Friday, September 10, 2010

A Weekend in the Garden


My plan for the weekend involves gardening gloves, weed removal, mulching and preparing my old garden beds for some new plants. I have been obsessing over these gorgeous plants in the image above and as I am completely not-in-the-know when it comes to gardens I wondered whether anybody could tell me what these are? I just love them. Would they live in our hot climate here in Brisbane?

xx
Anna

Thursday, September 9, 2010

ready to the take on the challenge


unknown

I had no intentions of falling in love my first year of college. In fact, nothing was further from my mind. The idea of love was incredibly foreign to me, all throughout high school I was always the girl that stayed single, dated around, played the field, and often teased my smitten girlfriends for being mushy and pathetic over their high school sweethearts. Upon entering my freshman year at DePaul University, I expected to maintain the same attitude, that boys were an incredible waste of time, and being a young girl that enjoyed a good time I would live the single life. Some said I was simply too stubborn, afraid of getting hurt, and unwilling to commit. These allegations were never ones I denied, for I did fear a serious relationship, and this was a matter that at the age of 18 I had already accepted. But in one life altering, whirlwind romance, of such an unpredictable and unexpected nature I found myself in love with a boy, changing my personality and person completely.

The Oakdale apartment was hosting yet another infamous party. This apartment was the residence of three very crazy boys who enjoyed whiskey, music, and creating a ruckus more than the average college student. The interior of the apartment reflected the reckless nature of my friends, with dirty dishes in the sink, overflowing trashcans; empty beer bottles and cigarette filled ashtrays were strewn in every corner of the apartment. The look was completed with a random array of furniture, crude posters, and a guest or two sleeping on the couch. This particular party happened to be in honor of Nick, in celebration of his 20th birthday. Nick was perhaps the wildest of the three roommates with more than questionable morals and a rowdy group of friends.

We left the dorms that Friday night with a slight buzz from the beers we had chugged in the bathrooms- in attempts to hide from the RAs making their nightly rounds. The alcohol mixed with the combination of anticipation for the night ahead made for a very excited group of freshman. The October night was perfect, the air was cool and crisp but we all knew on the walk to the apartment that winter was slowly approaching. I could hear a Black Lips song, blasting out of the windows from a block away, Sally rang the buzzer and we climbed up the smoky stairs, hearing the music and laughter on the floor above us. We were welcomed by a large of group of friends and acquaintances, and it was clear the drinking had started much earlier in the night as Nick the birthday boy was covered in toilet paper, and others donned odd hats fastened with duct tape. I immediately made eye contact with a stranger, a tall, thin boy with dark shaggy hair, and a scruffy face. He was smoking a cigarette and met my eyes with an intense gaze, I immediately found him attractive but was also uncomfortable with the attention. I walked into the kitchen to grab a drink only to learn that the stranger’s name was Patrick; the name sounded incredibly familiar and I soon realized this was the Pat that my girlfriends constantly gushed over. He was a friend of Nick’s with good looks and an equally wild reputation.

February in my opinion is the most unbearable month of the year. The dirty snow, grey skies, and fierce winds make living in Chicago a complete nightmare. Any joy I had in December for a white Christmas and a desire to ice-skate at Millennium Park had completely vanished. Pat and I had been seeing each other since that night in October, though neither one of us would admit the seriousness of our relationship. I still after four months refused to refer to him as my boyfriend though we spent most everyday and night together. I tried to convince myself that I was still a fun, and single college girl, but the smallest voice inside of me constantly nagged, as I knew I was developing true feelings for Pat. And though our pairing was completely unexpected, I was happy, comfortable, and most importantly I was learning to care for another person. The rough exterior of my independent nature was being chipped away and I felt raw, naked, and exposed But I couldn’t help questioning the whole situation, we were both so young, immature, and unprepared. It was silly to think that I could find true companionship from a crazy boy I met at a party. I was still scared of being vulnerable and dependant on other person, I was still unable to trust. All of these emotions aside, February was growing to be an extremely dull and restless month. The fun had dwindled drastically with the cold, especially post holiday season. After a long week of tests, exams, and digging Pat’s Toyota out of the snow, we were both looking forward to a small party with out friends at the Oakdale apartment.

As unkempt and filthy as the Oakdale apartment was, I always found it a comforting and familiar environment my first year of college. Though wild and crazy, the boys were genuine people and good friends. The apartment despite the piles of dirty clothes on the couch, and odd smells coming from the kitchen was always welcoming to friends. We could have fun just a handful of people, listening to music, and carrying on good conversation. This was how the night began, a few friends, quite a few beers, and some good music. As more guests arrived the dancing began; Pat started the fiasco by pouring his drink on himself while dancing on the coffee table. He looked at me on the floor below and met my eyes with that same intense gaze from the first night we had met. All of a sudden I was spinning, more likely this came from one to many beers, but it was at that exact moment I knew all my inhibitions aside, I was in love with Patrick. The girl who would never love had done so, and my body filled with that warm feeling best described from Hallmark greeting cards.

I pulled Pat down from the table and on to the dance floor, I gazed into his eyes, giggled, and whispered with adoration into his ear, “I love you, I love you, I love you!” Pat laughed in response, assuming that this was the PBR talking. We continued to enjoy the night with our friends, and I could not help thinking how this boy had managed to change my life so much, and for the better. Learning to love allowed me to become a less selfish person, more generous and considerate to those around me. Yes, the idea of loving another was terrifying, but I was ready to the take on the challenge knowing the potential reward was sharing my life experiences with another who loved me back.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

tend to stare


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tumblr

House & Garden


We are thrilled to be in House & Garden this month displaying our beautiful Stuart Membery furniture in our sun room. This room is actually about to become a dining room as all of the lovely bits and pieces we had in it have now sold. I can't wait to share with you what we have planned for the new dining room display...it's certainly going to be very vibrant!!

