Moonshine & Wanderlust

... a cosmopolitan view from a southern perspective

The Graceful Exit

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amazingly, thankfully, and gracefully this will be my last post of 2014. I am leaving town to welcome in the New Year in another place. I think that’s exciting – to leave the past where it belongs, where perhaps most of it took place and to start a brand new year in place that is not reminiscent of your past. I will no longer be tied to 2014.

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I’m going to say the thing you’re really not supposed to say if you’re being “cheerful” about new beginnings- I am so GLAD this year is about to be over. This year had beautiful moments full of love and happiness, but a good portion of this year at many times throughout it were hard, hurtful, and heavy.

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Will 2015 be easy? I doubt it. Will it have hard and heavy moments? Assuredly. So, what will make a new year different than the last? The fact that some of these hardships were brought on by myself. There were lessons I learned in 2013 that I didn’t learn well enough, so I have had to go through them again. There were signs I should have seen in 2013 that I should have paid attention to, but I didn’t, so I followed the wrong road again.

See, we always have a choice – to follow the way we know is right (which isn’t easy at first, but leads to much greater things) – or, to follow the way we are determined to follow because it’s what we “want” and is easier, but inevitably leads to pain and heartache.

Ask my mother a few words that describe me and I guarantee one of them will be stubborn. I’ve always been stubborn and I probably always will be. While 2014 brought a lot of stubbornness to do what I wanted, I am determined for 2015 to be a year of stubbornness for what is right. For what I deserve. For what others around me deserve. Stubbornness to be more spiritual, to be healthier – stubbornness to not allow anything or anyone to deceive me.

I am sure I will be sharing thoughts in this new year that deal with old demons. Leaving 2014 behind unfortunately does not mean that all of the wounds are healed. But, I am looking forward to leaving the tools of hurt in 2014.

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For all of the pain that 2014 brought, I am so thankful for all of the beauty it brought. I started Moonshine & Wanderlust, I kept my promise to myself to travel more, I made amends and repaired broken relationships, I did many new things and stepped out of my comfort zone, I made new friendships… I lived. 

So, for 2015… and the big 3-0, I wish for deeper living. Exciting risks. Amazing love. I hope each day is a deep, full breath of life.

For all of us.

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“But there was a fire waiting. And there was a little meal laid out on a blanket. And there was a whole world beyond that shoreline, beyond the forest, beyond the knuckle mountains, beyond, beyond, beyond, not beneath the surface at all, but beyond and waiting.” Emily Danforth

The Breaking of Us

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we all have lost a best friend. sometimes it is purposefully and sometimes it is beyond our control. whether it is for the best or not, best friend breakups can be the worst kind of heart pain we go through in our lives.

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To You, the Best Friend of My 20s — There are so many things I miss about you. As the wounds from your betrayals have scarred over, the good memories try to push themselves to the forefront of my mind.

An unlikely pair we were – one of the unlikeliest, really. Two people who could not be more different, yet were so similar. Our bond was formed fast… one that we often said of that one could tell when the other was hurting or something was going on. An unspoken feeling that could be felt when we were not together. A connection rivaling a sisterly bond.

We bonded through tears and heartbreak, through hazes of long summer nights, through grown up jobs, through losses and gains, through accidents. A friendship that below simmered a hot difference in opinions and beliefs at times, but that somehow we made work. Because we thought it was important. Because we had each other. It was us against the world.

As I leave my 20s behind, I leave our friendship in a decade that was my growing up. It will stay there, perfectly preserved and wildly worth remembering. It will be those memories I will look back on and love when I am older and I miss my youth.

The night when you took care of me on the side of the road, the night you crashed your car, the interstate drive with you hanging out the window, the summer days at our local watering hole, the summer nights spent with Barefoot and boys, the nights where tears were all that were shared, the weeks you lived with me when you had nowhere else to go, our ride and die attitude. So many days spent with you that it felt like a lifetime.

You broke my heart, Best Friend of My 20s. You abandoned us. You left us. You broke us.

As the last few weeks of this year wind down… such a big year for both us, I forgive you. I have long accepted that there are many things in life I will never comprehend. Things that break my spirit every day and that I cannot even begin to fathom. We are one of them.

And, even then… we were a season. A beautiful, free, crazy, amazing season. A season I would not trade or choose to redo.

My life would not have been the same without you.

