a love letter for you

after the muddled feelings of my last post, i thought i would very decidedly change the tone with images of these incredible & inspiring murals by artist steve powers that happen to be right here in philly.

though i may not feel any more clarity than i did last week in terms of my life's work, i am lucky to have the most amazing partner in my husband, who is with me every step of the way, through the good and the bad. these murals are another reminder to me that i already have what i value most... him. where we live, where we work -- it's all secondary & it will fall into place, though maybe not exactly at the instant that i want it to. wherever we are, we'll be together. and that's enough.

i also want to thank you all for your encouraging comments on my last post... it means so much & has helped me along my way this past week, tremendously so. i promise not to abandon my etsy shops... i've just got to find the right balance in my life & i'm examining it all from every angle to find that balance. i'm planning on a lot more outdoor adventures, time with friends, & exploring new opportunities to help shed a little light on what i'm meant to do. and i suppose, even if i don't find it, i'll have fun in the process!

i hope you all have a great week ahead of you. and thanks, as always, for reading ♡

xo

in my dreams: fleabags

in my dreams... i would own one of these jawdroppingly gorgeous bags by fleabags.

i found myself in one of my favorite shops in philly, art in the age, the other day, after i saw the violet bag in the window. i had to have it. i was already justifying it as a birthday present for myself when i saw the price tag... let's just say that changed things a tad. but i may just have to start pinching some serious pennies anyway, because i am fairly certain it is destiny for me & one of those bags to be inseparable.

a bit of philly: italian market festival

i arrived home from ohio just in the nick of time to take in the super delicious italian market festival. and believe me, this was no coincidence. pasta, cheese, cannolis, me. we had a date.

the boy & i passed these lovely rose bushes on our walk to the festival. south philly may not have a lot of green, but when it does, it makes my heart sing. pretty pretty.

this may not look like much, but it was goooood. penne with vodka sauce & cheese ravioli from talluto's. being vegetarian at the italian market festival can present a bit of a challenge (think pepperoni on sticks & just about every cured meat under the sun), so hip hip hooray for pasta!

can you see those cannolis piled high in the corner there? from the moment i met it, the ricotta chocolate chip from termini brothers is something i just don't know how to live without.

okay, let's talk about this guy: his name is johnny d (see amazing hand-drawn cardboard sign above). he had his own little booth at the festival & was drawing people (they're not pictured, but he was drawing a young couple as i took this photo). at first glance, i thought that he was doing amusement park style caricatures, and honestly, i was impressed. because he looks to be about 12. but no. no, you guys. it's so much better than that... he was drawing stick figures. with sharpies. this officially made him the coolest 12 year old i had ever met. also, it makes him the best businessman ever. because there was definitely a queue to get a johnny d original. wow.

after taking in a few moments of the sleepwells, a stroll into the vintage shoe shop, and a slice of pizza (oops!) from j & j, we headed home, stuffed & happy. a perfect day with my favorite boy.