much-to-celebrate-monday.

If its possible to have too much to celebrate, in this {new} week, I am frolicking in some major POSSIBILITY + a mega-major celebration is in order around here.

I'm celebrating the fact that I will be spending the next thirteen weeks in the {guaranteed} sunshine. My heart = so happy! I hope I don't OD on Vitamin D... scratch that, I hope I do!

I'm celebrating the fact that an old roommate is my {NEW} roommate again! Not in my wildest dreams did I ever think the genie lamp of life would grant me the opportunity to be roommates with Kara, Megan, Jess, or Carly ever again... but the way this year is looking, before 2012 arrives, I will get to have not three but FOUR wishes come true!

I'm celebrating the fact that my {new} job amazingly combines my two passions in life {traveling + nursing}. If that's not reason enough to be oh-my-golly-giddy, I am celebrating the fact that the two roads that I take to work are named Bay-to-Bay Boulevard + Bayshore Drive! =) I was beaming as I watched the sun rise over the water in the Bay on my way to work this morning.

I'm celebrating the fact that my {new} job is technically on an island. Although it's only a teeny bridge from the mainland, I can see the Gulf of Mexico + the Tampa Bay skyline from every window in the hospital.

Life is glittery + grand but I can't help but wish my little darling niece was here to celebrate with me. Auntie Awesome misses you, Reesey Peesey Puddin' Pie!

{this moment}.

47 kinds of blog failure + {my apologies}

I forgot to swoon on Sunday. I was too confused to celebrate on Monday. I let Reese turn five-months-old on Tuesday without mention. I negligently failed to wish my cousin a happy birthday on Wednesday. (Happy belated Birthday, Kev! I miss you + I hope all twenty-seven of your wishes came true!) .

That brings us to today, Thursday. I have no playlists coming your way. I have no photographs to post. I have no coming-of-age wisdom to share. All I've got is 47 kinds of blog failure this week.

{My apologies.}

My mind is racing in a thousand directions and I am hoping by the end of tomorrow I will know which direction to confidently set out in Monday morning... a small step quantum leap out of retirement unemployment and in the right direction... one that will enable me to start living in the present and stop fretting about the future... for my future will be now, for a fleeting moment. 

There is too much on my plate that I need to make sense of before I can even begin to blog it out. I've started 700 posts in the last 2 weeks... of which none went anywhere as I couldn't stay focused on one thread long enough to make it a coherent thought (apparently, my attention span is on holidays, too!)

All the doors are closed, so to speak but they are on the brink of bursting wide open again! I am certain that something over-the-moon FABULOUS is in the works that will kick off the next chapter with fireworks and confetti showers and eloquently write the next hundred pages so in the meantime (Read: In Between Time), here is a mish-mash preview of the posts to come:

Spring is just around the corner. I cannot wait to relish in the animation that accompanies the fresh blooms and baby birds that will arrive in the upcoming month. 

I have gone from being unemployed to having three job offers in three entirely different parts of the country where my three other halves live: Tampa, Los Angeles and Nashville. All in a week. Meant to be? I think so.

I have an awesome tutorial for you... which may include newspaper... and Vodka.

I have been woken up at sunrise for the past five days thanks to nature's alarm clock: a wood pecker. If I figure out a way to capture the REM-stealing devil outside my window, I will gleefully catalyze the link in the food chain (think shiny, silver gun!) that went missing by the declawing of the house cat, Zoe... in exchange for a few extra zzz's .

For the first time in my life, I am appreciative of Florida: The Tourist Mecca... for I am one of them + loving every silly moment of it. Learning to drive. Crowding the restaurants. Packing the beaches. Coming Soon! My Ode to Florida.

{I wonder when my Ode to Winnipeg will manifest itself?}

I reinstated my license today. It expires on my thirtieth birthday.       {Cue quarter-life crisis.}

I lived at Disney World for an entire week last week. Like literally that was my address. I even had mail delivered there. Who else can say that they were actually a resident of the Magic Kingdom once in their lifetime? Besides Mickey. & Minnie.

I have been running. I ran an entire 10 miles this week... which if you divide by 5 (days) is really not a lot for my usual self but considering the fact its more miles than I ran in all of twenty-ten... I'm feeling pretty good... well not my quads/calves but my insides... they feel exercised + awesome.