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Ice on the Landing

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Imagine a place overlooking one of the South’s most beautiful cities. Sparkling orbs of party lights dripping over a frozen moon of glassy ice. Music flowing from overhead speakers eliciting visions of fluttering snowflakes and causing the thumps of your heart to jump a little higher with each beat as you swirl or stumble across the ice. Laughter, friends… here we are not strangers. We are a community coming together to experience a magical event known as Ice on the Landing.

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It’s important to disclose I am no figure skater. I can’t even roller skate very well. It’s funny the things your body ceases to be able to do well after puberty.

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I went to the first night of Ice on the Landing after the magical Lighted Boat Parade on November 28th. The line for skating was pretty long, but it went surprisingly fast. We were in line for about 20 minutes but there are plenty of carts selling food and hot drinks. Plus, you have the added bonus of watching others skate while the line dwindles down.

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This really is an amazing experience for locals and makes the season even more special. My favorite thing about Ice on the Landing is the atmosphere… most people are not pros, everyone is trying to get the hang of it… not just kids, but us adults! Friends helping each other stumble, glide, and slide across the ice. Lovers holding hands and laughing. Parents and children close together as one learns and one teaches. It’s surreal and it’s very much a community experience.

Ice on the Landing is open every day through January 4th – yes, even on the holidays! Can you imagine ice skating on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day? Or, ringing in the New Year overlooking the River and watching the glittery lights of downtown Chattanooga? Snatch up the opportunity to make some beautiful memories.

xoxo, patty lauren

Wishing You a Very Merry Fanatical Game Day!

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You may or may not have realized at this point that I’m a rooter for my home state’s UT Volunteers. I may not understand everything football, but I have really learned to get into the spirit and enjoy watching. You also may know we’re going Bowling this year – The Taxslayer Bowl in Jacksonville, Florida to be exact. How exciting is that! I’m pretty excited for the January 2nd showdown.

I may not be able to hop the next plan to sunny FL to catch the game in some sunny 60 degree weather, but I will be rooting them on from home. Of course that brings me to game day wear. This year, I am so excited to find the massive amount of game wear from Fanatics!

Fanatics has everything a sassy football (or baseball or basketball or whatever your favorite game is!) gal needs for all her tailgating and entertaining desires. Just when I think I’ve seen everything, I find even more cute things! I can’t wait to pick up some summer tops and a swimsuit this summer! What’s even better are their prices are really reasonable and they have some awesome sales going on right now. Their selection of MLB (and so many more) baseball caps is huge and I love the variety.

I thought it would be fun to put together a little Bowl game day look to get myself ready and looking forward to the new year and hopefully a WIN for our VOLS!

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The Details: 

The cute and collegiate baseball hat is from Fanatics (who has so many great color choices and variations for your favorite team!)- I love wearing baseball hats with a ponytail or even with a longer hairstyle. They can pull together a sporty chic look in seconds!

That uber comfy puffer vest? You got it – Fanatics! Isn’t that the cutest? I love the high collar. Perfect for those colder game days or cozying up at home.

White tee is from J. Crew – love their worn in feeling tees. Always my first choice in comfort!

My favorite blue jeans are Gap’s 1969 model. Always stylish and chic.

One of my favorite things to do with a sporty look is to incorporate a little bit of bling. The necklace is a find from TJMaxx.com.

For this look, boots would be cute, but I also think flats are really chic – especially in a more low key look. I chose my favorite Taylor Oka-Bs in Blush.

And, last but not least – every woman needs her favorite handbag at her side to complete her look. Yours can be a clutch, a cross body, or a larger bag. It doesn’t have to be expensive, but one that suits your style. My everyday essential (and one I feel needs it own post soon) is my Speedy 30. Class never goes out of style.

I hope you enjoyed this little glimpse into my style!

xoxo, patty lauren

bridges

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There is an excruciating realness in seeing your whole life in front of you… everything you have ever wanted, all of the things that could be… you see the version of your life that means not settling. It’s so close you have touched it. You’ve seen it with your own eyes and touched it with your own hands. You’ve lived it – for only a few brief moments, but you’ve soaked into your skin a glow that is your life’s perfect match.

But, the glow fades. It’s a rollercoaster. It’s unpredictable. It’s not certain. It’s an exhaustive trek… to where? Maybe nowhere. Maybe to the best place you have ever imagined. You see, that’s part of the gamble when you find that perfect fit… there is a chance you will only be privy to what could be. But, there’s the chance that someday the timing of your life and the life you know you are destined for come together to change everything.

So, until then… you wait. You work. You think. You persevere. You pray to God that you have another fiber to endure. You breathe. And, hope. For even if it is lost forever… oh, how lucky you were to have it for even just a moment.