CSN GIVEAWAY WINNER!!!

Hi there everyone!

I'm sorry I haven't really been around lately -- eventually I will get around to posting about everything crazy that's been going on around here...

but FIRST! It is 4:24 on Saturday, June 26, and I have randomly selected a winner using RANDOM.ORG for the CSN $20 Giveaway!!!!

**drumroll, please**

out of the possible numbers 1-14, the number selected was 3--

so Rosemary of Rosemary Writes, you are our winner! Congrats! Enjoy your prize and please post about your selection and let me know what you get. :)

PAX!

p.s. it is my two monthiversary with Kyle. yayyyyy. :P and if you were wondering "why june 26"... that's why.

missing home...

This is from my other blog, but I felt it especially applicable today -- so I thought I'd reuse it. Missing Pittsburgh and my home out there...

~~*~*~~

so i am dreadfully bored. sitting at home, in my lovely pasty-white room with lovely birch-toned wood furniture. It’s cute — really lovely furniture that speaks to the lover of indie in me. But i’m used to it, have had it for years and years and it has become just the typical. so i am bored with it. at least for right now, while I have papers to do and i am attempting incessantly to put them off.

I have three papers to do — all of which I hope to be finished by next Friday evening.

I have been back at my home in California for 4 days now. Amazing how quickly that time just flew by already.

But is this home?

I call Pittsburgh “home” now, and though I do sometimes call this place “home”, more often than not I just call it “California”. I don’t love this place. It’s nice, don’t get me wrong, and I love my family here. But I don’t love here. My heart is not here — my heart is with my family. And just as much now, my heart is in Arizona with Kyle (or wherever the heck he is right now) as it is here, at 2107 Bates Circle. I don’t love California. I love Yosemite. I love the beach. I love the Mendocino Coast. But more than all of those, I love Pittsburgh. Why? Because there are countless people there whom I love. And I’m not just talking sentimental touchy-feely love. Yes, I can get sentimental about certain people but thats not all of it. I am only here at home because of my family. I could have gotten a nanny position in Pittsburgh, but I chose to come home to see my lovely family.

(My brother is going off to college in August. Scary. Man. He’s really a lot of the reason why I came home…)

But my heart is not all here. My heart is in pieces all over the nation right now — my love is scattered across miles and rivers and maybe even oceans.

So where is home?

What is home?

From Garden State:

Andrew Largeman: You know that point in your life when you realize the house you grew up in isn’t really your home anymore? All of a sudden even though you have some place where you put your shit, that idea of home is gone.
Sam: I still feel at home in my house.
Andrew Largeman: You’ll see one day when you move out it just sort of happens one day and it’s gone. You feel like you can never get it back. It’s like you feel homesick for a place that doesn’t even exist. Maybe it’s like this rite of passage, you know. You won’t ever have this feeling again until you create a new idea of home for yourself, you know, for your kids, for the family you start, it’s like a cycle or something. I don’t know, but I miss the idea of it, you know. Maybe that’s all family really is. A group of people that miss the same imaginary place.

And I guess that’s what I’m trying to find for myself right now. I love my family here, but I don’t miss the same imaginary place that they do anymore. I miss a different place, with different surroundings and different faces.

And maybe i’ve found that place in someone else…
I can’t say for sure yet. But I do indeed think that it’s worth finding out.

*sigh* to my home out there, I miss you.

~~*~*~~

skirt: vintage, blouse: vintage, shoes: FF, belt: thrifted vintage, tie/scarf: thrifted, bracelet: F21, awesome yellow armband: from BloodSource cuz I gave blood today!

raw raw blah blah blah

So in case any of you haven't seen Lady Gaga's new video for "Alejandro" -- DON'T.

As a woman dedicated to modesty and purity, especially in relation to dignity, I am appalled and distraught to see Ms. Gaga's latest attempt at a music video. Lacking in much "thought provoking content" (I did find the "Bad Romance" video to be interesting and thought provoking, if a near occasion of sin as well), it seemed a visual display dedicated to erotica and practically pornography for the sake of... itself.

As some of you may know, I'm a Catholic. And though the latex nun suit was kinda cool (i can appreciate interesting fashion), I didn't find much of a commentary on it besides straight up blasphemy juxtaposed against the cross-on-the-crotch outfit that she pulls later. This time it wasn't just a near occasion of sin, it was outright depravity that I saw. I was offended, upset, and cried for my faith and for her. It was such a sad display, and I can't really be convinced that it was worth anything besides shock value. There was only one outfit i particularly liked, i don't find the song very interesting, and she straight up pulled the oldest hat in the book -- she was prejudiced and took painstaking measures to offend the only group on earth for whom it is still socially "acceptable" to berate: the Catholic Church.

