Wishlist / Boots

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A super special part of living somewhere relatively cold is actually having seasons. Growing up in Mesa AZ and then living in Southern CA, we had never really experienced true seasons until this past year. I mean lets face it 10 months of perfect sunny weather is great, but there is something truly magical about seasons. Weather changing, leaves falling, snow, flowers blooming. I can't get enough of it. Each season is so unique and special; I find myself looking forward to the next while also fully enjoying the current phase of the year. Such a bonus to our new home that I had honestly never considered before.  We had no idea what we were missing. Now I can't imagine ever living somewhere with one season ever again.

Fall is definitely in full swing here in Flagstaff. It seems very early due to a stormy summer and that's more than a little bit bittersweet. For the first time in my entire life I think I can count the number of times I wore a swim suit this summer on one hand. Where did summer go?!  But like every other person on the planet I love fall! Bring on the pumpkin spice lattes, pie (every kind of pie), soup, sweaters, and boots!

Normally this is the time when I get an itch to completely update my closet. Something to do with the massive back to school shopping trips that my mom would take me for every year. Or possibly just my love of all things fall manifesting in must have all the sweaters and leggings shopping trips. This year i've been able to resist so far.

In the last few months I've really tried to focus on living with less and simplifying my life. A big part of that has been purging non essential belongings and changing the way I shop. I have purged my closet of everything but the pieces that I absolutely love. This whole experience has been so liberating and I do not want to fall back into bad habits. But guys, boots have got to be one of the exceptions to the living with less mentality, I mean there is truly no such thing as too many pairs of boots. Right? When I got to the boots section of my wardrobe I couldn't part with any of them. Each and every pair needed to be there. I did get rid of one pair of awesome combat inspired mid-calf beauties, but only because they were very well used and damaged beyond repair. And then when boots started popping up in stores this season I was instantly so tempted. Resisting the urge was tough guys. I still haven't purchased a single pair. However I have done some serious online window shopping and put together a boots wish list. Instead of focusing on the best deal I looked for quality brands and beautiful durable materials. I haven't been able to decide which pairs to add to my collection. Which ones are your favorite? Lets be honest I want them all! 

xo Sam

Living With Less / Challenge

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Pinterest has been flooded with the idea of a minimal lifestyle. You would have to be living under a rock with no internet access to miss it. At first I ignored it but after reading some truly inspiring posts about how to simplify I was intrigued with the concept. Clutter has always been an enemy in my home. I have constantly struggled with a way to organize the massive amount of stuff we have managed to accumulate in the last few years. The less is more concept took me back to the newlywed days when we fit everything we owned in 15 boxes and a small truck. This last move we had enough to jam pack a 20 foot Uhaul and then some. How? Why? Do we really need all of this stuff? No way. Maybe I don't need a bigger closet or a larger house. Maybe I don't need to find better ways to organize. Maybe the answer is actually less. 

Now I'm not so sure that a capsule wardrobe or true minimalism would work for me or Joey. And I know for a fact that we will not be stuffing our family into one of these any time soon (maybe for a guest house though!) However there are some aspects of the less lifestyle that I am very interested in trying out. The idea of simplifying is just so freeing. Like how much stuff do we actually need? Let's find out!

I decided to take the challenge of truly simplifying our home and lifestyle. Starting in our home by making a list of each corner and each week tackling a different project. Focusing on quality and need. And on top of decluttering and simplifying the stuff already in our home. I will also work to shift the way I choose things to add to our home and life. No more impulse purchases. No more buying things because they're on sale. I want to thoughtfully consider every item that I purchase; focusing on quality over quantity. Need over want. I'm already looking around my house asking myself if certain things are really necessary. I feel like this will be such a beneficial change and i'm so excited to begin! My first goal is my wardrobe. Wish me luck!

xo Sam

Adventure / A Lunch Date in Sedona

  This past Tuesday Joey and I had a rare week-day off together. We had planned on hiking Humphrey's peak but to be completely honest we both woke up not really feeling it. Nineteen miles sounded like a bit much. Plus there were some pretty intense dark clouds rolling in and I did not want to get stuck on top of the mountain with a thunderstorm. Nope. Instead we decided to be a little bit spontaneous. Sedona is only about an hour south of us, we hadn't made it down there yet and we were both dying to go. Joey whipped up a quick breakfast and we jumped in the car with no plans except to stop whenever we felt like it.

