Here’s when I knew I had committed to this piece: when an old man in a trench coat sipping his McDonald’s coffee stepped onto the Montréal subway at approximately 12:40 pm on a Sunday afternoon. I had my art crayons buried deep in my purse and at that moment I knew I absolutely had to draw a portrait of him. But not on the subway, merely 5 feet from him. No, that wouldn’t do. I would have to snap a photo and draw the scene later. So I did. Multiple pics. It was all too perfect to miss. He was a style icon of the umpteenth degree. I didn’t intend to take photos of strangers all day, but it kind of just began and never stopped. Because yes, by 12:40 in the afternoon on the subway, Montréal fashion had already sparked my creativity, and I had a hunch there was far more inspiration just around the corner.

A Little More to This Style Story

Before heading out on this spontaneous little roadtrip to Canada last fall to catch the end of October’s autumn glory, my dear friend from college and I had one element of our packing that occupied the biggest part of our attention: meticulously planning our outfits.

We sent each other pics of this combination and that combination, paring down to our favorite jeans, jackets, scarves, and sweaters. I even watched a few videos to prepare a little itinerary and through this brief moment of research had already begun to assess the fashion in this city. My best guess was that Montréal was really into its neutrals, particularly the all-black look. So for our one full day in the city, I curated my outfit around this colorless color palette.

The morning of our first day, I wandered into the lobby of the hostel to people-watch. Within minutes, I began seeing notes of black accents everywhere and was feeling quite satisfied with my assessment. I snapped a pic here and there for my own personal style journal. However, once we stepped outside, I began to realize the inspiration did not dissipate. Rather, it grew stronger.

In short, Montréal knows how to hold its own in the style scene, and by the end of our one full day in the city, I have decidedly labeled this city’s fashion scene as a walking Pinterest board, and I’d love to share it with you.

How this works: Follow me in chronological order throughout my day as I share the 25 outfits that I managed to capture photos of and add a little blurb about the style notes I’m pulling from them and ways to apply the look. Let’s begin!

Montréal in the Fall: The Style Moodboard

Looks 1, 2, and 3: The Cute Couple and the Man in a Trench Coat with McDonald’s coffee.

The fact that all 3 of these style icons made it into the frame of one photo was enough for me. Would highly recommend simply sitting on the subway to people-watch for fashion inspiration.

Style Notes

• Her jean bag: What I love about this bag is it was not just a more casual “hobo bag” shape and made out of jean fabric but that it looked like the handles were literally cut or ripped out of the center. It felt like a piece of art that was made into a bag, like someone reached into a canvas and decided to carry it over their arm. Art within art. Obsessed.

• His curly hair: I have two brothers with curly hair and it is an unending conversation on how to style it. They both have not yet learned the art of caring to style it, so it is mostly me reminding them to wet the fluff before stepping outside, so when I see a good curly guy cut in the wild I take notes for them, as any good big sister would do. Notes taken! Now for finding them a stylist who can cut it right…

• Her skirt over yoga pants: This is a statement. Undeniably. I know you’ve probably seen skirt over pants on social media but have you worn it? There. Now you know what I mean.

• Long black trench coat and a McDonald’s coffee: It says “I am too cool but not too cool to be ordinary,” which is the epitome of fashion done well. No notes, sir. C’est parfait!

How to Apply This Look

• Thrift something and cut into it. I don’t care how. Just have fun and make art.

• Or wear a skirt over pants and send me a pic. Or send it to your best friend. You don’t have to wear it out of the house, but at least try it on.

• Bonus: Pair something extremely elegant with something extremely casual. I’d love to hear how this turns out.

Look 4: Girl in Gray

Style Notes

• Shades of gray. From her fuzzy jacket to her converse-like shoes, she manages to keep within the gray tones. And I don’t know about you, but I generally see less gray pants in the wild, so to see them worn well is rare. I love how the whole outfit is more casual but still manages to look well put-together.

• Her tote says “baked” which is simple but adds a little pinch of personality.

How to Apply This Look

• Grab something gray and incorporate it into your outfit into a new way.

• Build a monochromatic base palette with three key pieces.

• Carry a tote with words or a picture on it that makes you smile. Maybe build your whole outfit around the tote.

Look 5: Skateboard Queen

First she was running up the subway stairs and then she resurfaced jumping on her skateboard at a skate park. The essence of confidence.

Style Notes

• Her hair: Her curls are the perfect blend of messy and well-kept. It reminds me of German and French style—that natural, wind-blown look that is lived-in yet chic. She might even have a twist into her ponytail—I can’t quite tell—but it stood out immediately.

• Her red scarf or hoodie: Amid the black tones and varying shapes of her outfit, it stands out in a perfectly casual I-didn’t-think-about-this-at-all-but-actually-I-did sort of way. The pop of color is artfully placed to turn an otherwise casual outfit into a statement.

• The skateboard: I know it’s not a fashion accessory you’d find in any ordinary shop but it is absolutely a fashion accessory when it’s paired with all-black and a pop of red.

How to Apply This Look

Carry a skateboard. Okay, just kidding. But actually, consider whether there is an object you can carry to add that je ne sais quoi to your outfit. And that object cannot be a purse. It could be a cabbage for all I care! Just think: You without a cabbage is just a person existing in this world, but you with a cabbage? Now you’re a story just waiting to be told! Instantly more fascinating! (Let me know how holding a cabbage goes…)

Look 6: Girl at a stoplight

Style Notes

Tones. This outfit nails the tones. Brown scarf, brown leather jacket, wider jeans, brown boots, black bag—it’s excellent. Simple, neutral, stylish, and her simple curled dark hair complements it all so well.

How to Apply This Look

Before you walk out the door, add one piece you weren’t planning on adding. Just one! It can be slipping on a different pair of shoes than your usual, grabbing a different purse, picking up the scarf or leaving the scarf behind. Tossing up your hair with a scrunchie tucked in some corner of your drawer or leaving it down for once with a quick brush. Just do something different.

Looks 7 + 8: Couple Goals a la neutrals

Style Notes

Montréal is one of those places where the boys are dressed as well as the girls in the wild. (Sorry if you’re offended by this statement. I want to clarify that I don’t doubt men can possess excellent style innately, but I have brothers and have observed it more often than not takes a bit more time to develop.) In this look, I love his jacket (for some reason it reminds me of Jack in While You Were Sleeping) and the girl’s huge purse and combination of a cool gray pants with a warm taupe jacket.

How to Apply This Look

Experiment with shape. Wear a bunch of wide pieces or tall or loose or tight. Yes, there are style rules here but break just one. You don’t have to break them all, but challenge yourself to try a different shape combination than you normally would, even if it’s a normal pairing but a different piece.

Look 9: The Lady in the Organic Grocer

Style Notes

Her quilt coat. The dusty shade of blue. The fluffy scrunchie to match. Huge hoop earrings. The perfectly-twisted thick bun at the nape of her neck. Shopping in style! So feminine and playful! Makes me think of Little House on the Prairie and Little Women all at once.

How to Apply This Look

Pick up a favorite childhood book. Let that be playful inspiration for your color palette today or a new pattern or piece you pick up. Go thrift something handmade. Or make it yourself. Look up a hairstyle that is classic or from a different era and try it on yourself.

Looks 10 + 11: While Thrifting

Style Notes

A few looks here! Even though this first pic is blurry, the bangs on this gal are superb. The shape of her outfit with the puffer, purse, and trousers are excellent. And okay Look 2 gal stepped right out of Pinterest. Need I even break this down? Every element is inspiration. While it’s not what I would gravitate towards, this gal pulls it off so well and is an immediate style icon.

How to Apply These Looks

Look up a photo of an outfit style that is completely different than yours. For me, the gal on the right is something you would never find me in. Choose a specific element you like or are curious about in the photo, even if it’s simply a texture or color. Find something in your wardrobe or home that reminds you of it that you can incorporate into your outfit today. Or, idk, cut yourself bangs. Actually. But don’t say I told you to. I take no responsibility, but will happily be your cheerleader because this is a fall necessity at least some point in your life.

Look 12: Street Style

Style Notes

Hear me out: A trench coat with cargo pants and a zippered sweatshirt?? That is BOLD. And she does it so very well. Extra points for her rectangular glasses. They are just the sort of shape that screams instant style. Her beanie is the truly the cherry on top. I would just love to know whether she just tossed this all on for a quick errand or curated it knowing it has surprising style.

How to Apply This Look

Steal something from another family member or friend. Okay, don’t steal—kindly borrow. Choose something outside of your wardrobe. Wear it for a day. See how you feel. Maybe you’ll feel as powerful as this gal walking down the street.

Look 13: All Black

Style Notes

This one’s simple, but I’m going to suggest that all-black just manages to be elegant and stylish no matter how actually elegant or casual your outfit is. I’d love to test this one day somehow with many people and many outfits, and here this girl has an advantage because she’s clearly put effort into her outfit, but just a little encouragement for days when you don’t know what to wear. Just go all-black or a black top with jeans and you’ll be able to get away with anything.

How to Apply This Look

Schedule something nice to do in the next two weeks. Prepare an all-black outfit for this. Combine different pieces to build upon the elegance. Keep it simple and streamlined. Take note on how you feel at this event.

Looks 14 + 15: Creating Dissonance in Combination

There is a LOT going on in each of these outfits, but both are artful in their own way.

Style Notes

• Look 1: For the girl on the left we have two vastly different shades of a similar color essence: pink and red—as represented in the scarf and purse. Then there’s the gray blazer and pants that look almost velvet. The long and loose silhouette suits her well. The whole ensemble is both dissonant yet riveting. I can’t stop looking away from her red purse. It feels like a style that is very personal to her but also makes me think of the visual maximalism that has been trending in home decor lately. It makes me want to hear how she put this look together.

• Look 2: Her friend is nailing a more cohesive color palette with the rust tones throughout. I’m loving the details on the jacket—the fuzzy collar and crosshatch pattern. Then there’s her purse and corduroy pants, topped off by her soft-mocha-toned boots. Even her hair matches these tones. It’s really very whimsical.

How to Apply This Look

Create a purposefully dissonant outfit. Style is all about art theory, and by following the rules of color, shape, and pattern, you create harmony. To break the rules is to create contrast and dissonance. Try pairing two colors together that you wouldn’t normally or that quite frankly don’t look good together. Make sure they’re different or unique enough to look intentional anyways. Or build an outfit around a single color theme but mis-match patterns and textures. Challenge yourself to step outside of your comfort zone here.

Look 16: The Lady with the Electric Green Beanie

Style Notes

It’s the electric green beanie for me. The black coat is an excellent canvas. The scarf is a beautiful accent. And then… I feel like I’ve been watching a movie that begins with a classic storyline and then suddenly throughs a complete plot twist my way. I just can’t get over it. What’s you’re equivalent of the green beanie?

How to Apply This Look

It’s simple. Go find your own equivalent of the electric green beanie. Done.

Look 17: Classic Shapes, Classic Colors

Style Notes

Now we’re back to some classic looks. This feels similar to the girl at the stoplight: Jeans with the perfect silhouette, beautiful black boots, and a lovely coat to match. Even her hair adds an accent to her style with the layering. P.S. She was the most look-alike to me that I’ve seen in this whole series. I actually felt like I was seeing myself from behind the whole time, minus the fact that I own none of these pieces!

How to Apply This Look

Search through your closet for a few pieces that are high-quality and fit you like a glove. No oversized, undersized, in need of tailoring, fast fashion here. I’m talking well-fitted, exactly suiting your particular body and shape. It’s the jeans you spent years looking for and spent a fortune on that you get compliments on every time. It’s the vintage top you thrifted that was created in an era where sewing machines still existed in every suburban home. Find these pieces, and build your outfit. All too often we lean into fast fashion but forget to use our best ordinary pieces. Take today to train your eye to see where quality and shape can serve you in the depths of your wardrobe.

Look 18: Puffer Jacket Gal

Style Notes

The puffer with the bright white hat. The fact that the puffer is a shade lighter and more muted than her top. The cuffed jeans. It’s all in the details! This is a look that I liked a LOT but want to let it speak for itself.

How to Apply This Look

Layer, layer, layer. Toss on a hat. Try a funky color with a jacket that still shows what’s underneath. Roll up your jeans. Toss on a few necklaces instead of just one.

Look 19: The Black Leather Jacket Guy

Style Notes

This is actually the other half of the pic of the girl above. This guy is in all-black, sporting an afro, and his cargo pants or jeans are paired with what looks like a leather jacket. It’s all very iconic. So many textures in one!

How to Apply This Look

Pretend you’re wearing texture-viewing glasses today. See your wardrobe not for colors and shapes but the feel and types of fabrics. Can you see your pieces in a new way? Let this drive your outfit creation today! Gather textures that work well together and let all the other elements be secondary.

Look 20: Pop of Red

Style Notes

We’ve seen this pop of color before, but it never fails to stand out. Here we have a guy with an otherwise simple outfit sporting a red scarf. Instantly stylish? Of course!

