the centennial sunday currently.

glen iris flowers

Hello & welcome to the one hundredth edition of The Sunday Currently! It's hard for me to believe that I've sat down & tapped out one hundred different Sunday posts. In fact, to someone whose concept of numbers is a little... skewed... it seems like a much bigger number than it really is. 

I grappled with whether or not I was going to continue weekly editions of The Sunday Currently after this 100-post mark, & after careful thought & consideration, it is with slight sadness, but persistent confidence that I announce that this will be the last in the series. I thought it would be a nice way to wrap up this fun little series, to have a complete set of 100 to look back on. I'm not saying I'll never do a currently post again, nor am I implying that I'll never do another edition of specifically The Sunday Currently. I'm simply relinquishing the responsibility to write & post one each week, on Sunday, at noon eastern, on the dot. In fact, as you may have noticed, this post is not going up at noon eastern. Which brings me to my next point...

Lately, I've felt drawn to getting out & really just living my life, without the bonds of social media & constantly capturing every moment & making sure to do blog-worthy things weighing on my mind. It's felt liberating. I know what that means for my blog, really, but I am optimistic that this space will continue to be updated, maybe with a different kind of content, maybe not regularly, & maybe not forever, but for the time being. You know how people usually say they just know when a blog's time has kind of run out? Well, I won't lie to you & say I haven't felt those feelings about this space, because I have. BUT, I am not yet ready to let it go just yet. I don't know what the future holds for siddathornton, but I know that I'm probably one of those people who will always have a blog. 

I'll share more with you all as these thoughts develop & change. But for now, that's where I am. 

Seriousness aside, I'm happy to say that I've been in Shreveport since Wednesday! Completely surprising my parents was a success, & I think that we have all enjoyed our time here together. I am sad to be leaving soon, but I am also ready to get back home to Justin & Tahoe & get school started!

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

R E A D I N G  will resume in full force tomorrow. I haven't been good about keeping up with my reading on this trip, since I've been so busy running around! I've missed my daily Bible readings, & I'm excited to get back into them.

W R I T I N G  has also fallen off a bit.  

L I S T E N I N G  to the Mates of State Pandora station - it's been my Shreveport thing for the past few visits.  

T H I N K I N G  that trips home are a treasure.

S M E L L I N G  the French Lavender & Honey that I sprayed - liberally - on myself while we shopped around in Bath & Body Works just a little while ago.

W I S H I N G  I could have done even more than I did during my Shreveport trip. I'm so glad I finally got to meet Baby Austen, but there is so much more that I always want to do. It's hard to get everything squeezed into one trip! 

W E A R I N G  J. Crew plaid & dark nail polish.

L O V I N G  my family & friends who took time out of their schedules to visit with me while I've been in town - it means the world to me! 

W A N T I N G  Southern Maid donuts later. I'm excited!

N E E D I N G  to wash my hair. And pack my suitcase.

F E E L I N G  bittersweet. The Sunday Currently has been such a labor of love for me. I know I'll miss it, but I also know this is the right choice.

this week's posts:

songs from greenville, volume 1

rain in greenville

three from wilmington

the sunday currently, volume 99

Well, folks, it's been a good run for The Sunday Currently. Thank you to everyone who has linked up & commented & Tweeted & Instagrammed about this link-up. It wouldn't have been what it was without all of you. Thank you for helping me to celebrate the every-day & in commemorating the simple moments. Most of all, just thank you.

What are you doing? Link up & share below.

songs from greenville, volume 1.

One week ago, I set myself to the task of creating a playlist that I hoped to listen to while putting the finishing touches on unpacking & arranging & organizing our house. I wanted it to be the kind of playlist that, whenever listened to in the future, would create feelings of happy nostalgia for the time when we first moved into our place in Greenville. After seven days of listening, I am happy to say that this string of 51 songs is going to be exactly that. 

listen to it here

rain in greenville.

In our first week here in Greenville, sunny days gave way to rainy ones. 

We traversed out into the country to sample some local fare at Yoder's Dutch Pantry. What more is there to say, other than one big, hearty yum? The Grifton scenery was nothing to sneeze at on this lovely day. 

As the week wore on however, we found ourselves wading through torrential, steady downpours. Even so, we made our way out into our new town, set to explore & eat & learn. I can already tell that I'm going to love being back here in East Carolina, with its cozy corners & rainy deluges.

three from wilmington.

all taken during melanie's visit. all steeped in wilmington goodness.

* editor's note 12:39 p.m. - we finished one tree hill last night, 
& i miss it so much. these photos were perfectly timed to that feeling.

the sunday currently, volume 99.

where's tahoe?

Hello out there, from a very rain-soaked & gloomy Greenville, North Carolina. As Justin was telling his Dad on the phone the other day, he cannot remember a day that he was off work, that it hasn't rained. It was hot, humid, & quite sunny all week, & then the weekend hit, & it's all clouds & that constant kind of sprinkling rain that feels like it will never end. 