(pardon the blurriness, I was legitimately hanging out the window taking pictures)

  Our day began with a breath taking drive through Oak creek canyon. That canyon is definitely one of my favorite places in the whole world. We had hiked it when we first moved to Flagstaff and I was instantly obsessed with the whole experience. The huge canyon walls and the serene creek are such polar opposites it feels like a little hidden treasure from a different world.  Driving through the canyon was the high light of my day. We had the windows and moon roof open and we were both completely amazed by the gorgeous views. Every twist and turn of the road revealed a different yet equally gorgeous picture. We talked about how blessed we felt to live in Flagstaff where we have so many super rad places all around us to explore. I thought I would struggle moving away from the beach and the ocean, but after living here I never want to leave. Seriously if you ever make it to AZ definitely spend some time in the Flagstaff/Sedona area. It's absolutely worth it.

  Our first stop was an adorable little coffee shop that I didn't take a picture of (but I snagged this one off of their blog) called Indian Gardens Cafe & Market. It had the most wonderful yummy chai lattes and a super cute vibe. On Saturdays they hold yoga class in their courtyard and I fully intend to attend whenever I possibly can. It was a gem for sure. Next door was a beautiful Native American jewelry store and if it wasn't super pricy I would have gone home with a few pieces for my collection.  I hope Joey was taking notes for Christmas though.

  We moved on to downtown Sedona and stopped to walk around all the touristy shops. The first one on the right when you drive into town is so freaking rad. We spent about an hour and a half just walking through it and admiring little details. The bison head was my favorite. Joey found some soft soled moccasins that he had been searching for since we moved here in October. And I snagged three more serape blankets for our living room in bright blues and reds. The pops of color make our brown couch way less boring. Eventually I want to make floor poufs out of one or two of them too so in my opinion theres no such thing as too many.

  There was a Mexican food restaurant with seriously yummy margaritas and an amazing view of the red rocks. The food was okay. I have to be honest i'm kind of a taco snob and they were not up to my standards but the atmosphere was awesome. We really enjoyed sitting down and just enjoying some quiet time together. Best part about being married to your best friend is always having someone by your side to go on adventures with. He's pretty much the best.

  Sedona itself is pretty rad. After lunch we walked around a bit more and checked out the super cute street art. There were several javelina sculptures all over town. This one was our favorite and Joey insisted that I pet it for a picture. The drive home was my favorite because the breeze made the trees and flowers move all around us and the canyon felt almost alive. I was too overwhelmed to take pictures. It was the perfect end to a completely wonderful day. Next trip down will be a thrifting trip and I am so freaking excited! 

xo  Sam

Week Notes / 1

  Let's be real for a second.  The struggle to have others approve of you is intense.  I always imagined that insecurity was one of those teenaged girl things that we grow out of. But unfortunately it's not.  Insecurity is a normal human thing that i'm sure we all face in different degrees. And let me tell you the idea of starting a blog brought mine out big time. 

  Blogs have been a part of my everyday life for years, I used to check my favorite blogs before getting ready for high school every morning. I found them to be completely inspiring and loved reading real people's take on everyday life. I loved cupcakes and cashmere's outfit posts and I was obsessed with A Beautiful Mess' constant dose of creativity.  I still read those blogs every single day.  The honesty and creativity that bloggers show is so amazing to me. Starting a blog has been a goal of mine since I was 17 but I was so afraid to put myself out there just to be misunderstood. My goal is to have an outlet for my ideas and hopefully to interact and connect with other creatives. I don't necessarily mind the idea of strangers not responding well to my posts. My biggest fear was actually having people I know in real life criticize my page. 

  Recently one of my besties asked me why I didn't blog. We were walking around a farmers market talking about something I had pinned and the projects I had been working on for my new apartment. And out of the blue Why don't you have a blog Sam? Sharing with her all of my blog related insecurities made me see them in a new way.  After that I decided to try.  To just put myself and my life out there and not necessarily care about the outcome. As long as I love it, that's all that really matters.  

xo Sam