How to Apply This Look

We all have a piece that makes us instantly stylish. Maybe it’s your signature purse, your baggy jeans, your favorite bangle bracelets. Maybe it’s a pair of chunky glasses, knee-high boots, or a vintage watch. Grab that one piece and wear it today. Your confidence will thank you!

Look 21: Where a Cream Cable-Knit Sweater is a Rom-Com Character Essential

Style Notes

The sweater is everything. Am loving the cable-knit look, and once again I’m reminded of Jack from While You Were Sleeping. I would suggest you can fast-pass your way to becoming a romcom lead by owning a cable knit sweater. Just saying. I also can’t decide whether color combo of the cream cable knit sweater and the more camel-toned jacket is a well-executed monochromatic look or a slightly dissonant combination. Either way, it caught my eye and made its way on my moodboard.

How to Apply This Look

Watch a rom-com. Or any movie for that matter. Relax. Sketch out two of the outfits. Note what stands out about the outfit to you, then let it inspire the outfit you build today. Or, if you’re short on time, let “cozy” be the prompt that inspires your outfit today. Turn on a romcom playlist in your car. Bake cookies after work. When all else fails, go thrift the cable-knit sweater and let me know if you end up falling in love because of it.

Look 22 + 23: The allure of the evergreen trench coat

THIS. Okay this is too good to just say one thing about it.

Style Notes

• His evergreen trench coat. How often do you see an evergreen trench coat? Even though I’ve almost never seen one, I’m deciding this is one of the most striking colors for a trench coat. It is dark enough to suggest itself as a neutral but it is dynamic enough to feel akin to the lime green beanie above.

• The fact that they both are wearing trench coats, albeit very different cuts and fabric weights.

• His shades-of-black-and-gray look beneath.

• The boldness of his white sneakers with the rest of the outfit.

• The accent of her white collar.

How to Apply This Look

Match with the person you’re hanging out with. I know this is a thing girls like to do with their significant other for date nights, but I would like to suggest we do this when hanging out with friends as well. Ask a friend what they’re wearing today or sneak a peek at your family members and try to match. This couple isn’t even directly matching, so let your creativity flow.

Looks 24 + 25: A tale to tell

Style Notes

From the back he has the frame of Timothée Chalamet. The fact that his blazer is cropped departs from all the past shapes and lengths. There’s a pop of red in his shoes which just might be his socks. My friends and I have a challenge to ask a man about his socks on the first date and it is an excellent way to learn surprisingly much about his personality. Her silk skirt with the pop of yellow being covered by the heavy black coat embodies this essence of an evening of adventure. Where are they coming from? Where are they going? It’s a beautiful mystery!

How to Apply This Look

Dress up as if you had somewhere to be, regardless of your actual plans for the day. Wear something out of the norm, whether it’s a bit too upscale for the day or simply different than your usual attire. Once my friend did this and got news that she’d gotten her job back. Celebrate the day ahead of you through the outfit you wear before you have a reason to. And let me know what happens!

~ fin ~

Epilogue: The Moodboard Itself

And with that, friends, my roundup of Montréal style is complete! This city is one that adores neutrals and is essentially a walking Pinterest board. Also everyone needs a trench coat. Do tell me, which look did you like most? And oh, one last thing:

Vignette 1: My Sister’s Closet Clean-Out

I went to one of my dear friends’ weddings this month and discovered the power of the accent purse.

I wasn’t meaning to, but I just stumbled across it when I crossed paths with my little sis purging her closet after a wildly inspiring trip to Europe. Perhaps you know this feeling—when you travel and find that all of a sudden the way you’ve been doing things and the things you’re wearing need a complete overhaul, so you invest that newly-found vigor into everything within your reach.

For my sister, this looked like getting rid of half of her closet. “I’m so glad I can get all this stuff out of the house,” she says with a deep sigh of contentment as I begin scooping up half her things.

“I’ll take this, and this, and this,” I murmur as I try on piece after piece—skirts, jeans, and tops piling higher and higher as her stacks grow lower and lower. She looks at this Leaning Tower of Pieces with narrowed eyes. “Looks like it’s all staying in the house after all,” she comments wryly, but then graciously grants me full right to my loot.

As I’m getting up to go, sheepishly clutching what amounts to a brand new wardrobe built entirely off this momentary spontaneity, my eye catches a stack of purses lying nearby.

“Did you just add these?” I ask. “I didn’t see them before!”

One specific purse catches my eyes. “This beaded one… where did you get it,” I ask?”

“Oh, my friend gave that to me! I just haven’t used it, and I’m not sure what I’d pair it with.”

“I’ll take it,” I say decidedly and tuck it away with the rest of my loot.

Slowly, as I put away my things, an idea forms. What if this purse is the one I carry to the wedding ahead?

Vignette 2: The Power of the Purse

One of my other dear friends has taught me the power of the accent purse. She is a style queen, carefully curating her closet over the years to best represent herself and the style she wishes to embody and grow into.

When we embarked on a trip to see the autumn leaves in Canada last year, I got to witness her curation firsthand. It was simple yet classy, each piece painstakingly chosen for the perfect fit and color… and some of her most cherished pieces were her purses.

They were investment pieces that she’d decided were worth being a part of her wardrobe. She brought two on this trip and would alternate depending on which one matched her outfit best.

One day, as we were riding in an Uber down to the local mall in Québec City, she shared her philosophy on the power of an accent purse. She showed me photo after photo of influencers she admired and pointed out how their purses changed the whole outfit.

“See how it sets the mood? It can sway an outfit from ordinary to extraordinary. Or from classy to casual. See? It’s the little things that matter. That’s why I love my purses,” she settled back comfortably into her seat.

I take note of her outfit silently, wondering what magic lay behind a pretty purse. I myself was a loyal tote gal, loving the spacious ease of tossing as much or as little as I wanted into its big open space and choosing from a range of patterns and colors to match the season. Perhaps one day I would lean into the magic of the accent purse?

Skip forward to the weekend before my little sister’s closet cleanup. I found myself in a little beach town pursuing an antique shop. Somewhere in the very back corner I came across a few vintage purses and all of a sudden my inspiration was piqued. Perhaps this was my moment? I reached for a red silk one and imagined it at my side, but the vision deflated when I realized red was not my best color and this one wouldn’t close. So I put the purse back and with it my dreams of stepping into accent purse heaven.

Vignette 3: The Perfect Piece

Now, at last, preparing for my dear friend’s wedding, I had the piece I’d longed for but didn’t know how to search for. I held the purse up to my dress and noted the mauve pattern of beads that matched the deep berry wine-colored fabric. It was a perfect fit!

I then noted that the purse didn’t close. What a bummer. Of course there would be something wrong with it. I tried a number of things—finding a gold thread to wrap around, considering closing it with an obnoxious hair clip, but as I wandered into my mom’s art studio my eye caught the perfect piece. “Mom,” I yelled across the house. “Can I have one of your gold binder clips?”

As I checked off final items in my notes app while running out the door, my eye caught this bullet point: “Grab alternate purse in case bead purse is too much.”

“Should I get a normal purse just in case?” I asked my little sister as I shifted my car keys in my hands.

“No, no, just bring that one,” she said, “It’ll be a good style challenge.”

“Okay,” I smiled, then left.

It was settled. I would be an accent purse girl for the weekend.

Vignette 4: A Moment for the Accent Purse

In short, the accent purse was everything it promised to be.

First, it carried the outfit. It transformed a beautiful but plain dress into a gown fit for a wedding. It pulled together every piece of gold jewelry I was wearing into one gloriously cohesive ensemble. And the comments, oh the comments! The purse itself could not help but be noticed.

“Your purse!” a friend noted as she slid into the pew next to me.

“I love that bag,” one lady said to me as she stood in line getting food at the reception. “What?” I asked, looking about for what she was pointing to, then realizing it was the purse simply hanging from my chair.

“That is so fun,” another guest confirmed.

When I showed a friend the purse up close, I admitted the truth, “Just when you feel this is too fancy, take note of the binder clip. I’m not that pretentious,” I say with a smile. Yes, an antique beaded purse with a binder clip—truly my type of accent.

P.S. Please do tell me: What’s your go-to accent piece in your wardrobe these weeks? If you don’t have one, maybe raid your little sister’s closet?

I’ve been immersing myself in stories lately—books, movies, theater, personal experiences as retold by others—and one of the latest was the movie about the late Stephen Hawking. Perhaps you’ve heard of him?

Before watching the movie, all I knew was he was some sort of scientist and had some sort of medical condition. Beyond that I was pretty clueless about his life and work.

A friend had read his book and remarked how dense it was—despite being advertised as accessible to the general, non-scientific public—and mentioned the movie as a more digestible summary of his work and life. I’ve long listened to the soundtrack as one of my favorite movie scores, so I figured it was about time to watch the story that accompanied it. However, I didn’t expect to be so deeply affected.

As a disclaimer, I will say that I have not done further in-depth research on Stephen Hawking’s life before writing this piece, so my words here are a reflection on the film alone—which, while it does try to accurately display Stephen’s true story, it is, at the end of the day, simply a piece of art to interpret rather than identically mirror real life. So any assumptions or statements on the characters cannot be transferred with confidence to the actual humans that lived. Indeed, they ought not.

Still reading? Let’s continue on.

The Film in Three Parts

On Love

What surprised me at first is that this movie is primarily a love story. I thought it would be all about Stephen Hawking’s scientific achievements and the trajectory of his fame, but from the very beginning it follows the path of not the physics of the universe but, as Stephen proclaims gustily in an early scene, “the physics of love.”

Within the opening scenes of the film, Stephen meets a girl who captures his imagination: Jane. Over the course of several dates, they find in each other a kindred spirit.

Stephen tells Jane how he’s trying to find the single equation that solves the origin of the universe, and she responds by speaking back the opening lines of Genesis. This is the essence of their dynamic as they both enter in with a matched strength and brilliance that fascinates the other.

Enter Stephen Hawking’s chilling diagnoses: that he has motor neuron disease and is only projected to live for two more years. This wretched condition eats away at one’s muscular ability, and, as the doctor describes, “The ability to control voluntary movement is lost entirely.” In the midst of this toppling diagnosis, the doctor tells Stephen one significant detail, “The brain won’t change. Your thoughts aren’t affected.”

One of the first things we witness is how this affects Stephen’s relationship with Jane. Upon receiving his diagnosis, he falls into a lapse of hope and tells her, “I have two years to live. You need to go.”

Her response is surprising.

“I love you. I want us to be together for as long as you’ve got.”

Upon hearing her resolve to stand beside Stephen, her father remarks, “I don’t think you realize what lies ahead, Jane. His life is going to be very short. The weight of science lies against you. No fight. Defeat.”

Jane responds, “I know what you think. That I don’t look like a terribly strong person. But I love him, and he loves me. We’re going to fight this illness together.”

So they get married.

Her posture in the face of their projected future is incredibly powerful to watch. One can feel the tension at two ends:

First, that her response can be, at face value, attributed to the naivety of young love in your 20s. Of course she can answer with such gusto because she knows not what lies ahead—what life will demand of her. All she knows is she loves this man, and that present happiness is enough to convince her it will be sustained throughout all that life will require of her.

And yet, at the same time, we witness in her words a quiet faith and a strong resilience, a willingness to stand beside the brilliant man whose body will knowingly betray him in the years to come. In this moment, a woman who did not feel as strongly about the man in front of her would have had ample opportunity to walk away, but this woman stays. She stays because she is convinced of the worth of the one beside whom she stands.

For anyone who’s had to grapple with making a decision on whether to enter into another’s pain, the rest of the film is a moving but difficult story to witness.

On Life

As life would have it, the disease indeed takes over, and what follows is a descent into the darkness of Stephen losing the whole of who he once was from the outside. He falls more regularly, takes on a wheelchair, begins to struggle with eating and then speaking. Eventually, he’s hoisting himself up the stairs using only the strength in his arms. Throughout these moments of increasing loss, Jane stands devoutly beside him, helping at every turn.

But oh, this idyllic picture of love in the face of suffering and sacrifice does not last forever. The jarring moment comes when the temptation to infidelity creeps in.

Infidelity is a silent tempter. It always is. For Jane, it came in the form of the man who reminded her of the one whom she had once had in his whole and healthy state. This man was a family friend. In him she sees who she could’ve had, the husband she now misses as the weight of medical necessities and tangible physical breakdown crowds out the presence of the love that existed between her and Stephen. It is here that those words she spoke so long ago of her unending resilience seem to clatter and fall to the ground. Was she really ever as strong as she supposed to be, able to withstand the struggle?

As I pondered this question, I realized the answer in the hands of a human is a dismal, unstable thing. Indeed, it seems to be as if all odds are stacked against her. Stephen is aware of what is happening, and, in time, he too falls for another.

For him, this was a woman who praises him and builds him up upon first meeting him. Since she was entering the scene with fresh eyes rather than as the one who had stood beside him over the years, she finds it easy to see beyond his illness to the brilliance that was there. To Stephen, this presents something new, something different than the weathered, steady service of Jane. Like Jane taking notice of the family friend, this woman captures Stephen’s eye in the exact area of his perceived lack.

