A story

Top: Kohl's
Skirt: Target
Belt: Ann Taylor
Booties: Aldo
Scarf: gift from my mom
Earrings: Kohl's
Adorable kitteh: Elefante

So, yeah, this outfit is basically the flip of this one here. I'm fine with that because I can't even tell you how happy the combination of green and leopard makes me. If it works, it works, and I'm cool with that.


Y'all, since we moved to Costa Rica, things were hard. Like, really hard. The work hours are long, there's little distinction between my personal life and my work life, and we're poor. The rains get to me, especially because the rainy season lasts about eight months here. I wasn't sleeping well - I'd wake up from a nightmare and I wouldn't be able to go back to sleep. The nightmares were nearly every night for about nine months. Nine. Months.


And then there were the headaches. They'd start in my shoulders, move up into my neck, attack my jaw, and settle behind my eyes. Sometimes they were so strong that I'd feel nauseated. To make things worse, they'd last for two weeks at a time. And this, too, went on for nine months.


I didn't want to eat, I cried all the time, I imagined that Kiku or the cats had been hit by a car, I had no energy to do anything besides my actual teaching. And it sucked. It really, really sucked. I felt like I didn't even know myself, and I hated what I was putting B through, because, seriously? This was not what he signed up for, this weepy, sickly, emotional mess of a woman. Even if he was beyond supportive and stuck with me and told me it was okay and I could cry to him whenever I needed, and he LISTENED! Even then, I felt awful.


So we went to the doctor and told him everything that was going on. It didn't surprise me, not at all, but it did make me feel validated somehow. I'd thought I was going crazy, becoming someone else, and his diagnosis made me feel like it'd be okay. It's depression. Big surprise, right? So now I'm on Paxil and I've been on it for about a month and I feel like myself again. And I haven't wanted to talk too much about it because of the stigma, but really? I'm talking about it because of the stigma. Because I've been around a lot of Christian circles where if you just trust Jesus it's alright, and I was trusting and things weren't okay. Because mental illness sometimes - often - has additional physical consequences. Because I know I'm not the only one who's gone through this and has been too afraid to see a doctor about it.


So this is my story, and even though I don't like sharing a lot of these personal things with the internet, I think it's important. And y'all, I feel so much better now.

Sew Fun

Top: Self made
Belt: thrifted
Skirt: Gap
Booties: Aldo
Earrings: gift from my sister-in-law

You guys. I made this shirt. Sure, I got some help on the hems and the finishing, but I brought in a little sketch and a ton of this slippery fabric to my sewing instructor and she taught me how to draft the pattern and we made this shirt. A.May.Zing.


I might be obsessed with the way it frames my tattoo perfectly and the shade of turquoise that makes me look extra tan. B's a fan of it when it's tucked in, otherwise he says it's too baggy, but, hello, that's kind of the point. It's supposed to be baggy and loose.


You guys, I feel like I'm living the dream. I wanted to learn to sew when I was a kid, but my parents don't know how and my grandmothers live really far away, so I never learned. My home ec class in 7th grade was kind of a disaster because I broke so many needles and basically messed up every project I did. It was sad and disappointing.


Now, though? Now I can manage simple straight seams and even some curves, and yeah, sometimes I have to rip the seams out, but you guys, I'm sewing! I'm inordinately proud of myself, for real. And it's been really fun to be able to transform a pile of fabric into something functional for my everyday life.

Friend Friday: Books

Cardigan: J Crew
Tank: Target
Skirt: J Crew
Tights: Simply Vera via Kohl's
Booties: Aldo
Belt: Banana Republic
Earrings: Target

It's Friend Friday and I'm remembering to post, which means it's a big day. And it's November, which means I've spent the last four days writing frantically, just like I did last year. Real talk, I finally finished my first draft of last year's novel on the 31st of October. Mm hm. We'll see how this year's goes....


Anyway, this week's topic is books. I'm thinking I'll probably do a mix of what I've just read and some of my favorites. So, five books in no particular order:
1. On Fortune's Wheel by Cynthia Voigt - I read this about once a year and I love it. It's about an innkeeper's daughter who follows a young earl to the end of the earth. Except, you know, it's better than I make it sound.
2. Nefertiti: The Book of the Dead by Nick Drake - I just read this while on our mini vacation. A mystery set in ancient Egypt? Yes, please.


3. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte - This another of my all time favorites and it's a classic. I don't even know why I love it so much, I just do.
4. Edge of Grace by Christa Allan - This is one I read fairly recently, and, wow. A book that deals with deep faith and the things that can tear a family apart? Yeah, amazing.
5. Lady in the Mist by Laurie Alice Eakes - I'm about half way through this, and it's pure fluff. But I read a lot of fluff, especially if it's free on Kindle (hello, I'm poor) and that's fine.


Any recommendations?

Green and leopard

Turtleneck: Express
Cardigan: Apt. 9 via Kohl's
Skirt: Self made
Tights: Simply Vera via Kohl's
Booties: Aldo
Earrings: gift from my sister-in-law
Belt: came with a blazer

Well, I'm back in the mountains after four blissful days on the Pacific coast. And I'm back to work, though our post-exam schedule will be considerably easier for me. Of course, I'm trying to figure out what to do with all this spare time I have now. Any hobbies I should take up? You know, besides my pinterest obsession.


I built this outfit around the cold weather and the fact that I have laryngitis. And yes, I have taught with (mild) laryngitis. All it takes is an interactive lesson plan and some decent classroom management. And telling your students you're sick. They're always nicer when you tell them.


This really fit the bill for keeping me warm and had the added bonus of being comfortable and comprised of my favorite color (green) and my favorite print (leopard). Add my favorite booties and some funky fishnets, and I'm all set.