thought for today

we must accept that this creative pulse within us is God's creative pulse itself

- joseph chilton pearce

how i've missed this

y'all, how my heart has missed this! i realized quickly once i had to step away from blogging that i am actually quite passionate about blogging. i love writing. i love beautiful images. i love recording life's little nuances and happenings. i love the blogging community. i am inspired here.

so. goodness. lots to catch you up on!

1. ArtQuiver closed. sad day.
2. received beautiful painting from ArtQuiver closing. happy day.
3. got a new job at an events planning firm. woo woo!
4. became briefly overwhelmed by new job, new schedule, and soon-to-be new life. boo hoo!
5. got back on the horse and decided to woman-up to the big bad world.
6. our venue accidentally double booked our wedding. (yes, yes less than a month before the big day)
7. crisis ensued. flexed my muscles, waited patiently (sorta) and...
8. got the venue! wedding back on!
9. .... oops forgot i was supposed to be training for a half marathon.
10. had bachelorette party and had way too much fun. perhaps some photos will make it to this here blog.
11. ran ten miles (i'm still alive!). threw up in front lawn... (i'm still alive!)

so i'm headed to philly this weekend with my two best friends to run the half marathon (they're hoping to make great times. i'm hoping to finish! but hey, i'll be proud of that accomplishment). anyone have any rockin' things to do while we're there?

next up, wedding details to fill you in on! so close, loves!

my sister, m, and i saw sanders in concert a couple of months ago. i love this song. if you have the chance to see him live ever, i highly recommend it. it wasn't just music; it was an experience.

change

hello dearies! so i've been quite absent from the blogosphere over these past few weeks. i do apologize. a lot has changed in this month of march, and i've had to take some time off the blog to process, breathe deeply, and prepare for what is next.

change can be a terrifying thing. i dreaded it with almost debilitating fear when i was young (yes, i was one of 'those' children), leading to months of melodramatic tears when my family moved during elementary school. it seems laughable now, but i remember how real the despair felt back then. gradually, i learned to cope, then tolerate, and now, finally, to relish in change. perhaps it is a normal part of maturing or perhaps it's part of growing up in a world where change is instantaneous and the need for more, for growth, for excitement saturates every minute of our lives if we allow it. i am trying to find the balance these days - to be satisfied in who God has made me, to be present in my own life, to pause. but also to yearn, to grow, to bring flourishing where there was none, to see broken places and to fix them.

spring, being the very essence of change, seemed a fitting time for my life to embrace some newness. so, without any effort on my part, i was flung from a daily routine i knew well and into something unknown. the start-up i was working for announced its closing, and i began to look for the next adventure!

through a crazy, providential series of events, within a week i found myself interviewing with a fabulous, successful company in an industry i have come to love for a job in which i saw myself being challenged and creatively inspired. and then i got the job. i could hardly wrap my head around it! m and i needed to process, celebrate God's provision, and dream up what life might hold next. oh, and finish planning our wedding in the midst of it!

i'm embracing this change and the big one that will come in june, for i truly believe that it's in those places of uncertainty and challenge that we grow - grow in our capacity to love, to create, to provide new thoughts, new actions, and new words to a world in constant need. small changes are just part of this larger story, right?

i'm not certain what this new career choice will mean for this little blog, so i appreciate you all reading, inspiring, and encouraging me throughout the way! it's been so sweet to connect and reconnect with many of you. i'll let you know more details once i've begun this new chapter. i am excited for what comes next!

completing life goals

no, i have not become an official spokesperson for nike. i am just using the above quotation as motivation for completing one of my life goals: running a race.

friends, i am not a runner. i played sports competitively in high school but after that even the fancy uva treadmills and extremely high population of runners and all-around svelte i-look-like-i-must-run types could not get me into the gym more than a couple times a week.

but, as i am told, there is no time like the present to change. and change i must. when i evaluated my goals for the 2011 year, i included 'run a race... any race' in the long list. honestly, i had not put much thought into actually putting effort into accomplishing said goal until two dear friends (and bridesmaids!) approached me with the hungry glint of persuasion in their eyes.

and, thus, a few weeks later and a few runs in, i am signed up to run the Philadelphia half-marathon. that is not a typo. 13.1 miles for this non-runner will be happening in a few short months. and, for once in my running career, i am motivated! i'm excited. i'm committed. i mean business. i even have a running plan!

so, here is where you come in! i'd really love any and all advice from you runners out there. how do i stay motivated? any great jams i should be listening to while i jog? i've heard that books on tape are a great way to pass the time (especially since i will be running for over TWO hours. when i did the math on that one, i nearly bailed.) any good recommendations?

would love to hear from you!

Nana

i'm back! i'm so sorry i've been somewhat MIA this week. i normally try to keep things light and fresh on A Strong Aesthetic, but, to be honest, i couldn't do it these past couple of days. my family received some news that my Nana has breast cancer. needless to say, it's been an emotional, prayer-filled week for me. but yesterday we got some encouraging news, and i do believe it was due to all the prayers of so many friends and family. so for now, i am clinging to what i know to be God's truth and sending all my love down south to Nana.

the woman (pictured above in all her glamor- i mean, really) has fabulous style in all areas: she owned a clothing store, sewed a lot of my mother's clothes, has beautiful looping handwriting, ran her own interior design business, and was the winner of a beauty pageant to boot. she demonstrates more strength, both in her stubbornness and in the way she overwhelms you with love, than anyone i know. she is deeply devoted to my Gampy whom she has loved for over 50 years and who affectionately calls her, 'Shicky.' she's an avid reader and always recommends the best novels to me. she is every bit the part of a loving grandmother with all the wit and wisdom of a trusted friend. and she makes the best chocolate chip cookies i've. ever. had. i could go on and on. she is a beautiful woman whom i cherish so very much.

i know she's going to kick this cancer in the butt with more style and panache than most could muster on a healthy day. she's Nana, and nothing else would suit her.

no good, very bad day

it's been one of those days (er... several of those days). and i'm not quite sure how to blog about it yet. and just when i think i can't handle anything else, i get a terrible call demanding i pay almost $100 for a repair diagnosis on my car when i had already had the problem diagnosed elsewhere for free. i swear, sometimes i think car places take advantage of me just because i am a young woman without a wealth of obvious automobile knowledge. argh. i am still angry. praying i can muster the courage to refuse to pay and it work... you can do that, right?

did any of you read this book as a child? my mom used to read us books like this one every night before bed. how i wish the no good, very bad days of my childhood were as bad as they would ever get.