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

happy you are coming back


rkut
Its May of 2003. I am a sophomore in college, you a year ahead of me.
I am in a sorority, and over at one of the fraternity houses. You
are visiting a friend in the fraternity, but being a "frat boy" was
never your thing. You tell me you see me in the quad, and ask your
friend who I am. Your friend tells you that I am out of your league.
You tell him "I just found the girl I am going to marry". You then
come down to introduce yourself to me...

Fast forward to January 2004. You ask all of your friends in my
sorority to hook us up. I can recall who you are, however was dating
others. Then, that fateful night at our local bar. I decide to
escape an ex-boyfriend, and walk home by myself. You catch me in the
parking lot, offer me a ride. I say no. You ask if you can have my
number. I say yes. You call me the next day and ask me out on a date
for that next week. I say yes. Our first date on January 23rd, 2004
was a night I will never forget. We clicked. Talked. Kissed. There
were fireworks. Our relationship instantly started. I was in love.
Complete head over heals love. You cooked me dinner for Valentines
day. You took care of me when I was sick. I met your mom and sister
within a month of us dating. We went to my formal together. We
laughed, cried, and touched souls. You share things with me that you
have never told anyone. I do the same. I applied to go abroad to
Italy for the summer. I get in the program. You graduate college.
You came home with me to California, and we had an amazing road trip.
We spent every moment together until I had to leave for Italy. You
said not to worry, you would be waiting for me "with open arms" when I
got back.

Summer 2004. Italy is incredible, however I miss you every day. We
email - you send me roses to my apartment. I travel, experience
everything that Italy has to offer, yet my heart has a hole in it. I
am in the most romantic place in the world, and want to share it with
you. Summer flies by. I come back to Colorado to be with you and
finish school. You tell me you got a job in Southern California, and
are leaving in 2 weeks. We have a passionate, indescribable 2 weeks
of intense love, and promise to be with each other.

Fall 2004/Winter 2005. Long Distance is hard. You are struggling in
California, I am struggling in Colorado. You push away. I cry. You
come visit. I feel like a prostitute, a hotel and a chauffeur. I cry
some more. My girlfriends tell me to let go, but I just can't. I
live for your 4 am drunk phone calls professing your love to me. We
continue this charade for months. I visit you in Southern California.
You won't hold my hand. I cry some more. I offer to move to be
closer to you after college. You say maybe. The pain cuts deep, as I
cannot go a day without thinking about you.

Spring 2005. I meet someone else, and become infatuated with him.
Unbeknown to me, you are coming back to Colorado to rededicate
yourself to me. I call you to try and tell you about this new person.
You don't call back for 3 weeks. Finally, I tell you, and you break
down. You still come to Colorado and ask me to meet you in the park
by the lake. I come. You have flowers and an open heart. Mine is
not. I tell you I can't do this roller coaster anymore. You cry. I
cry. I walk away. Even now, I can't tell you why I walked away, but I
did. You send me countless love letters. I email you saying that I
appreciate the gesture, but its too little too late.

Summer 2005 - July 2010. You have your life in California, I have
mine in Colorado. You start dating a girl from your office, and I
break up with my infatuation. I date others. You get serious with
office girl. I still date others, and find a nice boy. You and
office girl break up after 2 years. I am dating nice boy for 5
months. You call. I talk you through your break up. We joke, we
laugh, and I tell you that I will always love you. You say the same.
You go to Europe. You call me from Europe telling me that you
understood why I had to go to Italy. I break up with nice boy. You
come back from Europe to California. I get back together with nice
boy. You tell me a couple of months later that if I had not gotten
back together with nice boy, you would have tried again. I tell you
that we tried the long distance thing once, and it did not work.
Besides, I like nice boy. As much as I like nice boy, you still are
in my thoughts and dreams. You start to date another girl. We chat
online. We text. We talk to each other the way that people in other
relationships should not talk to one another. We talk to one another
the way that we should talk to our significant others. I decide to
move in with nice boy. We chat occasionally, but I try and cool off
our conversations. You seem ok with it - girl #2 suits you for the
time being. You get into grad school back in Colorado. I tell you
this will be interesting, but I am happy you are coming back. It will
be difficult, as I am still with nice boy.

July/August 2010. Nice boy turns out to be not so nice, and breaks up
with me. You have been in the same state as me for a month, however
we have not seen one another. I have a crazy several weeks. I move
out. You live with your mother, and travel a lot, and look for places
to live. August comes. We start texting each other. We have lunch.
You pick me up, and those butterflies are still there. They have
never gone away. You look so incredibly handsome. We talk. Its a
nervous and strange conversation, however I still feel so much for
you. So much of everything. I decide to go for the gusto and ask you
out on a date.

We have our date this upcoming Friday. Will this finally be our time?
We always said that we would end up together. I hope that we can do
it right this time. It seems as if fate has given us a 2nd chance,
and we sit on knife point for Friday. I hope we both fall the same way,
as I have never lost my love for you.

-Liv

The Box-Office Beat: The American Takes the Top Spot

George Clooney took the top spot at the box office this three day holiday weekend. See what other movies made big money.


american


1 - The American: $16.4 M

2 - Machete: $14 M

3 - Takers: $13.5 M

4 - The Last Exorcism: $8.8 M

5 - Going the Distance: $8.6 M

6 - The Expendables: $8.5 M

7 - The Other Guys: $6.7 M

8 - Eat Pray Love: $6.3 M

9 - Inception $5.9 M

10 - Nanny McPhee Returns: $4.7 M


Piano Girl


Dakota Fanning plays the piano.


 

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