Why I Blog

I was so honored to find out recently that a fellow blogger, lovinghomemade, decided to spread some love and nominate A Thousand Threads for the Addictive Blog Award… a huge honor because the award comes from someone who understands exactly what it takes, and she still likes my blog… so thank you lovinghomemade, it really means a ton.

But here’s the thing… the award requires that the nominated blogger share a little bit about why they blog, and when I thought about it, I realized that I’ve never really answered that question.

In fact, I’m not even sure it’s something I’ve ever fully thought through.  Deep down, of course, I know… but even now, it’s not easy to put into words why I do this thing, night after night… keeping my poor guy awake so long he falls asleep on the floor while waiting for me to finish up and head to bed, only to wake up to another day of work and another night of blogging.

Wow okay that probably doesn’t sound very appealing at all… but it is, I swear it.  I’ll try to make the case a little better below…

To those just starting out…

Ira Glass on Storytelling from David Shiyang Liu

There is nothing more valuable than the advice of someone who’s been there, especially someone as admirable as Ira Glass.  This American Life regularly pins me to the seat of my car long after I’ve come home… waiting, needing to hear the end of the story… just so I can run inside and tell the whole thing to Mark (albeit very badly, and in not nearly as entertaining a way as Ira… while Mark looks at me confused).

As I strive daily to improve my writing, my photography, my blog, myself… I find myself coming back to this quote, over and over, and trying to remember that “It’s normal to take a while.”

If you know what good looks like, you can get there.  “You just have to fight your way through.”

Thanks Alison for sending this my way, I’ve needed it… and I thought a few others might too.

P.S. Do you ever go through the archives of your favorite blogs?  Like, the super duper successful ones?  Those blogs are perfectly polished now… but for most, there was a time (long, long ago) that they looked a lot like you.

It can be pretty inspiring.

Wedding Budgets, They Triple

Throughout this wedding planning process, I’ve spoken a lot about budgetary stress.

Of all the stress that accompanies the planning of a wedding (a ton) this is the thing that has hit me the hardest. I can try to rationalize it a million different ways, but the reality is that we are getting ourselves into a hefty chunk of debt, for a day… and something about that is deeply hard for me to swallow.

I often talk about my student loan debt (because it kind of blows my mind) and when I do I always express my regret that someone did not take me aside and explain — truly explain — what I was doing when I signed over the next 30 years of my life at just 21.

Labor Day Lists

I have always been, and will always be, a list maker.

It’s compulsive.

My little notes app on my iPhone is full of them… with duplicates and additions in my Things organizer and my task list in gmail (as I write this I am ever more aware of the need to consolidate).

But with this wedding upcoming, I fear lists may be taking over my life… just a little.

It’s August. This is supposed to be my time to catch up… but no such luck.

It’s like they’re waiting for me around every corner, ready to pounce… with a million little unchecked items.

And they are ever. expanding.

So my goal for the rest of this month is to keep up with my lists. Not eliminate, just keep up… because that, my friend, is a whole task of its own.

I’m looking to check a few big ticket items off by Labor Day, and I’m looking to be satisfied when I do… because sometimes, you just can’t shoot for it all… you have to be able to find happiness in enough.

In fact, maybe I should try to find happiness in enough a little more often.

How about you? Do you keep lists?  And how do you keep it all in line if you don’t?

Image: Advice that bears repeating, via Paper Life Love

I ❤ New York

When I was 18, I moved to LA.

I moved from a small town on the coast of Oregon that nobody (save a few fans of Pre — who I also ❤ in case you’re wondering) had ever heard of.  That little town was filled with trees… and clean air… and nice people.

I hated LA.

I hated it with a fiery passion and felt like the concrete was about to swallow me alive.

And then, one day… without notice… I fell in love.

That big grey city stole my heart.  Its food, its culture… its big dirty polluted self seeped into my soul and made itself a little home… and today, even though I know it’s crazy, I miss it like hell…

And it’s not just the surfing and the sun, though those two might serve as a couple of easy targets if you really think I’m nuts.

I do miss surfing, next to the smoke stacks… and I miss the sun.  But I also miss the creativity, the freedom of the people… the feel of that place that never leaves once it’s got you by the soul.

The first couple of times I visited New York… I was not impressed.  It was big… dirty… I couldn’t see the sun.  But the more I go… the more I realize that New York, like LA, has begun to seep in.

We’re still getting to know each other, New York and I… but despite our rocky start, I don’t know… it might be love.

Is it Monday already?

