Life Verse

Most people have a life verse. Whether it's in the form of an actual verse or a special quote, these special phrases can help us get through our hardest and darkest of days. As I was on the train to Perugia this morning, I really felt led to spend those two hours studying the chapter of the bible that holds a verse that is near and dear to my heart: my life verse. As love and the concept of loving has been weighing on my heart tremendously this whole week, it just seemed fitting that I would find myself studying chapter 13 of First Corinthians. 

Everyone knows this chapter as the cliche love chapter. It's the section of the bible that is most quoted at weddings and it's sold on almost every scrap of Christian propaganda you can find. But when you actually meditate on it and take each single word for the gravity it contains, it becomes so much more than a cliche. I truly do believe this is really just Paul's way of giving us another example of how to live our lives. We should live with love. I also think that rereading any passage for a second, third, fourth, or fifth time can still prove useful and show you parts that you may have overlooked before. Different words might stick out to you or have a new relevance. 

Verse 13 of chapter 13 says this: Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. And the greatest is love. 

Why is the greatest love?

"And if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing." 1 Corinthians 13:2 b

"[Love] always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." 1 Corinthians 13:7

I cling to my faith everyday. I admit sometimes I am like a child, I need my faith. I need to know that I have the God of angels behind me. He will never break beneath the burden of my downfalls. But if I have this immense faith and I don't have love in my veins, my faith is void.

I need to have hope for the future. I feel like everyone needs to have hope in something. It's what keeps us fighting to make things better.  Hope is not naive. Love always hopes.

So if faith and hope are two of the biggest elements in our lives, love must be the greatest of all. In order to have faith, you must have love. And in the process of loving you become hopeful. You need love. Not only for these two traits, but for life as a whole. 

That's my life verse. Just over two years ago, I got those three words tattooed on my foot. I live by those words and this promise of love. I walk by faith and live by my hope, but I yearn to do all things with love. 

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13

All Bundled Up!

Fall means the trees are changing colors. Our appetite seems to crave only pumpkin. The weather is shifting. And with all of these changes, we can't help but update and refresh our wardrobe as well.

For this upcoming fall/winter, I really want to invest in or create on my own an outerwear piece that is unique. For the past few years, I've stuck by my trusty black peacoat. There's absolutely nothing wrong with a peacoat (it is one of the best investments you can make living in a city where the winters get really, really COLD). But it's just. So. PLAIN.

I'm sick of it. So don't mind me on my rant here. I'm just craving new things. New ideas. I want to drape myself in layers of wool. I want to create masterpieces. Because fashion IS indeed an art. Don't fear the art. Embrace it.

So I wanted to share some of the images that are really inspiring me this season in terms of outerwear. And, hey, maybe they'll inspire you too!

Oasis 2007. I love how the collar opens up like a flower in bloom when it's unbuttoned.

Zara 2010. A little more chic with the open front.

No brand listed. 2011. I am in love with the quilting on the front panel. And I love the epaulettes!

 

No brand listed. 2012. I love the leather trim all the way around and the big sleeves. 

Missoni 2008. Obviously edgy. Obviously my favorite. I love this whole look.

So that was a little taste of what I have in mind for this season. Ironically, my upcoming studio task is a jacket. My group's inspiration is coming from 18th century armor and men's costume. Below I've included some contemporary images I may use. 

Alaïa Fall 2012 couture. I really want my jacket to have some sort of flared bottom.

Aren't these epaulettes FABULOUS? And I found a place to buy them for only $100. Maybe this will be a splurge...

I hope you enjoyed your brief look in my scattered brain! And somehow, I hope you're able to take something away from this. Be bold and be different the season. For me, it's about learning not to buy everything in black just because it's safe and actually buy something the is original and sticks out. The goal is to make an impression. If you want your clothes to hide you, you might as well keep yourself in hiding. Because even frumpy, wrinkled tee shirts and yoga pants say something about you. So make sure that you're saying something worthwhile in that statement!

