Stitch Fix

Yes, I know today's post is a little out of the norm of what I usually write. I'm classifying fashion as a cultural post, okay?

For those of you unfamiliar with Stitch Fix, it is an online styling service that sends you clothing and accessory items at times you schedule. Here's how it works:

1. You sign up and fill out their style profile. This includes everything from your sizing, to what you can afford to spend, to personal preferences regarding your fashion taste.
2. Based on your preferences, a stylist at Stitch Fix assembles a kit of five items that are sent to you. It's a surprise, so that's what makes it fun.
3. Once you receive your Fix, you try everything on, keep what you like, and send back anything you don't like. You confirm payment online and send a note to your stylist about the quality of your Fix and what you'd like to see change for future Fixes.

Easy. You don't pay for anything upfront - yes, you enter payment information upon signing up, but you don't actually pay until you decide what (if anything) to keep.

So, without further ado, I present my Stitch Fix items.

1. 41Hawthorn | Bryan Short-Sleeve Open-Front Cardigan

This is a basic layering piece. While I have similar items, I don't have anything like it in white. White is a good neutral, so I'm looking forward to wearing this over many different casual tops.

If not now, then when?

When I started this blog in April of 2013, I had big plans for it. I saw it as an opportunity to take a baby step back into something I love: writing. Eventually, however, my timeline and goals pertaining to this blog fell through with my justification that I would do it "someday." 

We always say that "someday" we're going to get something done or accomplish that dream. I am no exception to this. Someday, I am going to write a novel. Someday, I am going to get my graduate degree. Someday, I am going to take a road trip on Route 66.

You get the idea. 

twinkling lights hanging from backyard trees

Today is a different kind of post. We all have things we love. Simply put: our favorite things. Without further ado, here are some of mine:

twinkling lights hanging from backyard trees

candlelight in power outages

multi-colored polka dots

"good morning" greetings on your way to work

monogrammed stationary

mangos & creme scented lotion

peppermint mochas

falling rain outside

music that feels as though it is part of your soul

bubbles in the air

laughter echoing in the house

finding a quotation that describes you

letters arriving in the mail

new books

rainy days with a cup of tea in hand

warm clothes out of the dryer

the smell of cinnamon

friends who love you unconditionally

family shenanigans

crunchy autumn leaves

sunny blue skies

lazy days watching movies in your pjs

the sound of the wind in the trees

wearing new clothes the day you buy them

friendly conversations with passerby

red rainboots

finding your purpose in life

having faith that all works out

fluffy pillows

seeing your favorite band play live

new paintbrushes

christmas carols overheard on snowy streets

overcoming long-time fears

Cassiopeia and Orion

old photography

peanut butter m & m's

conversations with people in coffee shops

countryside that goes on for miles and miles

bustling cityscapes

long lost (and found) family heirlooms

playing board games

having the confidence to do something unknown

coming home

used bookstores

waves crashing against the shoreline

puddle jumping

the sound your phone makes when you get a new text

finding pennies on the ground

seeking out a new adventure

the colors of a stormy sky

vintage cars driving on gravel roads

What are some of yours?

Red, White, and Blue

 

. . . We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

- The Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776

What are you doing today on Independence Day? Going to the lake? Having a barbeque? Watching the local fireworks show?

All are excellent ideas, but while you are enjoying your relaxing day, I hope you take a moment to reflect on what this day means for us Americans: we are free. 

We are free because . . .

. . . it took many dedicated individuals to begin the United States of America, many of whom lost their lives for a cause that they could not enjoy themselves.

. . . of the brave men and women who have fought for our country. Since the creation of our nation, we have fought for freedom, for equality, and for so much more. Honor our veterans. We could not have done it without you.

. . . of our current and past leaders who have worked to maintain our freedom. Recognize that despite our differences, we are stronger together. Let Independence Day bring us together to be proud of our heritage.

If you have not read the full transcription of The Declaration of Independence, I recommend you do as a gentle reminder of the importance of this historic day.

I will leave you will one final thought:

Liberty is the breath of life to nations. - George Bernard Shaw

Happy Independence Day, my fellow Americans.

Nothing Gold Can Stay

"So dawn goes down to day / Nothing gold can stay." -Robert Frost

Today is a short post, fellow bloggers. I will try to be more in-depth as my schedule calms down for the summer. Here we go:

My family moved many times while I was growing up. I got so accustomed to seeing brown cardboard boxes and clear packaging tape that it became second nature. I would watch the moving crew come and transport all of our worldly belongings not once, but many times over the course of my life. I'd stand by warily, watching them lift our heavy piano, and think, Please don't drop it. I'll be crushed if you do. I remember saying goodbye to friends, each time harder than the last. Each time wondering if or when I'd see them again. It's made goodbyes very hard for me over the years. I'm not good at them. I never have been, and I doubt I ever will be.

My point? Times change. People move on with their lives. Friends move. New career paths are discovered and old ones left behind. Nothing gold can stay. It is a part of life, moving on. Just like the physical act of moving from one place to another.

One of Robert Frost's lesser known poems, "Nothing Gold Can Stay" still holds a lot of significance in our everyday lives. While the poem has a nature metaphor, it is easy to see that it is also about beginnings and endings. Beginning in one place and ending in another. Such is the ever-changing course of our world.

Even though Frost believes that nothing gold can stay, do not forget that like the seasons, there are always new beginnings. Perhaps some of those good "gold" moments have faded, but new ones will take their place in time. The cycle will always continue.

Nothing gold can stay.

In Spite of Everything

"It's a wonder I haven't abandoned all my ideals, they seem so absurd and impractical. Yet I cling to them, because I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart. I simply can't build my hopes on a foundation of confusion, misery, and death . . . 

I feel the suffering of millions. And yet, when I look up at the sky, I somehow feel that this cruelty too shall end, and that peace and tranquility will return once again." -Anne Frank

The news channels never seem to get better. Every time I turn on the news, or read the paper, there's more destruction going on in our world. War. Hatred. Death. Despair. It feels as though it never ends.

Observations I make as I go about my daily routine help me restore my faith in humanity. A young man helps an elderly lady by holding the door open for her. A teenager soothes the cries of a child who appears to be lost. A simple smile exchanged with a stranger. Like Anne states, I think if we try hard enough, we can all believe "that people are truly good at heart."

C'est la vie

C'est la vie - a French saying meaning "such is life." 

Hello fellow internet users and bloggers,

I apologize for the delay since my last post. Life has been busy for me - as a teacher, I've been wrapping up the end of the school year and all that comes with it. I'm moving on now, to a new place and soon, a new position. It's strange sometimes to think of change and how it affects our lives. It is the choices we make as people that affect us. Sometimes it's hard to know if our choices will be for the better, but we can only hope that everything will turn out right in the end.

I struggle with making decisions. I think in some ways, we all do. Someone once said, "The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live." It's true. But oftentimes we don't know where those new doors will lead us.

Snail mail? What's that?

The 21st century and the technologies available to us is amazing. We can communicate so quickly with one another through so many means - calling, texting, emailing, instant messaging, etc. And just think, we have so many devices that can help us with this quick communication - computers, tablets, Blackberries, iPhones... the list goes on and on.

Mary, one of the characters in the all-star film He's Just Not That Into You, sums up this use of technology. She makes a really good point about how the constant use of technology is something that affects our relationships with all people. She says:

Welcome

Alright, what's Certainly Candid? It's a collection of things, really. This blog will cover many topics and I hope that you, my faithful readers, will suggest new topics for me as well!

While I've done some blogging in the past, this will be my new location. I'm excited to have my own page and I'll have new posts ASAP!