the sunday currently, volume 60.

i certainly do hope this is how your day is beginning

Have you ever had a blogging idendity crisis? Felt like you weren't sure down which avenue you wanted to continue - in blogging terms? Wondered if your blog should be a niche blog, or one that covers everything under the sun? Well, that's kind of what I've been going through here on siddathornton. I came back strong after my September blogging break, only to burn out - FAST. 

This blog is something that used to bring me such profound joy. It was a part of my life, just as much as it catalogued my life. It was part of my experience, & I have fantastic memories, focusing purely on the putting together of posts. 

But I have to be honest in saying that that is not how this space has made me feel as of late.

I'm not giving up, because I know the joy that blogging can bring. So, I'm going to soldier on through this time of uncertainty & weather the storm through to the other side. Things may not look the best around here right now, since I'm in a bit of a time of transition, but I hope you'll stick around & afford me some patience as I figure things out! Thank you, as always.

C  U  R  R  E  N  T  L  Y  .  .  .  

R E A D I N G informational blog posts about how to design blogs using HTML. Of course this ties in with the aforementioned identity crisis. I'm going to try to learn how to design things right around here - something at which I've always wanted to try my hand. I know it's not something that's as easy as 1-2-3, but I'm going to give it my best shot before commissioning out to a professional. Any suggestions? Please feel free to point me in the direction of the best resources - there is a lot of information out there!

W R I T I N G in journals a lot lately, about food, about dreams, about struggles. I'm glad that I have at least been expressing myself, even if it hasn't been on this blog as much as I would hope. I refuse to force posts out of myself, because I find when I force things, I start to dislike my blog even more than I did when I wasn't producing content.

L I S T E N I N G to the sounds of the television. I'm writing this currently post on Saturday evening, & as I type, LSU is playing Alabama. All I have to say about that is, GEAUX TIGERS. 

T H I N K I N G that I needed that phone call with my mom earlier. I'm so excited for our Harry Potter Book Club, which we will begin when this semester ends. I can't WAIT. I also can't wait to visit Shreveport for two weeks in December. I'm so ready for our trip home!

S M E L L I N G McDonald's, because THAT happened tonight. Sometimes it's just a McDonald's kind of night. And my hardcore diet starts tomorrow - I'm in a wedding in less than two months!

W I S H I N G I was a more resilient person. I'm easily deterred, easily discouraged, & easily knocked off course. I need to work on rolling with the punches & taking things for what they are. I'm bad about fighting against things & being stubborn, & really, nothing good ever comes out of that.

H O P I N G for a surge of energy & wellness this week. This past week was a bit of a challenge for me. I felt like I was tired all the time, & I was experiencing a post-travel illness as well. Let's hope for a good one this week!

W E A R I N G a sweatshirt & scrub pants - my Fall lounging uniform.

L O V I  N G all of the coffee Justin & I have been consuming lately. Is that a weird answer? When I met Justin, he barely drank coffee, & now he sometimes suggests getting it!

W A N T I N G a renewed sense of hope & motivation this week. Last week, I did a great job of getting down on myself, & that certainly doesn't help anything. A good attitude goes a long way, & I need to remember that this week, for sure.

N E E D I N G to drink water like a fish this week. That is definitely something I've been missing. I feel like drinking an adequate amount of water is such an easy thing to do to improve your overall health, but it's also something that's really easy to fall off the bandwagon on, too.

F E E L I N G hopeful & peaceful. And compelled to use the gifts that God has given me. 

C L I C K I N G my most recent article in Wilma Magazine - check it out here. I always get so excited to see my byline in print.

What are you doing? Link up & share below.

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photo: coffee shop scenes | a Starbucks Saturday experience

this week's posts:

the sunday currently, advance edition: traveling home from new york [volume 59].

around here lately.

around here lately.

