falling for fall

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is anyone else ECSTATIC that the weather is in the double digits? i wore a cardigan the other day without sweating. it was an out of body experience. fall is my most favorite season. it make me all giddy and inspired and wistful and hopeful and a little sad and romantic and optimistic and confident.

to me, it means new beginnings. it heralds the upcoming holiday season. it makes me think of weekends away in the mountains. when it's chilly outside, you want to snuggle up reeeal close with someone. fall brings the state fair into town. boys wear long sleeve red plaid shirts.

i love boots, layers, scarves, textured tights, pumpkin spice lattes, crisp mornings, seeing my breath in the air, hot soups, the colors of changing leaves, pumpkins, wrapping up in a blanket, the way the sunlight turns everything gold. 

these autumn inspired images make my heart beat a little faster. each day of summer that passes brings us closer and closer to the official first day of fall. 

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homemade soup with croutons. mmmmkay. 

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textured tights? yes. yes. yes. 

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apple picking. best fall date that i have never been on. 

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bob ross is good and all, but i doubt he could make this look better.

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i hope one day i know someone who has a house that looks like this. 

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if fall were a boy, i would probably hug him like this. 

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p.s. this is not the last post you read about fall. promise. 

there's no such thing as a stupid question

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riiiight? week one of training is in the bag, and i think i asked 7, 842 questions. approximately. i'm definitely not the kind of person who is afraid to ask a question if i don't understand, but i already want to know everything about my position so i don't have to wait for help. i have to realize it's going to take time to figure everything out. i have to take one day, one hour, one minute at a time or i find myself getting overwhelmed. i did, however, only have to ask where the starbucks was once. take the elevator to the 1st floor, turn left, turn right, turn left, you're there.

when i look back at my last jobs, i remember how routine everything became over time. instead of being stressed out during a busy day, it was more like an adrenaline rush. i knew what to do, i knew the process, i just had to prioritize, balance, and multi-task. i feel myself already wanting to be at that level at my new job, and i've only had one week (three 12 hour days) of training. i have to remind myself that i couldn't possibly know everything there is to know about my new job yet. i'm trusting God to give me the patience i need and the ability to retain new information. i'm also using my handy dandy notebook to write down everything. i write really fast and use shorthand so when i look back over it throughout the day sometimes i don't understand what i've written. "pulmonary entry zm10"? anyone?

anyone else know what i'm talking about? it's always exciting starting a new job but a little scary, too! there will come a point when i will be on my own, and people will expect me to do things things that i may or may not know how to do. maybe i should look into what "pulmonary entry zm10" means. i'm sure that will be on a test later on.

when you've started a new job, what has been the most challenging part? do you feel like you should know everything on day one? do you prefer to ask questions or find the answer on your own? does the workroom refrigerator scare the jeebers out of you?

indie rock

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on a recent trip to paper*source (love, love, love that place), i ran across this super fly book. the indie rock poster book is the freshest of the fresh. it combines funky art and classic indie songs in perfect harmony.

lets break it down. the book contains 30 removable, ready-to-frame art posters designed by the country's top graphic illustrators. their inspiration? only the sickest/coolest/most swell indie songs out there. this sweet little vid explains it well.

here are some of my favorites. click on the song title to listen to each song (and/or watch the music video) and see if you think the artwork is a good fit!

dancing choose

tv on the radio

illustration by julia rothman

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your ex-lover is dead

stars

illustration by jenna holcombe 

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your protector

fleet foxes

illustration by mark weaver

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tonight

lykke li

illustration by chris gray

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take care

beach house

illustration by will bryant

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the brains behind this genius idea is the non profit organization yellow bird project. their mission statement is "helping those in need via a few indie rock bands and a lot of creativity." awesome much? 

proceeds from each sale go to nonprofits of each artist's choice. go to their website and read their story. there is so much information that i can't possibly cover it all. if i had to sum them up one one word, it would be intensely awesome and epic. also, unstoppable.

indie rock for life! *fist in the air*

little banners

i think banners are the single greatest decoration for any occasion. birthdays, baby showers, congratulations for breaking up with your old jerk boyfriend, congratulations on your new boyfriend, etc. these little cards are my new favorite to craft. so simple and easy, and the cute factor is off the chain.

