I want to see the colors of another sky

A beautiful home and porch. Post title from Mexico by The Staves.

She pulls on this heart like she pulls on the sea

Oooh. Travel photographer, Sivan Askayo, took beautiful images of hanging laundry in different cities in his series, Intimacy under the Wires. It reminds me of staying with my grandmother during the summers growing up; the laundry was always hung out the window to dry. One time my t-shirt fell down onto the apartment below, and it was quite the struggle to get it back.

 Barcelona

 Florence

 Venice

 Buenos Aires

 Post title from That Moon Song by Gregory Alan Isakov.

I won't mind what you decide to swear by

A lovely city. 

A simple song. 

A beautiful movie. 

An honest blog.

Can you feel it under your skin?

Can we just talk about this weekend. So much goodness.

Friday, I went to The Happy Show at the Chicago Cultural Center.  It is free and runs until end of September, so if you are in Chicago, you must must go. I loved the simplicity and truth, and there were interactive elements as well, including riding a bicycle and free gum. Always a plus.

Saturday, my high school friend visited me and somehow scored two free One Direction tickets! We joined preteen girls screaming over five boys who were not all that enthusiastic about their songs and seemed slightly hungover and grumpy. However seeing my friend for a day and dancing was so much fun. It made me slightly jealous of these preteen girls who seem to have no worries in my eyes, but then I remembered they were in middle school and all jealousy vanished.

Sunday, I went to see the Oh Hellos. Let me tell you, the Oh Hellos are great live! Maybe the best I've ever seen. They danced, laughed, jumped, and seemed so genuinely enthusiastic and joyful to play music with each other. I would definitely see them again, and I've been listening to their songs on repeat all day at work. The Lament of Eustace Scrubb was amazing live. Oh man that energy. The post title is from Second Child, Restless Child.

So that was a high. After reading my friends' blogs about their summers in Athens, Greece and cross country biking, I gotta be proud of my little moments of excitement even if they pale in comparison :)

To be idle and blessed

This weekend I picked rasberries and fed goats. 

Now a poem for you.

Both were climbing for a higher cause

Yesterday one of my friends performed in Millenium Park. Yeah that's right. I met up with some of my friends after their various internships and jobs to hang out and listen to some very odd music (I've never warmed up to electronic music). However it hit me that I really love these people. These talented intelligent kind people. Maybe it is being exhausted from work or getting a glimpse of what life after college is like that is bringing this on. But whatever it is, I have had the blessing to find people like me in college. People with whom I can have theological debates one minute and then joke around the next minute.  People with whom I can discuss the latest This American Life or the latest buzzfeed article. People who inspire me to write poetry and to watch Parks and Rec. People I admire.

I guess this first week of work has been a little overwhelming. But that's ok. I am happy to have another year to spend with people who know me so well before we go off into our different directions. Cause let's be honest, its really people that make life all the better sometimes.

Post title from Michicant by Bon Iver.

Everybody will be dancing when we're feeling all right

My friend, Chrissy, visited me from Texas this week! She was passing through Chicago by train on her way to Brooklyn for the summer. She writes a blog too, check it out :)

I tried my best to convince her that Chicago is the best, but the weather and the el did not help my case. However we did find a used bookstore, Bookman's Corner, which sold novels for $1.50! Now I'm armed with Joyce Carol Oates and Toni Morrison for the summer. We also went to Let Them Eat Chaos, a Second City show, and analyzed a couple that seemed to be there on a blind date. She hit up a few other places: the bean, Dollop Coffeeshop, the Art Institute, Molly's Cupcakes, and of course the lovely Northwestern campus.

She left last night for her 24 hour train to NYC. The picture below is how I imagine she sleeps on the train. She's pretty badass.

Post title from Doin' It Right by Daft Punk.

You and me, we got our own sense of time

My best friend is studying abroad in Athens this summer. I've been keeping a list of the things she needs to bring back for me, like new sandals. We spent four days in Athens when we backpacked through Southern Europe together last August. I miss it a lot. I remember we could see the Acropolis from our hostel balcony. Yeah I know, I got the travel bug again. Whenever I think of moments in my short life of intense happiness or fear, many of them fall under that period of traveling. So I can't help sometimes wishing I was somewhere else sometimes (especially when exams are close).

I stumbled upon some beautiful photos from The Colors of Travel 2012 by The New York Times. Stoooop I want to go to there.

