Konbanwa

We were spoiled in Chicago today. It felt like spring at the end of December, so I took full advantage of the day and shed some layers.

Happy Holidays!

I hope all of you are enjoying your holiday season! I don't have any family in the Chicago area and unfortunately wasn't able to travel this year, so I enjoyed the day with a friend perusing Chinatown.

Wrapped

Who's ready for the holidays? I particularly love the egg nog and wrapped gifts and peppermint-flavored everything. Getting dressed up for parties is simply a bonus.

Bundled Up

I took a break from my fort of heated blankets to go play in the snow. It's so funny when I look back and think about all of the winters of my early twenties when I insisted that my Vans were fine for winter. These days, I don't go out in the snow without a pair of boots — mainly cause I will fall and bust my ass in anything else.

You've Got Nail 66 // Scratch December Box

It's been ages since my last manicure post, and in the meantime I've made lots of fun nail sets. My favorite wrap-makers, Scratch, have totally redone their Monthly Mani Kit. December's box included my favorite color combo (black and gold!) paired with some holiday swans-a-swimming. Click through to see the three sets I made using these wraps and laurel wreath charms.

Before It Snowed

I shot these photos in September. Ugh. I felt as though this fall was so unexpectedly heavy — things were moving along well with getting Mini Penny back on track and getting organized at work and then I sort of fell into this weird funk.  Just a few days after I took these photos, I was hit by an SUV while riding my motorcycle. It wasn't nearly as serious as it could have been, but I was in physical pain and also facing what could have been a fatal injury. It weighed on me. I took some time off and traveled to the east coat to visit some friends, and came back and cranked through work at the tattoo shop. Meanwhile, the political climate has had me stressed. I didn't know how right it felt to write here when I felt like everything was sorta of falling apart. Last month, I flew to LA and landed on the other side of the country to my worst nightmare: a horrible misogynist monster had been elected as our president.

I've spent the last month in total disbelief — there have been so many text messages and phone calls to my loved ones checking in to make sure they're okay — and reassuring that I am to. As a survival of sexual assault, it's all been a weight on my shoulders. It's hard to explain. But after some self-love and some newly focused work endeavors, I'm here. I'm so ready to shoot. I'm so ready to write. And I'm so ready to get back to the Mini Penny routine.