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forget the lipstick

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there is no cosmetic for beauty like happiness. 

-lady blessington

southerner

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hey yaaaaa'll. although i have lived in the south for 17 years, i don't really consider myself a true southerner. i don't have an accent. i hate our sticky, unbearably hot summers. eating at cracker barrel does not make me swoon. BUT, that being said, i really do love the south in general. people are friendly. we wave and nod and give you directions. the south is where small town america is alive and well.

but, i digress. this post is not, in fact, all about the south. it's really all about free music. free. what a stellar word. noisetrade is one of my favorite music websites. they have thousands of artists and albums available for zero dollars. i know what you're thinking. "if they are available for zero dollars, they must be artists who record in their basement and play instruments that no one has ever heard of before." that's where you are wrong. these artists are amazing. ever heard of katie herzig? ben rector? the civil wars? not everything i listen to is my personal style or taste, but when you're not being charged to listen and download, you can afford to take that risk. 

trent dabbs is currently giving away his album southerner. it is my new favorite download. perfect for road tripping. if you don't have any road trips coming up, you can also play it on your way to the grocery store or the car wash. same effect. go ahead and make your way over to noisetrade and discover some new music. you will not regret it. i'm willing to bet you'll find a new artist you'll really like.

happy thursday. see you soon! or, as we say in the south, ya'll come back now!

baby boy you stay on my mind

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big news, HUGE news. 

my bestie sarah and her sweet hubs jason are having a BABY BOY! 

wooooooo!!! i'm going to be a pseudo aunt! 

quick, what are my responsibilities? 

*knit booties buy knitted booties

*crochet baby blanket purchase crocheted blanket

*build wooden horse rocker leave this to someone with carpentry skills

*record myself singing lullaby tunes and put together a mix cd done

sarah has been my bestie since college. she's gorgeous, hilarious, so very kind, has kil-ler skin, and is married to a sweet, southern gentleman. i'm so excited that they will be adding a sweet baby boy to their little family! congratulations sarah and jason! 

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(are they not freaking adorable?)

blue collar american

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today marks the start of my last weekend as a non-working woman. come monday, and i'll be contributing to society once again. huzzah! i'm really looking forward to having a schedule again. getting up, making coffee, and heading to the pool day after day does not count as a schedule.

but, in all honesty, the past six months have been wonderful on so many levels. it's been a time of mandatory rest. i really enjoyed my last job, but i was working a lot of overtime and feeling very stressed. in a way, the fact that the business closed down was a weird blessing. it's not how i thought my prayers were going to be answered at all. it was actually a huge shock when me and my co-workers got the news, but i have been able to look back and see how God has provided for me in every area.

i have been able to rest and recuperate, i've had more time to craft, i've spent more quality time with my Savior, i made the decision to lead my small group, i've been available to help friends out during the week, i was able to volunteer with my church, i made more trips home to see my family, etc.

of course, it hasn't been all peaches and cream. at times, i've wanted to pull my hair out/throw myself on the floor and cry/open a pint of ben and jerry's and eat it all in one sitting. and when i say i've wanted to what i mean is that's really what happened. BUT even in the midst of my pity party, i knew i was being taken care of. it's such a relief to know that i am not ultimately in charge of my future.

so, i know the big question on all of your minds is, "lacey, tell us! what will you be doing? what's your new job? where will you be working? what are the details?" woah. ok, ok, one at a time. i will be working at duke hospital as the health unit coordinator for the lung transplant floor. oooh, fancy! well, not really. health unit coordinator (huc) is basically a glorified term for secretary. my duties will include answering incoming phone calls, directing patient calls to the appropriate nurse, dancing on command, distributing faxes, organizing patient charts, perpetually smelling like flowers, coordinating transportation for patients, entering discharge orders into the computer, and always having a smile on my face. i think i can handle it. well, maybe not the smelling like flowers part. (sometimes i don't take showers.)