I let go. My heart has been so heavy recently with the weight of the New Year, presenting no opportunities for a fresh start but two weeks ago I hit the rock they call bottom while simultaneously being catapulted out of the rut that left me stagnant + holding on all winter. It was an insanely emotional roller coaster but I am proud to have found the courage to let go of the lap bar, arms freely flowing in the wind as I was whipped + winded around and proverbially enjoyed the ride. I think my own new year will start with the changing of seasons and I'm certain another SoU(L)Cast is in the very near future.

For the first time in such a long, long time, I'm all right again.

For enduring that incredibly vague life update, I will leave you with this little bit of sunshine, the rose-coloured kind... the medium I have used all week to sort out my life that currently parallels the three rings of a circus: Barefoot Beach. It is in this serene setting that I have kicked back in a beach chair, inhaled the salty breeze of the Gulf, absorbed the UVs and pondered all of these things, all at once:

Ironically calming, isn't it?

"How long do you wait until you can be certain that he's not coming back this time?" she asked. "I'm not sure," she replied. "Knowing you, you will give him all the time in the world."

{this moment.}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

wish you were here!

It's Reese & I's last hoorah! this week and we're definitely going out with a bang! I've abandoned my watch + completely lost all sense of time. We roll out of bed, slide in to our beach attire (sundresses for me, rompers for Reese) + beeline for the pool every morning. We return smelling like coconuts and rejuvenated from the ample dose of Vitamin D we've just soaked in. I found myself saying, "Hey there, tan lines! Oh, how I've missed you!" to a bikini-clad self in the mirror today... "Welcome back!" We are enjoying simple luxuries like having fresh linens delivered + our bed turned down for us each day. We've only consumed drinks made of pureed fruit (Reese in the form of baby food, mine in the form of coladas). We have done nothing but relax. We must be on holidays + we absolutely wish you were here! =)

crossing paths with Katie.

My life keeps crossing paths with my great friend, Katie + it makes my heart so happy every time!

A little over 2 years ago, her sweet daughter, Kylie, spent 2 months in the same NICU Christopher did nearly 10 years ago (ohmagosh.. has really a decade gone by?!) 2 summers ago we ran in to each other in the Minneapolis airport. Later that same year, I randomly happened upon her adorable little military life in Albuquerque, New Mexico... and on Thursday, our paths crossed again in the new air force base she calls home: Valdosta, GA.

Happy! Healthy! and Stunningly beautiful, Kylie is a total crack-up! She has a personality much like her Mama's + I love it! =)

It was the halfway point between Knoxville + Orlando and it worked out perfectly to break up the drive by a fabulous slumber party with my favorite duo!! Thursday night, we arrived rather late which only meant we stayed up even later eating freshly baked cookies + catching up on our lives. Friday we stayed in our pj's til 1:00 eating cinnamon rolls and testing the waters with Kylie having a new baby in her house. Katie is expecting a new addition to her family in July and tomorrow they find out what they are having!! =) So excited for Gorski Baby #2!!

**I absolutely LOVE this photo. That adoring look. That dribble of drool. That innocent pull on Kylie's hair.**

Have you ever tried taking a picture of two teeny-tinys in their footies? Next-to-impossible.

Kylie is going to make a great big sister!! She kept giving Reese her pacifier back and saying "Hi Baby!" It was so adorable to see the two of them together!

We changed out of our pajamas to go get lunch before we got back on the road on Friday. I look as though I probably should of showered as well but none-the-less, it was so fabulous to spend less than twenty-fours with these two!! Thank you for the amazing "Southern" hospitality!

I can't wait for our paths to cross again mostly because I will get to see y'all again but partially because it may mean I know where I am going in my life!

much-to-celebrate-monday.

I have two weeks worth of celebrating to do (last Monday I was not in the celebrating mood) so this post got a little bit long + the pictures are a little bit random but I kinda like it that way.

First + foremost, I am celebrating the life of my ninety-four-year-old great-great aunt that passed away yesterday. She was the sharpest old lady I have ever known and I'm so sad that she is gone but I find comfort in knowing she's happy in her heaven playing bridge with her sisters.

I am celebrating that this was the view I took in as I sipped my morning coffee, read USA Today's review of the Grammys + finished the crossword puzzle (its monday; it was easy).

I am celebrating the sunshine + the warmth of its rays as it graces my skin; an invigorating feeling that is long overdue. My suntanned toes are celebrating the fact that they had their first pedicure of the new year and are loving getting to breathe in flip flops again.

