charm, brought to you by new england.

Let's just not talk about that time I drove to New England by myself and somehow zoned out and missed the turn for the Delaware Memorial Bridge and ended up in Philly. Let's also not talk about how I took one wrong turn after the GW Bridge and ended up lost in Queens at 4 pm on a Friday afternoon in the summer. I was painstakingly close to throwing up in my car out of nervousness upon realizing I was lost in Queens with 30% iPhone battery. Yeah, that happened.

And finally, let's not talk about the constant paranoia I faced while sitting in traffic for two hours on the Merritt Parkway with antsy rich people going 0-60 in 3 seconds flat behind me as I'm at a standstill. I drive a hatchback, y'all! And my phone is dead. Your massive Jeep rear-ending me is the last thing I need.

But let's definitely talk about New England. Once you get past the city and the crazy of rich folk in Connecticut driving 85 mph on a 55 mph winding road, you reach the land of charm.

When you recently find yourself in a life and career transition, you go on a road trip. Solo. It must be solo. If you bring someone with you, you're just going to appear as needy and weak. Plus, you don't have to tend to someone else's needs.

You want to see that historic landmark in a small colonial town? You do that. You go. You want to go antiquing? Knock yourself out. And definitely check out that flagship Yankee Candle store. Because, why the hell not?

Yes, all of that lobstah roll was devoured. Everything on that plate, minus the lemon. Good eats, y'all. New England's got 'em!

All photos were taken in Deerfield and Northampton (NoHo), Mass. Rarely do I stop and wander around in Massachusetts, but it seems this trip was dedicated to doing just that. Even picked up an antique alarm clock, and managed to talk myself out of buying the pair of vintage pink lamps with the gold accents on them. Self control at it's finest.

beginning stages

I moved in almost a month ago and I've already moved things around at least 3 times since then. So far, I've been trying to inject color into any place I can, cause I didn't realize A) all of my stuff is white and B) the walls in here are a light tan. The sheets I bought from Target are... drumroll please... white background with a tan print. So yeah! I have a lot of work to do here in adding my personal touches. Lots of plans for this place. Lots of wall space to be filled. BTW, I forgot what it was like to have a bed so high up. Been living on the box spring on the floor style since 2010...

blogging is hard

Between working about 30-35 hours a week in the store, and countless hours outside the store working on evolved and freelance work, blogging is hard. I love making graphics for posts and getting a good one all together and presentable. Getting home from a long day of dealing with pretty terrible strangers really takes it out of you - and on that note, I think everyone at some point in their lives should have to work retail for at least a month to see how terrible some people can be. It'll make you a better stranger to others, trust me. I am rarely rude to anybody.

What's that one quote? You can tell a lot by a person by how they treat others who can do nothing for them? I think so. That quote is my ish.

Moving on, Instagram is just about the only thing I keep up to date these days, seeing as it keeps me inspired and is easy as shit to use. You have got to be able to see things in different light or else you'll never see the beauty in the world. Trust me on this one. I may be young but that's one thing I've held close to me since 'nam.

ONE • designing a board for a fictitious couple moving from upstate NY to downtown NYC with no children; a musician and an artist - this story was screaming for a crazy fun apartment. I mean, hello? I went all out with a lotus pink sectional, mint walls, and yellow accents. Very pretty. Very me.

TWO • I bought this set of pencils a couple years ago in Norwich, VT while spending the day at Dartmouth. I picked up this one from the cup one day last week and thought the message on it resonated with my current life. My paychecks may be diddly but I'm still pretty content with where I am and most importantly, where I'm headed

THREE • the flight from Vegas got in around 8:30 pm, and I didn't get home until 10:30 or so. We had an install for a DC model at 8 am bright and early the next day - but somehow my jet lag subsided until after the install (thank gawd). These white gallery frames looked magnificent if I do say so myself.

FOUR • before working at west elm, I hardly ever wore flats, but since our dress code strictly calls for close-toed shoes, I have no choice. I finally got up the courage to trash all the ones I've been wearing since August as they're 1. disgusting and 2. disgusting. These two pairs at UO spoke to me in ways that only oxfords can speak to a mild hipster at heart. And my first loafers. WHO KNEW? I tried loafers all through fall but could never get myself to like them. But these. These are different. They were worth the money I spent on them.