the sunday currently, volume 97.

who can guess what i'll miss most about our current neighborhood?

Greetings! We arrived back in Wilmington on Wednesday afternoon, & to be quite honest, everything since then has kind of been a blur. Getting Tahoe acclimated to living with us again, as well as getting her on a schedule, has been challenging, yet rewarding. I was telling my mom yesterday that I was just beginning to feel like myself again after four days on the road, traveling between Wilmington, Birmingham, Memphis, Greenville, SC, & back to Wilmington. Traveling that much really took it out of me! But we are so happy to have Tahoe with us again, & we are really excited about our move to Greenville, which is happening tomorrow. 

C U R R E N T L Y . . .

R E A D I N G  nothing at the moment. Yes, yes, according to my Goodreads]account, I'm currently reading Emma, Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban, Winters Tale, & Harry Potter & History, but the truth is, I'm not reading anything right now. And, you know, I'm ok with that. I have quite a lot to accomplish over the next few weeks, before school starts, & if that means a mini reading hiatus, then so be it. That just means I'll love reading that much more when I decide to pick my books back up. I have, however, continued with my Bible-reading plan, & I'm still on schedule to have the entire thing read by next March! This makes me happy.

W R I T I N G  is starting to mean different things to me recently, in all respects. Firstly, writing on this blog is changing for me, all in good ways. But it is changing. Secondly, writing for myself in ink-&-paper journals has become more of a priority. Thirdly, writing a novel has become more of a reality to me recently. I know that I want to do it, & ideas are taking much clearer shape as of late. It's too soon to really know what direction it's going to take, but I know the thought & heart is there. Now, we wait.  

L I S T E N I N G  to my heart when it comes to writing, as you may have just gathered from the "writing" section of this week's set of currentlies. I put a lot of pressure on myself to achieve a certain tone here on this blog sometimes, & I'm realizing more & more that that is not what blogging is about to me. I just want to type things, & let that be my tone. Let that be my voice. My voice is inherently mine, so it should come out in my writing whether I'm trying for it to or not, right?     

T H I N K I N G  that just being yourself, & letting that be enough, is so very important if you're blogging. Or writing for yourself. Or trying to write a novel. The moment you start trying to be something you're not, it all falls apart. You can only keep up a facade for so long. The beauty in being yourself is that you never run out of energy that way. You never burn out. You're allowed to just... be.

S M E L L I N G  cardboard, still. Some of you commented on my last post about being all too familiar with this - let's be honest, rank - smell that is associated with moving. I feel y'all. I'm so ready to be settled into our new house. And for the cardboard to go into the dumpster. 

W I S H I N G  time wasn't so weird. I've been waiting since March for our moving day to come, & for school to be starting. Now that it is actually here, I feel myself holding onto the present, savoring the last of our time here in Wilmington. Why can't we all just enjoy where we are, when we're there? Why do we feel this need to wish time away? And why do we only stop wishing time away when it's gone? I guess it's just a human thing. I do my very best to never wish time away, because I don't see the point. Time is all we have - why would we waste it? BUT, I do fall victim to feeling impatient for things in my life to begin [school], & just for things to move forward in general. I guess that's just something we don't ever get to understand in this life.

H O P I N G  our move goes smoothly tomorrow. The movers show up bright & early tomorrow morning, & then we shove off. I'm really excited about seeing our new place again. I haven't seen it since May! And the truth is, Justin has never seen it in person - he has only seen pictures. I hope he's as happy with it as I think he will be. And I hope Tahoe enjoys her new home, too!

W E A R I N G  my heart on my sleeve lately, as usual. I've gotten better about not being ashamed of my emotions lately, though, & that is definitely an improvement. Especially since we are on the eighth season of One Tree Hill, & almost every other episode is making me cry.

L O V I N G  the excitement of moving, even though I keep talking about how stressful it is. I'm not a person who is awesome with change, but I'm getting better. I'm excited to be in Greenville!

W A N T I N G  a biscuit & coffee at breakfast [along with an omelette], as well as Chipotle for dinner. Yep, I've already got some meals planned out for the day. Getting back on the healthy bandwagon on Monday.

N E E D I N G  to keep stress levels low & excitement levels high. Let's do this move! 

F E E L I N G  overwhelmed, but happy.

this week's posts:

the sunday currently, volume 96
thoughts in memphis
big buildings yield big thoughts
wilmington snapshot: fort fisher aquarium

Wish us luck as we finish up our last minute packing, as well as just soak up one more night in Wilmington. Here's to Greenville!

What are you doing? Link up & share below.

wilmington snapshot: fort fisher aquarium.