Since I just arrived home from my travels yesterday evening, I scheduled a post last week, to share with you a few snapshots from my life lately. Of course, these images won't include any of the ones I captured during my weekend in New York, but those are soon to come. In the meantime...

my new coffee mug, a C for Christy, & also, from Charleston

loving NYX's B52 lipstick lately & my plaid shirt from j.crew

java dog has the cutest splash covers & coffee collars 

 weekend coffee with justin... oh, & there may be a coffee theme for this post

lunch on a tuesday with anatomy & physiology at port city java

a fall-time navy manicure, whose photo was taken in ethics class

out for the crohn's walk with justin's office

beautiful  blue water & sky at wrightsville beach

a sunday afternoon run in my favorite park

more of beautiful wrightsville beach

a little snippet of school style

blue skies & buildings

Happy Monday, everyone! I hope you all have a lovely week ahead.

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photos: around here lately | find more on instagram

the sunday currently, advance edition: traveling home from new york [volume 59].

It seems that a lot of my recent Sunday Currently posts have been advance editions, & I'm not gonna lie... it's awkward to write a post about what you're currently doing, when you're not currently doing it. This list of currentlies is my best attempt at guessing what I'll be doing on Sunday.

C  U  R  R  E  N  T  L  Y  .  .  .  

R E A D I N G through A&P notes on my flights back to Wilmington this afternoon. I've got a test tomorrow at 10:00 a.m., so I've got to make sure I'm prepared. I'm also bringing along my Nook for if I'm in the mood to just read.
W R I T I N G to-do lists for the coming week. Considering I started drafting these to-do lists last week, I'm sure they are overwhelmingly chock-full of items to accomplish. And I'm ready!

L I S T E N I N G to my old iPod, which houses my favorite in-flight playlist. Some of my very favorite songs are on this playlist: comforting, calming, relaxing.

T H I N K I N G - I'm sure - that my weekend in NYC was an energetic, lovely time. And also that I need to get my ass in gear in the coming week... & all that is getting kicked off with my A&P test tomorrow morning.

S M E L L I N G airplane air, I'm sure. Hopefully I've showered so I'm not smelling myself. Just kidding. Kind of.

W I S H I N G my flight home was a direct one. Friday will have been my first direct flight ever, & I'm sure it has spoiled me rotten with its convenience.

H O P I N G for safe travels & no delays today! I'm ready to get home & see Justin, I'm sure.

W E A R I N G a comfy flying outfit, complete with my neon, striped infinity scarf.

L O V I  N G that I got to attend Laura's Bachelorette. Thank you to my husband for making such a cool trip possible for me.

W A N T I N G to do well on my A&P test tomorrow. And to get a great shadowing session in afterwards. I bet I'll be tired by Monday night!

N E E D I N G a tall glass of water & a good night's sleep I bet.

F E E L I N G ... this is a toss-up. I guess it depends on how much fun we had groovin' to the 80s cover band last night.

C L I C K I N G nothing today. Just riding in airplanes, studying for my test!

What are you doing? Link up & share below.

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photo: clear blues & fluffy clouds | from our trip to Savannah in July 2013

this week's posts:
the sunday currently, volume 58.
on looking inward.
i chopped off my hair [& i like it!].
my ongoing love of hugh macrae park.
happy halloween!
NYC-bound! + friday's fancies #72: city style.

NYC-bound! + friday's fancies #72: city style.

Happy November! A little bit later today, I will be boarding a plane that will take me to NYC for the first time, ever! I am beyond excited, because New York City has long topped my list of places I'd most like to visit. To make things even more exciting? I'm headed there to celebrate one of my oldest friends, Laura, by way of her bachelorette party! There will be dancing, there will be singing... there will be lots of catching up to do. If you'd like to follow along for the adventure, follow me on Twitter or Instagram... or stalk the hashtag #siddastravellog. I'm going to try to take some footage, so there may be a vlog headed your way in the coming week or so. We'll see. In the meantime, I'm off to celebrate my dear friend's upcoming nuptials.

dress | necklace | lip pencil | shoes

This week's Friday's Fancies theme - dressing according to your city's style - is perfect for me this week, but not for obvious reasons. Since I'll be in New York City this weekend, I decided to depart from representing my hometown, instead opting to rep for the Big Apple! We'll be spending a lot of time out on the town, so I've pulled together a look showcasing classic, dramatic black - perfect for celebrating a bachelorette. This isn't what I'll be wearing this weekend, but I feel like [or hope] it captures the spirit of energetic NYC night life.

fireside reading

- I loved Alison's time-sensitive gift guide, which she posted earlier this week.

