Tiny Bits from Boo

SUBWAY.

2015-04-07T20:59:00.000-04:00

GOOD STUFF DINER.

2015-04-04T17:52:00.000-04:00

WASHINGTON SQUARE PARK.

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CENTRAL PARK DANCE SKATERS.

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HOTEL CHELSEA.

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135.

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FLATIRON.

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THE STANDARD GRILL.

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LOWER EAST SIDE.

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ONE TRAIN.

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NYC.

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GRAND CENTRAL STATION.

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PHOTOGRAPHY.

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In the past two years, my photography portfolio has grown considerably as a result of coursework at the International Center of Photography, travels, and various personal projects. I can't wait to share my photos with you on the new site soon. Until the new site launches, I'm challenging myself to post a photo a day for thirty days and hope you will follow along here on the blog. Hopefully, it will help me get in the habit of sharing my work again. As a wise person once told me, "Don't be a secret."

NICARAGUA.

2015-03-18T20:37:00.000-04:00

I'm in the process of moving Tiny Bits from Boo to my new site, haleycarpenter.com, and can't wait to share it with you all when it's finished. I'm finally getting around to sharing photos from my birthday trip to Nicaragua last year. We stayed at the Mukul Resort, and it was absolutely magical. Located on Nicaragua's Emerald Coast, just two hours outside of the capital of Managua, Mukul is one of those rare places that has not been discovered yet. The pristine beaches, breathtaking views, and exceptional staff made this an unforgettable vacation.

STOCKING STUFFERS.

2014-12-08T13:55:00.001-05:00

1. Lipgloss 2. Fresh Body Scrub 3. Molton Brown 4. Sugar Paper Love Actually 5. Dabney Lee Leash 6. Bobbi Brown Nail Polish 7. Eye Mask 8. Le Labo Shower Gel 9. Giraffe Finger Puppet 10. Gentleman Grooming Kit 11. By Terry Cherry Bomb 12. Frank Coffee Scrub

TINY BITS OF TRUTH.

2014-12-05T18:06:00.002-05:00

FEARLESS FRIDAY.

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*This post originally appeared on Tiny Bits from Boo on April 18, 2014, and is reposted today due to problems updating the blog resulting in the deletion of the original post.*

What are you afraid of?

Last spring, I started a journal and began each day with the question "What am I afraid of?" After reading Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway and Daring Greatly, I got to thinking about the role of fear in my own life. I recognized an irrepressible gut feeling that the fear of something in my life was holding me back. I searched high and low; reaching an unimaginable level of self-awareness, and then, it hit me like a lightning bolt. My fear is my illness. I unknowingly defined my paralyzing fears years ago, and cautiously lived within those self-imposed limitations. Thirteen years later, I finally have the courage to talk openly about my experience, no longer ashamed or afraid of what people will think if they know I'm different.

I'm starting this Good Friday off with a deeply personal post years in the making. I hope by putting my personal story out there that even just one person going through a similar illness, personal struggle, or challenging season of life reads this and is inspired to persevere and keep moving forward. Honestly, life is hard, even on the best of days, it can be brutal, and it helps to know we are not alone on this journey. I've found strength on the darkest of days from those who share their own stories and struggles online; the courageous ones who expose their imperfections and vulnerabilities, and in doing so, inspire others, like myself, to practice authenticity in our own lives.

Scars.

Truth is we all have scars, and while we try to disguise and alter them, scars are integral in our life story. Scars reminds us where we have been, what we have overcome, and often times, serve as the catalyst propelling us to truly embrace every moment of life. For the past thirteen years, I've been ashamed and insecure of my visible scars. I wasted countless hours worrying what others would think when they caught a glance of my scars, and feeling anything but confident when answering the inevitable question, "Wow, what happened to you?"

