~ holiday cheer ~

The leaves have fallen.  The cookies are baked.  The wrapping paper is down from the attic.

The Holidays are here.

 

And with the Holidays come holiday parties, holiday music on the record player, and a sudden desire to not wear what I slept in.  The fake eyelashes come out of their box, stockings out of their drawer, hair is put into pin curls, nailed are painted, and festive clothing rescued from the back of the closet.

 Perhaps it's the Publix commercials that never fail to bring me to tears, or seeing wreaths hung on doors, or stockings over fireplaces, but the holiday season seems especially merry this year.

2015 has done its best to knock me down - and it's going out with a bang - but despite the painful things in this world, the holiday season still comes around, presents are still given, and love is still shared.  There may be days when it's hard to get out of bed, and hard to face the things one must face, but these moments of happiness (however fleeting) make life worth while.

 

So, Happy Holidays.  Hold your loved-ones close, appreciate what you have, and eat lots of cookie dough.

xoxo,

Eliza

~ 2014 ~

Because I'm not in a mushy gushy sentimental mood (and really, when am I), I'll spare you from reading a long blog post detailing all of the highlights of my year, and instead give you a short one detailing my absolutely and utter hatred of New Year's eve with a few of my favorite moments of my year thrown in for fun.

Before I go any further, it should be said that I HATE new year's eve for a few particular reasons that do not change if the year in question has been good, bad, or bat shit crazy.  NYE is simply a combination of many things that I utterly detest (champagne, noise, annoyingly enthusiastic people) and a few that I utterly loath.

• I HATE endings.  Endings of seasons, endings of vacations, endings of a series, endings of a photoshoot, endings of a cup of tea.  Hate, hate, hate, hate, hate.

• I hate looking back on a year's worth of good memories and bad ones.  New Year's Eve is total a memory overload, fueled by dessert and sugary drinks.  It's like going through photos on your phone and the next thing you know, it's been an hour, it's dark outside, and you feel weirdly lonely.  

• NYE is always the worst introvert's hangover of the year.  Not sure what an introvert's hangover is?  Read this.

• .Without a doubt, you are missing out on a party somewhere.  And there's nothing you can do about it.

• But the thing I hate most about New Year's Eve, is that there are no guarantees on what the next day will bring.  Now I know that every night is an eve to the next day and that day could be the worst or the best of your life, but somehow the risk seems heightened on this night.  It's the end of one year and the beginning of another - a clean slate, a blank canvas, an empty journal, ready to be filled with moments, large and small - intimidating, scary, full of unknowns. 

And that's okay.  

There's no reason what so ever why New Year's Eve has to be the best night of the year, just as there's no reason why this blog post has to be the best one all year.  Letting go of all expectations is the best thing one can do.  That, and thinking back on the quiet moments from the past 12 months.  Not the moments of sheer bliss, or ones of heartbreak, but the simple moments of true happiness.  

This morning I had a really strong cup of tea, a fresh egg from our chickens, and a piece of toast.  Yesterday I spent all my time painting and watching James Bond movies on Netflix.  Last week I went for a really nice walk.  I sacrificed the couch, the carpet, and all formerly smooth surfaces in the house to two furry orange kitties.  I spent lots of time with family.  I met some incredible people and had some awesome experiences.  And I learned how to make chocolate covered pretzels.

Yes, there were many scary phone calls, moments of panic, doctors appointments, and disappointments, but overall I'll look back on 2014 as being a year of growth and change.

I learned how to travel by myself.  I learned to let myself evolve.  And I learned that I'm truly terrible at cutting my own hair.

But really, what more could I ask for?

So Happy New Year, friends, and have a happy last day of 2014.  I hope that your 2015 is full of opportunities, adventures, and even more photos of Benedict Cumberbatch in a tux.

Thanks for the memories.

xoxo,
Eliza

~ baby it's cold outside ~

Merry Christmas to all you lovely people!

Today I celebrated with a big breakfast (and my grandfather's famous oven toast recipe), a long walk with my mom, and seeing Into The Woods with one of my best friends.  It was a great day!

Today was all about being thankful for what I have instead of wishing for more and appreciating the little things.  I snuggled with my mom, danced around my room to holiday music, wore high heels for no reason, and talked to my neighbors.  It was a good day.

