My Heart is at Home

I hope you are having a week filled with love. Be it from your Galentine's or your boo, take a moment to breathe in the love and cherish the ones you hold dear. I just received a box in the mail from my sweet mom filled with a few Valentine's Day gifts. The sight of this made me well up a little due to the thoughtfulness involved. I haven't even opened up a gift, but I already got the present of knowing I will always be my mom's Valentine. That, alone, has me bringing with gratitude and love.

I've mentioned before that I am lucky enough to have 2 moms and 2 dads. All 4 of my parents are on my mind and in my heart right now, even more than they usually are. They are all going through a lot and as their kid it kills me not to live so close I am come over and be there for them. IN PERSON. It's hard to have home on the mind and in your heart, yet miles, work, and mountains of snow make the trek impossible. Hopefully my love is reaching them, and they know I am there in spirit. I always am.

To close, one thing I have no love at all for: cancer. F@$& cancer. That is all.

Happy Birthday, Will

Your brain astounds, your kindness comforts, your humor makes it all worth it. 

Your friendship is my home, your thoughtfulness makes me a better person, and your growth inspires us all. Your music is beautiful, your face my favorite sight, your voice the sweetest thing I've heard. You and you alone are home to me and as long as you're by my side life will always be fun, safe, and warm.

In the last year you've grown and evolved more than most people do in a lifetime, showing us all that as long as we have air in our lungs we get to choose how we live this life. I'll always thank you for that. I'll always have your back. I will always love you more than anything in the universe.

Photo by Erik Beck.

Family Weekend

My dad and Barbara are coming to visit us for the first time since we've been in the new place tomorrow. I am so excited to see them, show them around the new neighborhood, and soak in the love and support they always give. It doesn't matter how old I get, sometimes I still want to coze up with my folks and get the comfort that only your parents can provide. First I need to finish a TON of work and clean my entire apartment with a raging migraine headache. NOT digging that part, so if you'd like to bop over and help I won't be mad atcha.

Beauty Award

My *stepdad Jan just found this "Certifercite" while cleaning and shared it with me. Clearly, this is a very OFFICIAL document and we should inform a notary of our historic finding immediately. 

*Family fact: I only use the "step" to differentiate between my two dads for your sake, but the truth is I've always had 2 moms and 2 dads. Barbara and Jan are my step parents who have been there for me since I met them when I was 4. I prefer to call them my other mom and other dad, as they mean much more to me than what the word step implies.

*Related. 

Vow Renewal Photos (Part 2)

Vow Renewal Photos (Part 1)

Vow Renewal Photos (Part 1)

All photos were taken by Dejon Mullings, with styling and dog-wrangling by Barret Wertz and Shivonna Randazzo

Home is Wherever I'm With You

Williamsburg, Brooklyn

My work, my writing, and my passion is all about showing you how to make your house a home. Home is the most important place in the world, and I've always put huge importance on the space I live in. While packing up all of our earthly belongings in preparation to leave the space we've called our home for almost a decade, I can't help but ask myself, on a deeper level, what really makes my house a home? What are we taking with us to our new place that makes the four walls around us a sacred place in which we live? 

There are the physical relics of our life, the items passed down from those we've loved, the art that moves something inside of us, the photographs that captured moments passed. Most importantly, of course, is our family. While packing up all of the rest, I'm realizing that if nothing else remained other than Will, Gracie, and Milo, I would be home. THEY are my home. They are my family, my heart, my whole life walking around in 3 special beings, and the only ones who can transform a house into a home for me. This last year, I faced the reality that I might lose two of them. There were times in the last year and a half that both my husband's health and Gracie's were at grave risk. I had to breath and exist and get up every morning living in the realization that I might have to wake up one day soon without them. In those times I knew for absolute certain that even if my body survived that, my soul would lose its home forever. Just typing those words shifts something deep inside me. I hope you never know what that feels like. 