A very good thing about this weekend is that we acquired a rug for our living room, as well as a runner for the foyer, as well as a round, gold mirror for our room, all from antique shops yesterday. The two rugs we bought at The Loose Goose, which I have a feeling will turn out to be a bit of a treasure trove here in Greenville for us, & the mirror we picked up at Fox & Hound. I'm excited about all of the antiquing avenues here, both the ones we popped into yesterday, as well as the ones that we have yet to explore. There seems to be quite a lot of potential!

Today will be a day for hanging things on the wall. Since we moved in almost two weeks ago, artwork & mirrors have been sitting on the floors, sticky notes holding their places on the walls. It's time to change that. It's time to bring our house a little closer to decor-completion. So today, we will hang things on the walls. And we will also fold towels. Because that's something that needs doing, also.

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

R E A D I N G  the Bible, as well as little sprinkles here & there of Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban. When the cable guy came to hook up our cable & internet this past Tuesday, he saw this particular book sitting on the coffee table, & we launched into a wonderful Harry Potter discussion. As it turns out, Prisoner of Azkaban is his favorite, too.

W R I T I N G  , writing, writing. Even though it hasn't been showcased here as much, I've been writing. And I've been loving it.  

L I S T E N I N G  to Ghost Stories almost every time I'm in the car, & when I'm in the house, I've been listening to a playlist I made on Spotify, which I absolutely love. Maybe soon, I'll share it here. Maybe this week?  

T H I N K I N G  that my method of having a little "office nook" in the kitchen, where I stand while working at the computer, is a good thing. Don't you burn more calories standing? Don't you generally have better posture while standing? I think that I do.

S M E L L I N G  my Dunkin Donuts iced coffee. Justin & I swear by it. What do we get? Well, usually a small iced coffee with skim milk & caramel syrup. Today? We got mediums, because we needed to gear up for all the hanging-things-on-walls we'll be doing today. We also had blueberry donuts, because it's Donut Sunday, & the blueberry cake donuts at Dunkin Donuts are possibly one of the most delicious donuts I've ever eaten.

W I S H I N G  I could get on a better sleep schedule. I was doing so well! Then, we moved. Everything gets thrown a bit off course when you move. I suppose it's just a fact of life. That doesn't make it any easier to deal with, though, does it? This week, I'll really be working on my sleep schedule & rising early. Because I want to, & because I need to. School is starting soon!

H O P I N G  for a lovely week. Prospects are high! 

W E A R I N G  rain jackets again this weekend. Surprise, surprise. I actually didn't wear mine out antiquing yesterday, & I arrived home cold & soggy, with a damp pullover sweatshirt. Needless to say, the rain jacket came with me on our coffee-&-donuts outing this morning. And it will come with me when I walk Tahoe once this post is complete.

L O V I N G  Greenville. And the prospect of starting school. And all of the new places we'll be able to travel to from here. And our new place, which is even cozier with our new rugs. And watching our shows now that we have internet. And having Tahoe here with us. 

W A N T I N G  a productive rest of the day. There is a delicate balance between doing just enough & trying to do too much each day. It's important to seek out that balance! I will continue seeking.

N E E D I N G  to do laundry today, too. And wash my hair. And lay out tomorrow's clothes. And schedule the coffee pot to brew at six sharp.

F E E L I N G  happy. And caffeinated. Also feeling excited to go on a walk in a few short minutes. Also feeling ready to take on the day. Also feeling like I want to be productive. And I want to work out. And I want to eat as healthy as I can. And I want to simply enjoy every moment of today. And I want to blog [which is a change from this morning when I woke up in a blogging funk]. So, let's do this. Let's do it all.

this week's posts:

diary one.

the sunday currently, volume 98.

I hope you all are having a wonderful weekend, & I hope the coming week brings with it productivity, relaxation, & happiness in equal measure. Here's to Monday! Let's make tomorrow, & every day after that, a good one.

What are you doing? Link up & share below.

diary one.

