August is now spent and crisp September mornings are on the horizon. As it’s wont to do, this time of year has me feeling reflective, invigorated, and re-inspired to set things in motion for the remainder of 2022. For some, January peeks its head around the corner and spurs a similar feeling of excitement but there’s just something about Summer’s end that feels like a new start, isn’t there? Blame it on notions of sharpened bouquets of no. 2 pencils, I suppose.

In the wake of an ever-changing social landscape (a landscape that places 30-second video clips on a pedestal and redirects attention away from static images and lengthy prose), I’ve been feeling pulled to revisit this corner of the web. Surely nobody has noticed the absence of a 30-something former serial blogger but there is something especially appealing about your own personal void in which to whisper product recommendations and chronicle current obsessions. This space has always been like my very own time capsule and, after a little facelift, I’m looking forward to updating it more often. If nothing else, the snapshot in time will provide an extra jolt of creativity and something fun to look back on.

LIFE UPDATES:

On a personal note, it’s been a while since I checked in here and so much has shifted. From graduating from my degree program, to buying our first home in Seattle, and taking on a full-time position as the Director of Operations at LOHO Bride, my priorities and goals have shifted quite a bit in recent months. Thus, my tastes have evolved and I’m feeling quite grounded in what I like and dislike these days.

Feeling like following along? Here’s what I’m…

COVETING:

My wishlist mostly consists of home goods these days but there’s always room for various obsessions:

Amber Lewis for Anthropologie Bar Cabinet

The perfect Black Tiba Heeled Sandals that I have in my cart for Bridal Fashion Week

The Cove Straw Hat for early autumn gardening

a Vintage Bleached Oak Armoire from my dreams

Jenni Kayne’s Cotton Cocoon Cardigan is always on my list

The Routine from oak essentials

Prairie Sconces in Cloud via Etsy

& The Ravenna Dress in Salt from Doen

LOVING:

Lucy Williams’ New Home (An English Dream)

Joanna Plant’s Eccentric Interior

A Sprawling British Estate Complete With A Library & Whiskey Room

READING:

Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon

The Outlander serious is my white whale and I’m slowwwwwly inching along (whilst reading other books here and there). While I haven’t had a ton of time to read in recent months, I’m hoping that the beginning of cozy weather allows for a bit more downtime than our bustling Summer did.

LISTENING TO:

Pia Baroncini’s “Everything Is The Best” Podcast

WATCHING:

Netflix’s adaptation of Jane Austen’s ‘Persuasion’ - I know the internet at large hated this version but I found Dakota Johnson charming and the vibes are reminiscent of Bridgerton.

Starz’s Outlander series… again - I became obsessed with the series (hence the big push to get through the books) last year and have been enjoying rewatching it lately. There’s nothing like the Scottish Highlands to feed into my interior and color palette whims.

You might have noticed recently that updates from me have been few and far between but I promise, it's all for good reason. We've been keeping a pretty big secret for the last fourteen weeks and I'm so excited to finally share with you that our family is growing! We're expecting a new addition on October 31st and we're already over the moon.

While we went back and forth about when to share, it was getting so hard to keep the news to ourselves. I found out at just four weeks and the last ten have seemed like the longest couple of months ever! We finally told Lorelai and our families on Easter (the Easter Bunny brought her the news) and shortly after, the whole island was in on the secret. We're learning just how hard it is to keep things on the down low when your doctor is your neighbor and it feels like a super small town. It's been such an exciting, tiring, wonderful, hard, emotional, happy time! 

So far, my pregnancy has been relatively easy. While I'm not a woman that's blessed with "the glow", it could have been much worse and I'm so grateful for the chance to lay low while I work on all of the different projects I have going right now. More than anything, I'm grateful to be on the tail end of the first trimester. It's been such a long time since I was pregnant with Lorelai that I had all but forgotten just how rough the first couple of months can be. Here's hoping my energy comes back during this stage!

Life on the island has presented its own unique challenges! For one, it's incredibly hard to crave things and have no access whatsoever to any of it. For a while there all I wanted in the whole world was a crisp green apple and it's been months since we've had any. We had a major milk/eggs/cheese shortage recently and that was also rough. Right now all I want is scrambled eggs and that's also a no-go. Did I mention there are no restaurants here and I cook three meals a day?! Don't even get me started on the sheer lack of anything drive-through (In N Out!) or made by someone else. Aside from food (which I could talk about forever), the healthcare situation is also unique out here. We do not have an OBGYN or the ability to deliver babies in the middle of the ocean. What does that mean for us? Lo and I will leave home behind in mid-July and make a pilgrimage back to Southern California. There will we stay, separated from Ainsworth (save for the drop-off and the baby's arrival), until mid-December. It'll be hard to be away from home (and daddy) so long but I'm also super excited to be a part of civilization again as well as spend time with my family, visit some great friends, and eat real food!! 

It's pretty safe to assume that blog content is going to shift a little (but not a ton). Over the last couple of years I've realized that this space is really more for me than anything. That said, I'm excited to share a lot of what's going on and chronicle our plans for the future but we're not going full-on mommy blog. So far I've shared Lorelai's childhood pretty sparingly and will probably do the same this time too. If you're interested in seeing things like my first-trimester essentials and routine check-ins, however, do let me know!

p.s. I just ordered my first pair of maternity jeans... lol shit's about to get real.