True Love

photo by Lou Lou Photography

My parents met in high school at an early morning church class called seminary. It took awhile for my dad to ask my mom on a date but eventually he did. Not long after their first date my parents knew they were meant to be together.

After high school my dad served a church mission in Texas for two years and my mom went off to BYU. Three months after my dad returned home from his mission they were married in the Seattle temple. A year later they had me. A few years after that my brother came into the picture. A couple more years passed and my little sister was born.

Today my parents celebrated their 27th wedding anniversary. I feel honored and blessed to see first hand the loving, tender relationship my parents share. Both my mom and dad had difficult childhoods. It is truly a miracle that they found each other and were able to create such a loving, wonderful home environment for me and my siblings. 

My parents--that is what true love looks like. Because of their example, I have hope and faith that one day I too can have a strong, enduring marriage. Alone and together, life for my parents has rarely been easy. But no matter the obstacles they've faced individually and as a couple, my parents have always clung to each other and the Lord for support. Neither one of them is perfect, but together my parents continue to beat the odds.

Thank you mom and dad for loving each other so purely and unconditionally. Happy Anniversary!

Sometimes...

Sometimes it's 8:30pm on a Tuesday night and you're already exhausted from the week. So you take a cab home instead of riding two buses or switching trains lines twice and taking another bus.

Is it way more expensive? Yes. Does it hurt your pocketbook? Absolutely. Do you do it anyway? Oh yeah. Yes, taking care of yourself can mean a $13 cab ride.

Same goes for treats like Starbucks. The little budget-conscious diva inside me shirks at spending $3.50 for one drink but the times I do indulge are well worth it.

Emails won't stop coming. People keep asking you questions and needing your attention. All of a sudden your head is spinning and you can't feel the floor. Stop. Step away from your desk. Grab your wallet and hightail it out of there.

As my coworker said today, she enjoys the walk to Starbucks almost as much if not more than the actual drink she purchases.

So there you have it. Taking the occasional cab ride and going to Starbucks every once in awhile. Two small ways to promote self care, which seems to be my topic of choice this week.

How do you promote your own self care? What helps relieve your stress and make life feel a little bit easier?

an easy silence...

source

It's after midnight. I just said goodnight to a good friend and really need to catch some z's but I keep saying I'll make time for blogging and don't. The past few weeks have been rather hectic between moving to a new apartment and starting another quarter of grad school. But really, those are just excuses.

It's easy--too easy--to get caught up in the everyday hustle and bustle of life and not stop to reflect. Writing is how I process my emotions, thoughts, and experiences. Becoming a better writer takes practice and I don't get practice unless I make time for it.

Writing is a form of self-care for me. Self-care is a term which when heard I immediately used to turn my nose up in the air. However, my therapist is helping me learn and appreciate its intrinsic value in our lives.

If you don't set aside time to rejuvenate and find your center, you can easily become overwhelmed by the sheer need to survive. Your actions lose meaning and your life feels empty of purpose.

So right now I'm writing for the sake of writing. It feels good. I'm going to try harder to be more consistent with my writing and combat my biggest obstacle: time.

Y'all ready for this?

Y'all ready for this? I don't know if you can handle it. Donuts. Ice cream. Together? Say what?

Firecakes has been receiving a lot of press ever since they debuted these scrumptious treats last month. They even extended their hours to accommodate the rush.

Last night, my friend Irish and I finally tried our very own donut ice cream sandwich. It was amazing. Absolute perfection. Party in my mouth.

The whole experience was over way too soon. I already want to go back and have another one. It's probably a good thing Firecakes is all the way downtown or I'd be there every night.

A donut ice cream sandwich will set you back $4 and let me tell you, it's well worth it. Nestled between glazed donut perfection is either vanilla or espresso ice cream with a drizzle of chocolate sauce. So simple and yet so good.

If you live in Chicago, go now. If you don't live in Chicago, get on a plane baby. They're that good. Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Learning About the Finer Things in Life

My Nana - Karen Elizabeth Christensen

Nordstrom. Starbucks. Clinique. Traveling. Dining out. Going to the theater. Fancy dresses. Broadway musicals. Christmas decorations. Fredrick & Nelson. Frangos. Baskin Robins. 4th of July fireworks. Downtown Seattle. Tea at The Empress. Butchart Gardens.

All of these things remind me of my Nana.

Today is my maternal grandmother's birthday. She would have been 71. My Nana suffered a stroke in November 2011 and passed away in her sleep from heart failure in December 2012.

When I was seven-years-old, Nana took me on a 10-day trip to Washington D.C. For a girl enamored by history, it might as well been Disneyland. In later years we traveled the Oregon Trail, visited San Francisco for a weekend, and enjoyed the splendor of New York City at Thanksgiving. When I was 16 she took my entire family to Disneyland for the first time. Best family vacation--hands down.

