~ thankful ~

There are many things I'm thankful for....chocolate, fleece-lined leggings, teachers who post their powerpoints online, etc., etc.  But this year, I'm thankful for some of the most basic things a human being can be thankful for, but that many people must go without on a daily basis.

• Food.  In a world where an apple can cost as much as a burger from McDonald's, I feel very lucky to have access to and be able to afford good, healthy, (often organic) food.  I feel very lucky to have the luxury of being able to customize my diet.  No meat, no dairy, lots of fruits and vegetables, very little sugar, whole wheat instead of white.  I fully understand how privileged I am and try to remind myself of this on a daily basis.

• My health.  Even though this time of year I have the immune system of a Jane Austen side character (I'm looking at you, Jane Bennet), for the most part, I'm a relatively healthy person.  I don't have any chronic illnesses, I haven't been bedridden for longer than a few days (except for when I had mono, but mono is the exception to everything), I'm not allergic to grass, or water, or wheat.  Sure, sometimes I'll go to the doctor with a complaint and she'll say "Yeah...never heard of anything like that in my entire career," or a WebMD search yields no results, but I'm lucky.  And I'm thankful.

• Education.  As much as I complain about the technical glitches, costs, and sexist idiots I run across on campus, I feel so fortunate to be on a campus.  With the ridiculous rises in tuition, among many, many other things, an unbelievable number of people simply cannot afford to receive an education.  That I am one of the lucky few is something that I am very thankful for.

• A home.  My house is something to behold.  Down a road lined with watermelon fields and cow pastures, canopied by enormous oak trees dripping with Spanish moss, and older than most of the lucky people living underneath their beautiful shade.  Then, turning onto our dirt road, it's like going back in time and all the while entering a new world.  White and wooden, like a farm house, big windows and lots of light, wooden floors and welcoming doorways.  I love my house and cherish the days and nights I've spent here.

• A family.  Though we may be spread out, stubborn, and often spend our time arguing about things that will mean nothing in a year - "Stop looking out MY WINDOW" (circa 2000) - we love each other.

We could all use a day to celebrate each other and give thanks for what we have.  So happy Thanksgiving, one and all.  

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

~ mom ~

There are certain things that we all inherit from past generations of family members (whether we care to admit it or not).  These things can be both physical and pertaining to our personalities/soul.  In my case, I got my great-grandmother's thick, wavy hair, my grandfather's height, my mom's eyes, and most likely, heart diseases, arthritis, and osteoporosis (woohoo).  I also inherited my great-grandfather's love of photography, my grandfather's love of fashion and interior decorating, and my mother's passion for justice and her need for speaking out against social injustices.

But there is one thing, one characteristic, that I feel I am lacking.  A characteristic that perhaps cannot be inherited, but only observed in its original form and gently copied.  The original form was a powerhouse of kindness, had the ability to silence negativity with one or two thought out words, and was a mother to all who knew her, despite where they fell in relation to her on the family tree or in the address book: My grandmother, who almost everyone in the family called Mom or Ma.

She was born in 1918, following a world war, and lived through a depression, a second world war, a civil rights movement, a women's rights movement, man's first step on the moon, and saw her family grow from two 18 year olds who eloped on Christmas Eve, to children, grandchildren, and even though she never knew them, great-grandchildren.

Her temperament cannot be done justice with the 24 letters in the alphabet.  She was the combination of Melanie Wilkes, Mother Teresa, and Mahatma Gandhi, possessing the ability to calm my grandfather with a simple "Now honey," and make all who met her feel as though they had just spent time with a saint.  Her kindness was infectious, and if she had a temper, I sure never saw it.  My mom can only remember her raising her voice twice: once when the landscapers cut down one of her favorite trees, and a second time when the principal of my mom's school ripped out the hem a dress that she had painstakingly sewn because it was "too short."

One of my biggest regrets is not spending as much time with her as I could have.  I backed out of sleepovers at my grandparent's house, and spent too much time arguing with my sister when I could have been learning from her wisdom.  Perhaps this was because I thought of Mom as an immortal figure in my life.  She had always been there so why would there be a time when she wasn't?  The last person whose death I could remember was Dumbledore's, but even he wasn't truly gone.