Throughout this wrestling, I sensed the deep grief shared by both Stephan and Jane was a loss of identity—both in themselves and in the way they regarded the other.

For Jane, she had become the caretaker of Stephen and perceived that this was primarily how he saw her. He was wrestling through his own entire loss of identity through the breakdown of his body. Jane knew his worth, but had grown weary and jaded in calling it out. Stephen was aware of his wife’s deep service to him, but grew scarce in his praise of her. Both longed to be seen, to be praised, to be seen as more than what role life demanded of them at the moment, but neither had the strength to call it out in the other.

The great Persian poet Rumi writes, “If you remember who you are, what will you become?” Now I am no diagnoser of hearts, but I can testify it is a wondrous thing to call out the sacredness in others. It works a transformation we cannot anticipate—nor control. Here in this story, this grand becoming was broken and stilted in growth as it found no source to draw from.

Instead, these life-giving words that each craved so deeply and that instilling of identity came from broken, forbidden sources: lovers that existed outside the covenant of marriage. But oh, to experience life-giving words from the places we long to see redemption in—we cannot know how deeply this can mark us… or, how deeply it can mark the one to whom we gift this.

The irony of it all? Perhaps this tale was about the “physics of love” at work in the end anyways. After all, Newton himself stated that the first law of physics is, “Every body persevere in its state of being at rest or of moving uniformly straight forward, except insofar as it is compelled to change its state by forces impressed.” Forces impressed. A change of state. Oh, the humility to acknowledge that even the movement of our hearts cannot escape the rise and fall of outside forces—we are all deeply in need of the movement of the One who made us.

On the Universe

Despite the overarching narrative on this “physics of love,” a question surfaces: What was Hawking’s first love? Was it Jane? Or was it the science of the universe?

As portrayed by the film, Stephen Hawking’s life was immersed in the pursuit of that single equation which solves the origin of the universe. At the start of the film, he calls his area of study “religion for intelligent atheists.” He stakes his life upon it. The crux of his time and energy was spent on this pursuit, and all fame and fortune followed, raising him to become a name we now know.

At one point Stephen, Jane, and the family friend have a calm but passionate discourse over dinner on where God fits into this pursuit. And Stephen had an answer.

“So you no longer believe in the creation?” the friend asks.

“What one believes is irrelevant in physics,” Stephen returns.

“Oh, I thought you’d prove the universe had a beginning and thus a need for a Creator,” the friend shifts in his seat. “My mistake.”

“No, mine,” Stephen shoots back with an impish grin.

Jane steps in. “Stephen is looking for a single theory that explains all the forces in the universe. Therefore, God must die.”

“Why must God die? I don’t see…” the friend challenges.

Jane launches into an explanation on the two “pillars of physics”—quantum theory and general relativity—and ends her eloquent monologue with this piercing statement, spoken on behalf of Stephen: “God is back on the endangered species list.”

“…and physics is back in business.” Stephen completes her statement.

What this dialogue reveals is that whether God lived or died on the basis of Stephen’s theory seemed to be of no consequence to him. What was of consequence was determining his theory—from that the rest of truth and life would flow. Through endless mathematical equations and dizzyingly brilliant analyses on black holes, he mines this pursuit for all its worth.

The irony of this all is that within his very own lifetime, his theory went through a change. After all his work is poured into finding the answer to his burning question, it turns out the thing that he centered his life on had the capability of changing based on his flux of knowledge even within a brief seventy-six years. It left no space for One who has remained unchanged for as long as time. It seems his first love did not love him back with the consistency that one would hope.

Perhaps even his theory, insomuch as it was governed by the constraints of his own mind, was subject to the rules of physics, constrained within the limitations of humanity’s understanding. It is not that his theory is undiscoverable, only that his pursuit of the discovery had an end in itself—one he didn’t reach, or did, exactly as he hoped.

Epilogue

And so we reach the final scene of this agonizing, moving story. The movie ends with Stephen and Jane strolling the gardens of Buckingham Palace after attending an audience with the Queen of England. The pain of the forbidden loves is held in tension with this statement spoken aloud as they watch their children playing in the garden, “Look at what we made.”

The film then rewinds—back through the moments of pain and suffering, back through the moments of the initial breakdown of Stephen’s body, back to when he was whole and healthy, back to his budding relationship with Jane.

Rewind time.
What will you remember?
Our history is no black hole,
but tiny window
into the beginning of everything.

What is everything?
What we seek?
or,
what seeks us?

in which we choose a film

Last week, my sister was in town and we decided on a whim to begin a Barbie movie marathon. We grew up on Barbie (hello, would love to hear if you did, too!), but it has been years since we’ve watched any of the movies. We recalled our favorites—Rapunzel, Princess and the Pauper, The Twelve Dancing Princesses, the Island Princess—and wondered what we should begin with.

“How about Swan Lake,” one of us suggested.

“That’s one we didn’t get to watch often!” my sister recalled, then laughed, “This is our chance!”

Lo and behold, one of our siblings had a whole set of Barbie DVDs, so we found the film of choice and slid it into our working DVD player (how many of you still have one of these, too?). My parents and siblings filtered in until it was nearly my whole family sitting in front of the TV, and we settled down to watch this classic.

jumping to the end

I would love to tell you about the themes of courage, sacrifice, and loyalty woven throughout, but today I’d actually like to skip ahead to the end scene when all hope seems lost and the Prince (there’s always a prince, of course) and main character Odette (Barbie, of course) seem to have failed at breaking their world’s spell and lie unconscious on the ground (with hands clasped, of course).

It is of note that the main villain, the evil Rothbart, has just cried, “At last, this world is mine!” with ruthless vengeance.

What happens next is intriguing. At the moment when every little girl expects Odette and the Prince to leap up and say, “Just kidding, we’re alive and all is well!” there is a momentary pause for a momentous change:

We watch first how the symbol of reversing the spell—a crystal captured by Rothbert—begins to pulse with a fiery glow around his neck, lifting him up into the air in a way he, in all his evil power, cannot control. He tries to claw the crystal off, but he simply cannot. Its power is too great.

We then are transported immediately to the villain’s lair, nestled in the shadowy corners of the forest. We have reached, in no unintentional manner, the place of greatest darkness.

Here is where the home of the evil one is. Here is where the center force of darkness lives—in a terraced wooden structure amid a sultry green haze and twisted roots of trees, dripping with a sinister presence. What happens as we behold this fortress? In an instant, the elaborate structure begins collapsing—starting with the roof and all the way down to the foundation. In a moment, the seat of evil is done for. There is no space for it to live in this land.

Then, we see a hint of color creep into the bottom of the scene to touch the trees. It begins to blanket the roots, and trees begin to bud and bloom. The color—accompanied by sparkles, of course—gains ground as plants and water and rocks and grass respond with an awakening, lifting whatever part of them is in motion to the sky. Indeed, the sky itself changes from a dusky, clouded, unnoticeable mass to something worth looking up to. As we watch, the scene zooms out and we can see this change does not only take place in the once-evil lair or in the little plot of land where Odette and the Prince lie but in the whole land at large. We soar across rivers and waterfalls to witness the change and find ourselves back in the little grove where we began.

Is it time yet? Do Odette and the Prince rise? No, not yet, as what first must happen is the transformation of the others they love so dearly. First, the Fairy Queen who so bravely defended them but was reduced to a mouse—in a sweet swirl of life, she is transformed back into her full self. The entourage of little friends who have served her well look on in wonder.

Then, these same friends—who by the spell of the evil one had become animals—at last lose the features that marked their creatures.

It is only after this point that all look back to Odette and the Prince where they still lie on the ground, unconscious. The heroes’ transformation comes last.

At last, Odette stirs her hand.

“Look, the legend! It must be true love,” the one closest to Odette exclaims (her spunky purple unicorn wingwoman, of course).

Slowly, Odette lifts herself up—first her head, then her body—off the ground, and as she stirs, the Prince begins stirring too. They both raise themselves to sit, looking about themselves in bewilderment.

For a moment they are confused. What just happened? Their eyes seem to ponder, “I thought all was lost?” But then they see their friends, no longer under the evil spell, gazing back at them.

It is at this moment that they realize all is well. What follows is exactly what you’d expect from any good story.

on color and what is to come

I would like to take just a brief moment to ponder this whole movement. Is this not what you long for? Is there some place in your life that you dream of color creeping in and all being transformed?

It is no small thing that nearly every Barbie movie ends with a scene like this—a scene in which all is changed in an instant, when the color returns to the screen and the entire land is overcome with life anew.

What do you dream of? What do you long for the end of the story to be? I ask what you dream of here in both small ways and big ways, and I’d like to let you in on this secret: We dream of this because it’s real.

What if I told you at the end of all time, color will creep across your existence? What if I told you that after you lie unconscious in your grave, life will stir again? What if I told you that one day the lair of the evil one will collapse in a heap of dust and all things growing will lift their heads to the sky? What if I told you the legend is true—that true love will stir all this?

You may know this story, and you may not. It’s one told in the ancient Scriptures, revealed in detail some two thousand years ago by men named John and Paul who were friends of God. Their words speak of one named Jesus who was killed by the evil one, was rendered lifeless in the grave, but rose again by the power of His true love for this world. He extends His touch of color to all who look to Him, who behold His face. The transformation has already begun. But oh, friend, it is so much greater than just your plot of land. He has told us He will make this whole world new!

I don’t know where these words find you today—whether your plot of land is full of color or dull and lifeless—but I extend to you this story. May it stir your soul in all the little corners you’ve tucked away, not knowing His life wants to reach even this, too. So next time you watch a Barbie movie—or any good story, for that matter—ponder the fact that this is simply a tiny glimpse of what one day is to come. I am not sure whether it’ll come with swirls and sparkles but know beyond a shadow of a doubt that its power and beauty will be much, much deeper, and oh, you are allowed to long for it!

Images Sourced from Barbie of Swan Lake (2003)

Why create a Reading Syllabus?

The idea of a reading syllabus brings me back to those sultry summer days when my mom would print out my summer reading list and I’d peek at the paper curiously, wondering if this summer’s read would be a bore or a brilliant new favorite. Now, years later and well out of school, I miss this little list. I figured, if our childhood education was built around reading lists and syllabi, why not make one for real life? So that’s exactly what I did.

For a few years now I’ve been jotting down a reading syllabus for specific seasons on my notes app. I note down different books friends recommended. I recognize specific struggles I am wrestling through and seek titles that would speak to those areas. One season my list focused on tech use and Sabbath rest. Another featured reads on creativity and classic fiction. This fall and winter, I have a rather grandiose plan of reading as much as possible. So, for the first time, my list is intentionally extensive as I have a plethora of time and opportunity to make progress here. I am craving to learn and grow, so I’ve intentionally chosen books across a range of topics to expand my palate and dip into a variety of disciplines I find interesting.

Perhaps I’m not the only one who would enjoy a more structured approach to my TBR? Welcome to this little guide on how to build your own Fall Reading Syllabus!

What Type of Books Do You Like?

I took this fun quiz with a friend to find my book style and uncovered that I read to learn, which is so true. I have a hard time convincing myself to pick up a book purely for the fun of it if I cannot be guaranteed that in some way I’ll come out better on the other end. So if it’s non-fiction, I want to make sure I’ll grow in knowledge on a specific topic. If it’s fiction, I’ll look for something based on history or someone’s personal experience to better understand people or our world. In this way, you’ll find a lot of these are nonfiction.

In spite of my draw towards nonfiction, I’ve realized my brain can tire of all the facts. It craves stories at its core, so I’m working on being more intentional to search out good fiction and tale-telling. I find a good story always goes down easiest and actually contains the most profound lessons that settle deep into the soul! And truly, we were built for stories. Jesus knows this so well in how He’d always tell parables and share illustrations instead of teach a 5-point sermon. (I could go on and on about this and how Western culture misses a whole aspect of our humanity in neglecting to prioritize a story-first culture, but that’s an essay for another day!) At the end of the day, knowing what I gravitate towards has both made it simpler for me to know which titles to reach for and at the same time prompt me to experiment beyond my typical palate.

What about you? What genres stir your interest? What do you typically reach for? How has that nourished you in the past: in heart, mind, and soul? Are you satisfied in what books you typically reach for, or do you have an itch to expand your palate? What is your why for reaching beyond your familiar reads? Is it out of guilt over what you should be reading—rarely the most encouraging and effective motivator—or is it out of the desire to experiment and discover the fun in new literary directions? What fresh reads could be ahead for you in this season?

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My Autumn Reading Syllabus

What follows is my personal Fall Reading List. I’m going to begin with the original list—which, I will warn you, is extensive. And here is my confession: I am not actually going to read all of these. I’ve already begun to shift my list to a more succinct, representative list that represents what I’m actually reading day-to-day rather than what I want to read (which is essentially my entire shelf—do you do this too?). However, I figured sharing the original list would best demonstrate how I organize my books into categories like an actual syllabus. See this as a way to begin to stir your imagination of where you could take your own syllabus.