The fan's pulleys are tinkling as it whirs along at full speed, keeping the room cozy and temperate and well-ventilated. Though the coffee pot has finished its brewing cycle, it still steams and pops and splutters every once in a while, as if to remind me that it is on and there is more coffee to be had if I so desire it. Tahoe's languid, rhythmic breathing from her red-sheet-wrapped bed on the floor between  one of the couches and the coffee table soothes me, grounds me, and seems to offer up the simple suggestion: just breathe. Everything is going to be all right. Sunlight streams in through a wall made almost entirely of windows, bathing the room in cheerfulness. it both feels and looks like the color yellow - pale, pastel yellow. Two dog bowls sit in the corner of the dining room to my right, dominating my peripheral vision. They sit as a symbol, reminding me that Tahoe has really settled in with us, settled in to her new home here in Greenville, North Carolina. She eats on a schedule, goes outside for both necessity and walks in equal measure, and she will gently remind us if her water bowl has accidentally gone dry. From the floor above, I can hear the washing machine spinning at full blast. It holds our cleaning rags and old towels used to wipe Tahoe's muddy feet after our rainy jaunts of late. That's why it's spinning so fast and working so hard - there is a lot to be cleaned in that load. The sound of it is equal parts productivity and promise; its noise means I've already gotten a leg up on the chores I hope to accomplish today, while Justin tackles his first day of work. The promise lies in the crisp, clean linens which will emerge after their time in the huge, drummed dryer. They are but a small cog in the production of a functioning, well-run household, but what is a whole without the many parts that make it up? Two beverages sit on the perfect, darkly-stained, wooden, hand-me-down table in front of me. I pause every few minutes to sip cinnamon-infused coffee from my red and celadon floral coffee mug with an "L" on it - a gift from Kara from Anthropologie. The other drink is a full 28 ounces of cold, filtered water, housed in a plastic bottle bearing the logo of Justin's new place of work. The water beckons to me, promising good health, hydration, and happiness. It reminds me of my vow to myself to be as healthy as I possibly can. My mind wanders to the possible smoothie I'll have for lunch, at the gem of a shop that Justin and I discovered together in our first week in this new town of ours. It wanders further, visiting all the different tasks I'll write on my to-do list once these Morning Pages are complete in three more lines. I stop, I look around our new home. In this tiny moment, I am happy.

Monday, August 4, 2014

9:56 a.m. to 10:16 a.m.

20 minutes

the sunday currently, volume 98.

daily walks with t-bear

Greetings from no-internet-land! We moved into our new place here in Greenville on Monday, & the cable company is so backed up with students moving in, that we aren't able to have someone come out to our house until this coming Tuesday. I've missed blogging, & I'm looking forward to writing more posts after we're back to being connected to the rest of the world. As for now, we are posted up in Barnes & Noble, sipping coffee & savoring the free wifi.

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

R E A D I N G  nothing but the Bible. Even with all the moving craziness, I've been able to stay up-to-date on my reading plan. I'm about a quarter of the way into Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban [my favorite of the series], so I may pick that up this coming week. I miss reading, but with all the unpacking & arranging & organizing that's been going on in the last week, I just haven't made time to sit down & crack open a book.

W R I T I N G  my Morning Pages fairly religiously since we moved in. It's a great way to start the day, getting all of your thoughts & feelings out & down onto paper. Writing can be so therapeutic in its purest, simplest form.  

L I S T E N I N G  to Coldplay's new album, Ghost Stories, on the drive from Wilmington to Greenville on moving day was about as peaceful & relaxing as it gets. I needed that! Also, as I was driving over to our new place for the first time, Home, by Dotan, was playing on the radio. It felt like a nice sign.  

T H I N K I N G  that there really is no place more homey, inviting, & cozy than the Barnes & Noble cafe. When I was in high school, my family would go up to Barnes & Noble every Saturday night to meet up with some family friends for coffee, chatting, & reading. I think that's why it's ingrained in my head as a place of comfort. I'm so glad B&N is more accessible to me here in Greenville. In Wilmington, it was way across town, & I'm pretty sure I only went there twice in a two-year period.

S M E L L I N G  cold, caffeinated air. Isn't that the best thing about coffee shops & cafes? It feels like it is truly freezing in here, though. Oh well, it's just making my hot caramel macchiato that much more inviting. 

W I S H I N G  for an extremely productive week. There is a lot coming up on the horizon [you know, like starting GRAD SCHOOL], & I really want to make the most of this coming week.

H O P I N G  we continue to really explore our town & find delicious local eateries. I keep hearing Greenville being referred to as the "chain restaurant capital of the world," but truth be told, we have really discovered some delectable, local fare in the week that we've been here.

W E A R I N G  our rain jackets has definitely been a thing this week. It started raining on Friday morning, & it hasn't really stopped all weekend. I love rainy weather! Tahoe & I even went for a two-miler Saturday morning, in the mist. See, the rain jacket has really been useful!

L O V I N G  our new place. I'm going to have to share some of it here soon. It is brining me a lot of joy, putting together a house & decorating it to reflect both myself & Justin.

W A N T I N G  a nice, long nap. I guess that's the only down side to all of this rain - it makes me want to curl up on the couch & sleep all day.

N E E D I N G  to make workouts a priority this week as well. I've done a pretty decent job with diet & exercise, but it's time to up the ante a bit, don't you think? I know I'll feel much, much better if I do. 

F E E L I N G  content, happy, & excited.

this week's posts:

the sunday currently, volume 97

Well, folks, hopefully with the welcoming of wifi into our house this coming week, I will be able to be more present in this space. As I said in the introduction, I've been missing it! There's a lot I am looking forward to sharing, especially during this time of change in our lives!

What are you doing? Link up & share below.