Gyroscopic Horizons

Even though it was freeeeeeezing cold outside today, I stopped at the roadcut to take some pictures of my new winter coat!  It is long and navy and has zippers and is absolutely delightful.  And it was on super sale.

(photos by e.hunt)

Let's Catch Up

Well, today is the last day of the year 2014, so you know what that means; an end of year post!  You're excited, I know.  It has been a pretty big year for me.  To sum it up, I worked my hellish office job in Nashville for the first half of the year, spent much time in coffee shops and bars in East Nashville, found out Grandma was taking the Hunts to Destin, quit my job, went to the beach, where I cleared my head and decided to move back to St. Louis to further pursue my education, in the field of education no less, moved home up to the attic loft space, got hired at the best Starbucks in the St. Louis area, had a very successful first semester of grad school, and recently had a very delightful Christmas season.  Quite a year pour moi.

All of these big changes have been made easier by my new life mantra: to be positive and healthy.  I recently added simplicity to the lifestyle, as three points is always better than two.  I try to break everything down to its simplest form, while being positive, which has led to a much healthier state of mind.  I definitely plan on keeping this way of life in tact throughout 2015.

Now, to step into a less serious light, let's talk about fashion.  I've slowly stripped down to a more classic, northeastern silhouette, with more of a focus on comfort.  I've recently embraced fair isle prints, leggings as pants, nautical navy and white, and duck boots.  My new favorite personal style blogs definitely follow suite (What Olivia Did, Classy Girls Wear Pearls, A Little Dash of Darling, and the original street style blog classic, The Sartorialist).  Here are some of my favorite personal style shots over the year.

This was probably one of the coldest days of last winter.

And this little park had the best view of the Nashville skyline.

Still chilly, but finally Spring!

The beginning of my print obsession.

I really liked the button up knotted over a dress look during the summer.

The badass, super cropped shot, emphasis on the tattoo.

Guarding the hay bales.

And this is right next to the hay field, the day after we got back from Florida.

The mural wall shots; one in Nashville and one in Stl.

And then I dyed my hair.

And I knew this nautical-looking outfit would look great in the park.

And here I am showing off one of my favorite pairs of little ankle boots.

This was in the fall before the leaves started changing.

A rarely documented jeans outfit.

And we're back to the winter months.  You can't see it, but it was snowing when I took these pics.

After that, I decided it was too cold for outdoor shoots.

And that wraps it up!  Another year of lifestyle and sartorial surprises, and I wouldn't have it any other way.  Can't wait to see what 2015 will bring.

(photos by e.hunt)

You Want Any Fives With That?

Editor's Note:  This was originally written on Sunday, December 28th.

This is the first day in two weeks that I have absolutely nothing to do before dinnertime.  Since the last post on the sixteenth, I feel like I have been going nonstop.  I worked a ton, hung out with Taylor during my free time on his first few days home, went to Dewey's with the family a few times, put the lights on the tree,

wrapped gifts, helped get ready for hosting Grandma's birthday dinner at our house,

went to see Dad and Andrew play a show at Schlafly, and decorated the tree, all before Christmas Eve.

And then I was off work for two days!  We welcomed Andrew's girlfriend into town on Christmas Eve morning at Kaldis, then took part in some classic winter activities to round out the afternoon: ice skating and baking cookies in the new oven!

That night we celebrated Christmas with the Hunt side of the family and went to the midnight service at church.  The next morning, we had our traditional exchanging of gifts, complete with Christmas music and the Yule Log channel on in the background.  Then it was time to get ready for hosting Christmas dinner with more extended family.

Uncle Gary even tweaked his infamous eggnog recipe to cater to those of us championing the dairy-free lifestyle! 

The next day it was back to work for me and back to Nashville for Andrew and Juliana.  Yesterday after Kaldis, Taylor, Aunt Debby and I went to the AT&T store to set up our new Christmas iPhone 5S's!  After that and a short afternoon shift at work, Mom, Taylor and I drove out to this old farm where Dad plays music on occasion.  The rain and mud and the farm atmosphere provided the perfect opportunity for me to try out my new duck boots!

All of the food is grown right there, and a lot of the veggies and meats are unrecognizable, so you have to go completely on visual, texture, and taste cues.  The wine and beer was flowing and the music sounded great.

After the party was over, we drove home and watched the highly quotable comedy classic, Rush Hour. A delightful week and a half it has been, but I am quite ready for some down time and the start of a new year.

(photos by e.hunt)

Hark the Herald Angels Sing!

Merry late Christmas!  (Oh, the title has to be said (or sung) in Charlie Brown Christmas fashion).

(photo by e.hunt)

Starbucks Seasonal Drink Revue

We'll start with the most popular of the fall seasonal drinks, the Pumpkin Spice Latte.
The pumpkin syrup is extra sweet, and made the drink taste a bit much.  I would recommend getting one or two less pumps of syrup, or try the Pumpkin Spice Frappacino, which is delicious.  I prefer the cold, blended version, topped with the same whipped cream and cinnamon powder as the latte, but not as overwhelmingly pumpkin.

Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate
If you're looking for something hot, but without the jolt of espresso, any of the hot chocolate variations are a good choice.  Those variations include the classic Hot Chocolate, the White Chocolate Hot Chocolate, the Peppermint Hot Chocolate, and the Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate, which is my favorite.  It has a really rich taste, with a bit of bite from the salt.

The Salted Caramel Mocha
This drink, like the PSL, is a bit sweet for me as a latte, but just right as a frappacino.  The sea salt topping does counter the sugary-ness of the actual drink, but I found that the little rocks of salt made for a texture violation while drinking, although they do add a nice bit of rough saltiness.

Chestnut Praline Latte
This is a comfortable choice; cozy, with a hazy softness.  It's more creamy than spicy, and has an elegant feel, although it leaves a bit of a graham cracker after taste.

Peppermint Mocha
I am in general very anti-peppermint, so I have not, and will not, try the Peppermint Mocha holiday drink, but I do quite enjoy the regular mocha lattes, which is chocolatey delightfulness in a cup, and the peppermint mocha just has several pumps of peppermint syrup added to the mix.  So if you like peppermint, try it.

Caramel Brulee Latte
Out of all of the winter holiday special drink options, this one is my favorite.  It has a rich taste, but not overwhelmingly caramel.  And unlike the creme brulee dessert it is named after, it doesn't have that burnt taste.  I get mine without the crystalized caramel salt topping because I crunched down on the sticky salt piece and it got stuck in my teeth.  Also, I've heard from customers that the frappacino version is quite delicious as well, but I haven't tried it yet.

Eggnog Latte
This drink is for true eggnog enthusiasts.  We steam real eggnog to take the place of milk in a regular latte, and add a dusting of nutmeg to the top.  This is one of those drinks that you either really like or you really don't, depending on your stance of eggnog.

Gingerbread Latte
Like the Pumpkin Spice, this is a very sweet drink.  The gingerbread taste took a little getting used to, but was fine as you kept drinking.  The spiced whipped cream and molasses drizzle made for an exciting topping rather than the regular old whipped cream standard.

(photos collected from starbucks, deanneleblanc, blisstree, and starbucksmelody)

Silent as a Scandinavian Oracle

Well, after a couple day respite from the Cold, it's back, along with its friends, Cloudy, Windy, and Damp.  It called for a little extra bundling up.

(photos by e.hunt)