Assignment: Date Your Friend

WARNING:  This blog post may or may not have some overwhelmingly cutesy sentiment spread throughout it's content, leading to stomach churning, gagging, or drinking heavily before noon.  Readers be advised.


So this week was my Mr.'s birthday.  It wasn't a particularly momentous birthday, just your run of the mill 27th.  However, it seems that every year my Mr. has a birthday, I am reminded just how lucky I am that he is in fact MY Mr.  And I am reminded of how many different roles he has played in my life--freshman year acquaintance, sophomore year constant companion, junior year family member, senior year lover, post college life partner and husband.  But throughout the 10 years we've known each other, one thing has never changed.  He is my best friend.  Truly.  We were friends who knew everything about each other before we crossed that romantic line into the wild blue yonder.  And the funny thing about it is sometimes I catch a glimpse of him and remember my friend, my truly platonic best friend who was with me through some of my worst relationship choices and some of my most disgusting moments and some of my most embarrassing life choices.  And then, just for old times sake, I'll scratch my butt or pick my nose just to remind him that indeed he is my best friend.  Then he'll get a big fat romantic kiss.

BEFORE:  friend zone

AFTER:  forever zone

Anyway, without going into further gory detail, my point is this:  DATE YOUR FRIEND.  It's scary at first, yes.  You may think you are going to lose everything.  But it will be totally worth it.

For a less corny and way more entertaining explanation of why dating your friend is definitely the way to go, please read this hilarious article from Hello Giggles.  I especially love his "10 tell-tale signs that your boy friend wants to be your boyfriend".  This is definitely my favorite:  All of the activities he plans involve only you and him, and could easily be construed as dates. Dinner. The movies. Spooning while watching Katherine Heigl movies.  (In our case, it was spooning while watching a Jeff Buckley concert DVD on repeat, while I audibly mourned the loss of him and drunkenly sang every song over and over and over again.  Sometimes I really do feel bad for all the things I put my Mr. through...)

I hope you all have an amazing weekend, my dear internet cosmos.  Now go make out with your best friend.

XOXO
--MEL

Weekly Shuffle

Well, I'm back from the house hunt.  Bruised, burned, beat up, positively wasted.  But still alive.  Which is good.

And just so you aren't thinking it was a total flop, it was far from that--we found a home!  And we love it. But the process of trying to buy that house successfully is the most time-consuming stressful thing ever.  I cannot imagine what we would do if we did not have our amazing realtor to guide us (Seriously, she's the jam.  If you ever move to Denver, let me know.  She's the realtor for you.)

So I am still slowly recovering from the exhaustion of the last couple weeks.  But hopefully all this turmoil will lead to a successful purchase!  I'll keep you posted, my dear internet cosmos.

And as an apology for being away for so long, here's your shuffle for the week.  Tell me, are you listening to anything particularly amazing?  I'm in need for some great cross-country road trip tunes for the upcoming trek to CO.

Weekly Shuffle #8 from lombardo.megan on 8tracks.

Weekly Shuffle + Ode to FL

Happy Friday, my dear internet cosmos!  I hope you had an amazing week and I hope the weekend holds some fun for you all.  We are headed to CO on Monday to begin (and hopefully finish) the house search.  So far, browsing homes online has been tons of fun mainly because my imagination goes crazy thinking up all the ways I can decorate a new home.

Recently I came across this adorable bathroom makeover and was frankly shocked that I liked it.  I'm never one for a theme room, but I think they hit "nautical-yet-not-ashamed-to-like-the-beach" on the head with this one.  Maybe it would be nice to incorporate a little tasteful beachiness into our new home as an homage to the sunny sandy state we are leaving behind.

In case coming up with your next home renovation project isn't in your weekend plans, here's your weekly shuffle to keep you occupied while I'm gone.  Or at least for a couple hours.  If this is your first shuffle experience with me and you like what you hear, go check out all of my shuffles here.

Have a fabulous weekend!  XOXO

Weekly Shuffle #7 from lombardo.megan on 8tracks.

A little change of scenery...

So, the big news is...

WE'RE MOVING TO COLORADO!!!

Yes, we are completely stoked.  Yes, we are completely overwhelmed.  Yes, we are completely over the moon.

Yes, all the details of moving across the country in less than 3 months, have in fact not hit us yet.

We are on cloud nine for the moment and trying to savor it as long as possible.  We have begun the house hunt and started trying to tie down some loose ends here before our journey.  We're already starting to experience some stressful moments associated with the move, which kind of terrifies me.  But overall, we're nothing short of thrilled.

Here are a few little sentimental things that I may just have to pick up to signify this momentous occasion in our lives:

I'm thinking it would be wonderful to have a custom portrait made of our home here in FL by Rebecca Seale.  After all, our little home here means so much to us--we got engaged here, married here, adopted our newest pup dog here.  It would be beautiful to have a little memorial to it all.  (Found via Babble)

We've made a ton of amazing friends here who we are going to miss like crazy.  Plus, we have family here who are going to miss us like crazy.  I think this pillow would be an amazing gift to give to the people we love who we will be leaving behind.  (Found via the lil bee)

My husband and I have lived in some really amazing places in our lives and it would be great to represent them in our new home.  I love these state bird prints by Kelsey Oseid.  They are so whimsical and would be perfect artwork to carry with us throughout our lives.  (Found via Design*Sponge)

I hope you'll come with us, my dear internet cosmos, as we embark on this new journey!

