A Year of Independence

As the time nears that we count down the last minutes of 2012, I am completely in awe of the events, people, and surprises that have happened in the last twelve months. 2012 was a year of fierce independence for me, a year of growing up, moving on, and believing that I could accomplish things way outside of my comfort zone.

Some of the highlights & milestones that made this year an important one. Growing pains are probably an understatement.

January: I got my heartbroken. And spent the next few months picking up the pieces, with the help of some very special & important people. The gratitude I feel toward these people will never really be put into words. It's too great. In the midst of the fog, a group of fabulously creative friends & I officially launched The Phoenix Style Collective - with a kickoff party that blew all of our expectations to tiny, sparkly bits.

February: I hosted a movie night premier at Studio Movie Grill, got a fantastic pair of new grandpa specs, went on one of many girl dates with one of my best gal pals, and packed up my bags to flee to a weekend getaway in San Diego. The beach is a wonderful place for clearing one's head.

March: Warm spring winds finally blew in to Arizona, where the season of patio brunching began with bottomless bloodies & mimosas. Business sent me to chillier weather, to Denver for a conference - which happened to allow two extra days with my BFF and her boyfriend. Just a few days later, they arrived in AZ! I discovered the sock bun, and hair washing has never been so few and far between (only joking!). Kinda.

April: The Phoenix Style Collective crew and I put together the first annual Arizona Blogger Conference at the Saguaro in Scottsdale - the cheeriest hotel in the entire city! With more than 100 guests in attendance, it's clear that blog lovin' is growing strong here in the desert! A 24 hour competition for a client at work dragged out for more than 50...which meant even more coffee than usual, and a REALLY fast exit to vacation the following weekend. There are no words for that time spent at Oprah's house in Palm Springs.

May: Coffee shop touring while solo became a fun past time, and my library card saw more action in the month than the entire year. Setting my sights on house improvement, I finally caved and hung up the gallery wall that has been nagging me in my thoughts for months. Then I created a jewelry display, which was featured on retailer's blog! I am still amazed by the outcomes of both! I cooked a lot of pinterest dinners, after resolving to cook a new recipe at least once a week. My favorite contribution to the month was the creation of Powder Room Fashionista - my exploration of outfit self portraits in ladies restrooms. But best of all - my bestest friend Bianca got engaged to her wonderful boyfriend Bobby. Let the wedding planning skype dates begin!

June: ...NEW ORLEANS! One of the favorite highlights of my entire year. We strolled Bourbon Street, wasted away at Margaritaville, got goosebumps at a crazy old cemetery, ate beignets & got powdered sugar covered pants at Cafe du Monde, experienced a true southern multiple course meal at Commander's Palace, followed my a classy pot of crawfish. Not to be overlooked - we got in touch with our mystical side with a ghost tour at the Myrtles, and a visit to the psychic! Back home, I coffee shop hopped, and baked with the largest zucchini I've ever seen.

July: I hopped back on a plane to San Diego for the 4th, where I rode a bike for the first time in years. My talented friend Sarah launched her awesome photography e-course, which I modeled for! I became a concert goer, magic bullet aficionado, and hosted cocktail filled networking event in downtown Phoenix. My mom came to visit shortly after for an amazing jam packed week! We brunched, toured the cute northern town of Prescott, and tasted some big tasty burgers. I got promoted at work, and moved in to my first big girl office...with its own door!

August:  Featured over on Stephanie blog, I shared the things I'm most grateful for these days. Coffee was included, of course. With the exception of an early morning breakfast pretend meeting at Carmel's, I took a break from blogging as I said goodbye to my coworkers, and started my new job working in Scottsdale, doing PR for NM! Cue happy tears, fireworks & air punches. My BFF Courtney moved in to my apartment complex, and weekday nights have never been better (wine & wedding videos anyone?)