This weekend we headed up to New York for Mark’s first suit fitting and to see a friend’s show (Her last before it heads to Scotland for Edinburgh fringe!) and since Mark was busy playing with other, fancier cameras… I got a little time behind the lens.

Pepe and I are still getting to know each other (what, you don’t name your inanimate objects?) but we’re a whole lot closer than we used to be.  Honestly, I’d say I’m about half a step above point and shoot, but hey, anything’s an improvement.

Mark was pretty excited about his fitting (I can’t wait to see!) and it gave us a good excuse to grab some tasty brunch at egg before heading into Manhattan to get ready for the show — which was amazing, and echoed a lot of important issues I’ve been thinking about lately (especially while reading this book).  I’m so proud of that kickass playwright friend of mine… but that’s nothing new.

On Sunday we squeezed in a tasty bagel and a trip to the High Line before heading home to our cozy beds and our happy puppy.  I love trips out of town, and especially love the chance to see friends, but it’s always nice to come home, too.  And I know Mr. Lennon is pretty pumped.

How was your weekend?  Was it as super hot as it was in the east?  We nearly died.

Happy Birthday Blog!

Can you believe it’s been one whole year?  I started this little blog with a confession on July 19, 2011, with nearly a year and a half of wedding planning ahead.  I shared some of my favorite things, told you all about Mark’s amazing proposal, and chronicled my ups and downs.

We figured it out together.

Planning this wedding has been a wild ride, and I can’t say I’m entirely sad that it’s almost done.  It’s been a ton of work, but most of all… when the end comes, I’ll be married to my favorite guy… and that’s the best part.

More than anything, on this little blog anniversary of mine, my heart is so full of thanks for all of you.  Thank you for sticking in there as I’ve felt my way along, learning by doing and not always getting it right… but definitely always trying to improve.  Thank you for your support along the way.  I could never have known when I started this blog how many amazing people I would meet, and how much happiness those people would bring.

I have some big plans in the works for the future of this little project of mine, and I hope you’ll continue along for the ride… and always let me know what I can do to make this as much fun for you as it is for me.

Thank you for all of your kind words, yesterday and always, you have no idea how much it all means.

Here’s to the start of a second year, and a long future ahead!

Photo: Jose Villa

On Having a Baby and Having “It All”

As a lady with a job, and a blog, and a soon-to-be husband and step-son… who would (I think) someday like to have a little bugger of my own… believe me when I say that I fully believe in and support the idea of “having it all.” Meaning nothing more than that, someday, I would really like to be able to have both a job, and a kid… as successfully as possible.

That said, I’ve been meaning to comment on Anne Marie Slaughter’s Atlantic piece because, well, I’m pretty sure she’s right… and the whole “it all” thing is a little more complicated than any of us would really like.

So — I’m not sure if the article has had quite the reach or impact on the entire country that it has on women here in Washington (do fill me in — and if you haven’t read it, do it now… then please come back and discuss) but I think it’s pretty safe to say that here… where many of us young ladies look up to Anne Marie (maybe we’ve even worked with her, or near her) and see ourselves (dream of one day) stepping into very similar shoes… well, it’s safe to say that the piece has shaken things up a bit.

Heat Wave

As the temperature climbs into the 90s and 100s, I’m beginning to plot my escape…

There is just something so lovely about a hot summer day shot in black and white — don’t you think?

Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

On Learning the Hard Way: 9 Things I Wish I’d Known

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about the advice we give and receive.  I’ve realized that someday, no matter how I try, my children will take the advice I bestow so carefully upon them with a healthy grain of salt and a whopping roll of the eyes… but the abuse will be well earned by my own insistence on ignoring my parents’ attempts to set me straight.

Sometimes (many times) we just have to learn the hard way… and we do.

But in honor of my 28^th, I thought I’d write down a few pieces of advice that a younger me would not have taken… but an older me would like to have known.

1)   You will never be a crazy cat lady.
… and no relationship’s loss is worth fearing a kitten.
2)   You will fall from grace.  You will hurt the ones you love.  You will be wrong.  Learn, grow, and take advantage of every opportunity.  It will be okay.
3)   Student.  Loans.  Suck.
4)   The man you love will make you stronger.
5)   No mistake is too big to move on.
6)   It is possible to fall asleep at the wheel. (Don’t push too hard.)
7)   Constructive criticism is essential.  Just plain criticism isn’t worth the effort… coming or going.
8)   The only person you are capable of changing is yourself.  But you are capable of change.
9)   Take more risks and do what you love. (I’m still learning this one.)

Photo: Stella McCartney Cake via Apollinas