Tear

by K

Well friends, this has been a bittersweet week for the Graceful Navigation duo as Wednesday marked L's last day here in our little corner of the advertising world - which means Thursday marked my first day of being a total downer at work because my sister from another mister isn't here. Now, I typically pride myself on the ability to snap out of a bum mood pretty quickly, so hopefully by Monday I'll start getting back to my (mostly) cheery self, but for now I figured I'd just let myself mope for a couple of days. While I'm at it, I thought I'd take a minute to post here publicly about just how much I'll miss L, and to make sure she knows that I think she's pretty awesome. Because she is.

As my last post noted, I've become recently obsessed with the blog Kendi Everyday, and some stumbling around on there a couple weeks ago led me to this image:

While I'm not super crazy about Kendi's cute bun popping up at the bottom of the image, I am quite in love with the quote and think it's incredibly fitting for myself and L and our dream-filled little lives.

So, L, as we clearly have our castles built way up in the air, here's hoping we can start to build the foundations under them and head towards our dreams. We may not be the best at keeping up a blog, but I have high hopes that we are destined for greatness, and that greatness may or may not involve a barn, but we'll figure it out. I will miss our almost daily chatter about starting a business and becoming insanely popular bloggers, but since I will still insist on seeing you as often as possible and gchat works whether we're in the same office or not I'm sure we'll find plenty of time to keep on dreaming. And hey, if we're lucky, we'll find a little time to start following those dreams, building those foundations, and inching closer and closer to the castles in the air.

Whether I like it or not, I know you're going to impress the hell out of your new coworkers and make them all wonder what they've ever done without you. Don't become friends with anyone cooler than me, k? (Although, that may leave you with no one to talk to as most everyone is cooler than me. Hmm.)

I miss you friend! Love, me.

Girl Crush

by K

I'm procrastinating about the things I actually need to get done at work today by blogging, stalking other blogs and checking my Facebook every 4 and a half minutes. Call it some form of adult senioritis but I am DYING to get out of here for winter break, which is sick considering I was just off for nearly a week on vacation. I'm working a grand total of 12 days in the entire month of December so I'm certainly not complaining, but still...

(Sidenote - yes, we get winter break at work. We're lucky like that. We are also screwed when we get jobs someday where winter break is something reserved for schoolchildren and mental health days are laughed at.)


So, since this blog is supposed to somehow be about discovering ourselves and all that jazz, I thought I'd write a little something about how I am fairly certain I will NEVER "find" a personal style that I am happy with. I'm a girl trapped in a boyish figure that would rather be wearing fleece pj pants and my boyfriend's hoodie than anything remotely cute... but then I stumble on blogs like the one I've been scrolling through today and I find myself wishing I had even the slightest idea on how to put together a "stylish" outfit, and then wishing I had the confidence to walk out of the house without fear that I look like an idiot.

Meet Kendi Lea, the genius behind Kendi Everyday - my new favorite blog find. From the moment I read her little mini bio, I knew I'd love everything else she had to say - "People think that when you get married and move to a small town, that you should get pregnant. I started a blog. (it's a girl)."

And, I was right. I am LOVING Kendi's blog, where she writes (among other things) about "30 for 30" - a blogger challenge she takes part in every once in awhile that involves picking just 30 items from your closet and remixing them day after day to create 30 outfits. Just the thought of that gives me a slight panic attack, but Kendi just finished a challenge recently and I'm obsessed with nearly all of her outfits.

Here's a little collage of some of my favorites -

Outside of the top right photo of a casual sweater and jeans getup, I would probably stand in front of the mirror in any one of her other outfits and feel insanely awkward - which would inevitably transfer into me LOOKING just as uncomfortable... but she just looks adorable and effortlessly chic... and that's what I want.

So, here's what I'm taking from my time with Kendi's blog today - 

- I need a really amazing pair of brown leather boots

- My recent obsession with finding the perfect structured jacket is justified

- I should wear my turquoise tights more often... and buy several other pairs in other saturated colors

- I REALLY need to learn to curl my hair

- I should try out the knee-high socks with boots thing... when it's not 12 below zero anymore

- I made a dumb move when I put back that gray lace skirt from Target that I'd found on clearance for a measly $8 (see bottom right and center outfits on Kendi)

The great thing is that I have enough similar pieces to put together knockoffs of several of the outfits above to give this whole "style" thing a try. Obviously if I'm just copying someone else's outfits I've learned nothing as far as creating my OWN style, but let's just take baby steps here.