After this big-picture look, I’ll walk through a few standout titles—the ones that represent the topics I’ve genuinely enjoyed diving into so far (many of which already deviate from this list)—so you can get a sense of the why behind certain choices. Let’s dive in!

The Original

As you can see, my list for this fall covers a range of topics: Faith, Language-Learning, Cooking, Creativity, and Health. It is as if I am taking five courses, one in each of these distinct areas. If this were the actual case, this would indeed be plenty of material to fuel my growth and learning. But, as the season has gone on, I’ve found I actually have picked up titles that are not directly on this list and which better represent where my brain space has been this fall.

Another Autumn Sample

Before I move on to some select individual titles, here is another example of a list from several falls ago. If you’re overwhelmed by the scope of this fall’s list, hopefully you’ll be encouraged by the simplicity of an earlier notes app list which contains a simple jot down of titles. As you can see, I didn’t make it far in this list, completing only two of these titles in entirety and beginning four more by the end of the season. The list is for the dreaming and the noting down! Don’t feel too tied down yet to what you’ll actually complete.

As you can see, the two main categories I decided to focus on were (1) Soul Nourishment and (2) Literary Enrichment. Within each of these I had noted various recommended titles from friends, only a few of which I got started on. I love looking back on this note, though, because I can remember exactly how I wished to grow in this season, and it’s fun to look back and realize how even crafting this list shaped me.

With that, here is my deep dive into some favorite titles from this current season and my why behind the reads…

Four Completed Books

1. Persuasion by Jane Austen: Although I wish I read classics simply for how sophisticated that would look, I admit I rarely reach for these time-honored titles due to the unfortunate effects of my middle school reading list (not always as alluring as the summer ones). I had been scared away from Jane Austen at by having to read her least-best work (in my opinion), Northanger Abbey, in 8th grade. It was only this spring that I ventured into Pride and Prejudice for the first time and came out absolutely in awe of Jane Austen’s genius. So when this particular Jane Austen novel, Persuasion, was recommended by a friend, I picked up a copy and devoured it in two days flat! It’s clear I’ve been missing out! So what about you? What would it look like for you to branch into a new genre? Would you take up classics, too? Or are you well-versed in this world and need to venture into something entirely different?

2. Reconnected by Carlos Whittaker: Another recommendation from a friend, this proved a raw and humorous account of one man’s search to tackle on the intersection of tech use and faith. An excellent first read of the season that set the tone for my soul to commit to the value of presence this fall—presence with my family, with people, with God. What books would nourish your soul in this season and be less about learning, striving, and doing and more of an invitation to savor?

3. A Love-Letter Life by Jeremy & Audrey Roloff: Another book I devoured in 48 hours. (See? The stories really do go down the easiest!) I’ve been following along with this couple’s podcast which led to me picking up this book in particular. It tells the tale of their love story in alternating pieces through both of their eyes and was an altogether delightful read! Who exists in your physical world or in your digital space who shares enriching content? Have they written a book? What if you added that book to your list?

4. First Crossing: Stories about Teen Immigrants edited by Donald R. Gallo: One of the topics that fascinates me most is how one adjusts to a culture that is not their own, so when I saw this book at the $1 table at my library, I snagged it. It’s a collection of short stories from talented writers who have crafted tales of the experiences of children immigrating to a new country. I hoped to gain more empathy and perspective for the range of emotions and experiences that come with such jarring life changes, and this is exactly what happened! Reading this also became deeply relevant to new friendships I have been making this fall, so it’s given me language to ask about their experiences. All in all, it was absolutely the gem of a book I anticipated. What is a topic that tugs on the core of what you care about? Can you find a book that expands your perspective on it? And, even more simply, have you let yourself browse the $1 book shelves at the thrift store or your local library?

Four In-Progress Titles

1. Nonsense: The Power of Not Knowing by Jamie Holmes: Where do I even begin with this one? This was a suggestion from a friend who is one of the most brilliant people I know. She’s the kind of friend who knows each of the local farmer’s market vendors by name, brushed up on French for a brief visit to Canada, and is currently trying to build her own server on a Raspberry Pi just for the fun of it. So when she recommended this book, I of course was intrigued. The premise of the book is essentially that ambiguity leads to innovation, creativity, and empathy. I’m deep in the midst of these pages now and am fascinated by how it is both so scientific—covering a plethora of disciplines from language-learning to medical to comedic to the fashion industry—and yet so applicable to day-to-day life. For you, what’s a smart book you can pick up? I believe in you! It’s worth trying to read it!

2. The Science of Spice by Stuart Farrimond: I’ve been on a curry kick lately, researching how to make my own Garam Masala blend and noting the distinct differences of flavor profiles in regional cuisine. So I’ve been marking this season as one to experiment with flavor in new ways. I even saw that my local library had a “Spice Seminar” a few weeks ago which I sadly missed but am considering the catalyst to find new ways to learn about this topic. What’s a topic you want to dive deep into? It can be as niche as you want! What sort of book would be fun to flip through to help you learn about this topic?

3. Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaarder: Was really excited about this one because it’s an award-winning fictional novel that teaches an entire course of philosophy through following the journey of the little girl—my two favorite things in one: learning and stories! However, it is a bit more dry than I anticipated. Good, but heavy on the brain in the information department. I will admit I tried to make myself begin memorizing the philosophy parts I was reading and perhaps that ought not to be the goal, so if I go in without this perspective it might be much more enjoyable. Can’t promise I’ll finish this one though, for right now it feels like a should-read not a get-to-read. For you, what are some of the should-reads that you can pull off your list to lighten your mental load?

4. Sabbath: The Day of Delight by Abraham E. Millgram: First, let me say this: Put an old book on your list. And by old, I mean at the very least older than you. I’m being generous in my definition! I don’t care what it’s about and whether it’s a Peanuts Comic compendium or a primary source of ancient literature. We need old books in our lives because they show us a greater scope of our humanity. The way people thought and unpacked life in different centuries contains buckets of wisdom for our contemporary perspective on life—which, believe it or not, is quite narrow—and can reveal your blind spots. There’s something about reading a work that predates this age of information that leaves you in awe of the human brain and the power of knowledge. I was recently reminded how deeply the Enlightenment has affected Western civilization in only the past 200 years and it made me long all the more to surround myself with different ages of perspectives than that with which I have grown up. This book on the Sabbath in particular was published only over 60 years ago by a Jewish scholar and represents a beautiful wealth of wisdom on the weekly observance of the Sabbath, a topic I adore learning about! So where can you find an old book to unearth some fresh perspective?

Bonus Tip: Book Study

My cousin and I are doing a long-distance book study together and I’d absolutely recommend this! It is the best thing! We basically read through a chapter a week of our chosen nonfiction book and note questions and comments in the margins, working through those on our weekly FaceTime call. There’s always plenty to talk about and we learn so much about each other and in the way of accountability. I don’t know why we didn’t do this earlier!

Build Your Own Reading Syllabus

1 | Where will you make your list?

Begin with where you’ll build your syllabus. Will it be a bullet list on your notes app? A casual scrawl on a pad of paper? Will you pull up a document and add some design and typography elements for fun and print it out at home or at the local library? Will you give an updated refresh to your Goodreads TBR list? Will you make a moodboard of the covers off of Pinterest on this app and use it as your lockscreen? Even the list can be an opportunity for creativity!

Will you add a “why” statement up top? A summary of what represents your books for this season? Or will you organize your list into sections with headers for the various areas you choose to dive into? With that, we enter the What stage of building your syllabus…

2 | What books will go on your list?

What topics are circulating in your mind these days? What areas of life are you struggling with, desiring to grow in? What books have friends recommended that you really did want to read but entirely forgot about (yes, we’re all guilty of this)? Mark these down in your initial list.

To prompt you deeper, I’m actually going to repeat my questions from above right here so you can ponder them again as you build your syllabus:

What genres stir your interest? What do you typically reach for? How has that nourished you in the past: in heart, mind, and soul? Are you satisfied in what books you typically reach for, or do you have an itch to expand your palate? What is your why for reaching beyond your familiar reads? Is it out of guilt over what you should be reading—rarely the most encouraging and effective motivator—or is it out of the desire to experiment and discover the fun in new literary directions?

How could you pursue a new direction this season? Is there a single title you can think of outside of your personal palate that would add a fresh layer to your literary journey?

3 | Which book begins your journey?

Which book will you pick up first? Do you need to buy it online or at a local bookshop? Do you need to grab a local library card and pick it up tomorrow afternoon? Can you borrow it from a friend or pull it out of a dusty shelf in your room? Find this first book and set it on your nightstand, kitchen table, or wherever it’ll catch your eye. With that, let your seasonal reading journey begin!

Hello, November! Don’t you feel like fall was just made for moodboards? Ever since the season began, I’ve been wanting to jump on here to share all the inspiration that has been dancing about, but I’ve only just now gotten around to it. Here is a little summary of what is on my bucket list for this week:

1. Finishing my first Knitted Sophie Scarf: Yes, I am en route to completing my first knitting project: the viral Sophie Scarf! Well, you could say this is one of my second projects because when I was 9 years old I took up knitting and completed exactly 1.5 doll scarves or something to that nature which generally involved a piece of plush pink knitting that was intended to be rectangle but curled like a spiral noodle or something like that, but generally since then I have been known to begin knitting projects and not finish them. There were my first adult self-starter projects which still lie undone: a whole actual sweater where only the neckline has begun to take shape, a scarf I began and never ended because I gave the needles to my friend and dropped the ball of yarn back at the thrift store, and the little ball of gorgeous blue Mohair that has undergone three different projects yet every time I take it out because I don’t have quite enough yarn to complete them. Which is why to begin and be nearing the end of this project is quite monumental. Also, the fact that I’ve chosen to embark on making a trending pattern is big in and of itself as I have relatively hot takes about how to engage in trends artfully and when and how one can take notes from mainline fashion. (I am realizing this point could become fashion essay more than moldboard element, so do tell: Would you like a fashion theory essay one of these days?) Anyways, I have actually made significant progress on this project so stay tuned for the final piece!

2. Working through my Fall Reading Syllabus. Have you made your own personal Fall Reading Syllabus? If not, I’d highly recommend beginning today! Each season, I love to note down books that I want to read as a little syllabus for life, but up until now I must admit I would barely get through two books in a given season. This fall, however, reading is one of the top of my to-dos for these days as I have ample time and am craving to learn about a variety of topics. I made a goal to read through a curated selection of books that I’ve owned for years but never touched, and then somewhere in there I unintentionally (but entirely willingly) stumbled upon my local library and have added a decent number of titles to my list that grows weekly (as I accidentally re-enter my library weekly). Would you like to see a breakdown of my current reads? I’d love to hear a title on your list and why you chose it!

3. Making homemade yogurt to heal the gut. Gut issues are all the rage these days! If you’ve not run into this yet, blessings upon you, but I’m guessing at least one of you might be going through some discomfort with various foods or even eating in general. I’m no doctor so the following thoughts do not qualify as medical advice, but I am a voracious foodie, so I’ve been on a journey to figure out the solution to bloating, food sensitivities, and a bunch of other less-than-glamorous things that leave my foodie heart pining after what I once could consume (if Low-FODMAP doesn’t sound like a foreign language to you, welcome to the party!). After researching a plethora of proposed solutions from every corner of the medical arena, I’ve decided quite simply to begin with making a very specialized homemade yogurt (more accurately described as fermented dairy as it possesses different bacterial strains to regular yogurt) to see if it solves all this. For my particular case I’m making this kind, but according to my research, the probiotics found in yogurt seem to be one of the simplest, most effective solutions for an unhappy gut, so this week marks the beginning of this leg of this health adventure! Of course, a whole lot of time, exploration, and weighing of pros and cons lies behind this little bullet point (and, in typical medical disclaimer fashion, this is not intended to be medical advice), but I wanted to share just a peek into this journey in case you’re struggling with the same sort of thing. It could take at least a month or two to see how effective this is, but here’s to hoping for some fresh foodie fun ahead!

4. Watching Cozy Autumn Films with a Cup of Chai Tea: This is the essential combination. A cozy movie + low lighting after dark + a cup of something warm + a homemade dessert = the perfect fall evening. I’ve been curating the classic list of cozy rom-coms to work through and rejoicing every time the weather is overcast, for these moody days undoubtedly lead to the best movie nights. An unexpected favorite was Babette’s Feast, a masterpiece of cinema from 1987 that I anticipated to be entirely boring but was astounded at the subtle comedy, sweeping visuals, and emotive tale. If you are willing to venture into the realm of old movies, do give it a go. And if not, try Julie and Julia or the BBC version of Pride & Prejudice on Disney+/Hulu—my new all-time favorite (yes, above the 2005 version!). What’s your favorite fall movie?

5. Assembling a Montréal Moodboard: Yes! You heard me correctly! I recently returned from a lovely trip to Québec, Canada, and I am swooning over the style scene in Montréal which took me entirely by surprise. I am describing it as a live Pinterest feed, so stay tuned for a full reveal of all the inspiration this month! Have you ever been to this corner of Canada?