September: Vegas called my name, and off to sin city I went to celebrate the big 2-4 with all of my college buds, which continued in Phoenix when my best friend Lauren got stuck on a layover. No photos have surfaced on the blog, for good reason. I drank way too much coffee (typical), which got me through the craziest, busiest, most fun month in fashion. As the month wound down, the anticipation of fall quickly became top of mind.

October: I tool a fall break. The mind was a jumble.

November: Briefly touching on the political conversations going on in our Country, I pledged to make small differences here in my bubble. Hoping others would do the same. My dad flew down to visit me for the most fun & hilarious Thanksgiving I've ever had. SparkleFarkle Thanksgiving 2012 was made of an accidentally double brined bird - in a garbage can no less, a menu for eight with a table for two, and stomach aches for daaaays to follow. We toured the amazing Musical Instrument Museum, and drove up to windy Sedona for a day of exploring.

December: This month has literally flown. The only moments I stopped running were the two sudden flu outbreaks that kept me home for several days on end. Party, after party, after celebration, after event...I LOVE THE HOLIDAYS. That's basically all there is to that! I joined Fashion Group International, and started writing for their blog, and took a few vacation days when my mama flew down for the holiday! We celebrated Christmas in Arizona for my very first time, and sending her off just a few days ago was just as difficult as usual. Moms are the best.

So there you have it friends! A whirlwind! 

And I wouldn't have it any other way.

Bring it 2013.

...

{A glorious year, a review}

 {snaps from Seattle}

Another year has passed and I am constantly in awe at how fast our lives fly by. It is truly difficult for me to stay in the moment, to not look ahead and wish for the future to be here now, and yet one day I wake up and that is exactly what has happened.

2011 was a fantastic year. I may not have gone on a wild european vacation, or made the crazy decision to jump states (like I did in 2010), but this year was filled with personal growth, new friendships, big love and a more mature outlook on life. Looking back, I think this is the happiest I've ever been. Here are my favorite highlights.

January: I celebrated the New Year in Seattle, attended my first NBA game, and made the leap into semi-fashion blogging by signing up for Kendi's 30x30. A big step for me, I've always preferred to be behind the camera, not in front of it!

February: The month came quickly as I continued to go strong through the 30x30 challenge. No wonder they call it a challenge, taking outfit photos is a lot of work! Props to all the full time fashion bloggers out there. Chris & I celebrated both a mellow and fancy valentine's day, and continued the month of love by attending my good friend's wedding. The evening was beautiful, you could see their happiness radiating though all the guest's faces. And I cried. Kind of a lot. Wrapping up a busy month, my martha stewart soulmate (Sarah) & I planned and hosted an oscar party.

March: I stumbled on the gloriousness of Phoenix's underground food truck ring, and I continued on my 30x30 path while my best friend Devin came in town to visit my new home. We packed as many activities in as possible, like going to Caramelpalooza, I took her to my favorite coffee shop, froyo shop & of course in-n-out, and we toured the vintage shops I had been dying to check out. At the end of the month, I attended the Arizona Blogger Meetup, and met so many wonderful new people!

April: The weather continued to heat up, I baked a lot of goodies, took a mushy walk down memory lane, and celebrated a three year anniversary with the sweetest guy.

May: A little website called Pinterest totally rocked my world (nerd), I celebrated my awesome mother from afar, had some very fun dates with the boyfriend to barnes & noble (nerd), a mexican fiesta and pottery designing (super nerd). I fell in love with the Phoenix Public Market, which peaked my interest in shopping local, then jetted off for a business/play trip to Las Vegas! Made it back in time to celebrate the boyfriend's birthday.

June: I kept trucking away on decorating my apartment with a fun dining room DIY, got visited by my mom! We traipsed all over Arizona visiting Sedona, the Grand Canyon, Phoenix Public Market and more.

July: Chris & I decided to spend 4th of July in San Diego with my friend Bianca, and I celebrated my one year anniversary living in Arizona! Bianca was the best hostess for my first trip out, taking us to the Aquarium, Balboa Park, and USD. I forced Chris to stand in line (for 2 hours!) so I could see HP7.2 at midnight, and we had an ideal Arizona summer weekend. Some of my bestest friends surprised me with a visit to Phoenix.

