Things I Love Thursday

Depending on how closely you follow my blog and how much you adore what I have to say, you may have noticed that I didn’t post a Things I Love Thursday last week. Being with my family, cooking and eating Thanksgiving dinner, and taking a break from the internet were among the reasons I had to skip, but I’m BACK! And I have plenty of things that are oozing with my love this week.

photo: paperpariah

Oh, If you like reading this, make a list of your own things you love in the comments. It is really fun, I promise, and if you’re having a craptacular day, it will boost your mood (money back guarantee.)

THINGS I LOVE THURSDAY!

- December magic. My birthday is in September, but my favorite month might just be December, because Christmas is my favorite, favorite holiday, period. I love the sights, the smells, the music, the colors, the parties, the shopping, the lights, the giving, the cooking, the midnight mass, the spirit, the love, the family, the magic – all of it, all month long. Even if the stores are crowded and people are so stressed that they’re cussing each other out in parking lots, I tend to plug my ears and stay in my happy place full of candy canes and sparkles where St. Nick is laughing and everyone is caroling on the streets. Call me naive, but I don’t care. I am going to try and stretch this month out as long as I can and squeeze as much Christmas joy as possible. This year is shaping up to be a very special one, too, as it will be my first holiday away from home (I’ll be in Nashville with J’s family), but I’d be just as happy if I were serving in a soup kitchen downtown. Mmmm I love Christmas!

photo: holiday_jenny

- Making lists. I’m laughing at myself right this minute for including “making lists” on a LIST of things I love. Man, do I love a good list. I get excited over lists the way some people get excited over shopping, martinis or chocolate cake. I’m a Virgo through and through, especially the part about being a perfectionist and obsessive compulsive organizer, so I cannot work on anything without a list. I have lists for everything – to-do lists at work, grocery lists, things I want to buy for my apartment, gifts I need to buy, books I want to read, things that need to be cleaned, lists of bills (ugh). I am constantly telling my scatter-brained boyfriend that he needs to “make a list, make a list, make a list” but that just isn’t his style. Fortunately for him, it is mine, and I am the more organized of our little team. For even the most repulsive of tasks, writing it down seems to make it that much more appealing. As far as on-paper versus online, I tend to favor a mix of both. I use Google Tasks for my work list, though I prefer less eco-friendly pen and paper lists in pretty notebooks at home.

- Having a bed. Like a real bed, with a bed frame and a bed skirt. I moved into my fabulush apartment back in March, but believe it or not, I am just now getting around to putting my box spring and mattress up on a bed frame and making it look less ‘My First College Apartment’ and more ‘Mid-20s Adult Living In LA.’ I used to have a really pretty bedframe from IKEA, but it broke (several times) and I refused to put it up in my new place for fear my cats would be crushed if it collapsed (they like to hide underneath). I bought a simple bed frame on Overstock.com and an Ivory linen bed skirt, and forced Julian to assemble it for me last night. What are boyfriends for? Now, it looks much better – grown up, even! I also yanked a white duvet from my Mom’s house, along with two humongous lavender pillows, which really add to it. It has motivated me to make more improvements to my home.

How amazing is this bedroom?! apartmenttherapy

- Waking up on time. Since we’re talking about beds, let’s discuss sleep. I’m pretty lazy in the mornings and I HATE waking up. For some reason, though, every morning on our road trip though, I was up and at ‘em at whatever time Julian required – 5am, 6am, 7am – fresh as a daisy (after my coffee, of course.) Getting in the habit of waking up that early has turned me into a granny and I’ve been getting tired at 9pm now, instead of my usual 11pm-turned-into-1230am bedtime. It makes waking up in the morning much, MUCH easier, and I love it! I wouldn’t exactly call myself a “morning person,” but I love being awake early so I can get a head start on the day (eat breakfast, go running, drink coffee, check e-mails, read the news) without feeling like I’m rushing through the morning and trying to get to work on time.

- Being sore. You know what I’m talking about – the “good sore.” When you know that your hard work running, doing yoga, hiking, lifting weights or whatever form of exercise you chose is paying off. Bonus points when you’re sore in the right places. Girls, you know what I mean!

- L’Occitane Verbena candles. Falling in love with this treasure was a mere accident, I didn’t buy it, rather a friend of mine who was trying to get rid of some extra “stuff” handed it off to me. I put it in my bedroom and have become thoroughly addicted to it. It smells like fresh lemon zest (or, heaven) and not in an obnoxious way, either. It keeps the room smelling awesome even long after it is blown out. The only downside is the price ($23 for a 3.5 oz glass container). I keep telling myself to preserve it but I can’t help lighting it every time I am home. Pure love.

- My boyfriend’s face. Aren’t there studies that prove someone’s face gets more attractive to you the more you get to know them? I don’t know what it is, maybe it’s just his new haircut, but I am just in crazy, crazy love with Julian’s face more and more everyday. I think he is hands down the most handsome man that has ever walked the planet. Every time I look at his face I think to myself “how lucky am I?” It takes my breath away. Not to mention, he is the most caring, smart, talented, funny, kind and compassionate person I know. So THIS is what it’s supposed to feel like.

- Martha Stewart’s Homekeeping Handbook. I really want to be a housewife domestic goddess. Don’t get me wrong, I love my job and I doubt I will ever be completely void of a job, but there is something so intriguing about spending my days ironing curtains, organizing closets, baking muffins from scratch and folding socks. Yes, I know I’m crazy. While I was at home, I was thumbing through my Mom’s copy of Martha Stewart’s Homekeeping Handbook. This is the encyclopedia of everything you’ve ever wanted to know about kitchen organization, re-using old furniture, or cleaning a toilet. I really need this book, like now.

- Catching up with old friends. This trip back East was primarily about meeting family, as it was the first time Julian had met mine in the flesh and the first time I got to mix and mingle with several of his extended family. That being said, I REALLY loved being able to see my old friends back home. These are the people that know me through and through and though I don’t get to see them or talk to them regularly (this will change), they are always there for me. I am so happy J had the chance to meet and hang with my bestie Tabatha and her hubby Justin (who I call Candypants), as well as Katie and her husband Matt, Jenny and Randi. It felt different than previous trips home, I guess we are growing up, and catching up with old friends is less about going to a bar and drinking until we can’t see straight and more about actually spending quality time and hearing about what’s going on in their lives. I’ve already cemented a weekly Tuesday night phone date with Katie, and we had our first last night while I was rushing around the grocery store (I’m a busy girl.) I love, love my friends in LA, but I really miss my people back home. I can’t wait to be closer to them again one day.

Randi, Katie, myself and Jenny

Matt, Katie, myself and handsome Julian

Other noteworthy lovables:

Critiquing bridesmaid dresses with Lauren, “It looks like it went through the dryer with a piece of bubblegum”; Honest Tea; eMusic, because they give me 5 free songs for the holidays and are cheaper than iTunes; new black wool trenchcoats from Mom; planning Christmas trips to Nashville; hot cocoa; laughing until my face falls off with Julian; Benny (one of our office dogs) wearing a brown blanket as a cape around the office; free lunch on Wednesdays; hugs, not drugs; waking up to cuddling, purring cats who were hiding under my bed all night; random, funny dreams that even I can’t follow; Timothy Keller releasing a new book (Counterfeit Gods); a new LA food truck devoted to sweets & coffee (@TheSweetsTruck)

One last thing, though I doubt either of them read this: HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my best friend Tabatha and my little brother Travis!!!!!!!! I love you both so very much!