Reader, welcome to Afternoon Tea! As a self-confessed hopeless romantic and anglophile to the highest degree, it is one of my deepest sorrows that I am not one to regularly partake in the privilege that is afternoon tea. Although I often enjoy a cup of Earl Grey on slow afternoons, my chipped mugs and sliced bananas are poor substitutions for the Spode china and brilliantly colored petit fours that would abound in an authentic ceremony. As such, I invite you to a virtual celebration of the elegant pastime that begs us to appreciate beauty and focus on being present. Here, you will find a somewhat jumbled collection of my revelations, reflections, and that which I relish from the week. So please, brew a warm pot of tea, procure for yourself an array of scones and biscuits, and peruse with me what is lovely in life.
Thanking the Academy
What does it mean to thank the Academy? To do so is to extend a breathless word of overwhelming appreciation to a higher power, to a force second only to the Universe in terms of its ubiquitous and enigmatic presence. As such, here you will find my own earnest appeal to make my gratitude known – a profound and dreamlike thank-you to that manifestation which is omnipresent, alluring, and all-encompassing.
- Pajama-and-wine night with a friend.
- A movie date to see Dumb Money.
- Popping into my parents’ house for a hug and ice cream.
- Dinner at my grandparents’. My sisters and I are always so excited to be invited over for an evening.
- Meeting my littles in Chi Omega – Reader, they are perfect and we are already fast friends!
- A mid-study-session coffee run with the girl I nanny, we had a ball getting our frappuccinos and heading back to hit the books.
- Exploring West Campus’ newest convenience store with my roommate. It is the little things, dear Reader.
- Catching the tail-end of a movie at my friends’ house.
- Cleaning my apartment, knocking out my errands, and getting a semi-significant amount of schoolwork done in one day.
- An undefeated streak for the horns!
These Are a Few of My Favorite Things…
In an unending effort to live just as my icon, Ms. Julie Andrews, below you will find my own weekly compilation of that which brings me just as much joy as “raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens”.
- The Royal Wedding. AH! Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?
- This dress (funnily enough, my dream dress when I was a little girl was very similar to this, only the tulle overskirt was white and full-length, and the bodysuit was purple, of all colours). So beautiful.
- Dumb Money was not a feat of cinema, but I enjoyed it very much, and would most certainly recommend the film to others.
- Taylor Swift at the Chief’s game. She is everything.
- This Instagram recipe, which I am dying to try.
- The prettiest white floral sweater. Precious, but not quite as precious as this rainbow sweater.
- A martini purse! A martini is not my first choice for a cocktail, but this purse certainly is.
- The dress that a modern Baroness Schraeder would wear.
- I got this udon salad for lunch one day, and have been thinking about it ever since.
Seven-Day Design
A word (or two) of wisdom to guide the upcoming week.
Immortal Echoes
- “Now is no time to think of what you do not have. Think of what you can do with what there is.” — Ernest Hemingway
Evanescent Intentions
- This week, I will do something with what there is.
Reader, I have lately been slapped in the face – rather violently – by the enormous gap between where I am and where I want to be. Personally, professionally, creatively… I am proud of the work I have done, but I sense it is time to double down and put in the work toward betterment once more.
I will focus this week – keep myself organized and on-track, balance my responsibilities with time spent with friends, and move forward. I want to have some sort of progress made by Sunday, even if it is only the feeling of accomplishment.
I hope you, too, are on a journey toward satisfaction in your life and work, Reader, and that you will reach that place (though never one of complacency) very soon.
Love,
Lettie Anne