August: The month was filled with blog related events! First was a mini meet-up at Arrogant Butcher, a retail event at DownEast Basics, blog chats at Lux, a preview of a newly updated local movie theater and right at the end, an fall preview event at Neiman Marcus. I started my first weekly feature, Finding Inspiration: Links, and launched my page of eats & treats: nosh!

September: I daydreamed of fall temperatures (it's still an inferno in AZ!). Chris took me on the fanciest date I've ever been on, and spent the dreamiest evening spinning atop a building looking at Phoenix's views. We decided to spend the next weekend celebrating my birthday in California, had an amazing breakfast in Santa Monica, breakfast in San Diego and I was reunited with my favorite friends for the WSU game. Then my friend Sarah took us out to dinner at the most amazing dessert place. Chocolate heaven. At the end of the month we jetted off to St. Louis for gardens, football, drool worthy BBQ & more breakfast!

October: My friend Jess & I ate our weight in tacos, I saw a hipster documentary, and received the best gift ever. I was featured in the local pub Phoenix New Times, and celebrated halloween while admitting my potterhead obsession with a fun DIY.

November: What a crazy fun month! A couple blogger friends & I were asked to attend the Karen Kane fashion show in Scottsdale, I met fashion guru Ken Downing (!!) at a Neiman Marcus Event, and Project Ethos as well. I made my favorite appetizer of the year, and saw the Cardinals vs. Rams game for the second year in a row. Feeling frazzled by all of the inspiration out there in the world, I checked out for a weekend and went to visit Devin. Thank goodness for best friends. My mom came out for her yearly Thanksgiving visit, and my aunt & uncle joined in the fun. It was a family packed weekend!

December: Chris & I rounded out the year with a last minute, SUPER fun, roadtrip to California. We got to say goodbye to our friend Sarah, who is off on a new life adventure. Finally, I returned home to Seattle for the holidays. I stayed with my mom, saw almost everyone of my great friends & family, celebrated christmas, stayed out past my bedtime and barely slept the entire time. It was fabulous.

After all that...I'm exhausted. Welcome 2012!

{new year & new life}

{via}

Today I will have lived in Arizona for 6 whole months.

AMAZING.

2010 was a wonderful year, probably my favorite so far. The past six months have been quite a journey, and the six before that were just as incredible. I can't believe some of the things that happened, the adventures I went on, and the things I saw! A summary of the highlights:

January: I made the new years resolution to put more effort into my blog, and actually did it! Not only that, I actually did all 5 of my resolutions. Probably for the first time ever. I also started the first day of my last semester at WSU, as soon to be graduating senior. I froze in the snow, and tried to fight off a serious case of senioritis.

February: Devin came to visit me, my oldest friend. We had a great time touring around Pullman, practicing party hair, and catching up:) In the mushiest way that February can bring out in a person, I fell in love all over again with a certain someone, and a week after Devin's trip, got a lovely surprise! Visitors are my favorite.

March: Spent my last spring break of college in Seattle, visiting happy hour hot spots, working for the Mariners, and day dreaming about beaches in Mexico. Out of that came the wild idea to tour Europe once graduated, and I found myself a travel partner! After a long time researching and wasting hours upon hours of budget online flight shopping, I booked Chris & my plane tickets to Europe.

April: Washington started to look more and more springy, the last month of college was in full swing, and nostalgia set in. Classes were getting hard, friends were getting sad, and exhaustion was a constant state. In true holiday fashion, I dyed Easter eggs and baked pucker worthy lemon bars.

May: An unbelievable month. Quite possibly my favorite month of my entire life. I took a leave from my blog to focus on other things, I graduated from WSU, I took a trip to Arizona to see Chris graduate, we left for Europe, I saw La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, the Vatican, discovered real pizza in Rome, kissed my boyfriend on the top of the Eiffel Tower on his birthday, visited Mona at the Louvre, saw Alicia Keys in concert in Paris, and drank all sorts of delicious espresso.

