the story

Brandi Carlile once described life as being like a story.  And she was right.  We're constantly turning new pages.  Sometimes we try to jump ahead and read the ending.  Sometimes we flip back a couple of pages, just to revisit the past.  With each new beginning, we start a new chapter, furthering our own story.  For yours truly, this year has been quite the chapter.  We welcomed a new baby into our family. I changed majors.  (Twice...)  I got a job!  I made some wonderful friends, and strengthened the friendships I already had.  School went well, and I survived Freshmen year! I spent my summer interning for the Youth group from my home church, and was blown away by the children I worked with.  I was supposed to be teaching them, but they taught me more than I can say.  I jumped into my second year of college, and with that came so many changes.  The biggest of which was that I moved into an apartment with three of my very best friends.  The semester went well, and I think I'm finally on the right track with knowing where I want my crazy career dreams to take me.  I got my wisdom teeth out and didn't swell an inch.  (For which I think I deserve some sort of plaque or Precious Moments figurine.)  Lastly, my love life has added a twist to the plot.  I've been dating the most wonderful boy for a few years now, and he really is perfect for me.  Long story short, a few weeks ago I broke his heart, then he turned around and broke mine, too.  It's been a popular time for Ben & Jerry and Carrie Bradshaw.  However the sun still shines, and the rest is still unwritten...

No matter what chapter you're writing, this new year is the perfect chance to start on the next one.  You can choose to continue your current story, or change the plot entirely...the best part?  It's completely up to you!  

Cheers to a new year.  A new start.  A new story.

I vow to follow my heart this year, and to stop over analyzing.  What changes will you make for your story?  Remember... you can always add more to your story.  Never stop writing until you're in love with the ending. 

much love.

-W 

we'll always have Paris

Hey there guys and gals.  As I've mentioned before, my mother is a very special woman.  She's to blame for my hazel eyes, my love for SNL, and my much too frequent David Bowie jam sessions in my car.  This Christmas she really outdid herself...

Sometime circa 2010 I fell in love with Paris.  Well, kind of.  My friends and I discovered the OPI nail color, "We'll Always Have Paris."  It was a deep maroon with a lot of sass.  The kind of dark nail polish that says, "I'm powerful and confident," without saying, "I listen to Slipknot and drink lots of Red Bull."  Ya feel me?  So of course, my friends and I all had our shiny gel manicures sporting the color.  The hue was a little "vampish" and glammed up any ensemble.  Much to my dismay, the polish was discontinued in the Spring of 2012.  Tragic, I know.  My idea of the perfect mani and pedi was forever sent to "the vault."

However, in true Cindy fashion, my mother performed a Christmas miracle this year.  Santa slipped in on Christmas afternoon, rather than hustling in that morning. So that afternoon, it was my turn to open a gift, and I chose a relatively small package.  I carefully unwrapped the polka dot paper to find not one, but TWO bottles of OPI's "We'll Always Have Paris."  I squealed with delight.  I was so surprised - it has been discontinued for goodness sake!  My mother had searched high and low for the color, and she eventually found herself dealing with the Ebay account of some lady in Utah.  She found the polish.  She found my favorite polish!  Like I said, she really outdid herself.

The lesson?  Well first of all, you should all be rocking a dark polish this holiday season, but more importantly...don't give up!  Just when you think something might be gone for forever, if you look hard enough, you might just find it.

lots of love

-W

'We'll Always Have Paris' looking so chic on my desk...right where it belongs.

                                         one of my fave holiday looks inspired by the color 

keeping up with you guys via social networks 

XOXO

tis the season

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...in Hobby Lobby.  Amidst all of the hustle and bustle that accompanies this time of year, Christmas is my favorite holiday.  The air becomes frosty.  The ground becomes a playground for layers and layers of white fluff.  The scarves and boots become chunkier.  The chocolate becomes hotter.  And the bells become jinglier.  Christmas traditions are a staple of my family, and the candlelight Christmas Eve service at my church is near and dear to my heart.  However merry the season may be, it's always bittersweet.  It pains me to think of those who have never had a happy Christmas.  I'm not talking about Santa and presents, although that is a part of it! Christmas is about being surrounded by those you love and those who love you back.  No matter your faith, the holiday is for family and friendship, and a sense of hope for the entire world.  I can't stand to think that there are people who have lived their entire lives and not spent a single Christmas Eve with a loved one.  My challenge is this- to you guys and myself- do something special for a stranger this Christmas season!  It might be paying for the woman behind you in the Starbucks line, or baking cookies for the old man next door.  Whatever it may be, it will make the day a little bit brighter.  There is nothing wrong with giving and receiving gifts!  Santa is a really cool guy.  ;)  Maybe this year we can be a stranger's Santa?  Don't stress this Christmas season!  Enjoy the family time and the happiness that comes with giving someone the "perfect gift."  I hope you all spend ample time singing carols and munching on cookies.





xoxo

Win

the ever popular Christmas Card

                                 

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