I still can't believe we've made it this far, that we've walked through the darkness and can feel the light of hope and safety on our face. I am forever different for surviving this year. Forever appreciative on a level I've never known before. Forever will my definition of home be redefined. 

"Home is wherever I'm with you."

 Siesta Key, Florida 

 Lewes, Delaware

 Alexandria, Virginia

 Portland, Maine

 Asheville, North Carolina

Photo credits: 1 + 4-Wendy Hickock, 2-self-timer, 3-Matt Allan, 5-a ferry rider, 6-Shivonna Randazzo

This/That: Family Wedding Edition

Celebrated this.

This weekend my darling baby brother, Matt, married his best friend and love, Danielle. It was a lovely weekend filled with family and fun and lots of love. Matt and I have had this strong soul connection since he was just a little nugget, and to see him radiate pure happiness and love on his special day was no less than breath taking. My sister-in-law is incredibly smart, genuinely sweet, gorgeous, and absolutely adores my sweet brother. She sees him for exactly who he is and embraces every aspect of his goofy, ambitious, hilarious, endlessly loving soul. I wish them all the happiness in the world as they start their life together as husband and wife.

Wore this.

I was too busy helping (and being emotional,whoamIkidding) to bring my camera and capture all of the details, but my phone got a few snapshots of the beautiful event. I'll share more with you when the stunning professional photos by Katelyn James are ready. 

Here's to marrying your best friend!

Photos by Katelyn James, Will Cole, & me.

Catskills Coles

This is the escape we have longed for. Just our family of four surrounded by mountains, rivers, waterfalls, forests, fog and wild life. We are soaking up every moment of this incredible vacation together and feel that every element of this trip has been a dreamy and magical moment in time.

Our days and nights in the Catskills are filled with kayaking, hiking, reading, lounging, very happy dogs, strumming guitar, eating delicious food, cool mornings, hot jacuzzis, invigorating saunas, star gazing on the deck and seeing the 2 biggest and brightest shooting stars we've ever laid our eyes on (!!!), stoking the fire in the stone fireplace, playing cards, watching old movies, adoring this beautiful house, and soaking up sightings of the local wild life. We've seen countless deer, frogs, badgers, horses, bunnies, fish, chipmunks, and all kinds of birds. Today our best friend, Dejon, joins us, so it can only get better!

Coles in the Catskills

We are in the Catskills hiking, eating, sleeping, and relaxing like we haven't in YEARS. This is a much-needed escape that is serving me restorative realness like no other. We just got back from a 2.5 mile hike in the Tomannex State Forest where we saw a deer, a hawk, and around 7 or 8 waterfalls. You can follow all of our adventures by checking out #ColesintheCatskills on Instagram.

Tiny Feet

My little friend, Estella, and her tiny, tiny feet.

Plans

This weekend I plan on...

+ Completing the editing portion of this new MACC video where I'll take you on a room tour of my office.

+ Dreaming of this mecca of all things handmade and DIY. I can barely contain all of the ideas that are jumping off the shelves at me

+ Dining at this insanely delish restaurant. Pro tip: Order the watermelon marg (!!!)

+ Hanging out with this amazing woman, who I am lucky enough to call my sister.

+ Lounging in a dream fort built by Morgan for BYT's Dream Lover event at South Street Seaport. (Pssst...it's free!)

+ Ordering another pair of these to get my summer laps in without getting black eyes from these. 

+ Perusing this to get inspiration to whip up some beachy decor for my future sister-in-law's shower.

+ Wear this while diving into this.

Ate These/Made This

This weekend I...

+ Ate these heirloom tomatoes

+ Celebrated PRIDE

+ Hung out with this dewey-eyed baby

+ Made this (RECIPE: Add tomatoes, black beans, kidney beans, corn, cilantro, red onion & the juice of 1 lime to a bowl. Salt to taste, MIX & eat up on tortilla chips, as a taco topping, or as is!)

+ Organized my books, creating plenty o' tabletop space for plants and gems and things

+ Watched this fascinating documentary

Plans

+ Dream about this Caroline Z. Hurley perfect picnic blanket.

