life « ten thousand stones

here + there.

February 19th, 2012 § 1 Comment

The past few weeks have been full of adventure + love.

1. My work schedule has been a little erratic lately, so while Drew is at work, I’m spending good, quality time with Jakey. An adorable mix of black lab and boxer, this pup epitomizes what it is to be a dog. Even down to his dummy dumb head snaggle tooth grin.

2. While out shopping for groceries, I was admiring some lovely blue hydrangeas. *sigh* Drew sneakily picked some up for me and they are currently sitting in the kitchen, where they bring a smile to my face every time I see them. I am the luckiest.

3. Chicken shit bingo. Exactly what it sounds like. You get a number. There’s a chicken in a cage, walking around on a piece of plyboard that has a bunch of numbered squares. Chicken shits. Bingo! You win. Unless you are my unlucky roommate and the chicken goes 45degrees northwest of where your square is. Welcome to Texas.

4. Picnic with friends before CSB. Perfect weather. Perfect food. Perfect company.

5. Just cutting up some deliciously fresh veggies for my own personal chef and his fancy wok. He has become quite the stir fry master, and I love being his sous chef. ;)

6. Bowling! Valentine’s Day socks + a black light. If you stay til they close, they might not charge you!

7. I know Valentine’s Day is overly commercialized, and you can (and should!!) express your love every day. But still, there is something special about spending time with someone special on that day. To me, at least. I handmade this little heart as part of the packaging for his handmade present! Crafty, I know. (Look familiar? Inspiration from Pinterest!)

8. We celebrated Valentine’s Day by just being with each other. Strolling around downtown by the river, on a just-chilly enough evening, trying a new restaurant and popping our heads into different bars. This photo was taken at Koriente, an incredible Asian fusion restaurant we discovered. I loved the peonies, paper cranes, and Saint Arnold’s beer. The more time I spend in this city, the more I fall in love.

—are you on instagram? follow along @brolfes—-

on the edge.

February 9th, 2012 § 2 Comments

Well, the past few months, as aforementioned, have been a whirlwind of sorts. Moving, getting settled, intense job hunt for Drew…and now, it’s my turn. I have been struggling with my current job for so long now and it’s come to the point where I am exhausted. My days mostly consist of sleeping until work, working, coming home and having a drink (or three), then sleeping some more. My emotional and mental capacity is run into the ground because of the effort it takes to be present and engaged at work. No more, I say. I am young, bright, creative, talented and incredibly hard working. This next path I take may not be the end-all (almost certainly not), but it will heal my heart and spirit. I am not carrying a “grass is greener” mentality, I know my current job has benefits abounding. But my mind has dulled, my energy has depleted and my spirit has been kicked down and beaten for too long.

I am on a renewal journey. It is terrifying. Exhilarating. Invigorating. Inspiring. Uncomfortable. I am constantly seeking assurance and confidence and encouragement. Words of wisdom. Positive affirmations. And I want to share them with you, so that you may be encouraged to break free of whatever’s holding you back from your full potential, your true self, from whatever is keeping you from coming alive.

First, some articles that I love (Tiny Buddha is so fantastic!):

-3 Lies To Eliminate to Start Living Up To Your Potential
-Releasing The Urge To Push And Being Kind To Yourself Instead
-Happiness Is The Way
-What Are You Passionate About?

And now, for some visual inspiration:

//1./2./3./4./5./6./7./8./9./10.//

The “comfort zone” one is my favorite. I printed it out and framed it above my desk. I see it every day and it gently reminds me that no matter how scared or uncomfortable I am about finding something new, my life is about to begin and I will soar.

xx, b

happy tuesday.

January 24th, 2012 § 1 Comment

what have you done to honor your fellow beings today?
we all walk through this life together.
reach out, take a hand, and breathe.
(and hopefully, the person whose hand you take won’t be too creeped out.)

—–

(source)

crazy plate lady.

January 23rd, 2012 § 1 Comment

As a kid, I remember one of my friends had a huge porcelain doll collection. So I started collecting them. Until my grandparents caught on and that’s all I started getting for every Christmas and birthday. Another friend had the ENTIRE beanie baby collection. So I got some, actually played with them, and damaged the tags. Which is a big no-no apparently. There was also Polly Pocket, Pogs, and Pokemon somewhere in there. I jumped from trend to trend a lot back then. And as a result, none of those collections were really my own.

But now, I am in real danger of becoming a crazy plate lady. I’ll say it loud and proud: I LOVE PLATES!!!! The past few years or so, I’ve been slowly collecting all different kinds. Small, big, colorful, heart-shaped…anything that catches my attention. Admittedly, most of this impulse-plate-buying occurs at Target. Or thrift shops. But mostly Target. And I love my plate collection so dearly. Then I had the brilliant idea of creating a plate board on Pinterest. And the addiction grew. Here are some of my favorites:
found here.

found here via katie walters.

found here (this is actually a set, but i am in love with this singular plate).

since I am obsessed with trees and everything. found here.

irregular shaped plates make my heart skip a beat. found here.

anthro never disappoints. found here.

bicycles! original source cited is modcloth (but I can’t find on the website, so I’m guessing it’s no longer available) via carolyn williams.

chevron ikat! i die. found here.

