valentine, shmalentine.

someone won't be showing up at my door, flowers in hand and handsome, to sweep me off to a fancy pants dinner (or a drive-thru for that matter), but i can still celebrate. if you're lucky enough to love anything at all, you're lucky enough. to remind my sometimes broken heart of that very truth, i'm using this holiday to acknowledge 14 randoms i love out loud :

1. daughter -- you just have to know this kid. i bet my next 13 things that you love her at hello.

2. sundays -- what's not to fall for? it's a little sleeping in, spiritual, gathered 'round a lunch table, chasing after bubbles and goofy dogs, or doin' absolutely nothin' kinda love.

3. village -- family and those friends that might as well be. no matter across town, the state or country, hold them tight. always!
4. music -- if you know me well, you know my lyric obsession. the way some are written just reach out and never let you go. whatever is happening in my life at that moment will forever flood my mind when these songs come on. eric church describes just that with his a melody sounds like a memory line.

5. home -- is where the heart is, and where i can walk around in my underwear.

6. leo -- while other signs are ruled by planets that revolve around the sun, we are, in fact, ruled by the sun; center of attention, if you will. being put on a pedestal does not bother us in the least, and given our natural creativity, the audience is appreciated. a loyal and protective leader, much like the lion, with faults as large in scale as our virtues, we can come off as conceited, but are actually sensitive.

7. me time -- and, in true leo fashion, of course i love hanging out with myself. duh.
8. sunshine -- my ruler. (ha.) i never close my blinds. i hate artificial lighting. that's all.

9. new girl -- is some television that literally makes me lol! it's the best medicine.
10. recovery -- just for today, i will be unafraid. especially i will not be afraid to enjoy what is beautiful, and to believe that as i give to the world, so the world will give to me.
11. beauty -- thank goodness for my livelihood! imagine what a full heart i have when someone gushes over how their look makes them feel. love what you do, and you never have to work a day in your life.

12. art -- i would not trade my abilities for anyone's, but am moved by the way others see the world.
13. coffee -- currently, vanilla praline from hawaiian isles kona coffee co., pressed with a splash of hazelnut.
14. wine -- makes conversation better, laughter bigger and hearts warmer.

in the spirit of this coming thursday, i encourage you to jot down 14 things you love, silly and sentimental. it'll be like chocolates and teddy bears for the soul. happy valentine's, y'all!

xo! e

i found myself at the corner of landmark and water.

i don't know where i belong. i don't know where i went wrong, but i can write ...

who wants to end up in an alley alone? hey, i accepted that challenge. it has been every bit of miserable and magical since. call me crazy, but my solid ground being ripped out from under me has been the most spiritual experience of my life. i had no choice but to fall -- in love with something. everything. myself.

the absolute most special people i've ever met say it takes a village to raise a child, and since downtown greeted us with such open arms, i now know that village is still needed as an adult. needed and ever-present. more times than not, my village gathers at the wine maestro. a quick stroll up the alley, and all the support you could ever dream of just wraps its arms around you.

anyone that says they hate this town has never bared their soul to it. during my darkest days, there was something so bright about knowing when i was ready to let the world back in all i had to do was step out. at any given time, i can peek out my 7-feet-tall windows and see blue lights chasing cars or children skipping to sunday school, hear laughter and skateboarding and the high school football games, smell pizza and wings so delicious i just have to order them weekly. life went on, and i was missing out. these are my people. that is my alley. this is me.

xo! e