+ Eat at The Meatball Shop.

+ Go swimming in one of Brooklyn's amazing public pools.

+ Listen to Rogue Wave and California Wives because they are giving me the beachy vibes that I need right now.

+ Peruse the Marimekko end of season sale. 

+ See Before Midnight at Nighthawk with my darling husband tonight.

+ Wish I wasn't such a klutz so I could pull off a white romper this summer.

+ Visualize a future where I dine outdoors nightly. In my big backyard on a long farm table with fresh wildflowers and twinkle lights and friends. I picture it looking a lot like this. 

New Baby Mama Package

Two of my closest, dearest friends have had tiny bundles of pink perfection in the last week and a half and I am brimming with aunt-like love and pride. One is right here in Brooklyn, but my sweet Michaela is all the way out in Denver, Colorado and a loving care package will have to suffice until I can manage a return trip out there again. At this point I feel motivated to walk my eager tuckus across the country to get my hands on her a little bit-early, under-6-pound peanut of love!

// Contents of the Baby Mama Package //

+ A  little composition book to keep by the bedside or crib or in her pocket to jot down little moments to document later. These first few weeks/month of infancy are apparently INSANE, but new mother's want to commemorate everything, so a tiny book to write these details down in might help.

+ Sweet baby cards to celebrate Emilie's arrival.

+ A cute little bunny bath mitt.

+ Tiny Beautiful Things, an incredible book filled with short chapters that are the perfect length to read when the baby fallas asleep right before you do. 

+ A special personalized gift for mama to wear and represent the frist letter of her baby's name from my fav store, Catbird.

* IF money were no object I would add in this cashmere eyemask, this lavender candle, these gold ballet slippers, and ohgoodheavens THESE tiny baby moccasins (!I DIE!).

Ate This/Organized This/Wore This

This weekend I....

+ Ate this.

+ Celebrated this, this, this, and new babies!

+ Labeled this.

+ Mourned this. (KNIFETHROUGHTEHEART)

+ Organized this.

+ Read this.

+ Wore this.

Happy Birthday Milo Shoe!

Four years ago tonight we adopted Milo Shoeshine from Sugar Mutts Rescue. He is our third rescue dog, our second beagle, and one of the loves of our life. He is a challenge and a half in the sense that he might BITE YOU, but he is only that way due to abuse and neglect by his previous humans. Every day he tries so hard to be good, to behave, and to not be "so nervous" that he is alive. We adore this little bundle of beagle and would not trade him for the world, even if in that world was another beagle who looked just like him but didn't sometimes bite the air or you. Because that cute, non-biting beagle wouldn't be our Shoe. We love you Shoe! We love that you still try to chase after every truck or skateboard that comes your way, that you love to dive bomb the carpet right after I vacuum, your one lone black whisker, your flip flops ears, your heavy black eyeliner, the way your lip gets caught in your teeth while you sleep (see above), your adoration of Gracie Strudel, the excitement you get every day when we play fetch, your sweet loving licks, and your kind and loyal soul.

This weekend I will celebrate my fathers from afar and Will, my dog baby daddy, in person. Enjoy your weekend my dears!

Mo' Milo:

  Introducing Shoeshine / Milo's Debut / Dog Portraits / Milo Sequence / 

Brooklyn Bridge Park

Yesterday Will and I had a beautiful day out in Brooklyn Bridge Park. The weather was that perfect early-summer hot with a sweet salty airy breeze that only happens down by the water. We soaked up each other and the weather and the freedom of having a few days off of work as we strolled through the cobblestone streets of DUMBO. We had pineapple, cucumber, celery juice at No. 7 Sub, lobster rolls at Luke's, and picked up Dough on the way home. We window shopped and regular shopped and had a lovely lazy day in one of our favorite pockets of the borough. I want to have a million more days like it. It was so perfect I swore I heard Lou Reed.