figuring out 40

ventage tuesday : five summer basics

I apparently did a major purge of summer clothing before I changed out my closet last fall (can I just say that I kind of hate that part about living in the Northeast? That changing our your closet is an acutal thing? Yeah, not a fan.) I have precious few summer clothes. My summer basics are very...basic.

I just bought this black maxi dress tonight. I think it's perfect to dress up for dinner out, but also super cute with flip-flops for everyday. I adore Target's vneck tees (wearing the grey one at the moment). Maxi skirts are the new yoga pants. White jeans are surprisingly cute (I was terrified of them for years). And...I really need a chunky turquoise necklace. 

Check out what the other Ventage Girls are wearing - Em, Barb, Angie & Steph.

ventage tuesday : we were late bloomers?

I'm posting this MUCH later than anticipated...but I am determined to participate in today's Ventage Tuesday. We like to call this year the "Ventage Year of Awesome." Today, we're bringing you the "Ventage Years of Awkward." I think it's fair to say that we were late bloomers. (note, for anyone that I have known in my ENTIRE LIFE, be warned that I likely have photos of you...so be careful how hard you laugh!)

2 things about this photo - 1) crooked glasses much?? and 2) my Mom made that shirt and I loved that shirt. I think that I wore it in consecutive school year photos. 

Curly hair tip - when you don't know what to do with your hair, just keep it short.

This is the reason that frizz serum was invented.

Oh the 80's. And Sun-In. 

In case you thought I was all girly in the prairie skirt - BAM! preppy polo with the casually tied sweater brings the outfit home. 

There is SO MUCH WRONG with this photo. The hair. The yellow teeth. The XL tshirt from the men's department. Oh, but hey! I'm wearing a Swatch! 

Let's just call this one - go BIG or go home. 

Be sure to check out the other girls' ventage awkwardness. And please, do feel free to share your own. 

Angie, Steph, Barb & Em

light & love...again.

The Ventage Girls have been a bit out of sorts lately. I'd say that we're all taking "spring break" from Ventage Tuesdays, but that would bring to mind images of fruity drinks & sandy beaches...or at least Starbucks runs & springy new flats. The truth is, the Ventage Girls are hanging on. We're looking for the bright spots, reminding each other that we're loved, and maybe drinking an extra glass of wine (or three). I know that personally, I thought that this week held the promise of less dark & twisty, and more shiny sparkle. 

And then the bombs exploded in Boston. 

I heard about the explosions from Becky via email. Like so many others, I quickly scoured social media sites & news sites for information. We are 4 short hours from Boston. Which means that everyone knows someone - or knows someone who knows someone - that could have been there. I'll be honest, it was an hour or so before I could even process who might have been nearby. I checked on friends' Facebook statuses & Twitter feeds. I didn't call or email b/c I didn't want to add to the chaos. And...I needed to wrap my head around what was happening. I texted Hope to see if she knew what was happening. I knew that Austin would be monitoring information as it came out. I checked the news again. I watched the videos again.

I blogged on Sunday that I was "grateful for the chance to begin again. And again, and again." The word again has been haunting me...it was the first word that came to mind when I read the word "bomb." I was living in Oklahoma...3 hours from OKC...when the federal building was attacked. Distance doesn't lessen the fear or the heartwrenching sadness. It simply felt too close. Yesterday, it felt too close, again. 

So. On this Ventage Tuesday, I'm sending light & love to Boston...and I will do it again, and again, and again.

Namaste. 

ventage tuesday : you gotta have faith.

Apologies to anyone who is now singing George Michael.

Today's Ventage Tuesday post was suggested by Angie, in honor of Holy Week. To be perfectly honest, when I read that, I thought "what??" - and then remembered that Easter was coming up. I took a few moments to reflect on the Passion Play that my church in Oklahoma used to put on - a VERY impressive production. And then I decided that I was certainly NOT going to write about religion. Well, not really... 

1. At the end of the day, faith is a funny thing. It turns up when you don't really expect it. - Meredith Grey, Grey's Anatomy. (yes, I am fully aware that this is a character on a TV show) I have spent the past several (10) years moving away from religion, or so I thought. I'm learning that what I really wanted to move away from are the rigid beliefs that come with religion. As I've left behind the black & white, I've found more faith in the grey. Funny how that works.

