Daydream: Movie Nights

The subject of today's daydreams is my future home, most likely in Seattle. This is sure to be the subject of many daydreams to come, so stay tuned.

I'm imagining colorful throw pillows adding even more comfort to my extra large sofa. Hopefully, I'll finally be able to get the purple curtains  that I'm dying for. I'd love to accent the neutral pieces I already have with teals, greens, and purples in fun patterns. I love mixing the new with the old, displaying a modern vase with an antique lamp. I'm filling my spare time daydreaming and window shopping for the cozy, feminine home I want to make for myself.

I know that when I'm close to my family and oldest friends, I'll be able to entertain more, hosting dinner parties, wine nights, and lazy movie days. I can't wait to have lots of company!

I created this collage for inspiration of what's to come! I really want to add more feminine flair to my space. I see a lot of DIY projects and bargain hunting in my future and I absolutely cannot wait. Of course, the tools and expertise of my dad and grandpa will come in handy! Someday!!!!!!

I'll feel you forget me like I used to feel you breathe.

I'll watch your life in pictures like I used to watch you sleep.

I hope the sun shines and it's a beautiful day and something reminds you, you wish you had stayed.

We can plan for a change in weather and time. I never planned on you changing your mind.

I'll feel you forget me like I used to feel you breathe...

"It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light and winter in the shade."

Charles Dickens

Friday through Monday and each one a FUNDAY!

Meet Josh. He's my dad's baby brother. Yes, that makes him my uncle and we've heard how "weird" it is that we're only about a year apart in age. Throughout school and still sometimes these days we have to say we're cousins because people just don't get it. I consider him my brother since we've always been so close, going on vacations together, going to school together, and so on. Anyway, he's making his maiden voyage to Denver this weekend! Yay! It only took him almost 3 years to visit! I would have thought all these snowy mountains would have brought him down a lot sooner, but he's finally bringing himself along with his board to the Rockies. Usually I stress about planning the whole weekend when I have visitors, but we have a fun-filled weekend all planned up!

               

His arrival this afternoon means I get to leave work early! Even better is that it's currently 69 degrees in the city where we're going to enjoy rooftop beers and dinner before heading to a show at the Marquis. Yes, 69 degrees in mid-March. We couldn't have hoped for a better day! Most of his visit will be spent in temperatures only slightly chillier, Breckenridge. We're heading up to the mountains first thing in the morning and spending the rest of the weekend snowboarding in Breckenridge. By the way, did you know that Breck has 155 trails, 30 lifts, a base elevation of 9,600 ft and a summit at 12,998 feet? Oh, and it has the highest chair lift in North America!

After an exhausting couple of days, I'm hoping we'll just pass out Sunday night before getting yummy brunch and sending him on his way back to Seattle. Surely he needs this getaway as much as I do! Who doesn't?!

Have a wonderful weekend out there!!! Keep Japan in your thoughts and prayers this weekend. Remember that loved ones are lost each and every day, so remember that tomorrow is never promised and to hold your loved ones tight! xoxo



The Road King

The Road King

In my Mom's arms. Sturgis 1983.


It's not hard to understand how one of my favorite sounds could be that of an 88 cubic inch Harley Davidson V-twin engine. It's the most precious sound. Ever since the beginning of life, I've been exposed to it. Whether rumbling from the garage, roaring as Daddy leaves or returns, or from as close as I could get to it: on the back. It's a sound I can hear from far away and it's sentimental enough to put an emotional lump in my throat. From the initial sound the engine makes, to the powerful turn of the throttle, to the chugging sound of its idle, I wholeheartedly embrace it as a true love.

My Dad comes from an era when owning a Harley wasn't a sign of economic status, but a bad boy way of life lived by motorheads and fueled by wild house parties and bar fights. Long hair and stubble was topped with bucket helmets and tattooed skin was covered with broken-in leather, when it was covered at all. Expensive gear purchased by the those who can afford it to keep the elements out didn't exist. Sturgis wasn't a commercialized event for the masses, but a certain crowd's big camping trip supplied with booze, where bikes ridden in rather than trailered.

Just one of Daddy's custom creations.

Growing up, there was always a room in our house dedicated to housing parts, where a frame, exhaust pipes, saddlebags, and a headlight would be sit unassembled. Meanwhile, Dad was at swap meets every weekend hunting for parts and selling others. In the garage, burnout marks decorated the floor on which a beautiful custom-built bike stood proudly next to at least one other work-in-process. When the engine finally roared after months of wrenching away, it was an accomplishment we all felt proud of. I would stand in the driveway watching the maiden voyage, down the block and back beaming with pride as Dad rolled back in with a huge smile on his face. Every time the sound filled the house, I begged to go with him. I begged to feel the power of the engine, the heat of the exhaust pipes, and the fresh open air whizzing passed.

A very special finished product.

