Dance, dance, dance

A comment from my bestie inspired me to do another post, even though I’ve unintentionally taken a sabbatical from my blog lately. There’s just WAY too much going on these days! With my class, volunteering, bridesmaids duties times TWO and my family coming to the U.S. in just one week, I’ve been busy busy busy! Life is great right now. I have SO much to look forward to. I never got around to taking pictures of my sofreh, because (a) I had like 75% of the items for it and (b) I am a crappy blogger. PLUS all of my family who reads this was away so my blog got no love (I can’t blame anyone, it’s in need of some serious juice). Anyway, we did have a great Norouz! It’s always so funny when I get together with Iranians, such a difference from when I’m with non-Iranians. Both are beautiful for their own reasons. For example, when I’m with my non-Iranians, we end up doing lots and lots of talking. When with Iranians, lots and lots of DANCING! It’s hysterical. Check out my mom’s friend trying to teach Matt how to Persian dance…..

Food + family = LOVE

Like most weekends, this one has gone by way too fast. We were able to spend time with loved ones, enjoying great food and company. For Matt’s sister’s birthday on Friday, we had an old fashioned family dinner and games night. It was a blast! We played Jenga and it was so funny how much it stressed out the grandparents! Matt’s mom is such a phenomenal cook. She prepared coconut shrimp as an appetizer…..barbecued salmon made on cedar planks topped with mango salsa….mashed potatoes….and wilted spinach salad. SO DELICIOUS! Wonderful weekend with wonderful people. Love.

Happy New Year!

The Iranian New Year, Norouz, is the first day of Spring (March 20), so it’s right around the corner, which means there are traditions to come- starting now! The preparation begins with a major spring cleaning, the purchase of new clothes, and the purchase of flowers. Another tradition is to set up a “sofreh haft seen”, which literally translates into seven items placed on a table or table cloth. These seven items all start with the letter “s” and have a different significance. We’ll get to that later, as I set up my very first sofreh of my own! In the mean time, I am thrilled to have excuses to do a mass sweep up of my house, including finally taking down the clothes that I never wear but keep “just in case”, buying more of my “daring” and fun outfits, and buying pretty and fresh flowers for the house!

While, I have a strange love for zinnias, I think the tradition typically leans more towards tulips or hyacinths.

And as far as clothes, I'm going search for items that include things like....ruffles, which I'm totally obsessed with right now (top from J Crew).... waists like this skirt from Anthroplogie...and girly dresses (Anthro again)




Anyway- I am looking forward to setting up my sofreh and spending time with loved ones to celebrate!

Dare to be bold.

So thanks to some fellow bloggers who have lit up my inspiration to brighten up my wardrobe, I made my first step this weekend. I bought an outfit from J Crew that I would not previously had the guts to try pulling off. It's bright with colors that don't conveniently match but I'm going to wear them together....funk it up with some accessories and rock it. When I was in New York with my bestie, we hung out with our fashion forward friend who struts it like no other in the city. I'll never forget how she encouraged us to be daring with our wardrobes, after we told her that we loved her outfits but didn't think we could pull them off ourselves.

"Girls, it's all in your confidence...and if you don't feel the confidence, then ROCK it like you do, and you'll look hot!"

I love the mustard color and the ruffles of the top....and the elastic band on the skirt coupled with pockets calls for a flattering fit. I also ove the big navy flowers!

Now, to pick the shoes...I think I've narrowed it down to four. Any takers?

So, what does that make me?

I think I have split personalities??

One of my identities has opinions that I want to live by, regardless or not if society agrees with them, and this is the identity that I hope defines me. These strong opinions include such things as…I don’t want a fancy life. I want to work hard for everything I ever have- whether it be my home or my family. I want to earn it by working hard every single day. And when I get that house, it doesn’t need to be some huge fancy house. I just want it to embody me and my future husband (Matt, duh)….our character, our taste…I want it to be comfortable, clean and unique. Like...we love the idea of searching for second hand furniture. Not only would it be us doing our part in conserving materials but we think you can find some really beautiful and high quality pieces that just aren’t quite as available today. I also don’t want a flashy diamond engagement ring. To me, the traditional band is beautiful because of what it represents. These days, when a girl says she is engaged, most people’s first response is, “Let me see the ring!” Really? How about- “It’s amazing that you’ve found a LIFE PARTNER, someone you love and want to build a life with!” I don’t want to get caught up in the image side of that, I want to celebrate the union and I don’t think a ring should be a part of that celebration. These are examples of the kind of life I want and hope to live.