& of course, I am celebrating with the pretty little girl I love most. We are celebrating how great our week is going to be following a really awesome weekend with old friends. It's Reese + I's last week together "just us" but let's not talk about it because I don't know how I'm ever going to part with my new best friend who has literally been attached to my hip the last 2 months. Cue waterworks.

We are celebrating not one but two job offers I received this week in not one but two awesome cities and the potential of not one but two old roommates becoming my roommates again!!!

We are celebrating how on my run today I saw Bambi + his mom.. yes! she's ALIVE but more on that another time... because that is monumental (or maybe just mental?) + it deserves its own post.

We are celebrating the incredible progress a former patient of mine is making, breathing on his own, defying every odd + truly healing in a miraculous way. I had the honour of taking care of him in my final days in the Tundra and he (and his beautiful parents) touched my heart in a way that has changed me. Changed my opinion on the power of prayer. Changed the way in which I view the world. Made me believe in the existence of angels, here on Earth. I met one. His name is Gideon + you can read about his story here + here... be sure to watch the video on CTV's website... it will make you believe, too.

Have a fabulous week, friends + CELEBRATE life; you've only got one.

mixed tape: Cupid's shuffle edition.

In honour of the "V word", I have compiled a mixed tape exclusively of love songs... or more true to my {love}life this February, fourteen tracks filled of hopelessness, heartaches + letting go... shuffled amongst a few tracks with lines so adorable, they make even the broken hearts burst! =)

Side A:
1. Christina Perri - Jar of Hearts.
2. Band of Horses - No One's Gonna Love You.
3. Blow - Parantheses.
4. Little Big Town - Kiss Goodbye.
5. Brendan James - The Lucky Ones.
6. Kate Nash- Foundations.
7. Little & Ashley - Stole My Heart.

Side B.
1. Jerrod Niemann - What Do You Want.
2. Avett Brothers - I and Love and You.
3. Matt Nathanson - Car Crash.  ***The acoustic version is heartstring-tugging-magic!***
4. Bruno Mars - Marry You.
5. Adele - Chasing Pavements.
6. James Morrison - Love is Hard.
7. Miranda Lambert - I Just Really Miss You.

I'll be spending the day trying not to secretly hope that all the lovebirds in the world choke on their conversation hearts as they expand + blow up in their stomachs... oh wait! That's rice at weddings. and real birds. Whatev.

Happy Valentine's Day, my loves!

Swoon Sunday: I'm so glad I'm not married...

... yet! Because if I was, I wouldn't have been able to rock one of these AH-MAZING gowns (coming out tomorrow) down the aisle!! When Carly e-mailed me earlier this week a link to a sneak peak of Anthropologie's new bridal line BHLDN {what can I say? She's a girl after my own heart!}, it was love at first sight!!

Remember how I said that I spent a lot of time the last year of my life in book stores drinking coffee? Well, what I failed to mention was that I was reading bridal magazines while I sat amongst the paperbacks sipping my piping hot lattes, jotting down Etsy websites + picking out colour schemes.

Its Sunday so it feels appropriate to confess: my wedding day may already be planned, frilly details + all. {Cue string quartet.} I know what you're thinking.
& yes, I am fully aware that I recently became single again.

What I meant to say is everything is planned... except for the groom. minor detail; no biggie. But if you happen to know anyone who'd be interested in getting married in a field in Banff while wearing a bow tie + eating cheesecake lollipops, send them my way.

Where is that? you ask. Don't have a clue... no worries; not stressed at all. There's no room for anxiety in this post... back to the dresses + back to the swooning! 

And to my rockstar bridal party of besties, these little numbers are for you 

+ you + you + you! 

Look at those shoes! Are they not just scrumptious?? 

 And lastly, the accessories!! The glittery shoes + vintage necklaces + extravagant hair pieces... AH-MAZING! SoSoSo in love!! 

The day I get to don one these gorge gowns + float down the aisle is a LONG way off but hey! A girl can dream. And although I may not be anywhere close to tying the knot, I am so glad these two did!! =)

I am off to get comfy cozy in my bed in Florida + watch the Grammys with my sista and Reese! 

Must rest up for my busy week ahead: laying by the pool + riding the monorail that runs right through our hotel over +over again... can you guess where we are??
I'll give you a hint: I spy with my little green eye a castle from our hotel! 

Hope you had a weekend as fabulous as mine! 

 Happy swooning, y'all!

children are our future/my bestie is a badass.