XOXO
--MEL

Weekly Shuffle + Big News!

I know.  It's been a super long time.  I'd like to say there's no excuse, but I think this time I have a really valid one.  Seriously!  I'll give you more details next time.  But until then, here's a little hint:

Get's you excited, right?

So, here's your shuffle for the week.  Lots of friends have been leading me onto new and amazing music lately and I'm so excited to add more goodies to the shuffle pot.

Tell me, what are you shuffling through today?

Weekly Shuffle #6 from lombardo.megan on 8tracks.

Weekly Shuffle

Okay be honest--what's on your shuffle today?

Weekly Shuffle #5 from lombardo.megan on 8tracks.

Another year

Hello my dear internet cosmos.  I'm so sorry I left you alone for the long last week.  I had an impromptu get away to the beach last weekend that spread into the week and kept me far far away from my computer.  And then I had a birthday on Thursday so the whole week basically just ended up being a black hole for anything remotely productive.  But I haven't had a week like that in a long time (read:  I work 7 days a week, all year long) so it was definitely well needed.

I had a particularly wonderful birthday this year, filled with hours of conversation, singing in the rain, dirty cowboy chaps, country music, poetry, watercolors, donations to a cause, wonderful friends, food, and lots of delicious beverages.  And now, it's actually spring in FL, and I'm finally okay with it.  I got to spend the weekend working in gardens and enjoying the warm weather instead of dreading it.  Like I said, this birthday week was truly a special one.

Anyway, I wanted to leave you with this wonderful little piece I ran across a while ago to give you a bit of inspiration for the week.  If there's one thing this year has taught me, it's that people are amazing and I find the most joy in learning from my fellow travelers on this planet.  Sometimes it stresses me out because the beauty and the joy is just so overwhelming.  But then I remember that this is me and this is how I operate.  I am hopelessly connected to everyone around me.  I'd rather weep from the outrageous glory that I encounter in the miracle of life than let it pass me by.

I hope you will take the time to connect to others today.  I promise, it will be worth it.  XOXO

wall envy art

SEVEN REASONS YOU SHOULD REACH OUT TO EVERY PERSON EVER

1.)  We’re all alone well, kind of.  This sounds grim, but it’s not! There is a freedom in realizing and embracing the fact that at the end of the day you’re sitting in your own skin with your own thoughts and realities.  One of the most beautiful parts of being alive and continually pushed into the world is knowing that every single person on the planet also goes to bed in their own skin, with their own thoughts and realities.  Learning and exploring new people offers you the opportunity to change some wobbly realities you’ve created and equally allows you to challenge someone else’s.

2.)  Everyone wants to be loved. I believe this from the very bottom of my heart.  Some people spend whole lifetimes trying to deny themselves the magic and wonder of being loved.  The world is weird, man.  People are becoming increasingly disconnected from other people and I can only conclude that this is because of an underlying fear of really sharing ones self with another soul.  Its scary, but even if you open that door and subsequently have to shut it, I guarantee your heart is better for it.

3.)  People are really weird. Some of the most amazing and inspirational people I have ever met are also the weirdest.  The old saying “don’t judge a book by it’s cover” couldn’t be more true.  Some people who appear to be so transparent can sometimes end up being the most hidden.  And some of the most nondescript can end up being the most magical and unhinged.

4.)  You’re not better than anyone. This is not a race, y’all.  I had a crash course lesson in this when I was 16 years old.  Suddenly I realized that competing against the world at large would only bring me misery, and worse off, would be a complete waste of my precious time in this brilliant and bizarre world.  Quit comparing.  Quit hiding yourself.  There’s always someone who is more _______than you.  Find yourself and love the s**t out of it.  If you can’t- who will?

5.)  Mean people are just fearful. It’s hard to not return rudeness with rudeness.  I’ve slowly learned this since moving to the east coast.  But if she’s rude to you, and you’re rude to her where do you end up? Next time someone is mean to you or cruel, remind yourself that that person is just fighting a battle they haven’t overcome yet and that most likely, that s**t aint yours to bother with.  Let it go and it will let go of you.

6.)  Everyone’s a teacher. At some point you realize that you’re an eternal student. People all around you are here to show you something new.  Listen to other people.  When you are most convicted about your own beliefs it is a prime opportunity to step back for a moment, truly listen to the other side and work out whether or not you subscribe to their belief or sentiment. You’ve changed people’s minds about a lot of things, let them change yours.

7.)  Being tender and open is beautiful.  As a woman, I feel continually shhh’ed.  Too sensitive.  Too mushy.  Too wishy washy. Blah blah.  Don’t let someone steal your tenderness.  Don’t allow the coldness and fear of others to tarnish your perfectly vulnerable beating heart.  Nothing is more powerful than allowing yourself to truly be affected by things. Whether it’s a song, a stranger, a mountain, a rain drop, a tea kettle, an article, a sentence, a footstep…feel it all – look around you- all of this is for you.  Take it and have gratitude.  Give it and feel love.

**Written by Amelia Olsen for Hello Giggles.  Read more of Amelia's thoughts on her blog.**