Occasionally my other side kicks in. Why on earth do I get so easily caught up in the ooohs and aaaahs of wealth, bling, and the societal definition of success? I’ll be honest; there are certain diamond rings that make me stare (like the one above....seriously?!). In fact I tried on even just a band with diamonds on it and couldn’t help but love it. Does that mean I’m buying into these standards of society? Certain homes (like the one my friend and her loaded NY trader boyfriend live in) make me feel slightly….envious… Saying that just makes me cringe! I can’t help but sometimes daydream about that sort of glamorous lifestyle. While I definitely try to keep myself in check with what I feel is in line with my priorities and expectations, which ultimately lead me to a simple and modest lifestyle, I guess I can see how people can get so caught up in the glitz and glam. I suppose there are people who can juggle both and props to them. I just hope that I always stay honest…and true to myself. I don’t want to get swayed by the lifestyles and choices of others, and I hate that sometimes I do! Oh life- you tricky little devil you!

Oh, Paris!

Thanks to Alicia for cheering me up, I've decided to post some more pictures from my Europe trip. This time....Paris. I don't care if it's cliche or not, I LOVE this city. How could you not? It's so beautiful, as a sample of our picture below will hopefully allude to. I must admit, we were just so delighted to pick up a fresh and amazing baguette from a vendor on the street and snack on it was we walked along the artistic and charismatic streets. There is SO much to see here, and no part of it is overrated.

Blah blah blah

I tried to make a cute blog post about things that I love but it was a mess. It didn’t flow, it wasn’t cute...wasn’t feelin’ it one bit. While I love looking at those kinds of blogs and have the artistic ability like at home (do-it-yourself-esque), I cannot translate any of that into a blog post. I look at all the blogs that I like to follow and I envy the authors’ abilities to make such a visually appealing blog with cute and great ideas whether it be fashion or décor, or whatever else. The only time I am really able to get going with a post is when I have some kind of epiphany or great conversation with a friend. Unfortunately, these things do not happen on a regular basis and I am left with nothing to post. Sigh….Ideas?

On another note, I’m having a not-so uplifting day, in which the panicked thoughts and stresses of “what am I going to do with my life” are at the forefront of my mind. I did make it back into the gym this morning after one week of being sick followed by another week of laziness, so that’s a good thing. But other than that, I can’t seem to strip my brain of worries and questions about how my career is going to pan out, and when. NOR can I think of a way to add some WOW into my blog in progress. Grrr.

Hope, faith, and love.

Isn’t it funny how life turns out? My friends and I have talked about how when we were in high school we figured we’d simply just go to college, get a good job, and then get married and settle down. But we never really thought about how we’d get there. Never did we think about the fact that we may not know what that good job would be, or that there is often a very wide gap between what we’d love to do and making money to do it. Then there’s marriage…did we expect that our spouse would just walk up to us in the grocery store, in the strawberry isle, and ask us out? And it would all fall into place from there? On top of all this, we must have figured that by then we’d have a nice little saving account set up for that house…the bills…and whatever else this life requires. It’s funny how now we realize that every single one of those things require work. Lots and lots of work. From compromising, to prioritizing, and making sacrifices…. You never really plan on those things but they are all inevitable. At least for most of us. But the point isn’t to be a downer. My point can perhaps be summed up in this quote:
“The universe can dream a bigger dream for you than you can dream for yourself.”
Don’t let the realities of this life set you back, just be prepared that it may not always look the way you expected it to and embrace it! The attitudes with which we approach things can be the most significant driver of how they turn out. I’m someone who really seeks to figure things out in advance, and when things are up in the air I stress myself out trying to think them through. But it hardly ever pans out the way I thought it would anyway. I’ve found great peace in relying on the plan that exists for me, so long as I do my best to rejoice in all that I have and approach every day with nothing but hope, faith, and love.