Gloss Mountains State Park

Gloss Mountains State Park.  What can I say about the Gloss Mountains that you can't see from these photos? (As if my photos have even done these shiny mountains justice...)  It is such a simple park, smack dab in the middle of a stretch of highway with flat landscapes around for miles.  As you near the park along the highway, the mountains just sit patiently along the horizon as if they've been waiting for you all along.
There truly isn't much to them - a few plateaus with a rickety old staircase leading the way to the top, and a picnic table.  But, let me tell you, it's magical.  The plateaus shine and sparkle, and if you're brave enough to climb the staircase to the top, you can see to the ends of the Earth, or so it seems.




Simple daytrips like this truly are the most entertaining.  Like a breath of fresh air for a much needed escape from the everyday.  If you're ever in the western side of Oklahoma, I certainly recommend taking a picnic break at this quaint park.

Happy Summer, friends.

Me, Oh My.

Summer is swarming us faster and faster each day in this part of the world.  It has become hot, with the Oklahoma humidity clinging to our every pore like syrup.  I have such a love-hate relationship with this season, and my best guess is it has everything to do with where I live, and not so much the Summer season itself.  I love pulling out my flowy floor-length skirts and dresses and slipping my feet into flip-flops for the first time -- the freedom from shoes and heavy coats and clothing that is all too restricting is an overwhelming joy.  But, I hate the heat and humidity.  It weighs you down and makes it hard for you to breathe.  Most days must be spent indoors, with ice cold air conditioning blowing its heart out to cool you down and churning your electric bill up and up.  Oh, the Summer season.

This year has been flying away faster than any before, it seems.  Soon I'll be moving into a new apartment (very soon...about 2-3 weeks, in fact).  I have many more photos to share, and many more stories to tell.

Happy June, dear friends.

xo, A.

P.S. In case you hadn't noticed, I added some lovely new home items to my Etsy shop recently.  Check them out! :)

Forever and a Day.

Oh me, oh my...it has been so very long since I last sat down in this little space of mine.  So many things have happened...both wonderful and not so.  A dapper fellow became a regular part of my life.  My favorite band heartbreakingly called it quits.  We had a baby shower for my brother and his girlfriend.  The baby came, joyously,  into this world on March 28th in the wee hours of the morning - 3:21, to be exact - and we couldn't love a human being more.  

I've been work-work-working to keep my head above surface in the sea of homework, exams, and busywork I'm floating in.  I decided to write my final research paper of the semester on factory farms, and I often wonder why oh why I chose that subject.  It snowed, then grew warm, then blissfully rained for two days straight, and is now back to springtime warmth once more.  The third season of The Walking Dead ended without a bang.  And I found out Augusten Burroughs will be in Tulsa on April 30th.

Needless to say, it's been lovely.

Hopefully I'll find moments to be around more in the coming months.

Expect big changes, though.

xo, A.

Lately

I've been working on this post on and off for about 2 weeks now...I just can't seem to get the words out of my head.  Do you ever feel that way?  Every time I try to sit down and finally share a bit of my daily goings-on with you, my mind goes blank.  It's been doing that a lot lately.

The days within the past month have seemed like one continual glossy blur.  They've been filled with wonderful things that make my heart swell - things that I'm aching to share.

My mind and body has been partially consumed with school for the past month.  I was invited to join the Honors College at my university, and it has been an eye-opening experience for me to say the least.  Sometimes I take a step back and really look at my current situation, and I realize for a moment just how blessed and completely overwhelmed I am.

I've been trying to maintain my Etsy shoppe on top of school, and it has ever-so politely slid into the back seat without my noticing.  Every few days or so, I have a tinge of guilt that passes over me for my neglect.  I began working on my final wintry item shoppe update for the season over Christmas break.  I'm still not done...not in the least.  I keep telling myself that if I don't get it done in time, the glistening wintry season is just around the corner in the Southern hemisphere... I haven't even started on my Spring/Summer update yet, which currently spends all of its time rolling back and forth in the blankets of my brain.

But perhaps the most thrilling thing of all that has happened as of late - which is something that I have not yet shared - is that, in December (the 6th, to be exact), a beautiful new person entered my life.  I had known his mother for months beforehand, and had grown quite close to her - as she's one of the loveliest ladies I've had such pleasure of knowing - and, in a time of unfortunate circumstances for me, she had her son send me a text to brighten my gloomy spirits.  From there, we snowballed.  We officially captured each others' hearts on the 27th of January, and my goodness...what a delightful time it has been.  And no one is more delighted than his mother.

I'll return soon with my Here's to February post.

Happy Wednesday, loves.

xo, A.

Here's To January...

December through Instagram.

You can find me at @_allisonlynn.

Goodbye, December.  What a lovely, inspirational month you were.  You had your downs, but you also brought wonderful new friends into my life and ended my year with enthusiasm.  Goodbye, 2012.

Hello, January.  Hello, 2013.  Hello sparkly nights and bitterly cold days.  Hello days spent on campus, silent drives, and new beginnings.  Just the right amount of optimism and enough strength to realize my worth.  New bookshelves, new notebooks, new schoolbooks.  Nights spent with my crochet hook and a Netflix movie.  Getting to sleep until 8am, getting to stay up until midnight, and long sleeves every day.

Welcome, 2013.  I'm looking forward to you.

xo, A.

New Friends // Melody of Mandarine's

 

Today I have a special treat for you, dear readers.  Recently, I became friends with the sweetest lady, Melody.  She lives in and runs her beautiful blog and Etsy shop from Paris, France...how dreamy. 

I just had to take this day to share her lovely things with you all.  She knits up cozy mug warmers among other things, embroiders pretty tote bags, and fills her blog with the most delightful of photos.  I have a few mugs who would love her pretty knit warmers to wrap up in. :)  It's been such a pleasure chatting with Melody in the time that I have.  I'm sure you'll enjoy her world as much as I do.

Here's to you, Melody!

You can find her blog here, and her shoppe here.  Pop over and say hello to her!

It's almost a new year, friends!

xo, A.

Time.

Where has the time gone?  I feel like all I managed to do was blink my eyes once and the year flew by me at the speed of light.  Every so often I'll take a second to be still and think, and I'll realize just how much time has passed.  How much time has passed since I last read a few pages of my current book; how much time has passed since I last picked up my camera, posted on my blog, or worked on new items for my shop.  And it's hard not to feel guilty when you realize how much time has passed, you know.

Time certainly is fleeting I'm learning, and I'm still in the process of figuring out how to catch each moment.  I tried with the few photos above, through a new cozy sweater, a couple of books and my journal, and some yummy new yarn saved for making warm things.  It's supposed to snow here on Christmas Day, so maybe I'll finally slow down.

Happy Holidays, dear friends!

I hope it's full of warmth and love for you all.

xo, A.