I'm getting ahead of myself, so let me back up and share my story. I've never written this out for anyone, so bear with me.

i was 15.

active, healthy, and enjoying my favorite month, december.

until the fever started.

i refused to see a doctor thinking i had the common flu.

it was high school, and holiday parties were in full swing.
priorities.

after a few days with zero improvement, my dad took me to get a chest x-ray.

i called a friend to have her bring a movie for us to watch that night in the
hospital, wishful thinking.
sudden illness engulfing my body, causing me to crash,
and be placed on a respirator for a life threatening pneumonia.

and then...nothing.
for the next three weeks.
i was in a medically induced coma, and remember nothing.

christmas. my 16th birthday. new year's eve 1999. new year's day 2000 (Y2K anyone?)
not a single memory.

i had pneumococcal pneumonia and later developed ARDS.

i woke up to chest tubes. a tracheostomy. central line. pressure ulcers.

but most important. my family.
thoughtful friends. cards. prayers. an outpouring of love and support from all.

what next?

weeks of pulmonary rehab. rebuilding the muscles to walk, eat, shower, live.

more than a year of surgeries to close a hole in my leg resulting from the ulcer.
(they now make rotating hospital beds to prevent these types of ulcers thankfully!)

surgeries to hide the tracheostomy scar and the scar on my nose from being intubated.

but, most importantly, the ability to put one foot in front of the other and literally
move forward. because

at 16 years old, i had places to go and people to see-
cheerleading, date parties, prom, and homecoming.
simply put- i was a warrior. giving up was not an option.
the hard work and determination paid off, and with time,
i got better.

i ran two marathons to push myself further than i thought possible.

struggling to erase the memories of my illness out of my head and prove my resilience.

until the inevitable roadblocks appeared.

minor health issues sporadically reared their ugly head during college.

eerie reminders of the illness that i tried desperately to forget.

until finally, i hit my brick wall last spring.
i crumbled. quite literally.

i bent down to pick up a box of magazines, and with one loud pop, and several MRI's later,

i herniated a disc in my back strangling the sciatic nerve resulting in a foot drop.

i was devastated. wallowing in self-pity for longer than i'm proud to admit.

for the first time, i let the illness win. i surrendered and let it consume every ounce of me.

tired. angry. disappointed. overwhelmed. and in need of a long run more than i
needed air to breathe, i gave up.
for the first time in my life, i just gave up on life.

thankfully, in large part due to my family and their continuous support,
with time, months of rehab, a cortisone injection,

and a hell of a lot of determination,

i got better, and continue to improve every single day.

i'm not walking in my high heels again just yet, but these things take time.

and sometimes you just have to give time time.

when you hit rock bottom, wondering why you are going through yet
another bump in the road, and find yourself asking,
"why me? i've had my share of health problems, isn't it someone else's turn? this is unfair. i don't think God is listening to my prayers. how did i end up in this situation?"
all of which i've questioned over the past year,
when you hit that wall,
i can tell you what i know for sure-
take a step back. literally. take a walk. go outside. for one second.
breathe.

and then be thankful for the opportunity to be alive.
life is much too short for long pity parties.

Scars are the badges of a survivor's life. They represent my past, present, and future. I recently heard Hoda Kotb talk about the two events that convinced her to speak publicly about her experience with breast cancer. The first was meeting a stranger on a plane who told her, "Don't hog your journey. Share your journey with others, and you're a power of example. Think of what you're able to accomplish." He went on to tell Hoda, "Breast cancer is part of you. It's like going to college or getting married or working at NBC." These profound words were the push I needed to finally press publish on this post. It was life changing to reframe my illness and think of it as a part of me rather than allowing it to define me.

Something else to think about.
If you were told you only had X number of months to live, would it finally give you the permission to live the life you've always dreamed about? Does knowing your expiration date allow you and others to accept your decisions because they know you only have a few short months left to live? In my experience, the answer is YES. Most of us sit back and say one day, if only, wouldn't that be nice, and then put our heads down and go about our lives, in awe of those who are brave enough to carve their own path. Yet, the reality is we are all living on borrowed time. We all have an expiration date. So why are you not living the life you've always dreamed about now, this very moment?

