Revisions

I spent Christmas visiting my "Stad's" family in Edenton, NC . It's a sleepy little town on the east coast of North Carolina and it's a beautiful little town. It has a cute little Main Street with shops and a gorgeous waterfront with Cypress trees and their knees all over the place. It even has a commemorative tea pot in town. Seems they gave Boston a run for their money.

The South is Deep in me. Even though I am not a native in the true sense of the word, I am Southern in most every other sense. One of my favorite things about it is the way to Live Oak grows. I love it's magesty, it's history, it's shade on a hot Southern summer day. I love how they grow on either side of the road and create a beautiful canopy of branches. There is a street in Pensacola I always wanted to shut down and get married on, precisely for that canopy of branches. Didn't happen. Something about city rules or neighbors or something. Anyway, on my most recent trip South, the fam and I were driving to my aunt's house when we passed a sign on Bohicket Road. Gar and I didn't even see it and mom said "oh Angel Tree,  let's turn around I want show this to you guys" It seems she had been to Angel Oak on one of her HaHa weekends. So Gar turned the car around and we headed down a smaller road to "reportedly the oldest thing-living or man made-e...

I was born in Ravenna and while it may not have been in Italy, I have an affinity for it all the same. I discovered this poem by Oscar Wilde this evening and I have a feeling I will be musing over it for much time to come. I. A year ago I breathed the Italian air,-- And yet, methinks this northern Spring is fair,- These fields made golden with the flower of March, The throstle singing on the feathered larch, The cawing rooks, the wood-doves fluttering by, The little clouds that race across the sky; And fair the violet's gentle drooping head, The primrose, pale for love uncomforted, The rose that burgeons on the climbing briar, The crocus-bed, (that seems a moon of fire Round-girdled with a purple marriage-ring); And all the flowers of our English Spring, Fond snowdrops, and the bright-starred daffodil. Up starts the lark beside the murmuring mill, And breaks the gossamer-threads of early dew; And down the river, like a flame of blue, Keen as an arrow flies the wa...

Will you ever forget where you were on the morning of September 11, 2001? I won't . I had taken a 6am spin class and was just coming out soaking wet when a girl in the waiting room said a plane hit the building. This caused quite a bit of confusion as the spin gym is literally across the street from John Wayne airport and I thought “surely we would have heard something if a plane hit the building. The music isn’t THAT loud.” I think the look on my face told her I wasn’t quite getting it so she began to explain....”a plane flew into the World Trade Center in New York, the building is coming down.” We ran next door to the women’s gym where we all worked and saw everyone in there locked on the tv’s not moving, mouths agape. And we caught the second building as it began to crumble. I remember hearing audible gasps as we all grappled with what was going on before our eyes. It was horrible, I can’t even describe the feelings that went through me that morning. i remember grabbing my phone...

What IS the correct response when someone calls you a bitch for not giving them a quarter? Something inside of me got riled up and made me stop and turn around with an irritated "Excuse me? Do you need a quarter?" Apparently I am actually becoming a full fledged New Yorker. Here's the thing, I am actually quite a regular giver. I feel incredibly blessed and in turn feel compelled to help others when I can. But call me a bitch when I can't and it seems you are dealing with someone I am not all too familiar with. I forget she's in there sometimes and she doesn't take kindly to that. "Yes I need a quarter bitch" "Ok I will give you a quarter", I said (or possibly snapped) as I began to dig in my wallet, that I was quickly realizing I had just emptied of all change before I left my place "How about a thank you", I added as I continued to dig. He then turned away from me and called out to the next passer by "I am poor, give me $3...

I love store windows. Not necessarily just during the holidays but they do usually put on a little more sparkle this time of the year. And Bendel's and Bergdorf's are my two all time favs. I took a little trip uptown today and since I got diverted by a Veteran's Day Parade, I only hit Bendel's but it was so worth it. So here is a little sneak peak. The holidays are coming Kids! Have you been good little boys and girls this year?

On 11.11.11 I finally brought to fruition something I had been cooking up for probably a  little over a year. I began shooting eye wear a few years ago. Mostly , well not mostly, all product shots. Oddly enough I really enjoy it and I think the pieces are actually quite beautiful. I get into a complete state of Zen when it's me and a few trays of frames and those of you who know me, know I don't really do Zen. So once I moved to New York, I began to see with new eyes, all the people around with great glasses and with great style. Since I have never needed glasses (before you get all twitchy, I am getting to that age where the ones I now have will be more functional and less for style purposes and I am ok with that so simmer down) I guess I hadn't really noticed them until I moved here. And here, let me tell you, so many people just look great in general. And so last night, I birthed a style blog called  Framed & Focused , dedicated to eye wear and people who rock their...