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these are the days of our lives.

Here's what I mean. 

Our days are literally numbered. We all have an expiration date. Even this chapter of your life will come to a close sooner than you think. I feel like I'm on this kick lately of "we need to take advantage of eah moment," but here I go again.

Recently, I've been in the mood for a Netflix day. I really just want to stay in my leggings and sweater (or my boyfriend's flannel that I stole and is perfectly oversized) and just watch a ton of movies and catch up on HIMYM and New Girl. And I've been debating doing this because of where I live now. Living in Europe makes me feel like I need to always be doing something. Not always something huge or overly exciting. I've learned the hard way that I have a limit and I do, indeed, burnout. I just feel like I need to always be out and about. Which, is something I really love doing. I'd rather spend all day outside, even just people watching, than cooped up in my apartment. But everyone needs a down day, right? 

I was debating this the other day with my roommate Sam. I was more confiding in her my desire to simply be lazy. And to my surprise, I was really glad to find out most of my roommates felt the same.

I always "wake up early" according to my apartment. I'm talking 9:00/9:30 am. I feel that by sleeping in, I'm wasting daylight. I'm not saying that after staying up for 3 days straight after I turn in a big project I won't sleep for 17 hours. That is definitely something I've done, and you can ask my best friend Sarah in Kent, Ohio how that went for me. Literally slept through a whole weekend without even canceling my plans. I get exhausted. I'm human. But that's not that I'm talking about. I'm saying that after going to bed at 1:00 am, 9:00 am is a reasonable time for me to start my day. So I wake up. I make myself a bomb-ass omelet. Maybe just fix a bowl of cereal. But then I do something. Of course I check Instagram and Twitter (which are usually interesting because I get to catch up on he time difference). Then it's off to whatever. 

Today, we wanted to go to a museum to not only knock off one of our site visits we have to do, but also just to do something interesting and different. Kill two birds with one stone, if you will. Instead we ended up going to Astor and getting coffee and talking until 3:30 pm, then picnicking at the Boboli gardens. And. I. LOVED. IT!!! Talking with my roommates (minus Kate, whose mom came to visit and they went off to tour Italy) is always a blast and I love getting to know them more! I so enjoy their company and I love these girls so, so much. These girls are my sisters. 

And these are the days of our lives. You don't have to do something super OTT with each day. Living this life means that we have really exciting days and some average days. I hope you have very few bad days, but some days, truthfully aren't as fabulous. 

People from home always make some sort of comment like, "How exciting is Italy?!" And honestly, it is exciting. I do not want to downplay at all how truly amazing and wonderful and incredible Italy and the rest of Europe is. But it does have it's 'blah' features. Like traffic. Annoying pedestrians who walk too slow. And there's this thing called a language barrier than makes everything from understanding my studio professors to ordering a coffee so damn difficult. I have a love-hate relationship with these aspects. 

But I really hope that you're always looking for the wonder in your city. I hope that no matter how drab any given day may seem, that you are being filled with awe and inspired by the tiniest things of beauty. I hope your ride on the subway is more than a commute, and going to the grocery store is more than just a chore. I know that there is adventure waiting just around the corner, and I hope that you see it that way. Throw on some lipstick and explore.

Here's what I mean. These are the days of our lives. And we gotta live like we're dying. Open yourself to everyone and all they have to offer. 

What if there's a bigger picture? What if I'm missing out? What if there's a greater purpose that I could be living right now? I don't wanna miss what matters, I wanna be reaching out. Show me the greater purpose, so I can start living right now. Outside my own little world. My own little world. - Matthew West, My Own Little World

Leaps and bounds

Who is anyone to tell you that you shouldn't take a risk? Who can call themselves your friend while holding you back? Risks aren't for everyone. Some people are perfect examples of this, with many fears ranging from heights to pigeons. I've seen a lot, folks.