The morning my mom told me that Mom was gone was heartbreaking and confusing.  I remember crying but it didn't feel real.  Probably because I couldn't believe it was really happening.
It was different when my grandfather died.  He passed away after a long fight, during which we all came to terms with what was eventually going to happen.  I knew that one day I would wake up and things would seem different.  But with my grandmother it was a surprise, as though she had been robbed of her favorite time of year and a few more years of drinking coffee with Pop and watching the birds - at least, that's how it felt to 12 year old me.


I wish I was like her.

I like to think that along with my grandfather's love for dancing to big band music, I also inherited my grandmother's personality and temperament.  But it isn't so.  (Yesterday I yelled at a textbook.)


It's been seven years since her death and I've come to terms with the fact that her warmth, strength, and slow southern love can't be replicated in the coming weeks, months, or years.  But among the things she taught me - how to perfectly crimp a pie crust, the importance of doing the right thing even if those around you aren't, that putting nail polish in the refrigerator will make it last longer - she unknowingly taught me the biggest lesson of all: that kindness and patience speak louder than anything.

Perhaps with a little practice, we can all be like Mom.

xoxo,
Eliza

~ summer lovin' ~

Because today marks the end of the summer (bleh) and tomorrow marks the beginning of the semester (double bleh), I'm mourning all of the things I never got around to doing.

01. painting my room.  I bought the paint.  I made plans.  I never did it.

02. getting in shape.  Sure, I went for a few runs, I went to yoga twice a week, ALMOST every week, and I downloaded the My Fitness app on my phone, but it wasn't the "run a 5K every week and bench press my own body weight" transformation that I had my heart set on.

03. ACTUALLY cleaning my room.  Moving every piece of furniture, vacuuming my entire floor, dusting every surface (including the top of my ceiling fan), and cleaning out my closet.  However, I did organize my underwear drawer, clean out my desk, and vacuum almost all of my floor.

But you know what?  It's okay.  I have the weekends and holidays and nights when I can't sleep but also can't find the motivation to study.  So I'll get all of that done before next summer (hopefully).

I did a lot this summer, though.  I discovered a channel on my TV that plays nothing but old movies, I went to the beach countless times, bought two vintage hats, modeled several times and had tons of photoshoots, spent lots of time with my family and friends, and even made some new friends.  And now that summer has come to an end (although I'm in denial, so in my mind it doesn't end until tonight at midnight) maybe I'll actually know what day it is (wednesday?  friday?  saturday?  Who knows...), I'll have a wake up time and a bed time, and I'll finally have something to complain about.

But onto the main point of my rambling!  To celebrate the summer and spend time with good friends, I went to a Clue-themed party last night and had a blast.  Plus, I wore vintage.  So win/win!

{I'm using this photo only to show what my hair looked like before the humidity hit}

{Col. Mustard, Mrs. White, Miss Scarlet, Prof. Plum, Miss Peacock, and Mrs. Green}

We ate Chinese food, played Clue until midnight, listened to music, and had an awesome time!  I'm going to miss everyone when they go back to college and grad school.

It was a good summer.

xoxo,

Eliza

~ 12 days of summer ~

I don't want summer to end.  But unfortunately for me, I only have 12 full, uninterrupted days of summer vacation.  Because that number is depressing and the idea of going back to composition books,  note cards, highlighters, and massive amounts of caffeine is horrible, I'm cherishing every minute of free time and filling it with fun things!

12 days left.
After sleeping in, running errands, and eating good food, I baked a cake and watched Key Largo.

 

11 days left.

Spent the day lounging by the pool, drawing skeletons, going to an art show in the evening, and finished the day with a hot bath.

{gap top and shoes, old navy pants}

10 days left.

In the morning we left to make the drive to Thomasville where we met my sister who was making her way back home from Atlanta.  We shopped, we ate, and then we jammed to good music.  

Then after a quick nap and a quick dinner, I went to a movie with friends in the evening.

9 days left.

This morning I worked out with my mama and sister, ran errands, and caught up on all the news from Atlanta.  Then we all had an amazing lunch!  I think I'll head up to the pool for some swimming and a quick nap before catching a movie tonight (has anyone seen Boyhood yet?).

Hanging up my new map

Spicy southwestern vegetable soup and sweet kale salad with cabbage, brussels sprouts, roasted pumpkin seeds, cranberries, broccoli, and a poppyseed dressing.

Today I reluctantly bought notebooks, but I'm trying not to let it kill my vibe.  Besides, even though classes start soon, it'll be shorts weather until October.  