There are a scattering of other creative projects I am engaged in currently but will leave those for future weeks and further progress, so for now, I hope you are enjoying the turning of the year to chillier and darker days!

Hello friends! Summer has been revealing its full glory these week, and with that, here’s a moodboard about how to make the most of these sweet sweaty days!

1. Stick your hand out the window of the car. Sometimes I forget that it’s summer. Existing in an air-conditioned box all day and then moving to an air conditioned moving vehicle can do that to you! Sure, there’s that whoosh of hot air that hits you as you move between one to the other, but safely in the box I forget the real world of outdoors is reeling with sweat from this hot, sticky air. You too? Here’s the thing: I want to know deep in my bones that it’s summer. So sometimes I have to make myself physically remember. Which means sticking my hand out the window while driving down the road on the way to work in the morning. Or pulling off my shoes and socks as I tiptoe across the grass at some local park. Or standing outside two seconds longer to breathe in the sultry air before rushing into my apartment to escape the heat. Here’s to soaking up the summer sun!

2. Okay, and then, when was the last time you lay on a blanket on the grass and looked up at the sky? This is basically the same as #1, but a level up. Please do try it more than once. Do it this week even. Start with 5 minutes. I promise you will want to stay longer.

3. Read cookbooks. I currently have a stack of 7 cookbooks staring at me right now and it makes me smile. Pinterest is good but you can’t turn the page on a Pinterest recipe. You can’t tote it into your kitchen and try to balance it between your soaking wet sponge and the loads of ginger you bought for last week’s recipe while trying to make sure it doesn’t get flour splashed all over it from the brownies you’re about to build. Yes, cookbooks are just that much more fun, and I’d highly recommend you pick one up one of these days.

4. Stay up until midnight to do something fun with someone else. I don’t care if you’re 20 or 120—summer is quite simply the time to do this. At least once. The other weekend a dear friend and I met for a picnic at 5 pm. I told her I was sure we’d be there for “seven hours” as I knew we had loads to catch up on. Sure enough, a delicious homemade quiche, full enneagram assessment, and million mosquito bites later, we snapped a photo at 11:53 pm to commemorate the soul-filling evening. Of course the things that are bad for your bedtime are the best things for your heart. So I’m no doctor, but this is my diagnosis for living fully alive this summer (and then catch up on your bedtime after).

5. Do a little shopping splurge on simple things. On a Sunday in June I’ll admit I went on a rampage. I let myself buy Jane Austen’s Persuasion from Half-Priced Books and of course then I had to pick up the book Boundaries because this summer is for health, and then I went into the art store and decided to buy fancy paper for a bookbinding project and then went to Anthropologie for a friend’s wedding registry gift and realized the whole time I had Trader Joe’s ground pork carefully double-wrapped in my purse to keep it from burning alive in my heated car while it awaited its destiny as a delicious bolognese for my evening meal prep. All that combined made me smile so big, and even though we shouldn’t give into consumerism sometimes little splurges like this will make the whole week feel like a party. And when you are better than this and don’t wish to spend your dollars, try “shopping” your house for something you haven’t touched in a while. I should probably do this next Sunday actually.

6. Spend time asking Jesus a question and waiting for His answer. It’s really the most life-giving thing to do this. Did you know at every moment He is so very ready to pour life into you? To speak truth over you, direct you to His life-giving words in Scripture, and stir your joy in the most tender of places? Even now? I’ve been running to Him for the most random things in a quite haphazard and entirely inconsistent way and have been delightfully surprised at how intentional He is in showing up and responding. The best part when I talk to Him or sit down to journal is when I leave space for His response. Whether you feel He’s near or far off, leave space for the serendipity of His presence. I promise you your entire summer will be better off for it.

7. Clean your room, clean your house, clean your car. It’ll leave you more brain space to enjoy all these beautiful things. Okay, that’s it for now!

With that, I’ll leave you with one phrase that I came away with from a college spring break trip years ago because it captures the anticipation summer brings:

May this be the anthem of your summer ahead!

My cousin just got married. She didn’t have a traditional bridal party. Instead, it was just she and her man up at the altar, and she dubbed me her “unofficial official maid of honor.” At some point during the wedding-planning process she mentioned wanting a bachelorette but wasn’t sure who to invite. She also teased the idea of a girl’s weekend between us, lamenting that it was too late to plan this.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to her, my wheels were turning. What if we did pull off this desired vision of a bachelorette? Images of traditional bachelorette parties immediately surged through my brain, and I just as quickly shut the idea down. None of it felt real to our friendship and cousinhood. Instead it felt like a stale, unfamiliar concept that one does simply for the charade and expectation of it all (yes, I have hot takes about modern weddings and the fanfare that accompanies them, but that’s a story for another day). Well, never mind then, no bachelorette would happen.

But then, this is where the Holy Spirit stepped in. You see, He loves celebrating people. He’s the best at it, really, and I often get the sense that He’s itching to do it through us in a million little ways here on earth. So somewhere in here He whispered to not give up on the idea of loving my cousin well.

First, the realization

There’s a verse in 1 John that’s been blowing my mind ever since I read it. It says,

“Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.”

I used to think this verse applied only to super-spiritual stuff like serving people and loving sacrificially—which, obviously, it does. But when I read it anew a few months ago I was struck with this realization:

The verse uses the word expression. Expression is unique to each one of us. We express love differently and uniquely. When this verse prompts us to let God’s love be brought to full expression, I can’t help but think He wants his love to seep out of every fiber of our being in all the specific ways we do and enjoy life.

I then realized expressing love invites creativity into that expression, and creativity is a form of expression. With that, here was my resounding epiphany:

Creativity is letting God’s love be brought to full expression in us.

And, quite simply, loving people is art.

What if this subtle prompting to plan a girl’s weekend for my cousin was quite simply letting God’s love for my cousin and my love for her be brought to full expression through me?

I was all in.

Step 1: The Tease. Aka, the Invitation

Invitations are essential to stirring excitement. I am the hugest believer that you must do things in a proper order to stir the maximum potential anticipation possible when loving people well. And that involves the tease.

A “tease” is simply a subtle or not-so-subtle release of a limited amount of information about the experience or gift or surprise ahead that is strategically planned to prepare the participant for what’s ahead. There is a simple satisfaction in knowing hints have been dropped even if the full experience hasn’t been revealed yet. If I was an author, I’d call it a foreshadowing. If I was God, I’d call it prophecy. And if I was a party-planner, I’d call it the invitation.

Of course, an invitation can range from medium-subtle to blatantly obvious. Sometimes it throws the door wide open to what is ahead—“Surprise, a party for you!”—and sometimes it is more veiled—“Meet here at 6 pm and wear a fancy dress! More details to come!”

This girl’s weekend invite fell into the veiled-invitation category. As my cousin put it, “You gave me just enough information to know how to prepare and yet trust you completely on the rest.” And yes, the invitation was an actual invitation. Designed, printed, and, um, delivered.

Because yes, delivering this invitation is a work of art, too. Here are my rules for this:

1. If your invitation comes in the form of the text, at the very least send it with one of those text effects like invisible ink or fireworks or something of the sort. Can also be a normal text accompanied by gifs. The goal is to make this feel out-of-the-ordinary.

2. If your invitation can be printed, do so. Based on potentially an hour of research, I found the easiest way to send a last-minute invitation if you are desperately in need of going this route and yet on a time constraint is to send it to the nearest FedEx in the vicinity of your recipient and make them go pick it up. Maybe design it on an 8.5x11 sheet of paper and order it to be cut in half. Just some thoughts from someone who spent way too long on her laptop trying to find another option to deliver in under 24 hours.

3. An invitation can also just be a card to accompany your work of art or gift, or some words or action that expresses the intention or significance of the expression ahead.

4. Consider carefully how much information you release in this invitation and what will delight the recipient most. This is totally up to you and your style, but just think: mystery, frills, and bells and whistles are all SO fun. You have a lot of routes you can go. Remember, this is art—the art of loving people well.

Step 2: Preparing the work of art, aka your expression

In favor of time, I’ll keep this step quite simple. Let God’s love come to full expression in you, whatever that looks like. Do you want to plan a weekend excursion like I did? Then do so! Will you bake bread and share it with some friends? Have the most fun packaging it in wax paper and ribbon or a Dollar Store folded tea towel! Will you give a friend a ride to the airport and share a good conversation while you’re at it? From one who’s been on the receiving end of this gift, thank you—this love is quite tangible. Will you give a spontaneous gift to a coworker during a rough week? Spoiler alert, gifts aren’t just limited to birthdays! Keep some blank cards, ribbons, tape, and scissors in your car for when this inclination arrives! Will you pick up coffee for a friend for the hard, long day ahead? Send a text checking in on someone? Ask the deep, probing, “I see you and I’m here for you” question that is worded in your own unique way? Make dinner for a family at church that doesn’t have a meal train arranged but is going through something hard? Whatever it is, there are endless opportunities for a truly full expression. Just take a peek at the souls right in front of you and consider who is the one person the Holy Spirit is just itching to love through you today.

For me, my full expression looked like an elaborate girls’ weekend complete with an Airbnb, itinerary, and packing list. It involved foodie adventures, a hot tub, and deep conversations. Mountain air and multiple-hour car drives to get there and leaving work early and arriving back late Sunday night. A work of art. A full expression. And entirely worth it.

Step 3: Let art be art

You can’t decide how art moves people.

My cousin and I experience the world very differently. We’ve lived different stories and have different emotional responses to different things. Going into this weekend, I knew some things were going to touch her deeply and some things might prove more for my own enjoyment. And I was totally okay with that. For me, there was great joy in the making, the preparing. And in the moment of presenting it to her, my greatest joy came from her most raw, authentic responses rather than the ones I imagined receiving. This is the essence of art. We create, then release. What lies beyond is between the art and the viewer.

Here is a little reflection of watching her respond to all this art of expression:

When I spent an exorbitant amount of hours deciding between hotels, airbnbs, and any other number of lodging to find what felt like a right choice (art risked?): “I love lofts. Did you know that when you chose this Airbnb?”

When I made too much food the first night and sent her home with the untouched cheese board (art wasted?): “I think he [her fiancé] added a new favorite cheese to his list—the goat cheese from your cheese board!”

When we pivoted from the planned breakfast spot I had researched beforehand to a Cuban cafe we chose in a rushed 2-minute research session by our cars after locking up the Airbnb (art unplanned?): “This was the best meal of the trip. Oh wait, last night was pretty good. Actually, last night was the best, and this is next. I’m so glad we found this spot.”

a note for the artists, weary in their expression:

Sometimes we love people and it doesn’t go according to plan. Do you ever feel that way? That your art, however beautiful it seemed to you, didn’t quite touch them in the way you hoped. Or maybe it even felt entirely unseen. Is art art if there was only one beholder?

This realization can be hard to swallow and can be discouraging as you try to envision how to approach potential art ahead.

In those moments, know that there is a viewer who always finds your art most precious to Him. One day we will see the gallery of His love made tangible through us, and it will exist in the form of the tapestry He is weaving of all our little and big moments of his love made manifest in us. Remember: He is a master weaver, and beauty always finds a way into His hands to make much of what it is intended for in the first place. Rest assured that love is well worth the work of art.

Your Invitation

So what shall we do? What would it look like for Jesus’s love to be brought to full expression in you?

I am certain there is a work of art in you just waiting to be made tangible. Lean into the Holy Spirit’s lead on this one. I’m quite sure this is one of His favorite things to be a part of.

To end, I’d like to turn to a call I had with my cousin some weeks after our trip. She sighed over the phone, “I want to make a welcome basket for my friend coming to the wedding. I just love making people feel welcome.” I smiled, thinking of how she herself had welcomed me to the Airbnb with an elaborate display of gifts. The gesture was mutual. Art breeds art. It is good for our very souls.

Welcome to this little corner of Substack, new year edition! I should be doing a plethora of other things right now, but right now this sounds like the most fun. Isn’t that often how we end up doing things some days? I’m glad that to you in this moment it sounded fun to open up this little letter and I hope you find some bit of inspiration in it.

I’ve seen quite a lot of you join in the past 6 months and simply wanted to say, “Welcome!” And, specifically, welcome to every single one of you who have joined since my last post in June! I quite literally mentioned you all by name in my first draft but took that out since I didn’t want to cause an unnecessary jump scare. But know that you are seen and so very welcome here! You see, I love to see this space as less of a museum artifact you stare at from behind glass and more like a dinner party that you’re invited to. So consider this the part where you go around the room and introduce yourself. I have a crew of incredible friends who’ve taught me how to host a good dinner party and this is always included, so we’re doing it here, too. And hello to everyone who already is subscribed and probably forgot you were subscribed until now and to my best friends and mom. And with that, let’s begin our dinner party presentation.

oh hi, it’s me, AnnaClaire!

Since so many of you are new here, I wanted to re-introduce myself. At my core I’m a follower of Jesus and an artist. I see beauty everywhere. I’m convinced God tosses beauty all about to give us a little taste of heaven while we’re here and teach us how to long for Him, so He’s delighted when we notice it. Around here we do a lot of noticing. And God does a lot of showing us how to notice Him in it all. Wrote a bit about that here.

