~ one hundred colors ~

I'll be honest.  I've never liked fall.  Like REALLY never liked fall.

When I was younger I legitimately thought fall was killing me because of the dry, cold-induced headaches (and because I felt like someone had stuck a candle up both of my nostrils).  But of course that was probably due to a lack of water and lack of education on allergy remedies.  Now that I know the benefits of Claritin and carry a water bottle with me every waking moment, fall is slightly less miserable.  Slightly.

Cold weather, then hot weather, then arctic weather.  Complete darkness by 5:30.  Wanting to exercise but being too cold to exercise.  The misery that is layering.

The only thing that fall has going for it are the colors.  Look at any pile of leaves and you'll see a beautiful medley of warm colors that look like they have been spawned directly from the belly of hell.  (but in a good way).

Oh fall...you make me itchy and miserable, but you are pretty.  I'll give you that.

xoxo,

Eliza

~ veteran's day ~

Veteran's Day is a special day to so many people.  I feel lucky to have spent it with my family, celebrating all those who have served and are serving - especially Pop, who never thought of himself as a hero.

Pop.  22 years old.

I miss him every day.  

Yesterday we went to the parade downtown, saw good friends, and watched my sister's boyfriend perform with the Marching Chiefs.

A few years ago I had the pleasure of being Rosie the Riveter and riding in an amazing WWII jeep - I even carried a small photo of Pop with me!

I'm not sure about a lot of things, but if there's an "up there" for him to be, he's definitely there.  Probably wondering why I don't polish my pots and pans more than I do and scolding me for wearing yoga pants on a Wednesday afternoon.

Thank you to everyone for your service.

xoxo,
Eliza

~ blood and gorey ~

Despite the cold temps, my rapidly declining lung capacity, and the dismally poor number of trick-or-treaters, it was a fantastic Halloween!

My mom did her usual "blood" punch (cranberry juice + grape juice + pomegranate juice), I handed out candy and creeped the kids out before I stopped by a neighbor's house for a bonfire.  Then we finished the night with heaps of popcorn and watching David Letterman.  A great night!

Next year I'll keep in mind that a 2-foot tall headpiece + spider webs + doorways = lots of awkward back bends accompanied by some freaky sound effects.

I hope you all had a fantastic night!  Tomorrow I'll post photos from today's birthday celebration - so far, 19 has been pretty great!

xoxo,

Eliza

~ small adventures ~

This week, in between studying for exams, losing my student ID (boohoo), and watching Gilmore Girls episodes back to back, I went on a series of mini adventures around town and took advantage of the rare quiet moments (many of which involved cupcakes and breaking into the Halloween candy).

Yesterday after getting out of class early I explored the latest exhibit at the TCC art gallery: The Figure as Vehicle.  It's a beautiful combination of watercolors and pieces of sculpture by Marsha De Broske and John Carollo

Then on the way home from classes I stopped by Lucy and Leo's for a vegan cupcake.

(oreo cupcakes are the bomb)

I obviously didn't have the patience to take a picture since I ate it the minute I got back in the car.

Today also involved art and enormous amounts of good food.  First stop: Voodoo Dog with my mama for veggie dogs, veggie burgers, and the best fries in town.  Then Bread and Roses for some shopping, and a stop at Utrecht (or Blick, or whatever it's being called these days) for canvases, oddball paint colors, and some charcoal.

 

Now I just have to get through my exams tomorrow and then the fun will begin!  Photoshoots, the New Leaf farm tour, an oceanography field trip, the Greek food festival, a play, and modeling on Sunday.  

xoxo,

Eliza

~ tuesday tunes ~

I have to admit, as much as I love Florida, a break from the suffocating heat is nice once in a while.  Today there was a hint of fall in the 96 degree air (something only a Floridian will understand), so I decided today was as good a day as any to start my fall running routine.  It goes something like this:

Wake up.  Go to class.  Come home.  Stuff my face with food.  Study.  Study. Study.  Study.  Feel the cold grip of insanity taking hold.  Go for a run.  Listen to music.  Study.  Study.  Eat dinner.  Watch Netflix.  Study.  Eat ice cream.  Go to sleep.

And repeat.

For my running music to properly do its job (distract me from the fact that I'm running and make me feel like Beyonce) it must be upbeat, chipper, and borderline annoying.  The catchier the better!

So for today's run I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the iTunes pop station.  I only pressed the skip button 5 times (because that's the maximum amount of times they'll let you) and that was only due to the fact that Jason Derulo kept interfering with my jamming.

This week's running playlist includes the following...

I would most likely never listen to these on the way to work or while studying, but they're perfect songs to sweat to.  And to all my lovely neighbors - please forget that you saw me dance running and singing along to lyrics that I haven't yet memorized.  I get them soon enough.

xoxo,

Eliza