2. Faith includes noticing the mess, the emptiness, and the discomfort, and letting it be there until some light returnes. - Anne Lamott I think that some people might refer to this as "let go & let God." Some say "be here now." My grandmother would say "this too shall pass." I have faith that despite the hard times, despite the dark & twisty...there will be light again.

3. Faith is belief in what you cannot see or prove or touch. Faith is walking face-first and full-speed into the dark. - Elizabeth Gilbert Oh, THIS. This is the part about faith that is so tricky for me. I research. I analyze. I learn. I want evidence. Faith, for me, is learning to trust the Universe...and also learning to trust myself.

4. Faith is a place of mystery, where we find the courage to believe in what we cannot see and the strength to let go of our fear of uncertainty. - Brene Brown Again with the not seeing. What I love about this quote is the mention of courage. It's HARD to have faith, especially when your faith doesn't match your family's or your friend's faith. It takes courage to keep believing.

5. Let faith be the bridge that you build to overcome evil and welcome good. - Maya Angelou One of the mantras that I often try to work with is "there is only love." It's not really about finding the love in a person/situation - it's merely having faith that it's there. And when that bridge is built? Love wins.

ventage tuesday : luck of the irish?

While it's true that I'm a bit irish...I'm not sure that I got the "lucky" part of that heritage. I tend to believe more in hard work than in lucky breaks. Although, I do believe in the law of attraction, the power of intention, and various other "systems" that might be viewed as luck. Leave it to me to over-analyze a Ventage Tuesday topic! Angie's pick for today - something making you feel lucky, or a luck ritual. 

Disclaimer - this post would be better with pictures. 

1. Lucky sweatshirt. I have a sweatshirt from the University of the Pacific that I've had since my freshman year of high school. It's white with orange letters, and it has held up surprisingly well! I bought it at the first debate invitational that I ever went to. It now serves as my "lucky sweatshirt" when I need inspiration - usually for crafting or writing. 

2. Lucky numbers. I definitely notice when angel numbers show up - 1111, 444, and 555 are the most common occurences for me. 

3. Lucky coffee cups. I'm pretty particular about the coffee cups that I use at home - and I guess I really do consider a few of them to be "lucky" as they relate having a good day. 

4. Lucky quarter. New! I picked up a quarter in the parking lot the other day. If finding a penny brings a day of good luck, I should have about three weeks left. Hey Universe, do you hear that??

5. and....that's all that I've got. :)

ventage tuesdays : a little spring in our step.

Two things - 1) the amount of spam that I am currently getting on old posts = ridiculous and 2) it is cold & snowy & probably going to MORE snowy soon and spring feels like about a MILLION FREAKIN YEARS AWAY.

Alright. Now...on to today's Ventage Tuesday post! We're all dreaming of spring, so today's post is all about things that are putting a little spring in our step...

the farmer's market | dinners on the deck | walking on the waterfront | flowers | pretty pedicures.

ventage tuesday : instagram

I'm not ashamed to admit that one of the things that I was MOST excited about when switching to iphone was the ability to be on Instagram. Getting peeks into the daily lives of my friends AND of people that I don't know? Score! Shameless request - follow me! (I'm katrinasimeck on Instagram) Today's Ventage Tuesday thanks Instagram for putting the app in happy....

From the top left: my very first instagram post, #foodporn, water love, selfies are an instagram requirement (right?), and Starbucks often appears in my instagram feed. 

Are you on Instagram? Leave me your instagram name in the comments so that I can follow you! 

And be sure to check out the other Ventage Girls - Emily, Barb, Angie, and Steph. 

ventage tuesdays : RAKs

I thought about skipping this post today. I'm feeling pretty bruised & broken today - my heart aching for another friend's loss (this is the 2nd friend who has lost a parent in the past week), feeling worried about the aforementioned home repairs, and trying to rise above the reality that some people just don't play nice in the sandbox. There were several times today that I whispered "help" to the universe....and each time, the universe showed up. Today's Ventage Tuesday post is supposed to be "Random Acts of Kindness." I honestly don't remember if we intended to list ideas for RAKs, or RAKs we have done, or what. Today, I want to share the (maybe not random) acts of kindness that showed up for me today...

1. An email from one of the Ventage Girls saying simply "are you okay? you seem down." Thet gesture of caring...and the willingness to read/listen that came along with it...helped a lot. Thank you Angie.

