Learning to Love Oneself

Being a woman has historically been pretty stinking hard.  We've been objectified and vilified since poor Eve wanted a snack, so I guess I shouldn't have been so shocked and saddened by a recent post on the Marie Claire blog.  If you haven't read it, I'll distill this piece of garbage down to one smelly turd for you: fat people aren't allowed to be happy.

Yep.  Pretty crazy that a writer, Maura Kelly - to name names, can PUBLISH a piece of hateful bigotry on a nationally consumed magazine site.  The whole blogosphere has been "shame on the editor!" and "shame on Maura!" but, honestly, this is a big shame on US, as a society.  Shame on our cultural norms that still make it ok to make fat jokes, put on reality tv shows that torture overweight people to a smaller size, or cancel shows that humanize overweight people.  Shame on our cultural norms that still insist a person's worth is a number on a scale and how photogenic their profile is.  Shame on us for letting fodder like this article surface on the Internet and get over 200,000 hits in two hours.  Shame on us for not stopping this horribleness.

Being a young woman in America is tough.  Now, don't get me wrong, I know there are still atrocities occurring to women as a whole in other places in the world as I type, but that falls in a completely different stratosphere of hardship.  I would NEVER lump the issues women face in America today with the human rights violations women survive in other parts of the world, that isn't what this blog post is about.

To teach a young woman, on every medium possible, that, sure, she can be smart and go to college and all that crap, but she won't really, truly be happy until she's skinny and pretty, is atrocious and unacceptable.  To teach a young woman that two people expressing love and affection is "gross" and "distressing," is just setting her up for a lifetime of judging others and being judged.  In some way I feel this is the start down a slippery slope of de-humanizing a group of people, as a whole, and it needs to stop. 

SO, instead of ranting and re-posting and linking to this article (which I totally just did), let's take today (and this weekend, for that matter!) to let ourselves be loved.  No matter what size, gender, ethnicity you are, try to really believe that you are deserving of love, because you absolutely are!  Don't listen to what tv shows, magazines and blogs have to say (except this blog, of course;)), I'll tell you, because it's true, YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL. xo.

(Photo of the show Mike & Molly, the sitcom that started the whole thing!)

"Are We in Disneyland?"

This was a phase uttered more than once and quite possibly in the wee hours of the Irish morning while we were in Kinsale, Ireland.  Hall was convinced that we had somehow stumbled into Disneyland Ireland on our way from Dublin.  We would just laugh and silently agree that, yes, this little town was straight out of a storybook.

 

 

The morning before the wedding, Shug and I took a quick stroll through town to snap a few shots.  It was deserted!  That was one of the many things I really appreciated about Irish culture is the light Irish workday.  Stores and shops open around 9 or 10ish, close for a two hour lunch sometimes, and then close up for the day around 6.  We Americans need to take a lesson in European work schedules!

 

 Since no one was out and about yet, we couldn't ask anyone to take our picture of us together.  We tried to get creative by leaning the camera on a windowsill, but unfortunately even Photoshop couldn't fix this!

Best Coast...in Utah!

Best Coast - Boyfriend from Kevin Little on Vimeo.

I am LOSING IT because 

one of my favorite bands of 2010 is coming to Utah in under a week!

Yeah, it'll be a late show and, 

yeah, I have to work bright and early the next morning,

but sometimes, you know, you gotta sacrifice for what you love.

Mon Dieu!

I'm still reeling from all of the amazing women I was able to peep while in Paris.  The "effortless chic" you hear about was in full effect as autumn made its entrance into the city.

I love that each one of these women look put together but really unfussy.  When I try to look unfussy, I usually look like I just rolled outta bed!

On a side note, I've been itching to get another tattoo...Do you have a tattoo? If so, what did you get and do you still love it?  I got my first tattoo about four years ago and I still really like mine...!  I just really feel the need to get something else.  I'm feeling a little daring today!

Source

WrenRetro Returns!

After the longest hiatus ever, WrenRetro is finally listing new vintage treasures!  There are TONS of great fall and winter fare that will be listed soon, so go check out WrenRetro to stock up for the blustery weather that will be heading our way soon!

Also, WrenRetro will offer a 15% discount on all purchases for readers who mention they are Goldteef readers in the "Notes to Seller" section!  This special will be running until October 31st, so hurry and get some of your holiday shopping done early!

