Boo

Well, I'm finally back in the land of the living...ironically just in time for the...er, day of the dead! Halloween is just a few short days away and I'm excited as ever. For years and years the husband and I would conjure up our best costumes and hit the town with friends in tow to show off our forethought...creativity...and diligent preparation. Now we have the toddler to apply all that energy to and as things would have it she's not yet the age to really adore a costume the way the husband and I still do. So alas, she will be a bee...bumble...in variety and cute as ever. The husband and I will try to muster the strength to come up with something to at least garner an honorable mention nod (note: there is no actual contest...only in our heads). Which leads me to my question...why don't adults with kids dress up for Halloween? When did it become uncool...unnecessary? Or are we just so consumed with our little ones we neglect ourselves? I'm here to tell you...Halloween is for parents too! We can still be scared...still eat enough candy to make ourselves sick...and still have a little fun on the most scariest of days. There are no rules...nothing that says you can't put your best witch boot forward and join in on the fun. We are too old to actually knock on the doors ourselves but that's what the kids are for right? Bonus...we get dressed up in full tilt costume and don't have to do the dirty work to get the candy...instead, we can hang back...hang with our friends...and revel in the fact that we are still kids at heart. Go ahead, do it for a laugh...do it for the kids...do it for yourself...or, just do it to make your friends jealous! A little glitter never hurt anyone! Who's afraid of the dark now?

image credit: top - azcentral.com, bottom - Damien Hirst diamond encrusted skull

sick as a dog

It's happened...I've fallen for Fall and apparently Fall has fallen for me as I am now sick as a dog thanks in part to a day spent at the fair and an afternoon spent at the pumpkin patch. And so, I went to the doctor and the doctor said...that's what you get for not going to bed! I will now rest...recuperate...and try to breathe. While in the sick bay dreaming of vintage matchstick cords in driftwood-esque colors reminiscent of my summering at the beach and boyfriend blazers worthy of holding hands and stolen kisses...I leave you with this...a nod to...er, my being sick...the Doctor Bag. A most stylish bag that's fit for Fall. Check out my favorties below and until my return remember...not all doctors are scary.

1st bag: Gucci 2nd bag: Versace 3rd bag: Prada

Image credit: Saks Fifth Avenue

play on...

I once told someone that I thought Coldplay's music was the soundtrack of my life...right now anyway. And in college it was Widespread Panic...high school...the Black Crowes. I've thought about that comment many times since I said it. I don't take it back...or think that's changed but, it did get me thinking...there are times in our lives when a song and even an entire album defines us...moves us...as if it were written for us. There are good ones and bad ones...ones that make us cry and others that make us want to roll the windows down and simply escape for a few minutes. While most days are spent as if I were a groundhog who has just predicted 6 more weeks of no naps, tantrums, and skinned knees...a song can get me through. Through the low parts...through the musical chair moments when I feel like everything I do is in circle...with no result. Coldplay's songs are sulky and sullen...but there's an upswing...a sudden shift...a brisk high note and a chord struck that sets a tone to which you can stand strong with. What's your soundtrack? What makes your day a little brighter or helps you...get over yourself? Are they the songs that make you think...that make you look within to find that little piece of you that you knew was there but you needed your soundtrack played to remember? Is it the encore or the thrill of the first note? I guess what makes it unique is the story. The story that you create for the music...the story that plays out while you're living your life...because sometimes you need the music to make a moment real...to feel the beat...of your own drum. It's the song that can take you back...if just for a brief three minutes...and when the music rushes in...those little sparks of memory pick you up and twirl you on pointe with the ease of an old lover. And so I say this...dust off your lp's...turn off the t.v...and turn up your soundtrack. And when the music stops...have a seat and remember why you love it! Here's a little from my soundtrack... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8f1nbxS2ctg

I got soul...

And so...there are days that I think about the BIG picture...the picture that includes everything...all your secrets...all your crazy...all your nuances and charm. And when you're there...totally exposed...it's at that moment that if you find someone who loves you for that...in spite of...that...by definition...have you found your soulmate? But...what exactly is a soulmate? Why does everyone use a term so liberally that is so profoundly...er, special? And, how do you know when you've found your soulmate? Is a soulmate someone who connects with you and loves you on a level that no one else has or in a way you believe no one else will? Is a soulmate someone who loves you despite your hamster maze house (see Garden State..."it'll change your life"). And...is there just one soulmate for each of us? There are people in our lives that make us who we are...that define us. There are people that we know for a lifetime...people that love us in ways we cannot know or understand...and us them. There are people that we may love that may never know or...maybe the circumstances are such that the time is gone...past...too late...too soon. But when we look at ourselves...how do we measure...define our love...our soulmates? Recently I heard someone say that a city was their soulmate...but, how could you love something that will inevitably break your heart? A city can't exactly connect with you intimately...or can it? Can a person and...an object...wear the "soulmate" label? By definition...a soulmate is a person who is strongly suited to another in temperament. So irronically..."love"...by definition...isn't even involved. I guess my question is this...are there really "soulmates"? Is this notion just for romance...or is there some higher level of connection...validation...that allows us to believe in the unconditional love and understanding that is sure to come from a soulmate...or is a soulmate just someone...some...thing...that unlocks the notion of believing in ourselves? Click here for a little soul-stirring...lovely...music: Soul Meets Body - Death Cab For Cutie http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9JB2ETgatI