Coffee Talk // Volume 6

Hey y’all, welcome to another volume of Coffee Talk.

I figure I just jump right in with this one, because honesty does a whole lot better for me than just fluff. I had a really hard time writing this volume. Not entirely sure why, well I have a few ideas, but it just didn’t come as easy as the previous five I’ve written.

I feel like I try to work at keeping life in perspective and remaining upbeat about things, but the last few days I’ve felt down. We had a great time visiting my mom at Easter, and I always love being home.

Rick and I went to church on Saturday night, since we had an earlier Easter Sunday brunch the next day. When we were walking in, out of nowhere, I got that feeling, that knot in my throat, that so many of us experience when we are overrun with a wave of sadness/anxiety/tears… and knew it would be inevitable that I was going to get upset. I was able to keep it at bay, but half-way into the first worship song, I started crying.

I know Easter is supposed to be a time of happiness and joy, and I did experience that, but I also have known the opposite the last few holidays we’ve celebrated.

One of my best friends, my grandmother, passed away about a week before Christmas this last year. She had been sick, but she was always so wonderful at being positive and upbeat that I never thought I could ‘actually‘ lose her.

We always referred to her as the Martha Stewart of Texas, she was one of the most creative people I knew – generous and always upbeat. The fiery, Scottish red-head, I called Lala, never ceased to amaze when it came to holidays. She pulled out all the stops when it came to decorating, cooking, gifts. And Easter was no different.

Losing someone is hard. None of us are immune to that, but I think we all have to grieve in our own ways before we can totally move on. I have never been one to share my life, as an open book, within this forum of my blog. It’s been a place where I can escape the realities of life and share things I adore.

But for some reason as I sit here trying to write this, I feet much more compelled to share how I’ve been feeling, the last few days, about losing my grandmother (she passed about a week before Christmas) then pretending I’m okay.

Often writing is referred to as cathartic. And that’s what it’s doing for me right now – bringing me some peace as I share bits with you. This coffee talk series has been something new and unique for me and the blog, but I’ve truly enjoyed it. And I really have loved the response, you as readers, have given me too!

No one’s perfect, and I’m far from that. I hope you know that being a blogger has brought me so much joy and I have loved it, but there is a huge facade or curtain that needs to be swept away. None of our lives are perfect. Some days I wake up and don’t want to get out of my pjs or do my hair, other days I hop up and get going right away. I’m human just like everyone else.

So losing my grandmother has really affected me. It will continue to be something that hurts, but thank goodness I have a husband, close relatives and friends… and you, for encouragement. The going can be tough, but it can also be great! Being sad is part of my grieving, and it has taken me a bit longer to go through the stages, since right after her passing we had to go through Christmas, the New Year and our wedding. I think because our lives are finally calming down, things are becoming more real. Especially when I want to pick up the phone and call her, that’s been hard.

However, she was a huge encourager of my love for fashion and the arts. She encouraged me to pursue my passions through my work and Girl Wonder Life. For that I will be forever grateful.

I guess my point in this, if you’ve made it to here in you’re reading today’s post, is this: life can be hard, and we can have hard days and good ones. No one is perfect and it’s okay to have a bad day. I’ve been having a few sad ones lately, but I know things will get better as I continue on my stages of grief.

I hate that this Coffee Talk has taken on more of a sad and depressing tone today, and understand if you don’t want to read that. But for me, this has been really helpful to write, even if no one reads it. So if you’re still here, thanks for accepting me as the non-perfect blogger and human that I am, I truly appreciate it.

And because no Coffee Talk is complete without it…

Now for things I’m loving: 

– My friends at sent me a little package with some of their Shampure products and I want to just say, I wish you could smell their scent through the computer. Envision yourself at a spa and that’s the scent that best comes to mind for comparison. I’m a huge fan of dry shampoo (this girl ain’t got time to wash her hair every day!), so I’m looking forward to trying out the . Plus, the smell of Aveda products really can’t be beat!

– If you’re reading this from Arizona, California, Colorado or Texas, then you must try (if you haven’t already!) a really cool breakfast/lunch spot called Snooze. My mom took Rick and I there for breakfast on our last day and it was so delicious! They have a bevy of Eggs Benedict dishes (my favorite) and some really delicious looking pancakes. Rick and I definitely plan on adding the Houston location, in Montrose, to our go-to breakfast list. We also really love the original Baby Barnaby’s, Olivette in the Houstonian Hotel and Brasil Cafe for breakfast/brunch. Houston friends, do you have any favorites we need to try?

– In case you’re a athleisure addict like me, you need to know that just dropped their … and y’all, it’s good. I’ve got my eye on this and this . Do any catch your eye?

– Whelp, apparently it’s official that I can’t go more than 3 months without dying for a beach vacation. Missing our honeymoon in the British Virgin Islands! In the meantime, the latest new arrivals from are giving me some reprieve. This pair of is so adorable! The print, is super cool because it has a purpose behind it, to support the Rainforest Alliance with a 5-piece capsule collection and a $65,000 donation made by Lilly Pulitzer. Plus, how cute is this in the print? It’s under $100, too!