love of all things BD!

Like Holly Golightly in Breakfast and Tiffany's, whenever the stress and fear of the what-ifs, hows, and whens start to creep in, I turn to my good friend Anthropologie. There's just something about the whimsy of this store that keeps all those burning questions of doubt from taking over my desire to turn vision into reality. I can go from "design-block" to "inspiration" in mere minutes, and with the help of Anthropologie.com, can find my bearings at any time of the day, no matter where I am.

Lately, I've been second-guessing how I'm going to sustain the financial resources to keep me going once the permanent paycheck runs out. The feeling that creeps in is palpable, and I come close each time to giving up. Today, I'm flying back to California after a short trip to Indiana to visit friends for a bridal shower. It's been so great to see my girlfriends from graduate school...but for most of the weekend, despite their unwavering arms of support, I've felt as if my decision to leave this career in student affairs is foolish. My friends...these amazing women who continue to accomplish so much in their respective departments/divisions of college life, are well on their way to becoming Directors and Dean's. By leaving and starting a new career, am I completely crazy to be starting over? At 29, it feels slightly foolish to do that.

Wanting to run-away and give up yet again, I turned to Anthropologie. And in just five minutes I'd found my inspiration...the bridesmaid dress. I'm not the hugest fan of the cookie-cutter bridesmaid, and prefer the color palette approach to the more traditional matching dress. Lately, I've been drawn to black and grey...partly due to the approach of winter, and partly due to the unlimited possibility to accessorize that a blank black or grey canvas brings to the bridal party. Here's a few of my favorites:

At the end of the day, I've got to believe that all this inspiration is a sign of something bigger than me...that when all is said and done, this is what I'm supposed to do! Would love to know what you guys do to stay inspired/motivated to keep going despite the odds...