A Kinsale Wedding

The whole reason Shug and I went to Ireland was to attend our two close friends' wedding celebration.  Supermodel and Shug's Best Bearded Friend started dating almost exactly the same time Shug and I did four years ago.  It has been such an amazing journey to the altar and I feel I was able to share a lot of the fun with these two on our parallel trips!

 The wedding was just surreal.  It was a beautiful Irish autumn day with rain (good luck!), sunshine, clouds, and everything in between.  The ceremony was lovely, with an officiant from Cork and close to a hundred people that had crossed the pond just for the special occasion!

Supermodel lived up to her name and looked ethereal.  Her dress, that was custom made, conjured up old Hollywood glamor with sparkling paillettes and demure cut-outs in the dark grey silk.  She had the cutest pin curls to top off her wedding day look.

There was such a feeling of support and love for these two it was indescribable...!  After the ceremony we went to have drinks and take pictures while the dining room was prepared.  Champagne and Jameson were the popular choices!

 

All of the bridesmaids wore navy dresses with cream cabbage rose bouquets and the groomsmen all had navy vests with plaid ties and cream Vans shoes.  I'm not gonna lie, it was a dapper-looking bunch!

Dinner was served and the toasts began to honor the bride and groom.  I can honestly say I haven't heard a better speech from a best man!  There wasn't a dry eye in the house.

 The dinner was delicious and the company couldn't have been better.  One of my favorite things about this celebration was that Supermodel and BBF have such a diverse group of friends and it was so nice to get to spend the day with them!

I think I'm still "coming down" from this amazing experience.  But you know what was the nicest part?  That I get to have these two in my "real" life back in Salt Lake City.  I hope you all have a lovely weekend! xo.

Geometry Pretty

 

These Laura Lombardi pieces are tough and beautiful.

Need them. 

Best View in Dublin

It's was a bit of a surprise to find the best view of Dublin would be from the top of the Guinness Storehouse.  Tho original Guinness storehouse where the dark drink was first produced was turned into a museum showcasing the Irish beer.

A large pint glass was reproduced that we circled up the center of the building via stairs, ramps and elevators.  Each floor of the storehouse explained the history and process of making this fine beverage.  Our ticket to the Storehouse got us a pint in the Gravity Bar, the part of the Guinness pint where the delicious foam sits in a real glass.

The panoramic views of the city from the Gravity Bar were breathtaking.  We had lucked out and gone to the Storehouse on a clear and blue day!

The pints did help us feel less punchy from our jet lag, I even tried some!  We had been awake for about 30 hours at this point, so if we look a little rough around the edges it's because we were exhausted!

If you are in Dublin, take the afternoon for a pint and a beautiful view at the Guinness Storehouse!

Recipe Box

I am IN LOVE with these beautifully crafted recipe boxes.

Some of my most treasured heirlooms are recipe cards

in my grandma's or great-grandmother's handwriting.

The cards are warped and stained from multiple

seasons of canning or preserving.

My favorite recipe is my grandma's Idaho raspberry freezer jam.

I just might share it with you one day;)!

Which recipe box do you like better?

The floral or just the type?

I'm torn.

In which we learn the necessity of Photoshop.

One of the best aspects of our trip to Ireland was that we were able to travel with two of our close friends, Hall and Ciel.  We were honored last year with having Hall officiate our wedding and we really haven't had the opportunity to spend quality time with these ladies since then!  Suffice it to say that Shug and I were really looking forward to sharing our trip with these two!

Our last day in Dublin, before we headed south to Kinsale for the wedding, found us in need of a group pic to document our travels.  All of us were rather sheepish about asking for a picture to be taken of us and after being turned down by the sweetest-looking Irish grandma, we knew we would need to get creative to get our important group shot.

Solution: Photoshop.

Exhibit A.

Exhibit B.

 

Finished Photoshop MAGIC!

Reality Bites

Whew. Like really.  

How hard is it to get back into the swing of things in "real life" after a vacation?  I was with a difficult client yesterday and it took EVERY BONE IN MY BODY to not ponder what I had been doing exactly a week before.  But, of course, I still did.

Shug and I had been sitting in the park by the Louvre enjoying a bottle of Côtes du Rhône wine that was cheaper than our bottle of water.  We had stopped at a Monoprix market and scored some of the stinky cheese Shug and I had been fantasizing about stateside.  It was a lovely, lovely afternoon.

See how easy it was to not listen to my client?  The client that made me go back to Wendy's and get her more fries because hers weren't hot enough?  But she still managed to eat them all??  Gah.