I put on a really cute tan-ish dress I have from H&M with my treasured turquoise tights, open black cardigan and a skinny black belt for dinner out with Dan on our last night of vacation and literally spent 20 minutes contemplating the pop of color in the tights before settling down and walking out of the hotel... maybe that was the first step in me getting just a tiny bit more bold in my wardrobe.

Oh hey, I'm still alive!

After L's update, I figured I'd drop in and post my own, since I'm certain all of our readers out there are just dying to know what I've been up to. :)

1. My puppy is growing faster than I knew was possible for a living creature, and considering I was praying he'd be a huge guard dog, I'm thrilled. I am not thrilled, however, that he is currently the perfect height to put his paws up on the table or counter in search of water (he's a fiend I tell you). The record so far is 3 cups knocked over in one night, when I had friends over and there were drinks all over the place. At least it's all clear liquid.

2. The bf is going through some difficult stuff at work that I am (naturally) completely freaking out about. I cried so hard I made myself sick the other night, and I've been feeling like I'm fighting a stomach bug ever since. I'm planning to adopt the BRATT diet tonight and tomorrow in an attempt to feel 100% again by the weekend...

3. ...which we are spending at the Great American Cooking Expo at the Arlington Park Racecourse. It essentially looks like a cheap and fun event for a wannabe-foodie like me, complete with "abundant tastings" and cooking demos by "celebrated chefs" whom I have never heard of. I talked the boy into this with the promise of wine tasting and a beer garden, so the website had better not be lying about the alcohol situation.

4. My first set of holidays as a child of (almost) divorced parents are quickly approaching. So far, I'm doing a good job of not dealing by avoiding the entire situation in general. Originally, I figured I would just continue going where I've always gone, as it's been pretty much the same for years - Thanksgiving with my dad's side, Christmas Eve with my mom's, Christmas Day with my dad's. Piece of cake, with just one less parent at each event, right? Wrong. So, instead I've decided that at least for Thanksgiving, I will likely not go anywhere at all. That's right friends - I'm ditching out on Turkey Day. I've volunteered myself to help Bev out serving an early dinner for the residents at our local YMCA, and honestly, I cannot WAIT. I mean, giving back and helping others is what Thanksgiving is all about in the first place, right? And as a tradition, I'll finish the night off in my pajamas with a glass of wine and every single Black Friday ad imaginable laid out on the table, planning out my shopping trip that looks like it will be starting promptly at 3am this year.

5. I am slightly ashamed to admit this, but I have spent a MASSIVE amount of time lately reading through How About Orange, a new blog find that I am really really hooked on. This blog is FULL of handmade goodies that even amateurs like me could handle, and there's a teeny part of me that's tempted to try out a few projects for Christmas gifts. There's also a teeny part of me that really wants to find a way to become friends with the writer, who just so happens to live in Chicago.

Is it the weekend yet?

Delinquent Blog Mother

by L

That's me. A delinquent blog mother. My joint custody should be taken away. Sigh.

I actually don't have a single topic to ramble about, so here are a few random ramblings.

1. It's November. It's COLD. We live in a 2 flat, on the top floor. Our building is easily 100 years old, so you can imagine the "charm" it has. Part of the "charm" is that our downstairs neighbors have the thermostat in their unit that controls the heat in the WHOLE BUILDING. So... being cold 361 days of the year is even more unfortunate now that I can't control my own heat. (And for the record, the other 4 days of the year I'm sweating profusely. There is seriously no happy medium.)

2. This past weekend we had an early Thanksgiving with my group of college friends. We do it every year, and it's always a great time. This year did not disappoint - it was a blast! Well, it was a blast until approximately 25 bottles of wine had been consumed and someone (who shall remain unnamed) discovered that if you throw things into the ceiling fan, they will shoot out in a random direction. Shortly after, jello mold and pumpkin pie adorned the walls/floors/ceiling. It made for some pretty great photos, but needless to say, we will never be hosting this particular event. Ever.