With that, I’m a collector of beauty—in my brain, in my space—and I’m a big ideas girl. A lot of time these ideas don’t come to life, so that’s why moodboards are my favorite. They’re a challenge to do something with my ideas—something that’s still creative even if the ideas themselves don’t make it off the page.

creativity

Writing and photography are my two favorite mediums—they’re the two things that happen no matter whether I’m trying hard or not. Most days you can catch me with my mom’s old Lumix camera snapping a pic of light hitting that thing in a glowy way or typing away on my notes app some words that struck my mind in a new way.

In fact, if we met up I’d possibly take notes on what you say. Not in a strange, creepy way but because other people’s words are the springboard for my words. I once asked a friend how she writes. She said she looks for something in her environment and starts there. For her, writing is sparked by something visual. For me, it’s words from someone outside of me—a movie, a conversation, or, if this was in person, maybe you. I also am helplessly inapt at remembering anything I don’t write down, so taking notes is my way of collecting little bits of wisdom and (hopefully) remembering them. Do you write? Read? Gather wisdom in other ways?

My next favorite form of creativity is style. Last year I had the epiphany that we get dressed every morning (!!) and so it is a built-in creative challenge that we get to engage in every. single. day. (!!!) And you’re welcome to join!

Ok and then food. I adore food. My favorite food is the dish I have yet to try. I see a plate as a blank canvas and food as an art form. There needs to be light and dark, contrast, shape, and color variation… but that’s a post for another day. Basically, you’ll see food show up here a lot. Yesterday evening I made 2 lone chocolate chip oatmeal cookies in the oven (learned that from one of my dinner party friends), and it did my soul well. Do you like food too? Baking? Perhaps even chocolate chip oatmeal cookies? I hope you like at least one of these 3 things! If not, I’m here to convince you.

apart from creativity

I work an incredible creative job by day, and by night I meal prep, scroll on Instagram (you too?), take walks at local parks, FaceTime friends, attend dinner parties, and try to pretend I have no dishes to wash. What do you do?

Thanks for stopping by. I can’t promise when I’ll show up next, but here’s to collecting more beauty in the year ahead. What’s something you’d like to share at this dinner party? It can be a thought, your personal introduction, or—yes—the dish you’d bring along! I’m getting hungry just thinking about it. Oh, and please do bake yourself a chocolate chip oatmeal cookie at some point this week.

The Perfect Summer Weekend (according to my friend, Maddie)

Maddie and I love making moodboards. So, this summer, I asked if she could present her Pinterest summer moodboard to me. She did present it (formally, over lunch), and then she came back a few weeks later having basically lived half of it in one weekend. Her weekend was as follows…

1. Go to the fancy Italian restaurant downtown. The one that opens reservations 3 months in advance and are booked as fast as a college class sign up. Go home after work, curl your hair, drop off your dog, pick up your husband, and dine in. Cut the cappellacci short rib pasta into quarters so it lasts longer.

2. Become a baker. Basically. Hear that the local coffeeshop you worked at growing up needs some help. One of the owners is having a baby, so she can’t do it all anymore. You love baking. You’re known for bringing the best baked goods into work to share their goodness. So you volunteer. You learn the recipes. And today, you bake some scones, specifically blackberry lime and chocolate chip espresso.

3. Eat the perfect pizza. After helping out at the coffeeshop, head next door and discover the pizza of your dreams: some sort of cream base with spinach and mozzarella and so much more on top. Truly the picture-perfect slice of pizza. Only, you forget to take a picture of it.

4. Go antique-ing. All the antique shops. In one afternoon. Fill your old soul with all the beautiful sights and sounds and textures. And walk away with something beautiful. Something with a story. Aching for another chapter.

5. Get ice cream. At the local spot. At sunset. Take the dog. Leave your worries.

6. Go garage sale-ing. In the morning light. With someone you love. Like your husband. Or a friend. Barter over a pie dish with an older lady who likely loved it lots. Which is also part of your summer moodboard: to make a pie. Specifically raspberry rhubarb. The one that your grandmother made your whole childhood. Yes, this pie dish will be perfect.

7. Read the afternoon away. Finish a book. Maybe two. If you have a hammock, use it. Or sit inside because it’s too hot outside. And when you’re done, realize there’s still more to this sweet day.

8. Have an outdoor movie night. Throw up a sheet on some wall out back and cuddle up with your dog and someone you love. Break out the projector. Pick a film that feels right to watch on a sheet in the middle of the late night summer hum of heat dying down and insects waking up. Maybe you eat dinner here, or dessert. Live your best life.

9. Go to the boutique flea market. This is the same—but different—than your garage sale-ing or antique-ing. This is boutique-flea-marketing. This is the once-a-season special market set up on the lawn of some beautiful green in the middle of a city or park where all the local makers and artists set up their wares. Chat with the shop owners, ask about their beautiful things, and walk away filled with good conversations and sweet special finds.

10. Last, but certainly not least: Consume a cruffle. A croissant-waffle, to be exact. It will satisfy every bit of nostalgia because it’s everything you ever wanted but didn’t know existed. Decide then and there that you need to find your waffle maker to make one on your own. And maybe, just maybe, decide this will be your summer rhythm. A cruffle, to begin these sweet summer days.

Ok, I need to know: which one of these would you love to do? And of course, if you have a summer moodboard, I would LOVE to see it!

P.P.S. Yes, I haven’t written in a (way too long) while. My Substack app stopped loading months ago and it’s the saddest thing that’s ever happened on my phone next to realizing I’m out of photo-snapping space. Truly, I get so much life out of reading the wise and wild words on here so I’ve missed this space so much (but also am lazy enough to not get my phone in order to actually update it properly - ope!). So I figured you’d need a pic of me right now to say yes, I am alive and yes, I am a real person! (Also, hi if you’re new!! Have seen a few of you trickle in over these quiet months and love that this sweet little space over here has some new faces! So, for starters, here’s mine…)

Let me invite you into one of my Little Women movie nights. It was a sweet Friday evening in late October after the dark had fallen and the candles were lit. My friend Katrina and I were gathered around my little dining room table with the miniature white pumpkins from my neighbor’s front yard stationed as the centerpiece. Amid the notes of buoyant jazz music coming from my little black speaker and the scent of homemade mulled cider simmering on the stovetop, we were assembling a charcuterie board.

When Katrina had walked in a half hour earlier, she remarked with a laugh, “I have so much cheese in my purse!” She reached into her black UNIQLO crossbody to pull out the holy trinity of Aldi cheeses—the cheddar, the gouda, the goat. We sat down and began the assembly of cutting, arranging, placing, chatting all the while.

“Should we steal a piece of cheese early?” I asked, my tastebuds fully prepared for instant gratification.

“If we take some cheese now, we’ll miss out the art of the full board when it’s finished,” she suggested as she moved on from cheddar to prosciutto. I nodded my head in solemn agreement. My appetite could wait just a few minutes longer in favor of a creative masterpiece.

When we finally sat down and prayed, our joy was complete. We dug in, working our way around the board to sample each and every taste in succession. The Trader Joe’s pumpkin spread offered the biggest laugh of the night as we dubbed it highly reminiscent of “a jar of baby food.”

Our conversation turned to creativity. We are both writers. I asked if writing comes more easily to her in some seasons than others or whether the words are always there, just waiting for an opportunity to come out.

She responded, “Creativity needs space. I think if I gave myself time the words would surface. They’re always there.”

Our conversation then turned to what we were learning. I shared how I had come across a YouTube video titled “A Philosophical Critique of Hustle Culture.” The thesis centered on how our modern pace of life and measure of success is not conducive to the creative process. Some of the best works of art and pieces of writing were created over years of slow, hidden work. What do we miss in the rush, this press for constant content?

At some point in all of this we began talking about worship. Katrina had recently finished reading the classic Pilgrim’s Progress in which the main character embarks on a journey that serves as an analogy of our life on earth en route to eternity. We were trying to envision the Celestial City—that glorious end to the pilgrim’s journey. How should it affect our perception of heaven?

Katrina shared how when she was little she thought heaven would be boring because it was “just singing all day long.” At her recollection, I felt a familiar surge of deep conviction that there is so much more. Truly, our vision of worship in heaven ought to be so much greater than singing all day long. I began to process this slowly out loud: What if worship is engaging in the things that bring us joy and give God glory? What if worship is a consciousness of God in all good things? What if worship is so much more tangible than our upbringing-shaped perception and perhaps even shockingly unspiritual?

“Wait!” I said, pausing for one last question—

“What if worship is a charcuterie board?”

“Let’s hash this out,” I said after that last epiphany. “How could this board right here possibly be worship? I know we’re gathering, in community, sharing good food, but where is God in this?”

Katrina pondered the question. She began slowly: “Here, we’re slowing down time. We’re taking the time to enjoy something good. It’s a pause to our pace. This is something different than the world can offer.”

I jumped in excitedly, “I’ve heard of this thing called sacred time. I haven’t studied it much, but from what I remember it’s about the idea of God’s timing versus ours. In enjoying this charcuterie board right here, we’re defying the pace of life set by the world outside. We’re choosing to stop and pause and spend time together. We’re choosing the slower, sacred way.”

My mind went to the thousands of families practicing Sabbath on this Friday evening at this very moment, living out the pace of life passed on by God from the dawn of time. Somewhere in all of this is a glimmer of glory.

Perhaps, this is worship.

So I’m sitting and pondering it still. Whether it was the charcuterie board itself or the fact that we stopped to wonder at how we could see God in it all—somehow, we stepped out of hustle culture and into sacred time. We gave space to creativity and made a beautiful thing. We sought the good in it and connected it with God.

And
in the end,
it was worship.

Trying a different format today, a flow of thought rather than bullet points...

This week I was inspired by socks.

Specifically,

A set of 5 Gap-brand socks marked down from approximately $15 to $9.99 + tax on the side wall of my local TJMaxx buzzing with Black Friday shoppers.

The thing about these socks is they were colorful. Wildly so. This girl who previously took 2 years to build a neutral wardrobe and was currently on a mission to find the perfect pair of cream wool clouds was suddenly wide-eyed in giddy joy at finding this bright cotton set ablaze with sailboat blue and ochre yellow and ballet pink among the 40%-polyester whites and blacks. It was the stripes on Pair One that did her in. 

You see, they reminded me of childhood. Of the late 90s, early 2000s polka dot patterns stretching from my Land’s End twirly dress to my maroon tights (you too?). Something about the nostalgia threw my whole style moodboard out the window in a matter of seconds and the creative wheels started turning.

What if I built an entire outfit from these socks? Pair One, to be specific. 

There was my new favorite scarf - the ochre one - that would mirror the 6th stripe exactly. And then there was my light blue ribbed shirt and dark blue wide leg jeans I could pair with the navy and sky tones scattered throughout. Or, wait, what if I mirrored the top stripe with my rust orange sweater, the one I wore for Thanksgiving last week? And OH my vintage golden corduroy pants - the Paddington-Bear-esque ones that I wore in the grand finale to the style challenge I completed two weeks ago! 

Yes, it was all coming together.

On Wednesday I saw my friend Maddie wearing a sweater. And this sweater was nothing less than the exact colors of Pair Number One. 

“Believe it or not, it’s a Bass Pro Shop sweater,” she said. 

“I have a pair of socks exactly like it,” I said. 

“Don’t you just love that feeling when you wake up and you realize you have the perfect pair of yellow converse to go with the sweater you picked out and in the end it feels so good because it all just ~matches~?” She said.

“Yes,” I nodded, smiling, looking forward to Thursday and the stripey socks.

So yes, today it’s Thursday and I’m wearing the stripey socks. 

(And, a lot more than that, but really it’s about the stripey socks.)

And it’s funny that a simple pair of socks can inspire a whole moodboard. How a little dose of nostalgia can get your creative juices flowing. And how it’s not normally about the socks, but sometimes it is and that can be worth $9.99 + tax and a matching outfit. 

So I wish you a wide-eyed, sock-worthy moment this weekend, too.

Been sitting long on the profound beauty of creativity and it’s spilled out in these words here, so here’s an ode to all things art — little pieces of glory revealed in the everyday…

To the creative soul,
Where art is commonplace,
but profound.
Where beauty is not vain,
but a path to uncover the deepest truths.

To the souls at work
to bring heaven on earth
in the little ways no one sees.
God in all good things—
tangible, here among us.

To the acts of creation
beginning with Creator.
And perhaps never quite ending,
for every end makes way
for a new beginning.

To working with your hands
To make the intangible tangible.
The five senses,
The unseen seen,
Wrapped up in this wonderful world.

To the stretching that comes
with learning something new.
Where what was once unknown
strikes the soul in a new light,
breaking fresh ground.

To the glory of a work completed.
The simple satisfaction
of an “it is finished”
here
at your kitchen table.

To everyday pursuits
being worth their while.
The simple things
counted worthy of the passing of time—
treasures of another currency.