- Seriously gorgeous photos of some seriously gorgeous fall flowers.

- Meg's posts about New York have me even more excited to visit.

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link-up: friday's fancies | {long distance loving}

fireside reading is the cold-weather counterpart of beach reading, 

which you may have seen in previous posts, such as this one.

happy halloween!

Is it weird that Halloween is the host of many of my favorite memories? There was just something about pulling on my long-awaited costume, my mom putting makeup on my face, grabbing my jack-o-lantern candy bucket, & heading out into the chilly night, flanked on either side by my parents, my sister beside me. There was something about feeling my candy bucket get heavier & heavier, realizing there would be a whole spread of treats to enjoy for days to come. There was just something about not being scared to knock on a stranger's door. There was just something about seeing that some of the adults handing out candy still dressed up, too. There was just something about the way our neighbors' houses smelled, that I can still smell today, when I think on it. There was just something about traipsing through my new neighborhood, with new friends, freshman year of high school. There's just something about Halloween, that's unlike any other day of the year. And I think it's that palpable autumn feeling, hanging around in the air.

Wishing you all a spooky little day of costumes, candy, & craziness [the good kind].

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photo: moss in the trees of savannah, georgia | taken in July 2013

my ongoing love of hugh macrae park.

I wrote on Monday about looking inward, & I really couldn't think of a better place to do so than the one pictured above. Really, for me, nothing compares to pulling on my running shoes, driving over to my favorite park, firing up my Pandora app, & just... running. Running until I can't anymore. Running to combat the stress I'm feeling. Running for the health of my body & mind. And then, I'll stop running, & I'll walk for another half a lap or so, taking in the beauty of what has now long been one of my favorite places in Wilmington.

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photo: Hugh MacRae Park

i chopped off my hair [& i like it!].

*Note: this post was accidentally deleted earlier [I know - GASP]. So, if you commented, I apologize... I lost them all.

Whenever I consider writing a post about my hair, I think of this one, which was published long ago. And if that post told you anything, it's that I like changing up my hair [to say the least]. So, the fact that this past Friday, I walked into the salon & asked them to chop around eight inches off my hair, should come as no surprise, really.

If you follow me on Instagram, then you've probably already seen most of these photos. But, for records' sake, I wanted to chronicle the big chop here on my blog.

So far, I am really loving the new 'do. It's proven to be quite low maintenance, Justin absolutely LOVES it, & to be honest, I feel like a new person. There's just something about changing up your hair, you know? It's coming up on time to re-dye my hair, & I'm trying to decide whether to go a bit darker, or to keep rockin' the brown with red undertones look.

What do you think?

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photos: hair, long & short | see more on instagram

on looking inward.

Sometimes when I get overwhelmed, I take a few moments to meditate on the vastness of the world. I breathe in, thinking about how very small I am, amidst the chaos of the universe. I breathe out, & I let go of those things that feel like they're holding me back. I close my eyes, then open them again, seeing things in a different, simpler light. 

Our problems are so small in the scheme of things, so insignificant compared with the enormity of the world. And to me, that is a big comfort.

That thought allows me to look inward & concentrate on being the best I, myself can be at any given moment. In times when I feel as though I lack any & all power, I have power over myself. I have power over my emotions, over my feelings, over how I choose to view things. I have power over how I present myself, how I react, & how I choose to treat others. And knowing that that is enough - that how I carry myself is enough - eradicates that huge weight  I try to carry around from time to time, that includes all of those negative, self-conscious feelings. 

I look inward, & I do my best.

And that is enough.

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trees upon trees at hugh macrae | taken Sunday afternoon | more on instagram

the sunday currently, volume 58.

here's my new hair cut. i really like it.

