So good to be home…

“We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.”

After weeks – more like months – of travel, I am home.  And so happy to be where I belong.  What a beautiful weekend it has been… weddings, photo shoots, many reflective walks on the beach and the gathering of my dearest friends – over red roses, candles, drinks, hilarious costumes and most importantly, the celebration of my beautiful friend’s birthday. Today is church and brunch with close friends, and on this beautiful and bright Sunday, nothing could be more fitting or more evocative of the day’s mood . . .

Side note: We fall often, for the striking and extremely beautiful sights of flowers in photos. I want to encourage you to go out and buy some for your home, wether that’s romantic roses or bright colored orchids! I recently read an article about a study done at Harvard, showing that people with fresh flowers in their home are more empathetic, happier and positive.  I was having a hard day yesterday, so I went out and bought some flowers.  Now, every time I look at the bouquet by my bed, my mood lifts and I smile. Guess it’s true! Though… I knew it all along 😉

“Make today count, you’ll never get it back”

 

Inspiration

In light of recent events going on internationally, I thought that today, a collection of inspirational quotes would be fitting for our spirits. . . Love one another, life is so short.

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do, so throw off the bowlines, sail away from safe harbor, catch the trade winds in your sails.  Explore, Dream, Discover.”

–Mark Twain

“If you have good thoughts, they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.”

-Roald Dahl

“In spite of everything, I still believe people are really good at heart.”

-Anne Frank

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

–Maya Angelou

“Only in the darkness, you are able to see the stars.”

-Martin Luther King

 

Winter Love

. . . overcast, and the ground, laden with mist and raindrops, winters full furry has hit our city, and despite secretly hoping that it would last as long as possible [before the heat of summer abounds]…  I am lovingly embracing the luxury of cashmere with soft leather elbow patches, tights, knee-high socks, leather boots and throw blankets so soft, it’s a taste of heaven.  Soft candlelight on rainy afternoons and the stillness of dark, early mornings . . .

There is no doubt, this is my favorite time of year.  No matter the chaos, take a moment to be truly grateful for all that you have and everything that makes you smile. I am feeling so grateful, life is beautiful. And life is short.  Live it to the fullest, enjoying every beautiful moment that you possibly can. xo

“I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently? And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says “Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again.”
— Lewis Carroll

 

Hello, 2015

Time seems to be flying by at lightening speed, but after the champagne & sparklers and plans & dreams, and especially after a few days away with family and some play, it’s back to business and so lovely to be working FIVE weddings this week!!  I hope that you had a beautiful holiday.  I can not wait to see what this new year will bring . . .

It is nearly unimaginable how we could have already arrived at this, the very first post of the new year.   Wrapping up what has been, in so many ways, an extraordinary year…  And while the past weeks and months [especially the last few] are, at this moment, but a blur, filled with times of joy, love, sadly –some heartbreak, but still — impossibly beautiful moments. And on New Years Eve, before the champagne and midnight kisses, I took a moment to be truly reflective and thankful for all that I have and all that 2015 is going to bring. God is good.

“i know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream”

-van gogh

Wishing you — whatever dreams that are yours for the new year, for tonight and forever, moments of adventure and magic, love and more beauty than your heart could possibly contain . . .

xo Katy

 

Love

We are weaned from our timidity
In the flush of love’s light
we dare be brave
And suddenly we see
that love costs all we are
and will ever be.
Yet it is only love
which sets us free.

Maya Angelou

 

Its the most wonderful time….

Its that time of year again. My favorite time.  When even the most ordinary places transform into a magical wonderland where the scents of vanilla, nutmeg and cinnamon fill the air and sparkling chandeliers hang everywhere. This place comes only once a year, and this year, I have already taken a moment to stop and sip champagne under the millions of twinkling lights. This weekend, was tree-decorating & baked goods, champagne, and candlelight.  Cheers, to the hope of being caught under the mistletoe with that special someone, who makes your heart skip a beat…

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all 🙂

 

Hold Fast to Dreams . . .

“When we love, we always strive to become better than we are. When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.”

-Paulo Coehlo

Life has many ways of testing a person’s will, either by having nothing happen at all, or having everything happen at once. This was a week where everything happened at once.  I have tried to stay so positive, “count your rainbows not your thunderstorms.”  I have learned a lot, sometimes the smallest step in the right direction ends up being the biggest step of your life.  Tip toe if you must, but take the step.  Never apologize for trusting your intuition. Your brain can play tricks, your heart can be blind, but your gut is always right.  A persons actions will tell everything you need to know, you can not hang out with negative people and expect to live a positive life.  And finally . . . You will find that it is necessary to let things go; simply for the reason that they are too heavy to carry.

“Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird
that cannot fly.” – Langston Hughes

 

Love is worth the fight

While life has had its major challenges lately, I am reminded of a favorite quote, which renewed my spirit:

“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.“

– Winston Churchill

When your body gets tired and the world has given you a royal beat down, let your heart carry you forward.   Decide to rise above it, knowing, that we are defined by our attitude when we have everything and our patience when we have nothing.  I refuse to live in the darkness while my true essence is luminous, it is time to let it out. I wish to walk in the light and be loved for all of me, every part. Emily Dickinson wrote, “Forever is composed of nows.”  Now is what matters, now is the time and now it will be brighter than ever before. ❤

 

And it Continues . . .

* The sign of a beautiful person is that they always see beauty in others.

* Never underestimate the power of a woman’s intuition!

* Life is ironic. It takes sadness to know what happiness is, noise to appreciate silence and absence to appreciate presence.

* I’m not pale it’s called porcelain, and I’m rocking it.

* There is a special place in my heart for the ones who were with me at my lowest and still loved me when I wasn’t very lovable. This type of unconditional love is rare, when you find it, fight for it.

* I may not be your first love, first kiss, or first date. . . but I want to be your last everything. ❤

 

Change is near…

The written word is truly an amazing thing. With the help of it we can record our innermost thoughts and look back at them months, years even decades later. I write for many different reasons, sometimes to simply spread beauty that I find in a photograph, to spread happiness… Other times, I use this blog as an outlet to share my feelings, personal failures and triumphs.

It is a beautiful sunny day.  And while the romance of yesterday’s rain, which had me cosy in a cafe, running to shops for cover and un-expectantly browsing lingerie and linens until the storm passed.  Today, is replaced by golden rays of late-winter sunshine, which are falling, falling on everything and everyone, warming my skin and illuminating the first signs of Spring blossoms.  For sometime now, I’ve been struggling to find my place.  And as the season is changing, I too feel an inner shift, igniting my hunger for adventure, for change…  I’ve learned many lessons, most of them painfully — as lessons often are.  Though I’d like to think that I’ve come out the other side wiser, better… stronger.

Truthfully, last year was a bit of a bumpy road for me. I had my heart broken, experienced every possible growing pain of running a small business while struggling financially, fought some very serious health problems, and unfortunately… navigated most of it alone, at least I felt very alone.  I try to keep things happy and upbeat around here but it definitely hasn’t been all rainbows and pretty shoes behind the scenes. And now, to find myself in the midst of a brand new year, I can’t help but reflect and ask myself — So, what’s next?

I’m really, really looking forward to a fresh start. I have awesome girlfriends by my side, a new roommate (who is a gift from the Lord) and the most supportive family in the entire world… So, I declare this my year of faith.  I am letting go, I can’t control everything.  I have a father in heaven who knows much more than I do, it’s time to let Him take the reins.  So bring it on, 2014. I’m ready for you! 

“Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Similarly, happiness never decreases by being shared.”