I'm on a pretend retreat.  I'm going to imagine I get to spend all day on this Marina Abramović installation that was at the Centre Pompidou in Paris.  The headrest was carved completely out of quartz.  Pretty amazing.

I hope you all have a restorative and restful fall weekend!  What will you be doing to recharge?

xo.

Wanna Trade?

Goldteef is looking to trade buttons with you!  If you put up a Goldteef button on your blog, I'll gladly return the favor!  Just email igotgoldteef@gmail.com with your button!

In other news around our place, Ruby has had her little nose out of joint since we got back home!

She's been moping around the house looking for Grandma and the foie gras she must have been feeding Ruby!

My dog hates me.

When I say green, I mean GREEN.

The one thing I had heard about Ireland from the lucky folks that had visited or lived there is that the Irish countryside is green.  Like, really really really green.  So green your eyes found themselves wandering skyward just to recalibrate when gazing long enough at the verdant countryside.

I got my first taste this when our plane was flying into the Dublin airport on a lovely Sunday morning.  The entire patchwork of farmland below was a mixture of every shade of green the human eye could register.  Having flown into dry ol' Utah a number of times, this was a new thing for me.  Instead of the usual Utah palate of sandy taupes broken up with the occasional patch of green irrigated farmland, Ireland was just the opposite.  Green, green, and more green!

Shug and I were lucky enough to stay in a little town called Kinsale right by the ocean, which was a breathtaking contrast to the rolling Irish countryside that bumped right up against the beach. 

Everything that wasn't stationary started to acquire its own living paint job.  If it wasn't moving too much, then it was the perfect place for plant life!

Shug and I tried to match the greenery of our surroundings, but clearly we were no match for the vibrant hue!

And the answer to the question of the season was...

So remember when I was all worked up about what shoes I should take for my two weeks in Ireland and Paris?  I needed the perfect mix of comfort, fashion, and versatility.  I needed to look cute while logging up to 15 miles a day of walking...!!!  What was this girl to ever do?

A fellow bridesmaid even asked what my shoe choices were at the wedding since she knew how vitally important this detail was to me.  I told her I had such great responses and really had most of your suggestions in the running for what to pack, but ultimately I ended up taking just two pairs of shoes: a pair of ballet flats that could be crushed into nothingness at the bottom of my backpack and a pair of brown low-cut motorcycle boots.

The motorcycle boots were the best. decision. ever.  Their thick soles supported my feet over the thousands of cobblestones, rocky ocean pathways, sandy beach walks, and marbled floors of museums.  They also looked great with everything in my backpack, from the cute wispy tees I brought for dinners out to my warm military jacket to battle the gusty Irish countryside.

Thanks to K,Tea?'s advice about insoles, I also had the arch support and cushioning I needed (my arches are ridiculously high after years of ballet.)  I ended up getting some runner's insoles that made my life worth living after 12 hours of walking.

The motorcycle boots were also a serendipitous choice for Paris because BOOTS are all the Parisian girls were wearing!  Granted, many of their boots had perilously higher heels than my humble motorcycle kicks, but boots were the go-to item for most of the stylish women I saw walking around town.  (More on Parisian style later...this needs a whole blog post;)!)

My boots are no longer available, but I found some cute alternatives that look similar to my blessed pair.  All are available at endless.  Again, thank you so much for all of your suggestions!

SO Much to Talk About...!

Annnnnd we're back!

And so many funny, lovely, ridiculous, and crazy things 

happened while we were away.

I'm still a little jet-lagged, 

so I will just give a few items that will be up for posting in the next few weeks!

• Wedding FOOD. The. Best. Ever.
• Ghosts!
• Dublin's best vantage point of the city.
• The amount, in pounds, I consumed of pork products.
• High-kicks in the street at 3:30am.
• Shug driving on the left-hand side of the road.  AHHHH!
• Irish TV show, "Embarrassing Bodies," with hairy (!) buttholes.
• Waking up by the ocean.
• The most thoughtful bridesmaids/groomsmen gifts.
• Traveling with some of my favorite people on the planet!

And that's just the Ireland leg of the trip!

I'll leave you today with a Polaroid Shug snapped
of the newly wedded couple
just moments after their beautiful ceremony.

It was so lovely and just...THEM.
I'll tell you all about it later...!

P.S. I missed Goldteef!  I'm glad to be back!
xo.