random acts of culture

you must watch this video. it will enrich your monday - perhaps even your week, promise.

the Knight Foundation is an organization which seeks to benefit others through the support of artistic endeavors in local communities. i love, love, love this idea. and not just because i work for an art gallery start-up. i believe in the arts. creativity and artistic expression, more than anything else, transcend the finite in human experience. to listen to Mozart is, in a sense, to have known him. to read an intelligent piece of literature is to embody the story of another. to see a Monet is to feel emotion, and not just any emotion but that emotion that is wholly yours while simultaneously belonging to a million others who have beheld the same painting. the arts bring people together. they show us what it is to be human, to be part of a collective, a breathing, feeling, seeking amoeba of individual thought.

this video brought me to tears. over 600 individual voices joined in song, celebrating truth. i wish i had been there to witness the glory!

the perfect dinner party

the photographs from this New England wedding have me pining for some chilly air, pumpkin bisque, a cold beer, and some warm conversation. an outdoor dinner party complete with a woodsy sunset and a bluegrass band sounds divine about now.

i'd want all my family from the midwest, my dear friends who are in africa and italy, my fiance and his family, and all our closest friends all sitting at one long barn table. as i plan our wedding, i've been desperately trying to figure out how to seat a larger sized wedding at a table like this - or at least to convey the feeling that we're all just home for dinner. any suggestions?

road trippin'

i love a good road trip. m & i will be traveling this weekend to asheville, nc to see his brother (and my soon-to-be brother-in-law - how crazy is that?). jeff will be competing in the green river kayaking race. i'm really looking forward to seeing him in his element! it's about a 5 hour drive, so i thought i'd share some of my road trip faves.

just bought this sweater (on sale!) and love how soft it is!

my j brand jeans are always a favorite. they're stretchy without stretching out. tom's shoes are incredibly comfortable, and they're always a good buy since every pair of shoes bought will guarantee a pair of shoes for a child in need.

sweater, jeans, & tom's

can't resist fruity candy in the car.

i've mentioned that i love to read. m and i started to read books together when we were dating (it's so much more fun than watching a movie!). we read Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close earlier this year, and i highly recommend it. now we are reading m's pick - Killer Angels, which chronicles the battle of gettsyburg. i'm not usually drawn to historical fiction, so this has been a good exercise for me.

and where would a road trip be without some good listening? we are making our way through tim keller's sermons on marriage (amazing), and i will be forcing m to listen to the new taylor swift album until we both know the words by heart.

we both love the tunes of mumford & sons. this album seems to embody autumn to me.

do you have any road trip musts? i'd love to know!

images found here & here

eyewear throwback

last week, m and i picked out some new glasses for him. he's now sporting some really handsome Guess tortoise frames. i love them. of course, while we were there, i had to try on some myself. and, oh goodness, i fell in love with some oversized gold glasses a la the nerdy 80's. i wore them the entire time we were in the store while m humored me.

now, i do wear glasses - well contacts - normally. technically i require them. but i'm not due for a new prescription for perhaps another year... so is it wrong for me to want to buy these frames without prescriptive lenses? i know that's faking it, but i'm not certain i care anymore. would you fake it?

how stunning is she with her red lips to boot? i think i loved these glasses so much because they remind me of my nana and my mother, both of whom had (and have) chic glasses. i tend to take after my mom, and when i put on those frames, m said i looked just like her. i wouldn't mind that one bit!

so tell me, am i wrong to want these if they're fake?

glasses here and here

girl crush

the j.crew collection lookbook features this stunning woman. i love the clean, pinky makeup. she seems so naturally beautiful.

capes

confession: i love capes. i think they are the perfect coat. don't they look so warm and cozy? i get cold really easily, but as much as my body tells me i need an oversized down comforter wrapped around me whenever i step outside in december, i can never bring myself to ruin a perfectly tailored outfit with a bulky jacket. also, i look like a marshmallow bulging in all the wrong places when wearing three layers, a sweater, a scarf, and a peacoat. so - i love capes! above cape is my favorite.


above cape found here by the gorgeous and talented natalie who asked my advice about capes. nat, i say go for it. i think the key is to have balanced proportions. capes look best when paired with skinny jeans, short skirts and tights, or a tailored pant. heels (especially my favorite - peep toe with opaque stockings or knee highs) or riding boots are always a plus.

capes found here and here.

life lessons

i love this video. it says something about what it means to be human. we need each other. and he's so right in saying that it's always the first follower that makes a crazy person into someone great, a leader.

found at my lovely friend jodi's boston blog