She's passed the "good ol' days" of "Bad Romance" that made a social commentary while being dirty and trampy... she's sunk to a new level of raw while singing something that comes across as "blah blah blah" more than anything else.

anyway...

thinking about Ms. Gaga today, i was reminded that I know (part of) the dance to "Bad Romance," so I decided to try out my hand at gifs with my outfit pics for today. :)

hope you think its as hilarious as i do!

today was an easy day, working in the house, making some stuff and cleaning up my disaster of a room (I had been hoarding stuff for years that I really would much rather not have, so I got rid of it!), and just chilling with the family. I have Fridays off, so its nice to have that time to just relax and have some sort of a summer!

gold tie blouse: thrifted, black leggings: Target, gold flats: Hot Kiss, AWESOME sunglasses: xhilaration/Target, bangle: thrifted/vintage, heart necklace: Target

~(§]

to top it all off

~

"A hat is a flag, a shield, a bit of armor, and the badge of femininity. A hat is the difference between wearing clothes and wearing a costume; it's the difference between being dressed and being dressed up; it's the difference between looking adequate and looking your best. A hat is to be stylish in, to glow under, to flirt beneath, to make all others seem jealous over, and to make all men feel masculine about. A piece of magic is a hat." (Martha Sliter)

Today i wore my new thrifted white hat dress -- and of course I had to wear my white hat to go with it!

Upon finding the above quote I was greatly pleased! My hats always make me feel more classy, more feminine, and something about them just adds a bit of mystery and intrigue to my wonderfully monotonous life.

white hat dress: thrifted, white sun hat: Target, yellow shoes: Hot Kiss via FF, purse: Disney!

my most favorite bag that i own: it's a 21st birthday gift from my brother!

I love this "take" on the classic Disney "Alice" - i love paisley!!!

i'm late for a very important date ---- with my bed!

i'll be off now! au revoir!

whimsy is such a lovely thing

"curiouser and curiouser"...

a famous line of Alice's has become a recent favorite of mine -- my life seems to be changing at such a great pace, yet, "the more things change, the more they stay the same." All too true, and still, it all is so beautiful. Or perhaps that has more to do with my outlook.

I go to bed at night and continue to think that I am so incredibly blessed by the great things that happen to me each day. The job I have as a nanny in itself is such an amazing gift!

but the more things change, they don't resemble what I am used to. And yet, it's for the better, I just don't realize it always in the moment.

This whole situation called to mind my lovely Alice... and Lewis Carroll's brilliant stories and Arthur Rackham's brilliant illustrations. The following are Rackham's illustrations to Alice in Wonderland... feast your eyes on the brilliance of his work.

It's all so ethereal and absolutely stunning! The attention to detail is very art nouveau, which makes me incredibly happy, and still it's all so whimsical (and whimsy is such a lovely thing...)

The Secret Powers of Time

Sorry I've been neglectful this week~

been very busy cleaning my room out of all of the stuff I don't need, going shopping for Second Stitch, and generally being cool and exhausted all the time.

Speaking of time... sometimes I really wish I had more of it. I'm very goal-oriented and tend to only work for the things that I find worthwhile. (I'm working to change this, and to begin to do all things with passion and purpose -- duty is still duty and needs to be done). Yet at other times, I'm just content to relax and just let it be, regardless of the hour or how many pass.

I find this very interesting -- and mostly true.

What do you think?

CSN GIVEAWAY REMINDER!

Hi faithful readers!

Just wanted to remind you that I have a WONDERFUL AMAZING

FREE $20 CSN GIVEAWAY!

CSN has over 200 brands that you could spend your winnings on, and they have some

absolutely fabulous stuff! So actually enter this awesome giveaway and become a part of the

history of my blog!

Please enter by following the link above, and tell ALL your friends!

It's as simple as becoming my follower and commenting on the original post...

(by the way, thanks to Rosemary's suggestion, I added a followers bar in the side so that it would be easier to follow me!)

There are also two other ways to enter, so please enter as many times as possible and get the word out that there is a slick giveaway going on here at hersweetdisposition.

my favorite poem of all time

hi there. :) hope you're doing well and life is treating you kindly!!

I have known this poem for a long, long time. And I have loved it since the first time I read it as a naive yet romantic young third grader... all those years ago.

And it is still my favorite poem. Please -- enjoy.

This is dedicated to all of my friends who have helped me along the way~

~most specifically, my brother, who has just graduated and will be entering a new and different phase of life.