3. This is the first year that I will be away from my parent(s) for a holiday. We will be spending Thanksgiving in Ohio, with the hub's fam. I'm excited to begin making our own traditions and memories as marrieds, but it's going to be really weird not seeing my wacky uncles and sitting at the kids table with my cute baby cousins. So far I've only received one guilt-laden email from my aunt about not being there, but I know more are to come! Oh well, such is life, eh? For five days, I will be living the laid back country life with my in-laws and enjoying every minute of it :)

4. The whole idea of creating traditions of your own when you get married is a doozie. On one hand, you want to start making those holiday memories of your own I mentioned above. But on the other hand, you have multiple families now that expect you to be around... so what do you do? And it's even worse when you get the pleasure of dividing THREE families by two holidays. Or is it two holidays by three families? (Math was never my strong suit.) People keep telling us "just have babies, then people will come to you!" And you know... if one (or both) of the future grandma's lived a little closer, it might be a different story...

5. My husband is a wonderful man. But there's one problem when it comes to gift-giving: he doesn't WANT anything. A few weeks ago, I asked him to make a Christmas list. Do you know what is on said list? Undershirts. A 3 pack of white, crew neck Hanes undershirts. Not even joking. This is why every year, I go through multiple stages of emotions during my shopping: stress, second-guessing, stress, frustration, excitement, second-guessing, contentment, irritation, elation, second-guessing. Rinse and repeat. It just seems like dudes have it SO MUCH EASIER. I could walk into anywhere and without even looking rattle off three things I must have in order to not die. Not sure what that says about me, but I like to think I'm just making his life easier :)

Time for some cookie dough to finish off this manic Monday.

Easier said than done

by K
Well apparently going out of my way to do nice things for people is a little more difficult than I expected it to be, making 10 for 10 (see previous post) a teeny bit frustrating. I gave a couple bucks to the guy that I always see standing with a "Single father of 2 just trying to make ends meet" sign when I drive to work, and when I found a dollar on the ground yesterday I gave it to the little sister instead of buying myself (another) bag of fritos. But who am I kidding? That's nothing. Our monthly dinner service at the local homeless shelter this Friday was going to be my big redeemer, until I realized my brother is going to be in town for literally 24 hours and I want to spend as much time with him as possible - so I may not go.

I did have a big idea to donate a ton of soup to a food pantry, because I read on a money-saving blog that you can currently get 9 cans of Healthy Choice at Jewel for FREE (and continue to do separate 9-can transactions to get all the soup you want if you're really feeling bored)... but then I dragged Dan along to 2 different Jewels last night and there wasn't a single can of the sale soup left. Obviously the more noble thing to do would just be to buy some soup to donate, but I was hoping to be a little more clever about this 10 for 10 thing, and so far it's been a major FAIL.

I've been working later than usual and am barely able to force myself out of bed in the morning... which doesn't leave much room for volunteering or anything, but I am saving a major clothing donation for this weekend, which I'm excited about. I have nearly a dozen garbage bags full of clothes in the basement that have been there forEVER as I insist that I will have a garage sale someday... but garage sale season is over, the bags are still there, and I'm thrilled that this little 10 for 10 deal has given me the final push I need to just do some good and donate it all.

Glancing back over what I've written above, I realize I may be coming across as a little whiney, which is the exact opposite of what this whole thing was all about. But fear not! It's only day 3 and I'm really just a little frustrated that I'm finding it difficult to do nice things, and I'm having a hard time grasping that sometimes life just gets in the way. I'm thankful that if nothing else, I'm more aware of my own personal desire to help, and I'll continue to try and find ways to do so regardless of the date or if an ex-bachelor hottie says to do so. I'll be back next week with a final rundown of how 10 for 10 netted out!

10 for 10

by K

Since I was a total debbie downer on the blog yesterday, I thought it would be a good idea to come back today to kick off the long weekend (insert squeal of joy here) with something a little lighter and a whole lot more positive. Go team optimism!!

