candlesticks

so, recently... as in five days ago... i finally finished les miserables. and i must say, i don't think i honestly knew what a good story was until the point i picked up that book. i cried... er-- wept my eyes out... for a good twenty minutes after i closed the back cover.

friends, if you do not read this masterpiece before you die... you might not have ever been truly living.

so, after i stopped sobbing, cleaned up the streaks of mascara off my face and officially thanked my lucky stars that i was NOT in a public place when i finished this book, i started feeling an all-too-common emotion... similar to losing a close friend. you see, after weeks and weeks of toting around this book, taking it with me to coffee shops, falling asleep night after night with it perched on my knees, sneaking away with it on lunch breaks, and taking little peeks into its pages any chance i could... it sort of became (for those who have never felt this emotion, please disregard the borderline creepishness of this and take note that i DO have a social life) a companion and friend.

sometimes, i half expected to meet jean valjean on the street, giving him my sincere apology for the tragedies in his life, congratulating him on his successes, twirling around little cosette, and telling them how much i look forward to getting to know them better.

and as i place this lovely piece of literature back on the shelf, i DO look forward to the moment my son or daughter plucks it out of my home library (because you KNOW this is going to happen), and flips through the same pages that gave me so much joy.

ok ok ok, i get it. a bit much, right? just read it already! ...and thank me later :)

- me -

you know those days...

where you just feel so stifled? like there's this aliveness inside you, bubbling through your veins, and trying to poke its wings out... but you, you have to be the one to close the cage and lock it tight with your back against the door, or else it would shake itself loose and you would just end up running really fast... towards no particular direction at all?

where you just want FREEDOM

today has definitely been one of those days. more like.... this YEAR has been one of those YEARS. the last thing i want to see in front of me is a metal mesh cup full of highlighters and sharpies, a pile of post-its with to-do lists, a desk phone that neverrrrr stops blinking and men in stiff business suits and ties...

[someone please rescuuuuuue me!!!]

i'm all too often tempted to push these images over... convinced they are made of cardboard and are utterly and completely fake ...and this was all a [very] cruel joke.

..like the last thing you want to be doing with your life is what you ARE doing with your life?

the realization that dawned in mid-woe was this: i was not made for this.

seriously. i was not created to sit behind a desk, answer phones, typetypetypetyppeee for 8hrs a day... 40 hrs a week... 2080hrs a year (that's a total of 86.67 ENTIRE DAYS a year) to make a livinggg so i can survivvvve!!

ok. maybe i'm being a little dramatic....???

but in all REALITY i was made to live in a garden. vibrant and eternal. to know and be known. untainted by sin and brokenness. fully alive. never seeing death. where people saw and walked with God, unashamed of their nakedness.

it's the longing for eden. it's what my heart aches for.

novemburrrrr.

it. is. freezing. outside.

ok. i understand my texas blood doesn't give my words much weight

on the issue of winter weather...

but

today was a "can't get warm on your 30-min drive to work"

kind of day. and although i ADORE all the cute

scarves&mittens&boots&hats

i haaaaate missouri winters.

last year, my drives to work were spent 90% in tears.

so, you can imagine my enthusiasm.

....

i did get to spend last weekend in lawrence, ks.

and stumbled upon THIS little gem:

a bookstore called "the dusty bookshelf."

looooved it!!! there was even a little cat running around,

snoozing on all the open shelves and comfy chairs :)

p.s. i fly home in TWENTY SIX days.

i was going to try & express my excitement in words....

but after six failed attempts at even coming within 50 miles of how i truly feel...

i decided the news was good enough.

surprisingly moisturizing... with vitamin e.

after learning a co-worker within a 6-foot radius of me does, in fact, NOT wash his hands after using the restroom... THIS little guy has been chilling on my desk, ridding me of any germy worries. moral of the story: choose not to wash? be prepared to make the "people-you-wouldnt-wanna-touch-with-a-10-ft-pole" list stapled in the breakroom. juss sayin'.

c.s. lewis necklace

i know it's not the best quality picture.

i apologize! my "real" camera is M.I.A.! yikes :(

i'll take more pics once i can convince camantha to come out of hiding.

in my excitement, i just wanted to get this on my blog asap!

so, i embarked on a little arts&crafts journey last night...

and after an hour of sheer mayhem ... i emerged with THIS :)

i cut out two pieces of "Mere Christianity" and glued them to this metal pendant (front and back).

i know it sounds like borderline sacrilege, but with two extra copies of this little gem lying around, i see it more as an honor to my hero.

it has another little antique charm and the letter "e" that looks like an old typewriter key.

the chain is roughly 3ft long (about 1.5 ft from the back of your neck to the pendant)

overall, i LOVE it and am wearing it today.

my goal is to put it on etsy once i get better pics. i can, of course, do this with ANY piece of literature (besides any in my own personal library... i dont think i'll be chopping up my only copy of crime & punishment!) AND with any letter. for the moment, i only have Mere Christianity available for use on this pendant. i sold many of my extra copies during my move :( BUT i am a frequent half price book-er and will, soon enough, have a variety to choose from. but who doesnt want a little Clivey with them during the day??

and i promise. MORE & BETTER pics to come.

this was made for me.

crime and punishment.
the brothers karamazov.
anna karenina.

a few of my favorite books.

all of russian authorship

all authors... dead.

conclusion? i want this buttonnnnnn.

i wont wear it around. i promise.

it's a castle... it's a mansion...

it's my schooool :)
took this walking to class last night.
she's a beaut isnt she??
pretty sure a fair-haired princess lives in that top room...
spinning threads of golden yarn...
as the birds help her get ready in the morning...
and the forest creatures bring her breakfast...
ok. i'm done. it's an awesome building! the end! :)