Never lose sight of what is most important, baby brother.

~~

I love you, Not only for what you are, But for what I am When I am with you.

I love you, Not only for what You have made of yourself, But for what You are making of me. I love you For the part of me That you bring out; I love you For putting your hand Into my heaped-up heart And passing over All the foolish, weak things That you can’t help Dimly seeing there, And for drawing out Into the light All the beautiful belongings That no one else had looked Quite far enough to find.

I love you because you Are helping me to make Of the lumber of my life Not a tavern But a temple; Out of the works Of my every day Not a reproach But a song.

I love you Because you have done More than any creed Could have done To make me good And more than any fate Could have done To make me happy. You have done it Without a touch, Without a word, Without a sign. You have done it By being yourself. Perhaps that is what Being a friend means, After all.

~Roy Croft

~~

and now for some outfit pics from the day of my brother's graduation, last Saturday. My makeup was running that day, believe me.

dress: vintage, belt: vintage, shoes: BC Footwear via FF, heart necklace: Target, bracelet: Fossil necklace worn as bracelet.

when this is guiding you home

So I suspect that you've heard the new music on here?

In case you were curious, the first song is "Such Great Heights," (originally performed by The Postal Service, acoustically performed by Iron & Wine) covered by my amazing beau, Kyle.

The second song is "You Really Got a Hold on Me," (originally performed by The Miracles, covered by She & Him) covered by myself, randomly one night. I'm thinking that he and I need to get together and put together some actual cover recordings for my blog. 'twould be nice, wouldn't it?

The reason I asked him to record "Such Great Heights" for me is because I knew that long-distance, I would miss him dreadfully and would want something to listen to that could just remind me of him. This does more than that, because I've heard him play it in person, I get to hear his voice -- and if I close my eyes, I can almost imagine him in the room playing for me. It's a sweet token and I loved the song before. Now it's definitely become one of my favorites!

~~

Today I'm going to show my outfit from my brother's graduation party! I picked out the cutest ensemble, and remixed a dress that I wore to my brother's FIRST graduation party. I love the goldenrod color, and I really don't have enough of it. So I made my dress a skirt (for all intents and purposes, anyway). :D

i finally got some new shoes!

dress: gizzy via Modcloth, blouse: Tulle, hat: vintage via Eons, tights: Target, shoes: Hot Kiss via FF, belt: vintage

i'm on vacation right now...

Hi there everyone!

As you may or may not know, I am on vacation right now, in Yosemite! YAY Yosemite!

(one of the most beautiful places on the planet, let me tell you...)

I left Monday morning, but I have scheduled some blog posts for this week so you will still get to hear little tidbits from me...

The 5 things I'm most looking forward to in Yosemite are...

1. Relaxing...

We are staying at the Tenaya Lodge just a bit outside Yosemite. A great place with great accomodations. Two pools, tons of things to do like horseback riding and archery -- but the thing I am looking forward to most is just sitting out and relaxing -- getting some "me" time.

2. Seeing the sights...

This is quite literally the most beautiful place on the planet. My goodness. I can't wait!

3. Hiking/Climbing up some waterfalls...

You can't quite tell, but in this picture, there is a rock staircase on teh right side of the waterfall. I get to climb up it! So wonderful! And isn't it breathtaking!?

4. Prayer time...

I really feel like this trip will give me a good opportunity to see God in the beauty of the world. And this also has to do with number 5...

5. Being a 5th wheel on my parent's 25th wedding anniversary trip...

Yes... my brother is bringing his girlfriend. And don't get me wrong -- I LOVE his girlfriend. I think she's wonderful. But my parents don't get their own bedroom on their WEDDING ANNIVERSARY. Does something about this seem wrong to you, too?

Anyway -- i get to be a fifth wheel. Awkward me. Joy.

I'll have to write up some posts when I get back about the trip with pics and stuff. :D

Talk to you later!

ALSO: ENTER MY CSN FREE $20 GIVEAWAY!!!

Happy 25th Anniversary, parentals!

So today is my Mom and Dad's 25th wedding anniversary!!!

CONGRATULATIONS, MOM AND DAD!!!

mom, me, bro, dad @ Disneyland, '96

I really am so proud to say that my parents are thriving in their marriage today just as much, if not more than the day they were married. Their life has been a testament to strength of faith through the hard times, and great dependence and strength in each other and on God. They brought up two children who love and give with all their hearts -- they must have done something right...

I just realized this year how much it means to sacrifice, and how the little things are what tell us love is there. And I realized that it's there all the time with my parents.

Their love is an inspiring example, and I hope to someday reach this milestone as well. :)