———–

Is there anything you like to collect? What are some trendy or unique collections you had as a child?

*if you’re a fellow pinner, make sure to follow me for all my other plates + inspiration*

new goal/day one.

January 1st, 2012 § 1 Comment

i love the start of a new year for so many reasons. a fresh start. renewed hope. there’s a tangible energy in the air. i’m not one for resolutions, but i am excited to use this time to gain some momentum with my 23 before 24 list. one of the items that i’m currently working on now is to take more photos. i really want to make a habit of documenting my daily life + activities. so this month, i’ll be participating in the “a photo a day” challenge that’s been floating around on instagram.

i know i haven’t done real well in the past with “challenges”, but here’s hoping! feel free to follow along on instagram @brolfes! here’s day one:

what are some of your resolutions and goals for the new year?? i’d love to hear them and get some inspiration! xxx

a very merry christmas.

December 26th, 2011 § Leave a Comment

wherever you are and whatever you celebrate,
i hope this season has been full of light, joy, happiness and health
for you and those you love.

xx, b

now and again, it seems worse than it is.

December 2nd, 2011 § Leave a Comment

it’s been an insane, whirlwind of a month.

toward the end of october, i got word that my transfer to austin was finalized and i would start on the 7th of november. drew and i had about two weeks to get all of our stuff together, find a place, figure out how to move our stuff there (did you know it costs $700 to rent a uhaul truck from phx to atx, not including gas on the 7mpg beast? outrageous!). so we sold a bunch of stuff, donated even more and trashed some. packed up the car and headed out. spent the first few nights in hotels. had some sketchy craigslist experiences. and hit then, we hit the jackpot (in terms of living situations).

all that to say, i will be blogging more now that we are settled. tryinf to find my balance has been hard. my body is screaming for home cooked meals. my energy is depleted. things are out of boxes but it’s still not home. work is incredibly challenging. and it’s the holiday season.

austin is beautiful. everywhere i look there are trees. plenty of things to do. amazing people. genuine. sincerity. love. intellect. places that stay open past ten o’clock. drew got a job at a bmw/triumph dealership and starts on 1st of january. we have an incredibly lovable roommate. she has two incredibly lovable dogs that we walk with and cuddle with and love. the river. the water. it’s cloudy and sunny and rainy and warm and windy. the humidity. the green. the life. the people we have met are understanding of individualism and humanity. we are settling in.

but something is still off. i feel it. was i a fool to think i could bring everything i left behind to this new place? i don’t want to lose it. i’ve never really started a new life somewhere before. there’s so much freedom and latitude and possibility. and there’s so much uncomfortable uncertainty. balance. love. growth.

one of my very dear friends sent me this today:
there is a river flowing now, very fast. it is so great and swift that there are those who will be afraid. they will try to hold onto the shore. they will feel they are being torn apart and suffer greatly. know that the river has a destination. the elders say that we must push off into the middle of the river, keep our eyes above the water. see who is in there with you and celebrate. at this time in history, we are to take nothing personally, least of all ourselves; for the moment we do that, our spiritual growth comes to a halt. the time of the lone wolf is over. gather yourselves. banish the word struggle from your vocabulary. all that we do must be done in a sacred way and in celebration. we are the ones we’ve been waiting for. —hopi elder

i haven’t been writing. i haven’t been creating. i haven’t been cooking. i’ve barely been practicing yoga. i’m in a city of life and creativity, and i am losing the fight to stay above water. let me say this, today was a really tough day. bright eyes is playing, tears are streaming, i want to talk to my best friend, i want to get my hands dirty in some paint, to dance, to drink margaritas, to love deeply, to scream, take a xanax with a glass of wine and sleep today away.

tomorrow will be better. tomorrow i will celebrate with those around me. tomorrow i will push off into the river again, let go of this shore. i will allow my spiritual self to grow. i am the one i’ve been waiting for.

fall loving

October 20th, 2011 § Leave a Comment

I’m typically not into fall (couldn’t tell you why, I guess I’m more of a spring girl) but for some reason, this year I am LOVING it. The brisk nights, the cozy sweaters, creamy soups and the promise of change. I can’t get enough. I even want to put up some fall decor! This is seriously abnormal for me, but I’m going with it.

Here are some of my fall inspirations this year:

What are you loving about fall this year? What’s your favorite season?

xx, b

[sources:1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.]

oktoberfest

October 14th, 2011 § Leave a Comment

Oktoberfest was in Tempe last weekend, so Drew and I hopped on the Bonnie for a day full of sunshine, beer, pickles, fresh lemonade and bratwurst. What could be better?

We sat down in the grass for a while when this cute little kid started attacking us with his giant inflatable skull-covered bat. Drew fought back with a giant inflatable purple alien. Not going to lie, my ovaries hurt a little watching him “roughhouse” with the little mohawked dude. It also made me wish we lived in France, near Drew’s nephews. Or that my brothers had kids, and that we lived near them. Any of the above would make me a happy bear.
Afterwards, we took a walk around the lake. I always forget how beautiful the architecture is in that area. I especially love the juxtaposition of water and earth, the modern and the desolate desert. Gorgeous.
Best part of the day? Relaxing with this man.