A Lesson I've Learned the Hard Way:

My life will never fit into a carry-on.

Jean jacket and tops by Madewell // Black skinnies by J Brand // Denim by 7 for all mankind // Boots by Frye // Sneaks by Superga // Sunnies by Warby Parker // Bag by MBMJ

No matter how hard I try to make this a reality, an entire closet, a bathroom's worth of toiletries, and no less than 12 pairs of shoes WILL NEVER cram into 45 linear inches. 

My first lesson in extensive packing was a semester abroad in London. I joyfully purchased two extra-large suitcases to fill to the brim with every grandma sweater I owned. I took comfort in knowing I would have my whole wardrobe with me in a strange country, relishing in the idea of having a million different outfits to impress British boys with. This satisfaction, however, was replaced with deep, deep regret up arriving at Heathrow. Lugging literally my own body weight's worth in valises through a major international airport and then through the Chube was nothing short of a nightmare (you can ask just my best friend who experienced this with me; she's still scarred.) But to be fair, although it was terrible for me, it was much worse for the poor ol' chap who stood behind me on the ascending escalator and became the receiving end of toppled luggage.    

Once we began traveling from one Euro City to another, I was determined to fit everything I needed in one backpack. This was college and I really wanted to fit the struggling young backpacker archetype to a T, you know? So I started writing down outfits for each day, trying to bring the most versatile pieces to re-wear with one another, and rolling everything.  

Tomorrow I fly out to San Francisco and I am proud to say I will be able to squeeze 10 outfits, 4 pairs of shoes, 2 bags, socks, undies, and pjs into the overhead compartment. 

Can I Kick It?

Since what seems to be since I could walk, my go-to sneaks have always been a pair of classic Chucks. From elementary school when I liked them high, to middle school when I embarrassingly opted for different laces and pen doodles (puke), to high school when I started becoming a normal human, they were absolutely the only kicks for me. With college came Supergas that made me feel a bit more sophisticated (MKA love them, duh), and some Frees that strictly belonged in the gym. To date, this has been the extent of my sneaker repertoire, and I have never felt compelled to purchase any others.. until I started following Lucy that is, who's beginning to plant a new little fashion obsession seed with how well she wears hers. 

Girl Crush

Nicole Warne created Gary Pepper Vintage after taking a leap of faith, quitting her full-time job, and pursuing something she truly loves. Her blog is a sartorial accompaniment to her online store, documenting her style and travels. As an avid follower, I never tire of her glamorous posts. Plus she's got great eyebrows. 

Having never really perused Etsy before (mostly because the absolute breadth of wares is a bit intimidating to me), I really wanted to give myself a kick in the pants for waiting so long. Had I known beautiful handmade treasures like this bag existed at this price point, I'd have scoured the site a long time ago. Isn't it impressive what some people can do with their own hands? 

For reasons unexplained, I have been highly prone to crying lately. Let it be known, y'all that I do not cry often, and if I do, it is almost certainly because I am angry or frustrated or because a cheeseburger is being withheld from me. So when I started sobbing at Barnes & Nobles this weekend because I really do just love my Mom so much, I knew something strange was happening. Cut to last night's tears over not having Columbus Day off, and I was starting to question my internal hormonal balance. What has put me over the edge (read: stifling sniffles and furiously wiping away tears at my desk) however is this article about Balpreet Kaur, a woman spotted by a reddit user and deemed confusing enough in her gender to be put on e-display for the world wide web to judge. After hearing about her spotlight, rather than lashing out at the original poster and subsequent haters, she responded with this:

Hey, guys. This is Balpreet Kaur, the girl from the picture. I actually didn't know about this until one of my friends told on facebook. If the OP wanted a picture, they could have just asked and I could have smiled :) However, I'm not embarrased or even humiliated by the attention [negative and positve] that this picture is getting because, it's who I am. Yes, I'm a baptized Sikh woman with facial hair. Yes, I realize that my gender is often confused and I look different than most women. However, baptized Sikhs believe in the sacredness of this body - it is a gift that has been given to us by the Divine Being [which is genderless, actually] and, must keep it intact as a submission to the divine will. Just as a child doesn't reject the gift of his/her parents, Sikhs do not reject the body that has been given to us. By crying 'mine, mine' and changing this body-tool, we are essentially living in ego and creating a seperateness between ourselves and the divinity within us. By transcending societal views of beauty, I believe that I can focus more on my actions. My attitude and thoughts and actions have more value in them than my body because I recognize that this body is just going to become ash in the end, so why fuss about it? When I die, no one is going to remember what I looked like, heck, my kids will forget my voice, and slowly, all physical memory will fade away. However, my impact and legacy will remain: and, by not focusing on the physical beauty, I have time to cultivate those inner virtues and hopefully, focus my life on creating change and progress for this world in any way I can. So, to me, my face isn't important but the smile and the happiness that lie behind the face are. :-) So, if anyone sees me at OSU, please come up and say hello. I appreciate all of the comments here, both positive and less positive because I've gotten a better understanding of myself and others from this. Also, the yoga pants are quite comfortable and the Better Together tshirt is actually from Interfaith Youth Core, an organization that focuses on storytelling and engagement between different faiths. :) I hope this explains everything a bit more, and I apologize for causing such confusion and uttering anything that hurt anyone.

If you're not at least misty-eyed I suggest following that yellow brick road to Oz to ask the Wizard if he can get you a heart.

Beauty has always been such a prevalent concern for me as I can't help but believe there is a positive correlation between it and my happiness. If I was just a bit thinner, if my eye lashes were longer, if my skin were clearer, then I would just feel better. Balpreet's words are a nice reminder of how little those things actually matter.

Oh, and to the entire universe's surprise, "european_douchebag" has actually sincerely apologized for his public shaming. There's hope for us humans yet. 

In the endless quest to be fit, my hardest obstacle has always been maintaining a healthy diet. No matter how many suicides I run, or at-home sessions I have with Jillian Michaels, nothing makes up for my Tasty Burger weakness. So in my search for some lighter recipes, I stumbled across The Vegan Stoner. Now if there's one thing y'all should know about me, it's that I love my red meat (give me bloody burgers and steaks all day, every day please.) And I thought that love crowded out any appreciation for vegetarianism and veganism. That is, until Sarah Conrique and Graham Haynes' (of Simple Gestures Design Studio) quirky illustrated recipes caught my attention. Don't those doodles make you want to try Seitan? Fingers crossed the recipes are as good as the design!

COVET

...is not strong enough a word to describe how badly I need this Meli Melo bag Olivia Palermo has been spotted toting around nearly everywhere. Everything about it, from the buttery leather, to the ingenious handles, to the goes-with-everything cognac color, is sososo perfect.