The Cat’s Meow : April

It’s already time for this month’s Collection of Things to Purr Over!

^ this Baroque necklace would fit right into my wardrobe

^This amazing table scape is what my dreams are made of!

^I can’t wait to use this tutorial from The Painted Hive!

^I seriously want these winged Adidas ballet flats— you only live once, right?

^This wood pallet dining table is calling me!

^These handmade books by Natalie Stopka are absolutely stunning! I can’t wait to have a space where I can focus on my craft again.

^I’m super into this retro inspired look right now!

Have you found any drool-worthy goodies lately? I can’t wait to turn all the inspiration I have found lately into something tangible!

My (Possibly) Lucky Sweater

I’m not a superstitious person. I’m generally not even a little stitious (ba-dum-chee!) but I can’t help to think that this sweet Old Navy cardigan I thrifted is some sort of good-fortune magnet. Evidence: I’ve worn it to the last three interviews I’ve had and subsequently landed each job— the most recent being offered to me within the first ten minutes of meeting my (now) new boss! 

So by now you’re probably asking:

“Don’t you think hard work and experience is what gets you a job?” or

“Wait— don’t you already have a job that you love?” or even

“Why is this your third job in eight months?”

To which I would reply:

No. Absolutely not. It is completely reasonable to empower inanimate objects with magic instead of taking credit for your hard work, dedication, and talent. Or

Yes, I do have a job that I love— which is what has inspired me to accept a job I think I will love even more! Or

Because a girl’s gotta live! Duh! Or, more honestly, because I finally decided to pursue what I love full time!

So here’s the details: In a whirlwind of fate, I discovered the Nashville branch of the bakery I work for was hiring. So although I LOVE my current job, I decided to at least entertain the idea of applying/interviewing. (I mean, after my love affair with the city, how could I not?) I put in my resume and everything else is kind of a blur. I talked to my boss about transferring and although she would be sad to see me go, she was extremely helpful and let me know I had her support.

purse: Mom’s from the 90′s 

A few days after that I got a call to setup an interview for the next day. After talking to the manager in person for ten minutes, he offered me a full-time baking position on the spot! I tried not to squeal with delight as I penciled my start date into the calendar, but I am sure I was still beaming from the inside out!

The next day, my partner got offered the job he had been waiting to hear back from. So in one week’s time, my entire world got turned upside down and all our plans went out the window! Now we are furiously trying to tie-up all the loose ends here before we can make our much anticipated move to Music City. 

locket: vintage / gift from my mom 

Even though all of this has been a stressful process the last few weeks, at times I can’t help but think about how lucky I am. But just stating that makes me so upset because it really does negate all of the effort I have put into actively pursuing my dreams. Landing this job was not something that just fell into my lap— it was a conscious decision. I decided I wanted to work at a bakery. I sought out and learned the necessary skills to get an entry level position. I continually asked for feedback and criticism from my boss and coworkers. And then I decided to pursue an opportunity for vocational, personal, and financial growth.

shirt: thrifted / belt: kohl’s / corduroys: GAP / wedges: Ciao Bella from DSW

 Although it can be nice to think that luck has something to do with success, I know this outfit probably only went so far as to influence my confidence when I interviewed. Even if it’s cheesy, the quote “I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it” really applies to my life lately. I’m really excited to see what the future holds and I’m ready to own my accomplishments. I’ll just save my “luck” so I can test it on something just as crazy— like the lottery!

Diagnosis: Music City Fever

When I woke up at 4:30 am last Saturday it wasn’t my intention to end the day sweaty, tired, and in disbelief from learning that I can bike 36 miles per hour.

It all started off when Nick and I packed up our bikes and drove to Nashville for some fun with friends. I’ve always had a soft spot for Music City, but I really fell hard this time around. We spent the whole day on bikes: in Centennial Park, seeking out food, cruising the Art Crawl, and then finally attending the Saturday Night Sprints.

I’m pretty much the least competitive person I know, but after seeing my friends and peers consistently bike upwards of 30mph, I just couldn’t leave without testing my own limits. So I signed up and soon found myself perched on a bicycle trainer, waiting to pedal as fast as I could to go absolutely nowhere.

As I waited for the sprint to start, I thought about where I was this time last year: bruised up and hobbling around the house after being hit by a truck while cycling.

That was when my anxiety about biking fast had started. I was always a cautious cyclist, but after that collision, well, let’s just say I rarely biked hard enough to even break a sweat. For the last year I have cruised around town as the slowest cyclist I know— continuously alert and perpetually trying to anticipate every terrible driver’s unpredictable move.