Wishing you all a wonderful holiday and a great rest of 2014.

xoxo,

Eliza

~ little miracles ~

This time of year, especially when I have a general lack of ambition and the only pants that grace my body are pajamas, it's a miracle if I get anything done.  Which is precisely why December 23rd will from hence forth be known as the day I got shit done.

• I vacuumed my entire room - under my bed, in my closet, behind the desk - and did some impressive junk clearing out that would turn the hair of the 8 year old pack-rat in me completely and totally grey.

• I ran errands that I'd been putting off for weeks and weeks and tackled the to-do list that was longer than the 7th Harry Potter book.

• I rolled holiday cookies in powdered sugar while wearing black silk pajamas without ruining my jammies or skimping on powered sugar.

Now this spurt of productivity may have been due to three straight days of rainfall and an inability to leave the house without a beach umbrella, but I prefer to think of it as my own personal Festivus Miracle.  Now I have a clean room, some new socks, and powdered sugar cookies.

Happy Festivus/ Last day of Chanukah!

xoxo,
Eliza

~ from russia with love ~

Okay, that's it...thanks to From Russia With Love, my James Bond obsession has resurfaced.

Though I could do without the blatant sexism and objectification of every single woman in the film, and I could really do without the opening credits (oh my god, the opening credits), Tatiana Romanova's style has certainly crept into my wardrobe and hair+makeup over the last few days.

{gap pants, gap flats, target sweater, target rain coat}

Since it's been gloomy and rainy for the past three days, I've done nothing but eat cinnamon bread, bake cookies, and go to an insane number of holiday parties.  Now it's not exactly chasing down Russian spies and making out with 007, but I'll take it!

Dressing like a Bond girl?  Absolutely.  Being a Bond girl?  No thanks.  

I'd like to survive past the first half hour of the movie.

xoxo,

Eliza

~ chanukah ~

As I'm sitting here in my pajamas eating pecan pie and watching an old James Bond movie (which, by the way, is way more racist/sexist than I remember it being), I'm reminded again of how much I hate doing anything productive while I'm on vacation.

Really the only things I've done this week that I consider to be productive are putting up some Chanukah decorations and washing my hair.  And I'm surprised I even got around to doing that.

Later I'll bundle up and go for a walk to work off some latkes before having more for dinner tonight, but until then, I'm perfectly happy with a cat on my lap and cup of tea by my side.

Happy Chanukah!

xoxo,

Eliza

~ social butterfly ~

Much like how stepfathers use expensive presents to make their stepchildren love them, I am now going to shower you all in pictures and words to make up for a lack of posting.  If I were a better liar I would tell you all that I've been traveling in a remote part of the world that doesn't have wifi.  Or photographing a war zone.  Or that I lost my laptop whilst jumping off a bridge to save a small child from drowning.  But I'm an awful liar.  The truth is, blogging has been high up on my to-do list but things like studying for finals and laundry and cleaning the bathroom have rudely been cutting in line.

So here we go...a brief summary of events from this month and last that haven't made it onto the blog!

1. Capital Calender Girls release party.  Several months ago, a good friend/fairy godmother came to me and asked me to photograph an idea she had.  With lots of hard work from some truly amazing women, the Capital Calender Girls 2015/2016 calender was born!

If you'd like to purchase one, head on over to capitalcalendargirls.com!  All of the proceeds go to the Tallahassee Refuge House.

2. Last month two of my photos went up in COCA's 2014 Photofest exhibit at the airport - so exciting!

Both photos were part of a 20-photo series I did last year in my photography class, so it was beyond exciting to see them go from an idea, to a class project, to hanging in a gallery!

3. Last night's ugly christmas sweater party!  Pretzels, hot tea, a fireplace, and the best of friends.

I've got two more finals and then I can start looking forward to holiday parties, Chanukah, and spending time with loved ones!  Here's hoping we all make it through this next week with more than an ounce of sanity left!

xoxo,

Eliza

~ 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

~ 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

~ 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

~ passover ~

Tonight marks the beginning of Passover - one of my favorite Jewish holidays.  Here are some highlights from this beautiful spring day!

{Gap jeans, Old Navy shoes, F21 top, Old Navy blazer, Uniqlo scarf}

A good message on the sidewalk

My pre-Passover feast!

Tonight's matzo ball soup - YUM!

After getting a boat load of work done today, I'm settled down on the couch with macaroons and tea.  Time to watch Dancing With the Stars!  Happy Passover, everyone!

xoxo,

Eliza