C  U  R  R  E  N  T  L  Y  .  .  .  

R E A D I N G a statistics chapter today, as well as some anatomy notes. Is it December 13 yet? The end of this semester deserves a party thrown & a cake made. 

W R I T I N G packing lists for my upcoming trip!

L I S T E N I N G to Awkward. So excited about the season premiere! And after this, we're going to watch Grey's Anatomy. DVR is a glorious thing. 

T H I N K I N G that I'm so excited to go to NYC for the first time... & then, going home in December. I can't wait!

S M E L L I N G & drinking a tall nonfat caramel macchiato.

W I S H I N G for more workouts & some excellent diet self-control for the week ahead.

H O P I N G for the stress to be as low as possible this week.

W E A R I N G comfy clothes & my absolute favorite scarf - one that I made last year. It's so soft & cream in color.

L O V I  N G coffee lately. What else is new?

W A N T I N G to do pilates & have a nice cardio workout today.

N E E D I N G to curl my hair today.

F E E L I N G like I want more coffee. 

C L I C K I N G the Sunday Secrets.  

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photos: "wife hair" | taken Friday | find more on instagram

this week's posts:

the sunday currently, volume 57.

on the glory of normalcy.

a return to friday's fancies [#71]: in the office.

a list of reasons to just keep trying.

a return to friday's fancies [#71]: in the office.

knit | top | necklace | slacks | flats

Lately, I've been rummaging through my old blog posts, kind of like one would rummage through a trunk of their belongings found in the attic. I revisited some fond memories, remembered some not-so-fond ones, & just generally reminisced, but mainly I was aware of my favorite types of posts & information-sharing techniques being brought into focus pretty clearly. 

It's a funny thing, blogging. You do certain things, you stop doing certain others. Your blog evolves slowly, sometimes for no reason other than progress for progress' sake, sometimes as a means to feel as though you're making progress. I say it's funny, because all we should really do while blogging is enjoy it. That's what this is here for, at least in my eyes. To enjoy. And to share.

All of that to say, I've been missing being a part of the Friday's Fancies community somethin' fierce. And that's why I'm promptly rejoining today. No, I did not follow the theme of this week, but I plan to pick that back up next week. I always enjoyed taking Alison's prompts & somehow melding them with my life at the moment, then creating an outfit board to match. So, expect to see a Friday's Fancies post here each Friday, as it was in years past around these parts. I'm excited!

Today, I am sharing with you an outfit that I would be delighted to wear when I finally get to return to normalcy. It has nothing to do with my life this weekend, as most of it will probably be spent in pajamas. In short: it will be a house-cleaning weekend around the C Residence. I'm off for a bachelorette party next weekend, so it's time to get everything in order, so Justin doesn't have to clean while I'm away, & I will get to come home to a clean apartment to kick off November with. Here's to responsibility!

Ohhh, & pssssst: I'm chopping my hair off today. There will be a post, with befores & afters, next week!

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link-up: friday's fancies | {long distance loving}

on the glory of normalcy.

I don't think you can ever really understand the stress & busyness & pulled-in-multiple-directions-ness of returning to school as an adult until you are living it. [And I know it would be much more difficult if I were living in Shreveport, surrounded by family & friends & lovely, fun things to do]. It is challenging, but rewarding. It's a time in my life that is difficult now, but that I know I will look back on fondly, as a time when I was completely exerting myself mentally, physically, emotionally, & scholastically. It's a blessing. It really is.

And oh, how I will treasure those years of rise, coffee, work, sleep! Oh, how I will treasure the normalcy. Just like I treasured the normalcy of working Monday through Friday, 8:30 to 5:30 after working on the copy desk at the paper. A return to normalcy is glorious. But, alas, to return to normalcy, you must first be catapulted out of it. 

I'm probably not yet on the upswing - I'm more than likely still high in the arc after being shot out of the cannon. But I know that - eventually - I'll be sailing back toward stability. Toward routine. Toward normalcy. And when it arrives, it will be greeted with open arms.

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photo: a beautiful residence in savannah, georgia | from our trip in july 2013