this weekend i've got some fun things planned before i start orientation on monday. i'm going to get a pedicure (sooo excited), lay out at the pool, have a yummy dinner with friends, attend a leadership conference at my church, hang out in southern pines with my roommate and my friends chelsea and matt, visit my favorite baristas at swank coffee shop, and go to my friend michelle's baby shower. should be a good time! what are your weekend plans?

p.s. just want to say thank you to everyone who reads this blog! i have a lot of fun putting together my posts. i like sharing my life, my interests, my stories with you. thanks for all of your funny, kind, witty, sweet, thoughtful comments, too. you guys make me want to be a more funny, kind, witty, sweet, thoughtful person. here's to you, my awesome followers!

august mix

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the end of summer is getting closer and closer. i can't tell you how happy this makes me. i get butterflies in my stomach when i think about crunchy leaves, boots, and this strange and wonderous phenomenon called a breeze. have you heard of it? it's crazy.

fall is just around the corner but, alas, we're still currently living in the dog days of summer. two things that are helping me get through this triple digit weather: iced beverages (coffee, wine, margaritas) and happy tunes. i meant to post this mix earlier in the month, but the internet connection at our apartment (that we were stealing from our neighbors, ahem) suddenly requires a password, and i haven't been able to get online as much as i would like. i think it was God's way of telling us that stealing internet is wrong. oh please. like you've never made a bad decision. seriously. wipe that self-righteous grin off your face.

without further ado, i present the august mix!

free my mind : katie herzig (free!)

stereo hearts : gym class heroes

be with you : michael castro

take me into the beautiful : cloverton

i'll be yours : those dancing days

cloud nine : ben howard

66 : the afghan wigs

uncharted : sara bareilles

send someone away : embee

never be daunted : jaymay

happy listening, my friends! what songs are on your current playlist? 

...ohmygosh. are you still thinking about the stolen internet? judgers. 

dear (blank),

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dear...

unemployment, 
we have to talk. during our six month relationship, there have been some red flags that, until now, i've ignored. i don't see us having a future together. please know that i'm not trying to be harsh. in some ways, you've been really great. you let me sleep till noon on many occasions. you didn't scold me when i wore my pajamas all day. even though i'll miss the close bond we shared, the end is near. it's better this way. it's not me, it's you.

apartment complex pool, 
for the first time in my entire life, i have a tan. i couldn't have done it without you. your hot plastic chairs and depth of three and a half feet are excellent amenities for a rookie sunbather such as myself. some people call you shallow, but i look deeper. you have a lot of amazing qualities. don't let anyone tell you different.

coffee shops with wifi,
you are so faithful and true. i can't count the wonderful mornings i spend with you. my addiction to coffee and surfing the world wide web are considered cool and hip when i'm with you. under your roof, nobody judges me when i order three grande americanos during one visit.

planet fitness,
thank you for providing me with reasonably cheap stress relief. there are not many activities/therapy sessions that cost a mere $10 a month. not only do you help me burn off steam, but you also provide a wide array of interesting characters to watch while i'm hitting the treadmill. my personal favorite, mr. short shorts, never fails to amuse. i have you to thank for him.

employment,
as much fun as i've had with unemployment, i think we both knew it was just a fling. it was fun and carefree, but i need some stability, you know? commitment. that's why i'm so glad you came along when you did. i think we're going to go far. i can't wait to start a life with you.

all my love,
lacey

words of wisdom

words of wisdom and then some...

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pretty deep and insightful thoughts right there. ponder on these gems today. 

wouldn't it be nice

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i hope you have one of these kind of mondays.