The Billy Goat Trail + Some Sad Rooftop Fireworks // Our 4th

hiking on the billy goat trail / a thousand threads
One of the first trails Mark, Austin and I ever hiked together (Austin was still riding in a backpack at the time) was the Billy Goat Trail at Great Falls.  The trail is like a little oasis so close to the city, and is one of my favorite places in Maryland, so this 4th of July we decided to take Austin again to celebrate six years.  This time, though, he didn’t need any help getting around… in fact he ran circles around us.  “What are we waiting for?” was the phrase of the day.

And judging by this worn out shot I’m gonna say it was me…

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Happy 4th, Mr. Narwhal!

'merica narwhal print
And happy 4th to you! Hope you have an amazing weekend, I’ll see you back here Monday.

(I’ll be busy celebrating six whole years since I met this guy.)

‘Merica narwhal print via Hayley Cassatt on Etsy.

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Boozy Strawberry-Watermelon Wine Pops

watermelon wine pops / a thousand threads
Since we’re busy getting all of the rain out of our system today (right, clouds?) I’m just going to run with the assumption that the 4th of July is going to be gorgeous. Perfect for these strawberry-watermelon wine pops.

And if not, well… they have wine in them. Do you really even need the sun?

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Our Wedding // The Barbeque

our wedding welcome barbeque / a thousand threads
In honor of all of the barbeques I’m sure will take place this week for the 4th of July, I thought I’d share a few pictures from our wedding barbeque.

Before I go on, though, can we take a second to talk about the fact that “barbeque” doesn’t mean the same thing on the west coast as it does on the east?

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Camping for the 4th

camping for the 4th / a thousand threads
Lately I’ve been dying for a camping trip, and the 4th just seems like the perfect time… what says summer more than s’mores and sparklers?

Happy first day of July! (Can you believe it’s already July?!)

Photos clockwise via 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

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This week you guys…

The best to eye, to buy, to make, and to bake.
DOMA, immigration reform, red pandas in Adams Morgan… it’s been a pretty frickin’ fantastic week if I do say so myself.  Here’s to some good news for a change.

And here’s to an amazing weekend!  Any big plans?

(By the way, if you need a quick rundown of the week’s biggest news, don’t forget you can catch me over at The Everygirl every Friday.)

Eye Kinfolk’s coffee brewing in the great outdoors — it’s killing me how bad I’d like to be camping right now.

Buy a gorgeous picnic basket, so you can do this.

Make flower-dyed thank yous — a brilliant idea for your bridal bouquet.

Bake these. (I think the picture says it all.)

So… this happened.

Pronation schmonation?

A complete list of Alt recaps for your reading pleasure.

… and don’t forget the pictures, from the seriously amazing Justin Hackworth.

Umm… ladies? This sounds like the best thing ever. Can I be your friend?

Marilyn Manson, karaoke, and “Cry Me a River.”

How to build a fort.

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5 Fantastic Things // June

alt nyc 2013 / a thousand threads
Five things, times two, once a month — it’s a journaling revolution, folks.

I want to remember…

1 // Meeting up with (and just plain meeting) so many awesome, amazing, wonderful folks at Alt (like Gloria and Audrey above!). How great is it that things like blogging conferences exist to pull us all away from our computers and into a room together?
2 // Entering the last year of my 20s… and swearing to make it count.
3 // Laughing as hard as I think I ever have on a long-ass drive home from NYC that included a hot dog with a pitchfork and a trip to the Jersey state line.
4 // Dreaming of bakery-plans-to-be over an Intelligentsia (finally on the east coast!) latte in the sun.
5 // Pool days and stormy nights. I know I resist, but there’s something about summer on the east coast that really gets me. I’m lookin’ at you, fireflies.

