The New-Fashioned Wedding.

This morning, I'm thrilled to share (somewhat belatedly) a project that I feel so lucky to have been a part of. It's a book called "The New-Fashioned Wedding," and it showcases the beautiful work of Paige Appel and Kelly Harris, founders of the event planning company Bash, Please. As a longtime admirer of Paige and Kelly's, I was over the moon when I was asked to help write their book. (If you look closely, you'll see my name on the title page - what an honor!)

"The New-Fashioned Wedding" is available for purchase, here. A big thank you to Paige, Kelly, and Rizzoli for being such a pleasure to work with, and for inviting me to be a part of such an inspiring project. 

Happy weekend to all! 

Marmot Madness.

I'm sorry. I couldn't help it. These photos of eight-year-old Matteo Walch and his marmot friends were just begging to be shared. Apparently, Matteo and his family vacation in the Austrian Alps annually - and each year, the boy rekindles his friendship with the animals (who are normally known to be fearful of humans). 

Says his mother, "He loves those animals and they are not at all afraid of Matteo because he has a feeling towards them and they understand that."

Too cute. See the full story at the Daily Mail, here. Happy Thursday!

Photos: Caters News Agency.

Storytellers.

This week on the Equals Record: wondering, as a writer, what it takes to become a good storyteller.

An excerpt from the new post: "In the tenth grade, I wrote a short story for my English class that was told from the point of view of a man on death row. The same year, I wrote another piece from the perspective of a little boy who heard voices. I followed that with yet another, about an inner city teenager who’d been kicked out of school. (Clearly, at fifteen, I was interested in exploring the darker side of the human experience.) I received good marks on these stories at the time; still, they’re pieces that embarrass me now—full of vague details and street slang I didn’t know how to use. These were stories I didn’t know how to tell. Today, as a writer, I still doubt my story-telling abilities. Essays, I can handle. Interviews are no problem. But a story is a different animal."

See the post in its entirety on the Equals Record, here. The archive for my weekly column, Looking Forward (about the ups and downs of "growing up" in my twenties), can be found here. Thank you so much for reading!

Top images by Lou Mora. Bottom image via The Little Mermaid. (Quote from Barabara Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible. Thanks, Megan.)

Vintage Loves.

For those with a case of the post-weekend blues, (or for those like me who just want to feel a little warmer in these sub-freezing temps), here are a few photos from the always mesmerizing Vintage Loves. My favorite's the third one down - what exactly is going on there?

Feeling better now? Thought so. Click here to see more.

Happy Long Weekend.

I have many favorite quotes from Martin Luther King, Jr., but the one below just might top the list. Another, which I carry around with me in a little notebook, reads, I am who I am because of who we all are. Beautiful words, and so inspiring. (Click here to read more.)

Wishing you all a restful and reflective three-day weekend - what are your plans? I'll be working through much of it, but am also planning on checking out a couple of new restaurants (including this one), catching a flick, and going out for hot toddies with some friends.

I'll be back on Tuesday; in the meantime, here's a little reading/viewing material for the weekend:

-Some of history's most memorable speeches.
-Mother Jones' Best Interviews of 2012.
-An amusing round-up of famous writers letting loose. (I like your style, James Baldwin.)

Have a wonderful three days, everyone!

Photo: Michael Ochs/Getty. Print by Cloud and Clover.