life with my best friend. it’s going to be the best day ever, and i want to be there. for every tear of happiness, every laugh, every sassy comment, every kiss and every dance move. i will be mindful and i will be present.

it’s certainly not going to be easy, but if what easy – well i guess then i would probably have done it already. but i am going to try. 2015, i got you.

how would you theme your 2015 in a word? share with me and let’s keep each other motivated! 2015 is our year. xo

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