June: Made it back alive from Europe! Had in interview for an internship the day after I landed, kept my fingers crossed for 2 days straight, and got the job! Which prompted my big move to Arizona. I spent the rest of the month wrapping up loose ends, saving money, saying goodbye to friends & family and packing. 

July: Bright and early on the 4th of July I was up, packed, sad but excited and on a plane to Arizona. Antsy as always to get back to traveling, Chris and I took a trip to the happiest place on earth, Disneyland! We saw Mickey, Minnie and Goofy, and spent the day hanging out with his family, riding rides, and sneaking off to California Adventure. I settled in to my internship, rode the bus AND lightrail to work everyday, and was constantly sweating...(gross).

August: Arizona summer was officially getting to me, so we took a nice little vacation to Mexico. We drank fruity cocktails, parasailed, worked on our tans, and tried to avoid the whole border violence thing (fear). Working hard, still squatting in Chris's apartment, I got the offer to join the agency full time in the public relations department. We celebrated!

September: I found an amazing apartment in Phoenix, bought a car (from my mom!) and bought a plane ticket to Seattle to round up my things to move them to Arizona. September was the month I fell head over heels in love with interior design and got in trouble for buying things for my apartment when I wasn't moved in yet! I spent my 22nd birthday in Seattle surrounded my favorite people, then started the official journey - a Man Vs. Food trek through Portland, San Francisco, and Los Angeles with a packed car functioning as my moving van. A highlight of the trip was watching the sunrise over the Golden Gate Bridge, something I will never forget!

October: I moved into my first real apartment, and spent the majority of the month hunting for furniture on cragslist. I hosted my first annual 'Ghoul Gruel Dinner' (which sadly never made it into a blog post) and made spOoOoOky cupcakes for the office Halloween party. I dressed up as Sammi Sweetheart and a Vampire for Halloween, had cool fangs but no trick-or-treaters. 

November: I entertained during visits from my dad in early November and my mom for a week over Thanksgiving! I made my 'signature' apple crisp, made a dent in my wallet on black Friday, and put up Christmas decor.

December: With Christmas season in full swing, I drank many gingerbread americanos, listened to N'Sync Christmas on repeat, and finally bought a bed! Chris & I ate way too much peppermint bark, we watched his best friend Brandon play in the NFL, and I got the present of my dreams! I spent Christmas in Seattle, saw twinkly lights downtown, and counted down to the new year with my pledge class.

If this year is even a glimmer of last, there should be some great things headed my way!

 Happy New Year!

{a year in review}

I am moving pretty slow this year. Having more resolutions than I can count, I need to narrow them down to the ones that are the most important to me. And of course the ones I can accomplish realistically (moving into my beautiful penthouse apartment in downtown Seattle right after I graduate may be a bit of a stretch).

Looking back, 2009 was an amazing year. I traveled, worked, learned, and watched time fly by. 2009 was the time I discovered blogs, so it must have been good!

Here are some highlights:

(1) Last Spring break I traveled to Florence, Italy to visit my roommate who was studying abroad.

{plus--cappuccinos} {minus--exchange rate}

(2) In summer, I completed my first internship with Barokas Public Relations in Seattle. It solidified my need to work in PR!
{plus--felt entirely too cool commuting on the bus each morning} {minus--unpaid}

(3) I started my senior year in college...Hello world, here I come!

{plus--last year of homework} {minus--no longer living right next door to all of my friends. me, dead center}

{the last cougar football saturdays as a student....bittersweet}

(4) I turned 21!

{plus--ordering wine with dinner} {minus--um...?}

(5) And celebrated the big 2-1 in Vegas



{plus--EVERYTHING} {minus--slight gambling addiction}

And that brings us pretty much up to date. With the exception of my favorite holidays, Christmas&Halloween, the remainder of the year has been pretty mellow. Hope you enjoyed as much as I did!