I’m looking forward to…

1 // Come on, July is just the best… barbecues, fireworks, hot sweaty days in the sun (what can I say, I like vitamin D). I can’t wait to get this party started. The one and only sad thing about July is that it brings us one month closer to winter’s return.
2 // So actually, the 4th will be Mark’s and my sixth anniversary. We’ve been married just under a year, but this thing goes way back. I’m looking forward to a little celebration, even if it is the unofficial kind.
3 // Pasta and pastries in upstate NY — my mouth is already watering.
4 // Chipping away at our little project to spruce up the house. Little by very very little, it’s starting to come together — sometime next year I should be ready to share.
5 // Seeing Jim James, Father John Misty, Frank Turner, Phosphorescent and So. Many. Others. at Folk Fest (I’m counting down the days).

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The End is Nigh

how to move your google reader / a thousand threads
Just a few more days! Have you started the move?

I have to admit that I’ve been pleasantly surprised by Feedly, but there are lots of great options out there — including Bloglovin’, of course, along with an upcoming reader from Digg that promises to be pretty great.

And because of the mass exodus, nearly all of these services have made it crazy easy to move. For instructions on moving to Bloglovin’, click here. And for Feedly it’s as easy as signing in. They do all of the work for you.

So if you’re still holding out (I know a few of you are) don’t be scared to take the leap. You can even try a few and see which one you like best.

And while you’re at it (because what would this post be without a little shameless self-promotion?) you can add A Thousand Threads to your list!

// To add A Thousand Threads on Bloglovin’, click here.

// To add A Thousand Threads on Feedly, click here.

// To add A Thousand Threads on another reader or subscribe by email, click here.

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Do you prioritize sleep?

do you prioritize sleep? / a thousand threads
When I mentioned to Mark that I might do a post on hours of sleep, he laughed and responded that he thought it was a great idea — that the issue is “close to my heart.”  For a reason I still can’t quite understand, I took his response as a criticism.

I really like sleep.  In fact if I could I’d get 10 hours a night.  Instead, I get around 6 or 7… sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less… which isn’t bad, considering.  If you count the blog (which I do) I have two full time jobs, a husband, a stepson, and a marathon-training schedule to keep.  In fact I often think longingly of the lucky ones who manage to subsist on a steady diet of cocaine-fueled, sleep deprived creativity — it’s not for me, but god must they get a lot done.

In reality, Mark meant that the issue was close to my heart because I’m so busy he often finds himself falling asleep next to me on the couch while I continue to plug away at whatever it is I need to get done.  He meant that the issue was close to my heart because he can see that I don’t get enough sleep… and yet, apparently I feel guilty for what I get.

There’s just so much to do…

Do you feel the same?  Or are you better at prioritizing sleep than I am?  According to a recent survey, 71 percent of Americans do not get the doctor-recommended seven to eight hours of sleep each night.

P.S. If you have trouble falling asleep, the New York Times this week has some tips that might help.

Photo via.

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The 5 Best Things I Learned at Alt NYC

alt nyc / a thousand threads
Where to start? I’ve heard a lot of things about Alt over the years, but nothing could have prepared me for the experience itself. My head is still reeling from the events of the day, which were entertaining, enlightening and — most of all — empowering.

My mind wasn’t necessarily blown. I didn’t come home with the secret password that unlocks the door to bloggy success… but I did come home with something that’s, arguably, a lot more important. Confidence.

And come to think of it, I suppose that kind of is the key to bloggy success.

Despite hearing from so many different voices, speaking from so many different perspectives, there was a constant that ran throughout the day. You have to have confidence in yourself and your goal to succeed. You have to be willing to put yourself out there, to take risks and to suffer the consequences with grace, and willingness to turn around and do it all over again. Because that is the only way you’ll make it.

I feel so lucky to have heard from such inspiring speakers as Grace Bonney and Garance Doré, and to have the chance now to take their lessons and run.

The five best things I learned at Alt NYC are more specific than the lesson above, but they all ultimately hold the same truth.

Believe in yourself, and others will begin to believe in you too…

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