Breńe Brown took the phrase for her book Daring Greatly from Theodore Roosevelt's "The Man in the Arena".

One of the most important things we can do for ourselves is to determine what's keeping us out of the arena.

This weekend, I challenge you to think about the following questions: What do you fear? Why do you want to be brave?

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE FOR THE TECH-LOVER.

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One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten. Eleven. Twelve.

FAVORITE THINGS.

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1. Mr. Boddington's Studio 2. Sugar Paper Thank You Notes 3. Brooks Shoes 4. Personalized Pet Portrait 5. Momofuku Milk Bar 6. 2015 Calendar 7. Sammie of the Month Club 8. Mast Brothers
9. Write Box 10. Lip Balm

It's the most wonderful time of year... and I couldn't let this holiday season fly by without sharing a few of my favorite things this month. For those of you still looking for the perfect gift for someone on your list, be sure to check back later this week for a few more holiday gift guides and a few more exciting changes happening over here on Tiny Bits from Boo!

WEEKEND LINK LOVE.

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See the first ever Tweet of everyone and anyone.

Why We Rescue a yearlong story-telling documentary highlighting how pets transform our lives for the better.

What happens when your dog drinks water. I love this!

29 Ways to Stay Creative.

Testing out the app Cover, which lets you pay your restaurant bill like Uber.. and who doesn't love the ease of Uber?

Let's have fun, ok?

A good reminder...If You Don't Like Your Current Story, Change It.

How to Change Your Beliefs and Stick to Your Goals for Good.

Doing a lot of wishful thinking and planning for my next vacation via A Hotel Life's reviews of fabulous hotels around the world.

It's true...Mrs. Doubtfire is back.

Love Awesome Without Borders-an organization that fosters creativity, innovation, community building and flat out "awesome" ideas with $1,000 no-strings attached grants each week.

Looking forward to starting Regina Brett's new book Be the Miracle: 50 Lessons for Making the Impossible Possible.

The 90's button. Knock yourself out.

Have a Happy Easter weekend!

WEEK LINK LOVE.

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Why not start the week of (since I didn't get this up over the weekend!) with a few favorite links:

Found this Grapefruit Sorbet that would be the perfect sweet treat for these dog days of summer.

For my fellow NYC friends out there, you know how rare it is to find a pool in the city, right? I mean there have been some days this summer when literally I would have gone so far as to use my bathtub as a pool. Don't judge. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Welcome, King & Grove in Williamsburg. You can purchase a pool pass for only $35 during the weekday and $45 on the weekends! Go on and embrace your inner Magda, but make sure to buy your pool pass in advance here.

Turn up Ellie Goulding's Burn on repeat, and turn on the incredible music video too.

Thanks to their flickr group, we can now enjoy the Central Park Dance Skaters all day every day. They happen to be one of my very favorite things about this city, now if only I could join them!

Oprah's on Insta. OPRAH IS ON INSTAGRAM, and it is AMAZING. "Oprie" as my family affectionately refers to the lady who tops my heroes list {I might have flown to Chicago for less than 24 hours to get a front row seat on her show, and just in case you were wondering, she is as fabulous in person as on TV.} She is 'gramming pictures of her safari in Africa, her man Stedman, and Oprah herself is looking gorgeous sans makeup in quite a few of her latest pics.

Red Sox thank Yankees by playing "New York, New York". No explanation needed.

Can. Not. Wait. for Carrie & Brody's return to TV in September.

Hillary Clinton Tumblr Needlepoint...who run the world?

Food for thought on this Monday: "Show up with the energy and curiosity of your first day and the honesty of your last." Read on for more words of wisdom from Kate Aronowitz, Design Director of Facebook.

P.S. Still on the search for someone to help with a few technical related changes on the blog, any recommendations would be greatly appreciated! Have a fabulous start to the week!