Nine days left of summer.

xoxo,

Eliza

~ sand and sparks ~

Following a fourth of July "Jaws" viewing party, we packed up and headed to the beach on the 5th.  Because what better way to spend to spend the day after watching a movie about a gigantic shark than swim in the ocean?

{my lovely mommy}

{my new favorite vintage parasol}

{and my new favorite vintage hat}

Then that night we watched fireworks and ate blueberry pie.

xoxo,

Eliza

~ red, white, and blue ~

Happy Independence Day, fellow Americans!  And to those of you who are not American, bear with it, the day's almost over.

My sister was back in town so we had a family cook out (well, cook in), watched Jaws, and then watched puny fireworks from people's driveways since the big show was postponed until tomorrow!

I hope that everyone had a chance to celebrate with their loved ones.  And for those who are still celebrating, remember to stay safe!

Happy 4th of July from the Roosevelt brothers and me!

xoxo,

Eliza

~ d-day ~

Today we remember June 6th, 1944 and the men and women who fought for the cause.  Today I remember both my maternal grandfather and my paternal grandfather, who both fought in the war.  I also remember a very special day two years ago when we (my mom and aunt) took my grandfather Pop to see WWII planes at the airport.  It was an emotional day for all of us and one of his last outings.

{Captain Isadore Schneider}

{in the jungles of the Philippines - 1943}

Pop was a Captain in the Air Force and fought in the Philippians.  He flew through hurricanes, mountain peaks, and flew blind.  Being 25 years old, he was considered the "old man" among the teenagers, but if I knew him at all, he definitely held his own when it came to joke telling and prank playing.

Here's the story that I only heard him tell once, but that has stuck with me and with everyone who hears it.  Written by my mom.

"In the summer of 1943 my dad had to fly his C-47 cargo plane from Zamboanga in the south to Luzon in the north. Part of the way there he was trapped inside a massive hurricane and was blown off course. He knew that he would not be able to fly through the storm and make it back to Luzon without running out of fuel so he decided to bring the plane in at Manilla. The problem - to make the landing strip there he would have to fly his plane between two mountain peaks south of the runway, while being buffeted by hurricane-force winds and flying completely blind. For the next 60-something years, he still wasn't sure how he managed to make it in between the two mountains but he did, blowing out a tire during the rough landing. He taxied the plane to safety and sat for minute or two, in wonder that he'd made it through the storm, between the mountains, past the blown tire. He then glanced at the fuel gauges. Both were sitting on empty. I only heard my dad tell this story maybe three times in my life - the last time in his late 80s when Eliza interviewed him for a history project on WWII. He still wiped away tears as he told it. So many memories, so many close brushes with death. He was one of the fortunate ones who lived to come home to his family and friends. Remembering, this weekend, both those who didn't return and those war heroes (whether they consider themselves heroes or not) who came home with a lifetime of daily demons to wrestle."

It was a wonderful day.  

I miss Pop so much and think about him everyday.  I don't know where he was or what he was doing on D-Day but I know it's a day that he never forgot.  

Towards the end of his life he suffered from dementia, but the one subject he could always talk about was flying.

So, thank you to the men and women and the many members of my family who sacrificed so much for our country.  You are all so loved.

{Pop, second from the left, with fellow pilots at Shaw Field, SC - 1942}

xoxo,

Eliza

P.S. Here's a recording of Benedict Cumberbatch reading the 8am news broadcast from D-Day and Toby Jones reading the 9pm broadcast.  They're chilling.

~ girl's day out ~

This morning started bright and early when I awoke to the feeling of teeny tiny teeth being sunk into my feet.  Having two kittens is like taking care of 8 week old twins who have the energy of a 13 year old track and field star.  I'm telling you.  The exhaustion is real.

       

So when you wake up early and in a bad mood, what do you do?  Go to yoga class in your pajamas.  Works like a charm. 

After adjusting moods and running various errands around town, we went out to dinner to celebrate my sister's upcoming move to Atlanta to begin an internship!  Since her accident we really haven't had a chance to go out and do anything, so it was really nice to have that time together.  I miss her already.

After dinner, my mama and I walked around Lake Ella and went to Food Truck Thursday.  Have you been yet?  It's great!  Lots of good food, good music, and interesting people.

Now that the brownies are out of the oven and the boys are sound asleep, it's time to go to bed!  Goodnight everyone.

xoxo,

Eliza