Chills & Blues.

I woke with the kind of bone chilling cold that only seeps its way into your body every once in awhile. The kind where no matter how you bundle up in robes, scarves, socks, and cups of tea, it continues to linger uncomfortably under your skin.

And this weather forecast is supposed to continue well into next week.

Oh the joys of Alaskan winters. Aside from the cold, January happens to be the worst month for suicides, and is statistically one of the most depressing months. Enough to make the blues really sink in!

However. I've never been one to let these things bother me, no matter how frustrating it is to wake up to a thermometer of -7 degrees.

Because even though it's frigid outside, and even though it makes even the simple walk from the car to the house seem like the last sprint in an Arctic race, there are a lot of beautiful things to appreciate.

We're gaining sunlight! Currently, we have around five and a half hours of sunlight, but since December 21st (Winter Solstice), we're gaining seconds per day leading up to minutes per day by March 22nd (Vernal Equinox) at which point we continue to increase daylight, but at a slower rate. Interesting fact: although we have lots of sun in the summer and lots of darkness in the winter, the amount of sunlight we receive yearly is the same as anywhere else in the world.

It's still somehow spectacular outside. Walking down my spiral staircase, I was caught off guard by noticing these perfect spider webs, completely ensconced in hoarfrost (ice crystal growth) and creating quite an artwork. Everything outside, frostily frozen...

Also, I now have a valid excuse for staying home curled up in our bear rug in front of the fireplace, reading, or watching my favorite films. No guilt! Even when I chose to wear bearly anything...

Whatever keeps your mind positively occupied during this rough winter month, or whatever keeps you warm, just remember it only affects you if you let it affect you...

What I wore: vintage blue bobble necklace (used), gold sequined cardigan (consignment), blue silk Gypsy jumpsuit (consignment), and gold J Crew flats (consignment).

The Waiting Game.

I was never one of those people who woke up to the immediate check in of their devices. I've been around it too much, and it's not my preferred method of wakeup.

Instead, I enjoy the movie-style stretch, in which case my feet go off the end of my bed (tall girl struggles), the eye-scrunching "ehhhhhhhahhhh", and the tentative crawling out of my warm bed.

These past few weeks, however, have been a different story.

I've recently been in the process of acquiring a certain interview at my favorite company and have been waking up every morning, anticipation building, to check my email for the hopes of that one interview request.

It's like callbacks all over again from my acting days!

I like to call it: the waiting game.

You see, the waiting game plays on your emotions and it tests your strength and patience. I've been through enough uphills and downhills these last few weeks to know that things like this take time and that I have to remain positive and optimistic.

Lots of distractions also make a difference. It doesn't help, however, when the whole month of January's forecast is placed in the below ten degree margin with clear and bitter cold temperatures, making any attempt at going outside a nasty mistake. Unless you want to freeze your boogers and crust your eyelashes with ice, it's best to stay indoors.

Well, this doesn't help when my mind is inherently focused on the hopes of a job interview! Being stuck indoors has a way of making me focus precisely on what I'm not trying to focus on and it's been a struggle, but I've come up with a few things to keep myself occupied and optimistic.

1.) Scrapbooking. The scrapbook nook is where I like to let my creative juices really flow. It's a terribly old pastime, but I like things old-fashioned and it allows me to creatively preserve moments in time. And jam out to G-Eazy.

2.) Decorating my room & (trying) to go through my closet. I always fancied decorating my room various times a month. It keeps things fresh. Going through my closet doesn't necessarily connote getting rid of things (I find it hard), but more so trying on outfits and imagining myself wearing them, in some exotic and exciting setting other than my house. This also usually leads into a dance session.

3.) Napping. It's probably a terrible mistake because I find myself napping only when I'm bored, but there is something so right when you have your cat curled up to you just so and the temptations of pillows pull you under....

4.) Watching all of my old films. Whether it be Audrey Hepburn's Funny Face, Marilyn Monroe's Some Like It Hot, or the classic Devil Wears Prada, I find that watching these classics inspires me and assures me that style, fashion, romance, and writing are where my passions lie.

5.) Spending time with family. Probably the most important of all is relishing the time I do have here with my family. Whether that means happy hour at the counter, Warriors and Lakers games with my dad, or spin class with my mom, I'm enjoying every moment I have with them and taking this time at home with relish.

Today is a prime example of one such outfit picked out for the occasion of.... staying home. Just as well!

The cold eventually got to me and I had to retreat indoors!

What I wore: vintage red rhinestone necklace (antique store), red fuzzy Esprit top (consignment), floral floor length Eliza J skirt (super sale at Nordstrom Rack), and red Salvatore Ferragamo flats (used).