This post is a bit of a rant. The long and the short of it really boils down to me not liking people tell me what to do. I'm no wild child. I'm not a crazy party girl, but I'm no good girl. I just like living outside the confines of the box and doing things most people don't. Sometimes I do need to be grounded, and yes I always appreciate when people are blunt with me. But no, I do not appreciate when people think their opinion is so correct they can just make my decisions. I am perfectly capable. And worst case scenario, I need to be free to make my own damn mistakes. 

I don't need to be told what works for you. I don't need you to give me a lecture on the way the world spins according to you. You probably don't know what's best for me. I don't even know that, that's only God's place. I'm learning what works for me. And I'd appreciate it if you didn't try to take that freedom from me. 

Like I mentioned before, living across an ocean is helping me discover who I am. And I'm realizing that I want to be someone who genuinely loves everyone. Without bounds. Not in that stereotypical way, but a true love and acceptance for everyone. For my gay best friends. For the girls from kent who I get drinks with. For my boyfriend who's not a Christian. I want to love everyone. And I'm discovering that I can't do that until I really know what love is and where is comes from. 

At this point, all I can say is that true love comes from God. Because love takes human form in Jesus himself. Fully man, fully deity, and suffered the most excruciating death fathomable. For a people who mocked him. I hear my voice molding from the crowds. More often than not. It's shameful. But he loves me anyways. And that is the truest love anyone can ever hope to know. 

So here's to an everlasting love. One that I hope everyone sees. Not necessarily in me. I'm human. And I've done quite a terrible job repping Jesus' name in Italy. But I do pray that everyone sees this love that is always before you. 

Perspective

"This is a story that is not a story. A sting of feelings, perhaps. A succession of emotions and suggestions, most definitely. The viewer is invited to fill the voids and gaps between the still images and create a narrative in his head, knowing that the cycle is endless, because the end is the beginning is the end." Hatology exhibit, Anna Piaggi

That's how I want my life to be. I want people to know me not just for style and fashion but my life. The world I create, the energy I give off, (hopefully) positive vibes. Openly loving. I want people to know what I stand for, but also, like any great painting, I want to leave room for interpretation. I want to inspire curiosity and wonder. 

I feel like being able to live not only away from home, but on another continent entirely, has really shaped my vision not only for the rest of my life, but for myself as well. I have discovered more about myself in this first month and a half of this semester than I ever have before in my life. I've learned what I want, and what I don't.  I've learned who I am, who I'm not, and who I'm becoming. And honestly, sometimes I don't like who I'm becoming. I feel like Pluto. I feel like the small dwarf planet. I feel like I fell away from my orbit. My pattern, my way of life. The way I do things at home and back in kent are so different. In some ways, I have become harsh and egotistical and manipulative. I have grown farther from God and from my community than I can tangibly explain. I swear more. Maybe some of these things seem petty. Well with me, this is not so. I am harder on myself than the toughest critic, and I beat myself up more hours of the day than I encourage myself and my free flowing thoughts. (Which is ironic since my biggest gifting is encouragement.)

But I don't want you to be discouraged. Some of these life realizations and changes are nice. Since I've veered so far off my usual pattern, I have realized what matters most to me. I know where to find joy, and I'm gonna seek Him and fight for His joy until the day I die. I've realized that my love of the small things in life is an amazing gift of appreciation. I love intricate details and having conversations with people I've never met and learning exciting, new things. I love being able to just stand and stare and be in awe of something. This world is such a vast place and I want to see and appreciate as much of it as I possibly can. 

When I was asked earlier today what I blog about, I really didn't know how I answer. Not really fashion, yet I'm now considering it. Faith is usually a main theme, but I would hope it's not a pushy, shoving it down your throat kind of way. My blog is really about my life. I don't want it to be full of 'dear diary' posts. But it's about my life.  I really do hope that my life can be a message. That people can learn from my mistakes, grow from my lessons. 

I want to inspire wonder.