During Justin's mom's visit to Wilmington at the end of June, we finally managed to make it over to the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher. As we perused the halls, the rain was pouring outside. It was a steamy, humid summer day, & it was nice to escape into the air conditioned bliss among the fish. I do hope that you enjoyed what I shared of our visit. Looking back makes me want to go back. Maybe one day, we will.

Want to see more photos from the afternoon? They're all here.

big buildings yield big thoughts.

sometimes i feel like my life is simultaneously coming together & falling apart.

i don't even know what that means, but i just know that i feel 

this yearning for life & love that feels bigger than myself. 

there's so much i want to do & see.

there's so much i want to say, so much that i want to share with others. 

sometimes i feel like i can, but most times i feel like i can't. 

photo: the tutwiler in birmingham, alabama | operation: tata | more on instagram

thoughts in memphis.

Greetings from Memphis! We have now traversed the distance between Wilmington & Birmingham [yesterday], & between Birmingham & Memphis [this morning]. We are posted up in our hotel room with Justin's mom & Tahoe, Justin's dog, just relaxing, because tomorrow we trek to Greenville, SC [not to be confused with Greenville, NC, which is where we are moving].

I haven't been able to keep up with the blogging rhythm I set up for myself a few weeks ago, but I'm ok with that, because it means I'm learning what I AM able to keep up with. And, to be quite honest, right now, with being busy with our move & Justin starting a new job & me starting grad school soon & us adding Tahoe back into our family, my best blogging rhythm is the one that comes naturally. I'd still like to write about certain topics on certain days, like organization on Tuesdays, but I also want to leave days blank sometimes, & sometimes I just want to come on here & let words flow out of my fingertips, like I'm doing right now. So, that's where I am with that.

We are set to arrive back in Wilmington on Wednesday afternoon, & I would like to have my 2014 Organizational Suite post up on Thursday. And then, my healthy living update on Friday. So, that's what you can expect to find in this space in the next few days. 

Well, folks, I guess it's time for me to get back to viewing Jurassic Park, which is what is currently playing in our hotel room. To tell you the truth, this movie terrified me as a child. And, in truth, it still kind of does. Maybe I can talk everyone into a viewing of The Firm. 

We are in Memphis, after all.

the sunday currently, volume 96.

slowly but surely getting all of our things into boxes

Happy Sunday! Justin & I are on the road today, headed to Birmingham, Alabama, where we'll be sleeping after the first leg of our road trip to pick up Justin's dog, Tahoe! She has been living with Justin's mom for the past few years, as we have not lived in places where we could have her. We are so excited for her to be joining us in Greenville!

We've been working on packing up our apartment over the last week. Justin's last day at his job here in Wilmington was on Friday. Things are coming together! I'd be lying if I said things weren't a bit stressful. But, we are excited, too!

C U R R E N T L Y . . .

R E A D I N G  my very first edition of OT Practice, which I got in the mail on Friday, has made me even more excited about becoming an OT. I can't wait for school to start!

W R I T I N G  lists of things that need to happen before our move. After all, we shove off from Wilmington, for Greenville, a week from TOMORROW! There is so, so much to be done, as I'm sure you would guess. Writing out lists upon lists makes me feel a lot less stressed. Somehow, seeing the multitude of things I need to do written on paper makes them seem less scary.  

L I S T E N I N G  to Justin Timberlake, Phillip Phillips, & Coldplay have been such a source of comfort recently. Those have got to be my current favorites.    

T H I N K I N G  that it's funny how, in some of these editions of The Sunday Currently, I have so much to say, but in others - like today - I just feel like I'm reaching to get all of the words out.

S M E L L I N G  cardboard. It's not the best smell. But, we're moving. So, there are boxes. Lots of them. All over the apartment. 

W I S H I N G  that Spider-Man was constantly playing on TV. It was playing on TNT yesterday evening while we were packing. It's one of my very favorite movies.

H O P I N G  for safe travels for us from Wilmington to Birmingham today. And from Birmingham to Memphis tomorrow. And from Memphis to Greenville, SC on Tuesday. And from Greenville, SC, back to Wilmington on Wednesday! Whew! We've got quite a road trip ahead of us! It will be worth it to have Tahoe with us!

W E A R I N G  comfy clothes for the next few days. Being in the car dictates comfort!

L O V I N G  that we are almost finished packing everything up. It's always so much more of a daunting task than you're expecting.

W A N T I N G  a big stack of pancakes for breakfast tomorrow.

N E E D I N G  to drink plenty of water on the road. I've been staying hydrated, & I don't want that to be compromised just because we're traveling. 

F E E L I N G  good. I can't wait to write about my healthy living update this coming Friday.

this week's posts:

the sunday currently, volume 95

life update: to school & moving to greenville

my new filofax

around here lately: kara in wilmington

Well, here's to the days of travel we have ahead of us. My bed in Wilmington is already calling my name!