To a return to the beginning
where our passions—
these stirrings of the soul—
showed us
there are still
greater things
than
this.

What I’m doing this week…

1. Learning what an October of Sabbath looks like: Every year when October comes around, I feel a nudge from Jesus to slow down. Something about the bullet-train pace of September always leaves me weary and worn out by the time this sweet fall month hits. So, like the leaves, I hit the ground (in a much less visually poetic way). In the past, my health has taken the biggest blow. The last two years in succession I’ve had to cancel my attendance at the annual women’s retreat at my church because I got dreadfully ill, so much so that the second time my pastor’s wife remarked with compassion, “Didn’t this happen last year, too?” So this year, for the first time, I anticipated this rhythm proactively. While I did give myself every reason to crash in October through the busiest September of my life, the Lord has nudged me again to count October as a sweet Sabbath month, so slowing down is not only an option but the reigning rule these days. And I love that. So I’m learning to ask Jesus whether I should say yes or no to each social event that arises. I’m learning what it looks like to define rest in more ways than one. And I’m learning that giving yourself permission to rest is one of my favorite things in the world. So here’s to these sweet days ahead! Where are you at with rest and your pace of life right now? And oh, I’d love to share that as of this Sunday the streak of getting sick each women’s retreat weekend has been broken! Truly all God and I’m here to celebrate that :)

2. Going on a Fall picnic: Here’s one way I’m resting this weekend… I texted some friends just yesterday to ask if they’d be down to drive an hour or so outside the city to chase down the fall leaves and throw a picnic. They were so down and began tossing in ideas for the dreamiest setup. So above you can see my little moodboard for this afternoon getaway and I’m very much looking forward to it. The turn of the foliage has been creeping in ever so slowly in my corner of the world, so I’m beyond grateful to catch it while it’s nearly in its full fall bloom. If you’ve been rushing about this October without a chance to get outside, I’d encourage you to make space —even the tiniest bit — to pause and soak in the beauty around you. Let me know how you do this, too! Now onto thrifting a picnic blanket for the season… And if you want to know what is fueling my inspiration, this is it - this happened last year, at this time, for work, and it was an absolute dream. 

3. Planning my entire fall meal prep off of my local Trader Joe’s: Picture this: You’re walking around Trader Joe’s, ambling down the long freezer aisle. You weave in and out of people, trying to get to your favorite frozen bag of orange chicken. As you reach for it, you get distracted. There’s a girl slowly gliding down the aisle with her phone up, filming the freezer section. You pause, squint, then go back to your mission. Oh well, guess she’s gathering content for something. Friends, I admit this was me not a month ago—the girl with the phone filming the freezer section of Trader Joe’s. Really I had a brilliant idea though. The vision was to visually capture Trader Joe’s selection to be able to take it back and meal plan for my entire fall menu off of their offerings. So this week my task is to go through the footage. Aka meal plan. Stay tuned for what culinary adventures come out of this feat.

A piece of content I was inspired by (but didn’t create)…

This is my to-die-for fall recipe that is an absolute crowd pleaser. I will be making this for the picnic and it’s the easiest thing. I may or may not have won an award for it at a church event last year, so this suggestion isn’t entirely biased but backed by the stats, and you can play I spy to find it in this week’s visual moodboard above.

A question for today…

What is restful to you?

What I’m doing (did) this week…

Normally I share what I’m going to do—the sweet things filling my favorite spot on my to-do list—but today I’d like to share what I’ve done these past few weeks because really it’s a lovely list, so here are the past few weeks in retrospect and I hope they spark inspiration for the days ahead…

1. Hosted a Little Women Movie Night: I could write a whole post on this (would that be fun for you?). Basically a new friend and I realized we both adored Little Women but she had not seen the 1994 version, so I rolled out the full table settings, autumn candles, and ginger snap charcuterie board for the dreamiest fall night thus far. If you’re already feeling inspired, I’d challenge you to choose your favorite cozy movie and craft an evening around it. You could invite one friend or many—whatever sounds the most relaxing—and use the evening as an experimental outlet for your hosting and creative skills. Have the most fun, and please do tell me if you do this!

2. Painted Guest Portraits for a Wedding: An incredible friend asked me to be a part of her wedding by doing live mini watercolor portraits of her guests at the wedding as the sweetest favor. There is really nothing quite like being able to witness the huge smiles on the guests’ faces as they came over to the watercolor table searching for their portrait and wondering over the process. It was beautiful to be a part of and made me start brainstorming how to craft meaningful gifts for the people in my circle this Christmas. I invite you to do that too!

3. Began the month-long creative project Pleasant Places: If there’s nothing else you take away from this moodboard, I hope this is the point you want to jump in on! Basically Pleasant Places is a 4-week journey to create through Psalm 16 and at the core is the goal to process Scripture in a new way through creativity. Each week of the email and instagram series focuses on a portion of Psalm 16 and provides 3 prompts to fuel your creativity that you can either follow directly or use as inspiration to create through a different route. My mind has been blown by the idea of giving permission to creativity as an outlet in my time in God’s Word, and it’s been powerful to follow the hashtag #MyPleasantPlaces on Instagram to see what everyone else is creating out of Scripture. Built for both creatives and non-creatives, this will stretch you both in your skills and in your walk with Jesus, so I highly encourage you to take a peek and consider coming along for the journey! (And if you don’t know Jesus, take a peek anyways to see what it’s like!) Intrigued? Here’s the first post explaining the project, my Week One response, and where to sign up. Would love to know if you join!

A piece of content I was inspired by (but didn’t create)…

I’ll keep this section simple and send you to the hashtag #MyPleasantPlaces to fuel your inspiration and creativity this week. I challenge you to take a moment to sit long with one of the posts and let it direct your heart to Jesus in some way. Enjoy!

A question for today…

What inspired you this past week in retrospect?

Hello friends! Before I jump into this week’s moodboard, welcome! It’s been a minute (a month) since I’ve sent out one of these. To be honest, last week was the busiest week of my entire year (hint: two incredibly fun photoshoots for work and more!), so I wasn’t able to prepare this for you. But don’t worry, the creative ideas have still been flowing, so let’s jump back into this sweet rhythm of inspiration-gathering to fuel your creativity…

What I’m doing this week(end)…

1. Going to the Renaissance Fair(e): Yes, you read that right. Will I dress up? Yes! Will I eat a turkey leg? No! These are the two immediate questions anyone will ask you about the Renaissance Fair. Have you been? And have you been asked these questions? Also, this just feels like a Fall bucket list item, so I’m looking forward to it. I’ll be celebrating a friend’s birthday there and here’s what I’ll be pulling out for the occasion: my Sound-of-Music-esque German Dirndl sourced from the actual Swabian Alps when I was in 5th grade (don’t ask me how it still fits). Last time I was at the Renaissance Fair was in 10th grade for a choir concert and I don’t remember much other than running late, but the only other time before that was 4th grade for my very first field trip where I got a pulled pork sandwich and my dad got the turkey leg and both of us ended up in the school yearbook, so I’m quite looking forward to reliving the memories.

2. Brainstorming Fall Transition Outfits: Because yes, I spontaneously switched from my summer to fall wardrobe last week and am wondering if it was a moment too soon. This fine Tuesday evening I sat in front of my closet and wondered, “So now what do I wear?” All my vivid hues of lavender and chartreuse green were replaced by browns and blacks and whites and, to be honest, I felt a bit sad to see the bright color palette I had painstakingly built all summer be folded up in the bottom of my blue basement bin. So off to the thrift stores I ran to find more lavender, cream, and icy blue tops to begin to build a more colorful winter wardrobe. Also, the air has actually been quite a bit more chilly in the evenings so as of stepping out of my car yesterday evening I have no regrets. I *may* have even built my fall style moodboard just a few hours ago, so let the fall style fun begin! What’s your game plan for changing your wardrobe? Because, let’s be real, it truly involves a high level of strategy!!

3. Leaning into Community: I’m curious if this is similar in your corner of the world, but once September hits around here community kicks back into gear. I’ve titled this past week the “Bible Study marathon” because all of my church’s groups have started back up and I’m dancing from one to the other to find where Jesus could be leading this year. That looks like showing up, saying many hellos, and stepping out of my oh-so-alluring comfort zone. It’s been so, so sweet though and I’m reminded that this is what growth feels like in the midst of the good that is God’s people. How are you growing this September? Cheering on all your out-of-the-comfort-zone fall endeavors!

A piece of content I was inspired by (but didn’t write)…

If you’re not following @LauraWifler on Instagram, take a moment to do so right now. I love her words, and I love these words of hers in particular. She and her writer friends have been embracing this short-form poetic freeform musings over the past few years and the content always make me pause and think twice. Please enjoy this piece of advice on any and everything in particular.

Her post titled “10 Things I Know Now, That I Wish I Knew Sooner”

Notes I’m taking from this piece:

• Don’t forget grief in your circle.

• Amen to color theory.

• Sunday night smoothies and popcorn sounds like the best thing.

• What’s your favorite piece of her advice? Do you have anything to add?

A question for today…

How are you growing this September? This can be creatively, spiritually, in community, or even a fun new style goal!

What I’m doing this week…

1. Gathering inspiration for fall style: Even as I soak up these last sweet weeks of summer, I’m getting giddy over the fun of fall ahead. When it comes to style, I’ve soaked in both the bright and pastel palettes of summer. But there’s a part of me that can’t wait for the sophisticated fall palette of neutrals and browns, dreamy navies and creams. If you follow my adventures on Instagram, you might have seen I stopped in Anthropologie after work one day this week. I wanted to catch the last of their summer storefront as a sweet haven of creativity before it turned to fall, and with that I began gathering inspiration for the season ahead. Turns out, I bought my first fall style purchase yesterday on a whim (and am VERY excited for it). And I’ve begun my seasonal style research on all the social medias. So I’ll admit it, I’m early but owning it. Are you holding onto summer as long as you can? Or are you pretending fall has already come? Can one do both??

2. Dreaming up new hairstyles: Since we’re talking inspiration, let’s talk hair. Had a convo with a dear friend this week about how to branch out from your tried-and-true, wash-and-dry hairstyles. I’m notorious for giving myself less than a reasonable amount of time to do my hair and always wonder at the girls who have mastered this art. (Are you one of them? Teach me your ways!) So a new fun goal for the weeks ahead is to push the boundaries of how I usually style my hair. (Side note: I love how even hair can be an avenue for creativity — but maybe this is a TED Talk for another week?) And hey, if you’ve never thought about setting a hair goal or that’s right up your alley, maybe you’d want to join too? Let’s consider even one new hairstyle a win for this category!

3. Cleaning my house: One of my favorite gals on insta likes to call this having a “Lady of the House Day,” and I heartily welcome that title. This weekend the tasks have piled up, so, instead of choosing to wallow in their weight, I want to see it as a chance for a refresh. Catch me reconsidering whether I will (actually) ever use the 5 types of muesli cereal from 3 years ago and the second container of za’atar spice from the international grocery store in close proximity (do you want it?).

A piece of content I was inspired by (but didn’t write)…

Surprise! This week there are two that I happened across during a random insta scroll. Since we started with talking about fall, I want to reel you back to the beauty that is summer :)

from @mollaymac

midwestern summer smells like freshly cut grass, marigold leaves & charred corn on the grill…. Mostly, it just feels familiar & like a giant, enveloping hug reminding you where you come from 🧡 also recommend wearing the same dress 3 days in a row, it’s liberating !!!

and from @quinnder

just starting to summer when everyone else says it’s over

a note I’m taking from this (these) piece (pieces):

Memorize the parts of summer that make it beautiful. I know I talked about summer in our last moodboard, but stick with me here because there’s still so much beauty in these days and I hope you don’t get tired of them just yet. Ok also: this suggestion to wear the same dress 3 days in a row??

A question for today…

What stuck out to you? There’s so much inspiration floating around, so pick your favorite piece or share something you’ve come across this week!

Hello! AnnaClaire here! If you missed last week’s TED Talk Tuesday, welcome! Tuesdays are a space to share an idea that’s been rolling around in my head for the week and invite you into the conversation. I’d truly would love to hear your thoughts, too. Today’s TED Talk will begin with a tale, so here goes…

The Tale

Two friends and I were FaceTiming last week and we asked each other, “What summer goals are you working on right now?”

That’s when my dear friend brought up how she has embarked on baking sourdough bread for the first time.

If you’ve tried to get near this process at all (and succeeded, or failed, or stayed far enough back to not have done either of these things yet), you might know that this is a terribly in-depth skill. And even to those who are well-seasoned at sourdough, it is perhaps “simple” but still time-consuming. An art of its own accord.

Nevertheless, this friend chose to dive into this skill. It began with her attending an event at her church where the ladies got to learn the art of bread-making (truly, I wish all of us could have attended!). And this led to her gathering the ingredients and supplies in her own kitchen to recreate the recipe herself.

In short, she succeeded! And story has it that her first loaf, while a little gummy, was not only edible but delicious! I could all but taste it through the photos.

At this point in the FaceTime call, my other dear friend and I were enthralled.