But here I was: alive, healthy, happy, and far away from any moving cars. I was surrounded by my best friends and finally prepared to face my fears. The countdown started and 3. . . 2. . 1! I was off! I have never moved so fast in my life! My legs burned. My chest tightened. My body was covered in sweat. But I was alive. And I was biking. And that’s all that mattered during those 18 seconds.I didn’t think about how I sat on the pavement the night I was hit, screaming about the fact that I couldn’t move my leg. Or how angry I was at the driver who turned left into me. I just looked down at my legs—  amazed with each rapid pedal stroke at how many miles they have carried me the last year. Amazed by how freeing it is to be able to depend on your body to get you where you’re going. I just pedaled my heart out, amazed by the fact that I was even alive.

I lost the race that night.

After high-fiving all my friends and drinking about a gallon of water, I climbed on my own bike and headed towards the car. I reveled in the nearly empty city streets and let the evening air cool my face as I pedaled through Nashville as fast as I wanted.

Cycling through Music City that day revived my love for bikes. I let go of my fear of going as fast as I wanted, my automatic grudge against every driver, and my resentment towards each road that wasn’t paved with bikes in mind. It all weighed too much and it was literally slowing me down. I cycled happily through the brisk night and envisioned myself actually living in Nashville someday: learning the streets by bike and navigating on my own. I fell asleep that night with a sense of peace and woke up the next day with a mega crush on Music City and a desire to just pick up and move.

Photos courtesy of Ryan Green
(view all from the sprints here)

The Cat’s Meow : March

This month has flown by! I changed jobs, Nick is graduating soon, and we are looking for a new place to live so things are becoming more and more hectic each day. Plus with the trees blooming already it seems like everything is so new and fresh! I’m feeling inspired daily so I thought I’d share another round of The Cat’s Meow: A Collection of Things to Purr Over so you can peak at all the neat things I’ve been enjoying lately!

1. These Baked Typefaces are so lovely! 

2. This Love Balloon Pillow is simple, easy, and effective!

 3. This vintage book is so swoon worthy!

4. This jump roping poodle cracks me up! 

5. These extremely relatable comics by Bikeyface are really something special. (I may or may not have read through every single one when I discovered her site because they are all that good . . . )
 6. This Peach Cake looks so perfect right now!

7. I can hardly ever find bracelets I like but I am absolutely head over heels for this Saturn Charm Bracelet

8. It’s getting so warm out I can barely stand the thought of biking with a backpack. I have been keeping an eye out for the perfect saddle bag but I think I might have to make my own by mashing these two ideas together.
9. This cat eating pizza is the best

10. I am always begging my former roommate and best friend Tyler Walker (also known as Meth Dad, also known as the founder of the music/bike festival Tour de Fun) for new music. He started Stay Magical Mixtapes to put out monthly free playlists on and I just can’t stop listening to the first one. Click the album to download! 

I’ve got peaches+soygurt to eat, letters to write, bikes to ride in 80* weather, and cupcakes to recipe test. What’s making you smile lately?

My Sweet Secret

I’m happy to finally share that I have made some more progress on my goals list! It all happened really fast but I am now officially working at a bakery!I got a call from a local cupcake shop on a Monday about three weeks ago and set up an interview for the next morning. It went swimmingly well and I spent the rest of the day at work dreaming about what life would be like if I got the job. Then on that Thursday I was offered a position, by Friday night I had put in my two weeks notice, and on Saturday morning I started to train as a frosting & filling maker + decorator!

I have spent the last two weeks working two jobs and being in complete disbelief that I am now getting paid to do something I love. By no means was my job [fashion consultant at a jewelry boutique] terrible, but it just wasn’t something I could see myself doing longterm.

This is only my first week working solely at the bakery and things are already looking up. I am going to train this week to fill-in for one of the bakers going on maternity leave, which not only means I get to bake but I will also get to decorate even more (which is great since that is where my interests are right now!).

I’m still trying to wrap my head around how incredibly fast the last month has gone by and how many wonderful things are happening in my life! I get paid to do what I normally just do for fun! THERE IS A CUPCAKE ON MY PAYCHECK.

Not only am I happier than I have been in a long time, but I have a feeling things are only going to get even better from here on out. As cheesy as it sounds, I honestly feel like this is the closest I have ever come to starting a career. So now that there’s no place to go but up, cheers to new beginnings!

Sketchbook Sunday

Thanks to my Two Dozen Goals list, I have started keeping a journal / sketch book again! I’m going to share some excerpts from it on the blog every now and then! It can be pretty hard to make necessary changes when you’re stuck in a rut. Sometimes it can be even harder to admit you’re stuck in a rut in the first place— uninspired, living on autopilot, questioning all your own actions. So after making some life-altering decisions, I am looking forward to a better tomorrow!