What are you doing? Link up & share below.

around here lately: kara in wilmington.

Welcome back for another edition of Around Here Lately on siddathornton. I haven't done one of these since April, & even though the events captured in these photos didn't exactly occur "lately," I thought we could just go ahead & use a loose interpretation. Today I'm sharing some snapshots from when Kara came to visit after her graduation!

kara's first dunkin donuts experience

a little rest out at wrightsville beach

the blue-green waters of the atlantic

sunset downtown walks, with ice cream from kilwin's

they thought wrong that day - we ran through the downpour for food

kara just enjoying a little lunch at dixie grill

oh believe me, many cups of coffee were enjoyed

we road tripped to greenville to house-hunt & stopped in kinston for pizza villa

then we stopped over to carolina beach for britt's donuts

we also had "bowl saturday" at flaming amy's bowl, kara's second trip of the visit

another downtown walk with ice cream before she headed back to shreveport

early morning airport drop-offs mean early morning starbucks & movies

I hope you enjoyed seeing little snippets of Kara's time here in Wilmington. We loved having her here, & we can't wait until she & my parents come visit us in Greenville for Christmas. Next week, be on the look-out for a Wilmington Snapshot post. This one will feature The North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher!

my new filofax!

In this week's edition of The Sunday Currently, I announced that I was the proud owner of a brand-spankin-new Filox A5 Finsbury in Raspberry. And well, that's what we are here to talk about today, ladies & gents. Back when I was applying to Occupational Therapy schools in December, Justin told me that if I got in, he would gift me with something that had been topping my wish list: a Filofax. I knew that one of our local shops here in Wilmington carried the brand, & I wanted to buy from them if at all possible, so one day I just struck up a conversation with the lady at the register. As it turns out, they ordered my Filofax for me, & called me when it arrived. And, of course, I ran up to the shop like a crazy person. It was worth it. 

Today I'm sharing with you an unboxing & first look at my Finsbury. I have grand plans for this little thing, which I will share bits & pieces of as I describe it in its original state. As progress is made with organizing it & figuring out my system, I will share detailed updates.

I purchased my Filofax from a shop in downtown Wilmington called Occasions...Just Write. It is located in The Cotton Exchange, & it holds many treasures that I like to pore over every time I'm in the area. They carry paperblanks, Moleskine, Lilly Pulitzer, & a whole lot more [Filofax being another brand of theirs, obviously]. My Filofax was given to me in its original box, in a pretty mint green bag from the shop. 

The Filofax was encased in a protective plastic covering that spanned both the outside & inside of both the front & the back. A cardboard piece was placed on the snap closure to keep its structure during shipping. The plastic kept the gorgeous leather in tip-top shape as it made its way to Wilmington. In addition, a white sheet was placed in the inside front & back to protect the inner covers during transit.

The front inside cover features a zippered pocket, & six slip pockets, one of them being of the mesh variety, where I plan to store my school I.D. "Filofax A5 Finsbury Real Leather" is stamped into the inside cover as well, & there is an additional slip pocket where a small notebook could be stored.

I opened the box originally in the store, & we cut the seal that was holding all of the pages together during shipping, because I wanted to confirm that it came with the standard "week on two pages" diary, which it did. 

The first set of inside pages included tabs for organization; a few sheets of Filofax's standard to-do list; lined, graphed, & blank paper; a few contacts sheets; & green, blue, & pink lined paper. I plan to keep all of the note paper in my Filofax, but will more than likely remove all of the other items in this section. I may use the standard organizational tabs for a while, but I know there are a lot of really beautiful inserts to be purchased for this function.

The next set of pages comprised the "week on two pages" diary, which, as I said, comes standard in all Filofaxes. This section was separated from the rest, by a clear plastic ruler, which snaps in & out of the rings. At this time, I do not plan to use the "week on two pages" diary, because I don't think it is consistent with my scheduling needs at the moment. I plan to purchase the "month on two pages" & "day per page" diaries in the future, which I think will be much more appropriate for my planning style. 

At the back of the Filofax, there was a clear plastic cover sheet, which I plan to keep in place as a protective covering, as well as a matte plastic slip-cover, which I plan to move to the front of the planner. There is also a slip pocket on the inside of the back, which could easily house a notepad.

I hope you enjoyed getting a little first-look at my new Filofax. If you couldn't tell, I am extremely excited to get it set up & to begin using it in January 2015. In the interim, I will continue using my 2014 Organization Suite, which I will be sharing about in detail over the next few weeks. Next Tuesday, look for an introductory post, in which I will give a general overview of all the 2014 OS components. 

Do you have a Filofax? What kind? If not, what do you use to organize your days? Please share!

All items in this post were purchased by me. This is not a sponsored post. All opinions & professions of love are genuinely my own.