Growing up in Everett, WA, Canada was only a few hours away. My family and I spent many happy vacations and weekend trips in Vancouver and Victoria with Nana. For my 12th birthday we got dressed up--complete with hats and gloves--and had high tea at the magnificent Empress hotel.

It's because of Nana that I've been places and seen things I might not have otherwise seen.

No regular outing with Nana was complete with out a visit to Starbucks. My siblings and I would order our favorite butterhorns and hot chocolate. Nana would always get a venti unsweetened iced tea and then proceed to load it with several packets of sugar. We'd pile into her Blazer and head-off to run errands (she was always running errands), go shopping, or simply enjoy the drive.

Nana showed us her love by giving us experiences. She taught us to ask for the things we deserved and not be ashamed to walk into a department store like Nordstrom. She also taught me to take pride in being a woman. Nana knew how to take care of herself. I used to love watching her put on her makeup and spray her fabulous salt and pepper hair with hairspray. My mom and I both wear Clinique because of her. 

My Nana lived an interesting and somewhat selfish life. As I've gotten older I've realized she did the best she knew how. She was sexually abused as a child and as an adult, struggled with alcoholism. She was married several times, had a few affairs, and wasn't the greatest mother. Eventually, she got sober and made her career as a drug and alcohol counselor and consultant. She paved the way for addiction recovery in the State of Washington and died with over 30 years of sobriety.

While my Nana was a wonderful grandmother to my siblings and I growing up, the last five years or so that she was alive, her relationship with my family was tumultuous and volatile. When she died we were not on the best of terms, which made her passing that much more difficult. However, time does help to heal wounds.

When I think of her now I try to focus on all of the good memories and time we spent together, rather than the not-so-distant heartache and anger.

I wish I could tell Nana about my adventures here in Chicago. I know she would be proud of the woman I am becoming. There are moments of stillness when I look around and realize she's a part of me. That some of who I am and where I am in my life is because of her. I especially feel that way when I'm traipsing around downtown Chicago or dining out with a close friend at a new restaurant.

Nana taught me about the finer things in life and for that I will be forever grateful. I love you, Nana. Happy Birthday.

At Nana's Memorial Service - January 2013

I'm moving!

Next month I'll be moving to a new apartment. It's a little bittersweet to be leaving my first Chicago home but I'm really excited to have a little bit more space and a dishwasher.

I've been having fun on Pinterest dreaming up decorating ideas and finding furniture I can't really afford but would love to buy. I have purchased a few decorative pieces to spruce up my new abode, including a clock and a fun motivational print for my gallery wall.

An added bonus to moving at the end of the month is that my dad will be coming out to visit/help me. He drove cross country with me when I moved to Chicago two years ago and has yet to come for a visit. Plus, he'll finally get to meet the little baby muffin (aka: Harper) in real life.

While my dad's here we're going to catch a Cub's game, eat Italian beef sandwiches at our favorite place, and go on the lake and river boat tour. It's going to be one busy, fun weekend.

My mom was sweet enough to order me some moving boxes from Costco. This weekend operation packing will commence.

Here are a few images and a DIY project that are inspiring me as I plan my new space. Enjoy!

The Everygirl: How to Style Wire Shelves for a Living Space and Kitchen

Bedroom

The Glitter Guide - Style at Home: Amanda Dawbarn of 100 Layer Cake

DIY IKEA distressed wooden shelves

The Spian Wedding

I can't believe it's already been over two weeks since my little brother got married. Time flies! Spencer and Ian's wedding weekend (#spianwedding) couldn't have been more perfect. My parents, sister, and aunt arrived from Salt Lake on Thursday and I flew in from Chicago Friday night.

Saturday morning we had brunch with Ian's family at Sol Food, a favorite local hotspot in Everett. Amazing food. Fantastic atmosphere. Perfect morning. Afterwards we rendezvoused to the boys' apartment to work on the wedding favors before we headed off to the rehearsal dinner. Ian's best friend Emily and her mother Gayle put on the dinner at their home. It was a wonderful evening full of love and laughter.  

Sunday was wedding day! The weather was absolutely gorgeous--not something you can always count on in the great northwest, even during the summer. The boys got married on a vintage boat in the middle of Lake Union. After the wonderful ceremony we cruised the lake, took pictures, ate dinner, cut the cake, danced etc. We had a fun time seeing how many people we could get to wave at us. I also got to see my high school bestie, Miss Keely Coxon, which made the day extra special for me.

One of my favorite parts of the night was driving to Molly Moon's on Capitol Hill after the wedding. My sister Elizabeth and I drove my brother's car behind the boys' getaway Jeep, driven by my brother's best friend Katie. We honked and hollered our way to the ice cream shop--complete with a drive down Broadway, Seattle's gay district.    

I love my brother so much and am so happy he and Ian found each other. Ian, I couldn't be happier that you're now officially part of the Fidler family. I only wish I was closer so I could spend more quality time with these fine gentlemen. Hopefully they make it out to Chicago one of these days to visit. Love you my boys!