dreaming of the beach

Photograph by Richard Rutledge, 1952.

play

Although it’s been awhile. Due to finals and life and what not it is a new year full of new beginnings and fresh resolutions so here's to a new post and many more in the future.

You know those moments you would give anything to rewind and do over. Those moments that make you sick to your stomach because you chose wrong. Those moments that you hurt the person you love most and would give anything to take back. Or what about those moments you wish you could pause and live in forever. The ones where you feel like the world around you could continue on but you in your bliss could stay forever on pause. Just feeling the moment of pure happiness. Whether your basking in the sun alone reading a book on the first day of spring, laying in the grass watching the clouds with your best friends, or resting your head on the love of your life hoping that the moment could just last forever. However we constantly try to fast forward the hard moments the ones that leave us fighting to stay afloat. We want to plan out every step of our future but why. Why is the future so important that it must be planned? In what aspect does that leave us to be who we are and create a life that’s meant for us.  However we are forced to live in play, without a pause button, without a rewind, without a fast-forward. We are forced to face the choices we make right or wrong. We are forced to leave behind the best moments in our lives to create new ones so that the old ones become memories. Life is on play and we have to face it. As hard as it can be sometimes as great as it can be we are forced to face it. So face it and create a life you never wish you had a remote for.

Lauren

currently

I want to be in nature, reading poems, taking pretty pictures, having a picnic, and taking a nap on a flannel blanket. 

In reality, we are studying for finals. 

Olivia 

{image via The Fresh Exchange}

let's brunch

 The best kind of Saturdays are the ones that we can sleep in as long as we want, text each other "wanna get food?", and know that what we really both mean by that is a delicious brunch at a place we haven't tried yet. This is just what happened this past weekend and it turned into a lovely start to a fun and relaxing weekend. Hillside Farmacy is a refurbished 1950s drugstore turned eatery in East Austin that specializes in delicious brunch dishes with local ingredients, creative and classic soda counter drinks, and oyster and cheese plates. It kept the charm of an old fashioned pharmacy with wooden cabinetry full of dry goods for purchase. Although we had to wait quite awhile for our food, the orange brioche french toast made it worth the wait. 

{farmacy french toast: brioche, berries, orange maple syrup}

{inside details, the hillsider: country pâté, poached farm egg, hollandaise on ciabatta, cappuccino made with love}

{grapefruit brulée}

Olivia

{photos by Olivia & Lauren}

le petit déjeuner

My favorite restaurants are those that take you on a journey and transport you to a far away place. And the ones that take me straight to Paris are among my favorites. Over Christmas break, my high school best friends and I decided to switch up our traditional brunch place to try the recently opened Boulangerie Kayser on the Upper East Side. Following traditional Parisan rules, an establishment cannot be called a "Boulangerie" or bakery unless it makes all of its own bread on the premises. Therefore, when walking into the smell of fresh baked bread and buttery croissants is overwhelmingly delicious. The atmosphere is lively at 9am, with friendly waiters in striped sailor shirts and friends and family sipping coffee at the traditional marble cafe tables. The croissant I enjoy is the best I've had in a while and it is easy to pretend we are in Paris. 

Olivia 

{photos by Olivia}

home for the holiday

Home. This word is unique to each individual. We each have our own connotations that come to mind. For me, coming home for Thanksgiving is the best week to be back in New York. It is a short and sweet week of traipsing around my old stomping ground, eating my parents' incredibly delicious home cooked meals, brunching and museum exploring with my best friends, shopping with my little sister, sitting by the fire, reading, napping, bike riding, attending an annual Christmas tree lighting, watching my favorite movies, and truly relaxing. We're not stressing about Christmas shopping quite yet, not every day is too cold to spend time outdoors, and we really cherish the few days we have with each other before the last stressful month of schoolwork. The holiday spirit already is in the air at this time of year. My high school put wreaths on every window, couples are carrying trees up to their apartments from the Christmas tree seller on the corner, and there is a general sense of the magic that the holiday season brings in New York. 

Olivia 

{photos by Olivia}

gobble gobble

Today we reflect the things we are thankful for. Sadly we only have one day set aside for this when honestly it should be our first thought every morning and our last thought at night. Sometimes the bumps we hit in the road of life leave us feeling distraught and bring darkness on all the good things we have but even that darkness should be thanked. The mistakes, the fails, the dysfunction of life make us who we are and forces us to grow so be thankful for the darkness. Be grateful for all the opportunity we have. The opportunity to choose to be happy. Happiness is a choice. Life is hard and sometimes things don’t work out the way we want them to but the choice to look at good and to smile that in itself is a miracle. I know I am grateful for the wonderful friends and family that have given me courage when I felt weak, laughter when I’ve felt like crying, and love in endless amounts. Be thankful for every morning you wake up and see the sky. Today and everyday reflect on the blessing in your life and smile.

Lauren 

{photos by Lauren}