2. An email from one of my besties that I am fortunate enough to work with saying "wanna go for coffee in a few minutes?" Coffee runs = mini therapy sessions. Thank you Macaroni. 

3. As I was leaving work, I had a ton of noise in my head about the muck of the day. I struggled to bring my attention back, and when I did...I noticed that Soar was playing. Thank you Universe.

4. After leaving work late AND having to go to the bank AND having to go to Wal*Mart...I was wicked late heading toward home. I got a text from another bestie saying that she was just leaving work. Which means that I had someone to chat with who can say, and truly mean, "I know just how you are feeling, and it sucks, and I'm sorry." Thank you Becky.

5. I came home to a lovely box of Juice Beauty goodness from yet-another-bestie...this one from the beauty biz. Thank you Lauren.

and a bonus...

6. A simple vote of confidence and love from another bestie (I am a lucky, lucky girl in the friends department) saying "hang in there." Thank you Leigh.

So, as this Ventage Tuesday draws to a close, I am reminded that kindness matters...and I am grateful.

ventage tuesday : all about the words.

Today's ventage tuesday topic is a favorite of Barb's - reading! The girls tease me (a lot) about my penchant for self-development books, but I also read a lot of memoir. I've been pondering my aversion to fiction a bit - I think it's all mixed up in having to feeling like I'm always doing something useful. Fiction is so frivilous! Anyway, on to my 5 books... Note: the assignment specifically said "things," which I interpreted to mean books...but I'll be curious to read the other girls' answers. 

1. Magical Journey: An Apprenticeship in Contentment  by Katrina Kenison - I had the privilege of meeting Katrina a couple of years ago, and loved every page of The Gift of an Ordinary Day. 

2. Seven Thousand Ways to Listen: Staying Close to What is Sacred by Mark Nepo - This one would go on my Eat, Pray, Love shelf. 

3. Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed - Still haven't read...and am hoping that Miss Hope might have left her copy here over break. Hmmm....

4. The Feast Nearby by Robin Mather - I think that memoir is closing in on self-improvement as my favorite genre.

5. Everything but the Coffee: Learning About America Through Starbucks by Bryant Simon - marketing, starbucks, reading, memoir, research...these are a few of my favorite things.

What's on your list? Check out Angie, Barb, Em, and Steph....

ventage tuesdays : no soup for you!

First, a quick explanation for Cindy and anyone else wondering what "ventage tuesdays" is all about. Angie, Barb, Steph, Em, and I started calling ourselves the Ventage Girls b/c 1) our lengthy daily email threads often involve venting (and sometimes ranting & raving) and 2) to make ourselves seem more sophisticated, we decided to rhyme ventage with fromage (very sophisticated, right? if that doesn't work for you, just note that we all love cheese). We decided to have a weekly shared question/blog topic to help us all stay on track with blogging - and to share how alike & different the five of us are. 

Okay, so today's topic - soup! Timely post b/c I just threw myself a little birthday shindig and declared it a soup night. I made 3 kinds of soup, and served them with several cheeses, sourdough bread, and lots of wine. Yum....

1. Cheesy Vegetable Chowder - I've made this one twice in the past few weeks. Really easy, and so good. I sub vegetable broth, so mine isn't quite as pretty (veggie broth tends to be much darker than chicken broth). 

2. Roasted Cauliflower & Aged White Cheddar - I've made it once with milk, and once with cream - and I prefered the milk version. 

3. Creamy Slow Cooker Spinach & Tortellini Soup - I like the sound of this soup, but I'd have to make some adjustments. What the heck is white sauce mix? White sauce is soooo simple to make - why would you need a mix?? I also think that I'd swap the consdensed milk for cream. Something about condensed milk in soup just grosses me out. 

4. Broccoli Edamame Soup - delish....and high in protein!

5. The BEST Clam Chowder EVER - not a recipe. Just click on the order button, justify the shipping by realizing that it will STILL be cheaper than going out, and then anxiously await for the the Fedex delivery. The first time that I ordered Splash chowder to be delivered across the country, I took a pic and texted it to a friend who went to school in SLO. He texted back "oh...I just got a tear in my eye." It's that good.

Check out the links above to see what the other Ventage Girls are slurping. :)