TINY BITS OF TRUTH.

2013-07-25T22:43:00.002-04:00

THE SECRET NANNY STREET PHOTOGRAPHER

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Hope your week is off to a wonderful start! One of the changes you'll see on Tiny Bits from Boo is more photography, both my own photos and those of photographers I admire. I've always been interested in photography and that interest has only grown since moving to New York. Earlier this summer, I took a wonderful photography course at the International Center of Photography, and highly recommend their courses for anyone looking to further their photography skills and knowledge. It was in this course where I first saw the work of Vivian Maier, often referred to as "the pioneer of street photography".

In 2007, realtor and historian John Maloof purchased a large box of never-developed photo negatives (roughly 100,000) from a small auction house in Chicago. What he found inside was an outstanding catalogue of Vivian Maier's images. Her work is now a treasure to those in the art world, in part because she never shared her work or passion with even her close friends. Maier worked as a nanny most of her life and in her free time shot street scenes in New York and Chicago throughout the 1950s and 1960s. Her pictures highlight the mundane, everyday life, strangers glamorous and rugged, and unknowingly capturing the fashion of the era. Vivian's passionate devotion to documenting the world around her through homemade films, recordings and collections, provide one of the most fascinating windows into American life in the second half of the twentieth century. You can browse the collection online. John Maloof is also releasing a documentary, "Finding Vivian Maier", which is currently in production. To get a sneak peek, check out the trailer here.

via

BACK IN THE SADDLE.

2013-07-21T20:21:00.000-04:00

Hi there, long time no see! I'll get to my absence in a second, but first off you might notice a few changes on Tiny Bits from Boo. I was ready to give the blog a makeover, and enlisted the help of the incredibly talented Molly Jacques to work with me on a new logo and illustration. What do you think? I couldn't be happier with how it all turned out, and I am especially in love with the Boo Radley illustration. It was an absolute pleasure to work with Molly throughout the entire process, and I would highly recommend her if you're looking for someone to collaborate with on a custom design, illustration or lettering. Also, you absolutely must check out more of Molly's work including these fabulous thank you notes, this inspiring print, and love this beautiful return address stamp.

Now, where exactly to begin? I couldn't possibly catch ya'll up on the past seven months of life, and where would I even start? I have to admit I missed sharing my bits of inspiration with ya'll. So, what took me so long to get back on the blogging bandwagon? For me, blogging is one of those things where the more you do it, the easier it becomes. And well, if you haven't done it in a while, psyching yourself up to get back at it can be {just a tiny bit} challenging, to say the least. No promises you'll see daily updates, or the same content as before, but I can guarantee that after taking a much needed timeout I'm back reenergized with a new vision for this blog, and hope to share the new vision with ya'll next week. In the meantime, thought I'd pass on a few things I'm loving this week:

Conquer your fear and learn to speak confidently in front of a crowd with these useful tips you should definitely bookmark for future reference.

15 Reasons Why People Move to NYC...spot-on. Number three I'm looking at you.

Fantastic video by Marie Forleo on how to surrender to your calling and be open to what comes next. Gosh, I really get Mastin Kipp after watching this video.

Draw Your Tomorrow.. and do it in this perfect planner.

How successful people talk-they pay attention. Simple as that.

Things my dad was right about..because there is nothing like wisdom from dad.

The One Thing These Crazy Successful People Do Every Morning. Inspiration for getting up early enough to make a little me-time right?

After an unbearable week of heat here in NYC {yes, even for this Texas girl, it was brutal}, the aptly titled Heatwave cocktail sounds like the perfect cocktail to beat the heat.

Life Lessons We All Need to Learn via Brene Brown.

One final note, I'm majorly in search of any recommendations for someone to help with blog design and installations... any help or ideas ya'll have please share them below or shoot me an email! Have a fabulous Sunday and end to your weekend!

TINY BITS OF TRUTH

2013-07-12T12:40:00.004-04:00