Enjoy your Friday! I'll be sleeping on the Warren Dunes tonight in Michigan, which is the closest thing I have to traveling these days... :)

Post title from Hannah Hunt by Vampire Weekend.

Montpellier, France

Turkey

Penang, Malaysia

  

Hyderabad, India

You dance up on them haters

Happy Friday :) Wear something bright and sexy to celebrate the beautiful weather this weekend. 

Outfit from Karla's Closet. Post title from Tightrope by Janelle Monáe. So much love.

But my heart beats too fast

Beautiful scarves from Block Shop, a textile company founded by two sisters in Bagru, India.

Post title from O Sangeeta by Daniel Hart.

I crashed my car into the bridge. I watched, I let it burn.

Mmmm yes Chicago in the summertime. Please let it come soon. Watch and be happy. Post title from I Love It by Icona Pop. You know you love this song.


Penny Swag from Brian Beckwith on Vimeo.

Everyone thinks I'm a liar

It is 9:20 pm and my host family hasn't called me for dinner yet. It is taking every part of me to resist having that chocolate bar in my drawer.

Anywho I'm taking a history of photography class, and for our field trip today we visited la Maison Européenne de la Photographie. I loved the exhibition by Claude Nori. It made me miss summer. It has been raining and overcast for the last two weeks in Paris which could explain why I am so drawn to the lifestyle and weather these photos convey :)

Post title from Submarine by The Lumineers.

J’essaie de trouver l’équilibre

I arrived in Paris last week! We survived the last three weeks of backpacking still friends with each other and with most of our things intact. This was the first time I had traveled without my parents for such an extended amount of time, and it was so much fun to see another side of traveling: staying in hostels, avoiding taxis, eating cheaply, meeting strange people, and experiencing how different the night life is. I want to go back and relive it.

I almost forgot I could unpack my things until my host mother showed me my closet. It is nice to feel settled, even though I can barely understand anything that is going on around me. Dinners with my host family are a little bit of a struggle, but they have been so patient with my housemate and me. I was really ashamed of my accent at the beginning; I hated how easily people can peg me as an American. But I traveled to Normandy with my orientation program yesterday, and now I'm realizing that being an American in Paris isn't such a bad thing after all. 

Is my life in Paris like the video below? Why yes: everyone smiles, people help me with directions when I'm lost, the metro is never crowded, and of course I have met a cute French boy. 

False: no one smiles, no one helps an American tourist, the metro is always crowded, and I'm still working on meeting a cute French boy. 

I smiled at the gardener when I left my apartment the first morning, he gave me a weird look.

Post title from La terre est ronde by Orelsan.

Shadows of the mess you made

Let's hope I've made it to Mykonos at this point. Post title from Mykonos by Fleet Foxes. Yeah I did that :)

I'll miss you someday

Lovely. 

Photography by Gabriela Herman. Post title from Sounds Like Hallelujah by The Head and the Heart.

And it feels like heaven

If I had tons of money, and I could bring/wear anything on my Southern European adventure, I love these outfits from Poppy. I'm looking at you high-waisted shorts and teal sandals. Happy Friday :)

Post title from Life is Life by Noah and the Whale.

Can't keep hanging on to what is dead and gone

I don't know what it is about these two outfits, but I'm obsessed. Maybe it is the denim and light shirt. Or maybe the pop of red. It all looks so clean and fresh. Happy Monday :)

Post title from Myth by Beach House.

There's certain things in life you cannot change

What a refreshing summer snack. The Forest Feast is great for simple healthy recipes. I hope you have a relaxing weekend :) I plan on tanning and not going to Lolla.

Post title is from Yamaha by Delta Spirit. My friend is awesome and got on the guest list for their concert, so I got to see them for free last night at Lincoln Hall. They were great, although I think they were saving their energy for Lolla. I absolutely love everything about Yamaha. I get obsessive about certain songs... Check out their music video for California. So Skins. So hipster ;)

It's further than you could see

Lovely photography from An Apple a Day. I had such a fun weekend! Pictures to come :)

Post title from The Hours by Beach House.

Standing in places no picture contains

Milwaukee is actually really great. I loved loved Brady Street. So many cute coffee shops and boutiques in a row of little houses. I also enjoyed some quality bonding time with my friend driving on the road and relaxing at her lovely country cottage :)

Here are some road tripping and entertaining photos from Kinfolk Magazine. I ran across the new edition at Anthro this weekend, and I freaked out. I love the simplicity.

Post title from Learning to Love Again by Mat Kearney.