Finally, grown up and out of the house, while visiting home with my boyfriend at the time, he and my Dad shared a moment I'll never forget. A newly outfitted Road King was sitting on the back patio, not yet adorned with bags or pedals and all the other final touches it needed to be called complete work. He complimented the bike inquiring about its specifics, to which my Dad responded with an offer to sell it to him for an amazing deal. At that point, I felt that my life had come full circle and there aren't words for what I felt. "If a man can entrust his daughter’s boyfriend with the key to his Harley, all parties are set for life." My Dad's blood, sweat, and prideful lack of tears would soon sit in my own garage for me to admire every day. Sitting on the back of the bike was the best feeling I'd had since I was a little girl inspired by my Dad's hobby. A bike built by the most adored man in my life especially for a new one. Even though the bike wasn't my own, I miss it as if I'd lost something so close to my heart. It's satisfying knowing that a piece of my family will live on in that way.

Daddio



My Grandpa and I sitting on his Anniversary Edition Softail Heritage.



Grandpa leading the Rally for the Troops run.



Isn't she beautiful?

As Harleys get built and, later, leave my life, one thing holds true: I've yet to hear another sound that can tug on my heart strings like that of its engine.

Happy Friday!!!!

I'm in love with these things today. I may not be able to afford this Chloe dress, but it's damn cute!
 Ombre hair and side braids are my current obsession!!
Daydreaming: Spring and hair long enough for a messy side braid. Love!

As I sit here ready to start my weekend wondering when the predicted snow will arrive, I start daydreaming about Spring! I'm imagining a day warm enough to go sans tights in a spring-colored dress and gorgeous sandals. I want to go to a brunch and sit on a patio downtown among the hustle and bustle of the weekend with my girlfriends. So, this weekend as the wind is blowing in the clouds that will bring the snow just as fast as it will blow them away again, I'll be looking forward to a day like this one. 

It may not be warm enough to don an adorable spring outfit, but this Sunday will be just as fun. I'm going to spend Sunday one of my favorite ways to spend a weekend day. I'll be heading to brunch with the girls before exploring this jewelry show, then to Great Divide for a couple of beers on the patio (weather permitting). Hopefully the sun will be shining and giving off some warmth this weekend!

Enjoy the weekend lovers...

"Every child begins the world again." H.D. Thoreau

February was an exciting month for some of my closest friends. They added to their families and their lives are now changed forever with these joyous additions. I love you ladies so much!!!

"Making the decision to have a child - it's momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking outside your body." E. Stone

At 6:11am on Wednesday, February 23rd, the world met JayCee Clare, the beautiful daughter of one of my closest friends, Samantha. I had the absolute honor of being at the hospital right when she was allowed visitors with her big sister in tow. Witnessing Amara meet her new baby sister was such a special moment and I am thankful to have been a part of it. Her overdue and much anticipated arrival is one to be remembered.

"A new baby is like the beginning of all things-wonder, hope, a dream of possibilities." E. Shan

Amara was so thrilled to meet JayCee after waiting anxiously each day during school for someone other than Samantha to pick her up, indicating the baby had finally arrived. She hoped out loud each night that she would wake up to realize her mom wasn't home. Finally her wish came true when last Wednesday I woke her up at 7am to tell her that Mommy and Daddy weren't home. She jumped up and got ready faster than I'd ever seen before we made the trip to the hospital singing Mumford and Sons the whole way.


Now that JayCee's home, Amara doesn't want to put her down. It's obvious that the Dunlaps' newest addition has quite the little caretaker in her big sister. Four days after JayCee's arrival, Amara turned 7. It's been a big week for the Dunlaps. Nonetheless, I know Samantha's relieved to have her baby keeping her up at night rather than the discomfort she caused prior.

"A baby will make love stronger, days shorter, nights longer, bankroll smaller, home happier, clothes shabbier, the past forgotten, and the future worth living for." Unknown

At 12:25pm on Monday, February 28th, Dylan Michael joined us. This handsome little devil is the first child of one of my best and oldest friends, Ashley. They knew her tiny body wasn't going to be able to handle the natural birth of a baby expected to be 9.5 pounds (yikes!), so they scheduled a C-section a few days early. Everything went well and he turned out to be just over 8 pounds.

Doesn't she look great for just having had that little babe surgically removed??


Regretfully, I wasn't able to be there for this special event since I'm here in Denver. I am lucky enough that my family is so close to Ashley. My sister, Jaclyn, threw her shower and her and my mom went shopping. I was able to email my mom all the things I wanted to give her so I could be a part of the shower too.

"Children reinvent your world for you." S. Sarandon

Jaclyn looks so happy and excited to be holding the little babe. Her and Bryan were able to be there for the occasion. Ashley and Dylan are surrounded with so many loving friends. I know they'll have all the love and support they need, but I sure wish more than anything that I could be there to experience this new adventure right beside her.

"A man is not complete until he has seen the baby he has made." S. Davis Jr.