While in DC last weekend, I got to spend some quality time with Megalina's kindergarten class + in that afternoon with eighteen five-year-olds, I came to the conclusion that my best friend is an {educating} badass.

You (devout readers) may remember my awesome experience when I visited Megan's classroom in her first year of teaching with Teach for America and since that lovely day where I got to read a book about bones to her class, she has finished her two-year run with TFA {badass}, received her masters in early childhood education {badass} + is now part of a huge movement in education {double badass}!!

Her current school made headlines last year when the entire staff was fired by Chancellor Michelle Rhee and while Megan knew she would be coming in to an inner-city school in the District, she had no idea which school she would be teaching at when she signed on for the job... a HUGE job at that!

Megan's school is following a curriculum + establishing a culture that maximizes the learning to be done + I am certain that in five years (when they benchmark the success of the program!) they are going to see Megan's kinderbabies excelling above + beyond grade average!

Look! It's me, a {finger puppet} nurse! =)

Part of the school's mission is to get kids thinking/excited about college + engraining the idea of continuing their education long past elementary school in to their tiny, spongey minds. The theme of her classroom is FSU (Megan's alma mater) + they sang the entire FSU fight song for me! It was melt-your-heart presh! =)

They built me a "hospital for babies!" Lovesit!! =)

A modern-day Picasso. One little boy drew a portrait of me in Orange + Blue! FSU... whaaat??!! While I'm glad they are excited for college, I had to inform them of a university near FSU that was even more awesome!... the one I think Meg+Danny's kids will chose to go to! =)

Learning how to write stories... I know you're not supposed to pick favourites but if you could only see his dance moves...

soo tired at the end of their long day... I was exhausted too!

I learned a lot in their little classroom. Not just how to add pennies, nickels + dimes or sound out words but the intangible lessons, too. Don't bring toy guns (that look a lot like real guns!) to school. If you want children to learn something, change the words to the latest rap song and your point will be beautifully conveyed. Don't punch people in the eye. Goldfish + animal crackers are perfect rewards. But most importantly, if children are our future... the foundation established in Ms. Lucas's classroom looks incredibly bright!! =)

what would shape our lives?

Maybe our mistakes are what make our fate. Without them, what would shape our lives? Perhaps if we never veered off course, we wouldn't fall in love, or have babies, or be who we are. After all, seasons change. So do cities. People come into your life and people go. But it's comforting to know the ones you love are always in your heart. And if you're very lucky, a plane ride away.
- Carrie Bradshaw

squishy newborn: Mason Edward James.

I absolutely cannot wait to get my hands on this little squishy newborn + kiss him + love him + breathe him in. Welcome to the world, Mason! Our family just got a little more swirlier with you in it.

Photo courtesy of Jennifer Davis Photography.

more cribbage please... sans the gurney.

Words cannot describe how wonderful the friends are that I have in my life... truly, they cannot... but perhaps these photographs speak for themselves, in a way that doesn't need adjectives to do the describing.

... just the best of friends, reading damnyouautocorrect, cracking jokes, dominating board games... completely forgetting that blood is being drawn, IVs are being inserted, diagnostic tests are running...

... a special kind of love that fills the room + drowns out the chaos to make for a very, peaceful emergency... + allows you to keep calm + carry on {smiling} in a sacred-kinship-kind-of-way.
No fever spike or attack of anxiety could ever disturb it. 

Here's to many more cribbage tournaments together... sans the gurney. MALYTAB

belly laughs + a nouveau widget.

I'm at a loss... for words?... at the moment which is most upsetting because I have a lot of fabulous things to share with you... but please bear with me as I find my feet + in the meantime, enjoy this fabulous video of Miss Reese...

Untitled from Jocelyn Kirk on Vimeo.
...don't you just wish you could bottle up that sunshiney giggle + save it for a rainy day?? 
+ on a random side note {re: my side bar}, big things are coming to Suburbs... I'm talking HUGE... but until I figure out just how to get them here {standard technicality in the execution of big dreams.}, check out the awesome nouveau widget I added... I've spent all day {well, in between rocking baby, reading to baby, babbling with baby... so approximately twenty uninterrupted minutes} adding labels to all 670 posts of the last four years + my project is not quite complete but feel free to look around... you may even have your very OWN label in my super sweet label cloud to your right! =) 

make me a rainbow.

... who would have thought forever could be severed by the sharp knife of a short life?
-The Band Perry

{this moment}

milestone: semi-solid foods.