I'm also posting this without L knowing and nominating her to participate with me. Bahahaha. I figure since the idea is coming from someone we both have the utmost respect for, she'll go for it. But if not, I won't hold it against her. Well, maybe. ;)

While thousands of people are gearing up to run this Sunday's Chicago Marathon, I've yet to run more than a few blocks this decade, but I figured I still needed to do a little somethin' somethin' to commemorate 10-10-10... and then I saw this:



That's right friends, it's the one and only SUPER fine Kiptyn Locke of ABC's greatest guilty pleasure Bachelor/ette franchise!! You'd better believe I follow him (and about 30 other former "contestants") on twitter, and I am damn proud of it thankyouverymuch. Anyways - not only is he Cute with a capital C, but Kiptyn is apparently also a major do-gooder, which as you might know is TOTALLY my type. (I mean, the bf works in youth ministry - not exactly sure how I managed to snatch up such a good one, but I'm definitely glad I did!)

SO, the idea is simple - 10 things to make a positive impact in 10 days, starting on - you guessed it - 10-10-10. From what I've seen on twitter, it sounds like any little act of positivity, kindness, or grace will count, so while I plan to try and figure out at least a couple of "substantial" things to do, I also plan to make this actually doable with things like buying an extra value meal at Mickey D's for someone on the street or something (extra bonus points if I manage to not swipe the Monopoly game pieces from the fries first). I obviously don't have boatloads of cash to be throwing at charities or anything, but I'm a firm believer in the little things, and I'm confident I can pull of 10 of them over the next several days. Besides, anyone who has seen me clomping around the halls at work with a scowl on my face this week can agree, I could use a little extra positivity in my life right now!

Wish me luck as I spend a chunk of October trying to make the world a teeny tiny bit better in my own way. What do you say L? Up for it?!?

PS - for anyone who caught that bit up front about me saying I have the utmost respect for a former Bachelorette finalist, rest assured - that was NOT a typo, I just really am that pitiful. ;)

The Big D

by K

Even though this little blog of ours has only been live a few days, I've been thinking long and hard about just how candid I'm looking to be here. Eventually, I realized that as ridiculous as it may sound, I'm looking to this blog as a bit of a life changer for myself. Somewhere to flat out get it all out. And if I hold back, then what's the point? Sometimes it's going to be funny, and sometimes it's going to be the farthest thing from it. So I suppose that's a bit of a warning to the below, which isn't a funny story about my daily outfit choices at age 14 or a story about a hilarious encounter with a fire alarm. But it's real, and I think a good indication that you really never know what to expect in life. And when you think you know, you're probably wrong.

I don’t know if it’s the decent one day crappy the next weather, the fact that I am inevitably hormonal this time of month, or plain and simple timing, but yesterday, while drying my hands on the nasty gas station-esque hand towel roll in the office bathroom – it finally hit me – My parents are getting a divorce.

This situation is nothing new – it’s been going on for a solid two years now. But, instead of giving myself a second to stop and think about how I really feel about it all, I’ve thrown myself into trying to keep my pride-and-joy 14 year old sister’s feelings and home life as positive as possible, and in general tried to make a joke of the entire situation. I mean, really, who’s parents get divorced when they’re my age? Nobody’s. Here I am in a long term relationship, hoping and praying that my own happily ever after wedding will come along in the near future… and the closest marriage to me is falling apart in front of my eyes.

As I mentioned before, I’ve done a fairly good job of shrugging the big D word off, laughing when I talk to friends about it and making it seem like I don’t have a care in the world as long as my sister is feeling ok with it all. And then this week, I’m all of a sudden thinking about my dad living in an apartment by himself somewhere, my siblings and I only seeing ONE parent at holiday get togethers, trying to keep track of how much time I’ve spent with one parent so I’m not neglecting my relationship with the other. I feel like an awkward teenager, going through some transitional period in my life where I’m sure the entire world is pointing and laughing at me. Instead, (although still awkward) I’m a 28 year old with a mortgage and a full time job, trying to keep faith in my own relationship and the happy “normal” future we dream about together.

Thankfully, I have amazing friends like L to remind me that I while I love them, I am NOT my parents. And let’s not forget our snazzy new blog where I can document all the moments where I’m not quite sure I can handle it all. Because really, that’s what this navigating adulthood thing is all about, right? Talking, yelling, running, or in my case – blogging - it all out in a desperate attempt to get it all to make some sense… and quickly realizing that it never has made sense, and never will, but in the end – it will be okay.