I don’t know about you, but bread-baking feels like a creative rite of passage of some sort. There’s a sense of pride at mastering the delicate complexity and balance found in the steady art of making bread, and once you’ve passed that mark of making your fist loaf I’d imagine you feel a bit like you’ve conquered the world. 

(I can only say this because I did once bake my own loaf of bread once or twice. I say “or” because the first time, I measured out the metric ingredients scribbled on my phone in another language quite incorrectly and somehow came out with the most beautiful loaf. The next time, however, I proudly scooped out my flour with the proper measurements at last and my bread came out of the oven inedible — and the pan came out unusable, apologies to my roommate. And I haven’t made any load since. And I certainly have never made any sourdough. Yet.)

But back to the story at hand. Once my friend had related her success story and the other two of us murmured in admiration, my other friend made this simple exclamation:

“Congrats, you’ve entered your bread era! What will you do in your post-bread era?”

I love that.

In a way, this is a nod to celebrating the beauty of embarking on a new skill, the start of a new outlet of creative pursuit. It acknowledges the rite of passage — or era, if you will. It’s also makes space to cast fresh vision. To dream beyond what you’ve just begun.

The TED Talk

So here is my TED Talk for today —

that creative pursuits do make their mark as a series of eras. To really dive deep and learn a skill one must gather the supplies, invest time into the training, and create a finished product. I’m thinking of my friends who’ve picked up quilting or crocheting, language-learning and style-curating. Each of these skills has required a zoning into the art that lowers overall capacity for other tasks but is richly rewarded with the fruit of the results. Something is made, something has been done, something has changed — both in the materials at hand but more importantly in us. It is a pursuit well worth our time. So I am here to encourage you to dive into your creative era. To let it be long and deep.

The Questions

With that, I’d love to hear from you on one or all of these questions:

1. What creative era are you in right now?

2. Have you entered, passed, or not yet begun your bread era? (I would simply like to know :)

3. What will you do in your “post-bread” era? Fill in the word “bread” with any creative pursuit you’re currently chasing in this season. And consider it not what you’ll do when you’re done but what you’ll do because you’ve only just begun.

The Epilogue — an era begins

The answer my friend gave? “Oh, I’ve ordered a few baguette pans. Going to try that one of these days…”

I have a theory. And it’s all about party food.

Basically, I believe that bringing food for a party or event requires a very specific strategy.

You know when you sign up to bring food to a hangout with friends and everyone’s sharing what they’re bringing and you’re like, “Hmm, so should I get creative here and show off my cooking skills or swing by the store for a box of cookies along the way?”

If you’re not a fan of the kitchen, you probably will opt for option 2 and will heartily agree with my Ted Talk points below, but if you’re option 1, you’re the one I’m here to help.

It can be so tempting to think that a party with friends is the perfect spot to break out your new plating technique or high-quality ingredient haul, but friend, that’s simply not the case. Because here’s the deal:

A party is NOT the place to show off your cooking skills. Instead? Work smarter, not harder.

And here’s why (complete with personal evidence):

But first, let’s define our terms:

The Party: Any event or hangout with friends and strangers that involves food being pitched in from all sources. Could be a potluck, game night, grill-out, or casual dinner party. For the sake of this Ted Talk, we are not talking about parties where the party-goers are specifically tasked to bring culinary masterpieces.

The Party People: The people who attend such events. Often not chefs by trade. Sometimes still very passionate about food. Likely you.

Alright, let’s proceed…

01 | Party People want food that’s easy to access and easy to pick up.

Have you ever been to a party and noticed one of the bags of chips hasn’t been opened yet? You stare at those chips, thinking someone else will surely open them. In fact, they might even be one of your favorites, but you look at all the other open chip bags and decide that there must be a reason this one is closed - it is simply off-access to you, the extra bag that must go home untouched.

Something about that teeny-tiny barrier of entry really stops everyone.

I tested this with my friends once by leaving a sealed jar of salsa untouched to see how long it would take for someone to gather the courage to crack it open. The results? A long time and a lot of laughter after the reveal of our game.

Let’s break this phenomenon down. Party people are very low-maintenance. They’re looking for something that is an easy grab. This means if you’re trying to decide between bringing shrimp cocktails and pretzel bites, always choose the pretzel bite. Even the slight addition of the party person needing a utensil to pick it up or a napkin for their fingers could be a barrier to actually consuming your masterpiece.

To gather my evidence, I took to interviewing my coworker. Take this personal testimony from him: “You know, when you think of pigs in a blanket — those little sausages all rolled up in dough — you kinda think, ‘eww, gross.’ But you know, when I bring them to a party, in 20 minutes they’re gone!”

Case in point.

So here’s the first strategy: Plan your recipe around easy access. What will most make it seamlessly onto that paper plate?

02 | Party People want food that’s familiar.

Here’s where it gets serious. And where you’ll have to check your chef hat in at the front door. Of course, fancy dinner parties are another matter entirely, but in any other normal party situation, here’s the deal:

Party people only want to eat what they know.

Think of party-goers as a bunch of 5-year-olds eating the same PBJ and chicken nuggets for lunch every day. This is your crowd. I’m not trying to say that you or the other guests don’t have fine taste, but for some reason it escapes out the window when a bunch of people are crowded into a room and presented with an array of food options. People reach for what they know, and even if they are presented with a unique menu option, more likely than not the normal food will almost always be gone way before the special menu item.

How many party sign-ups have you seen that include the following items: tacos, Mac n Cheese, burgers, hot dogs, chips and guac, cookies (always chocolate chip)… the list goes on. How many times have you gone to a party and the guac is not gone by the end?

See? Party people are predictable people, and that can actually be a comfort. Ask yourself, can I make this recipe familiar enough that people will move it to their mouth with no questions asked?

03 | Party People want you—the creative chef—to translate your skills to the party environment.

Parties are an ecosystem of their own. They are a space to connect, share, and meet with many different people. Because of that, there is a fine balance between bringing your unique personality to the table and making it accessible to everyone present.

Here’s the secret: work smarter, not harder.

How many times have you wondered how everyone gets away with running by the grocery store 5 minutes before it starts when you cooked away in your kitchen for 3 hours straight the night before? Guess what? You have permission to run to the store too! Or, you can choose the most strategic of routes. After all, I don’t want you to despair of ever creating something elaborate again. In fact, I have seen it done very well and consistently by a number of friends who are avid foodies. So here’s the strategy:

Simply ensure that your selected recipe is a good enough blend of accessibility, simplicity, and uniqueness to hold its own in the anticipated party menu. How do you do this?

Take a very normal party menu item and elevate it with your own special twist.

Here’s my example: At the end of May I was signing up to bring food to our last Bible Study hangout for the semester. After carefully weighing creativity against effort, I decided to recreate the guac I had consumed at a fancy restaurant downtown to bring to a party. I knew it would hold its own because it was the only guac in attendance. I knew people would eat it because it was familiar. And I knew it would stand out because of the technique involved.

It’s surprising how your creativity can go a long way in supplying a good experience as long as you keep it in check with points 1 and 2 on our Party People.

With that, I’ll leave you with a tale of how this Ted Talk got started in the first place. Consider this the dessert to this 3-course Ted Talk dinner. Dinner is done, so you may leave, but you’re welcome to stick around.

Lastly, my best worst party food story

Grab the popcorn or stop right here depending on your attention span right now. You’re in for a wild ride. Here’s the tale: My friend was throwing a dinner club with the theme “breakfast for dinner.” You can probably envision the menu without me telling you—hash brown casserole, sausage, waffles, croissants, 3 variations on the cinnamon bun—predictable and delicious. I decided to wait until right before the party to decide what I’d bring. “I’ll fill in the gaps,” I thought. When the day came to decide, the Type A part of my personality made a drawing of the food to visualize what was on the plate. Did I take it too far yet? One thing I realized was that the plate was primarily all carbs (to my creative eye, that translates to the color yellow). My brain went, “Aha! What’s missing is the veggies! What’s missing is a… (wait for it) BREAKFAST SALAD!!” I’m sorry you’re so confused right now. Yes, don’t worry, you did not miss some delicious homemade masterpiece growing up. Breakfast salads indeed do not exist — except in the wonderful Wild West of Pinterest. So find a Pinterest recipe I did, and what came out on the other side? A bed of greens with roasted tomatoes, avocado, some sort of light lemon vinaigrette, and breakfast sausage. I thought it was brilliant. Maybe I am just prone to these disasters. I entered the party half an hour late because, yes, it did take me over an hour to prepare a salad, and I’m only mentioning this because maybe this contributed to its demise. But when I entered everyone had already served their plate and although I tried to convince them it was “very good” and would “add some green to their plate” they politely declined. My friend’s husband who doesn’t even like salad kindly tried some and lauded it but it ended up back in my fridge otherwise untouched. I then brought it to work and tried to pitch it to my foodie friends there but alas, when even they did not take the bait, I realized maybe I went off the deep end here. Maybe, just maybe, my creative efforts were best served in another capacity food-wise for parties. And that, my friends, was when this Ted Talk began brewing. Give yourself a pat on the back for enduring this tale and permission to not go crazy with your next party menu item. And hey, if you’ve got a party food story, pull up a chair

— let’s hear it.

What I’m doing this week…

1. Making a PowerPoint in French: Yes, you read that right. I was tasked with this assignment from my French teacher and feel like I need a crash course in sentence structure because the amount of full sentences I have tried to speak on my own are few and far in between, and this presentation will certainly require that skill. The goal is to “give a presentation on a topic of your choice for 5 minutes and respond to questions.” I know I cannot sit there saying “Je… je” (“I…I…”) for 5 minutes straight like I normally do at the beginning of class so I guess this is where studying comes in. Have you ever made a presentation in another language? Let this be your encouragement to jump in the deep end!

2. Going to see the Barbie movie: You’ve probably been asked 15 times already, but have you seen it yet? Turning this into a full experience by heading to the local drive-in movie theater. Have you been to a drive-in movie theater? I feel this is a quintessential summer bucket list item. Of course I would like to dress up for this event, but I am pretty sure I do not possess the color pink in my wardrobe. Do you own pink? And lastly (so many questions!), do you thrive off of dressing up for a theme or does that drain or disinterest you? Over in my corner there has been a series of theme-worthy city-wide events in a row (Taylor Swift downtown, Barbie, etc.) so I feel like this collective dressing up has been quite a rhythm this summer and I am so down to join.

3. Having a Budget Summit: I know this will likely not inspire you. So sorry. But guess what? I was inspired by the finance team at work having their own Budget Summit and decided that would be a wonderful event for my own personal finance. Basically this looks like taking account of every purchase made recently and casting vision for purchases ahead. It’s always fun to hear how other friends in their twenties are handling their finances. We can all get so creative with what that looks like, so if you have a good tip please do drop it below.

A piece of content I was inspired by (but didn’t write)…

May the fact that it’s nearly August not take you too much by surprise. May today be a respite from the heat. May you still not be tired of summer salads because they’re only going to get better. May your lifelong friend be on her way to visit for a week. May there be adventure on the schedule. May something that felt impossible this time last year feel effortless this year. May you mail the letter, send the package, leave the voicemail, send the text. May the ache in your knee or the itch in your side or the numb in your arm or the zit on your chin or the gray in your hair not be a warning, but a welcome to the wisdom that comes along with it. May you find a surprising well of grace for someone who is where you were last year, a tenderness toward the journey they are on and the person they are becoming. May you resist all labels but loved and made in the image of God. May you find courage from Gen Z, they who have no problem with their filterless selves showing up in fullness, bellies and teeth and the soft rounded hips they don’t have babies to blame on. May it be a wonder and a beauty to behold. May your sick friend find healing and your sad friend find hope. May you get glimmers of your dog back to her normal self and find yourself inexplicably grateful for antibiotics and tiny slices of cheddar cheese in which to hide them.

— on Instagram

Notes I’m taking from this piece:

• First, if you’re not following Lore Wilbert on Instagram, please bless your soul and do so right this moment. I love this series on “a blessing for your week” and think you will find it deeply refreshing as well.

• “May the fact that it’s nearly August…” certainly did take me by sad surprise. Holding onto these summer days and realizing there is so much more ahead. I like to remind myself that, “God can do more in one hour in His presence than one month in my own power.” A month is a month is a month. It’s way more than a week. It’s likely longer than your vacation this summer. And it’s basically the whole second half of this sweet season. Let’s make part 2 even better than part 1.

• Ok the small notes: I’ve been having essentially the same summer salad for 3 weeks straight and am not tired of it. There are deep and wild and fun things I’m doing that would have felt impossible last year. Last night I was in a room full of Gen Z and overwhelmed with the love God has for this generation. And today is certainly a day full of wonder and beauty to behold as I type these words from a lawn chair in my backyard with a true cacophony of birds sounding from the trees framing my yard. The summer sun is gone, it’s time to turn in for the night, but I’m counting these days as oh so sweet.

A question for today…

In lieu of our almost-August realization, what goal are you jumping into with fresh vision in this half of the Summer? How can you make Part 2 of summer better than Part 1?