I am totally a new year's resolution person. I love goals and dreaming big. Even when I was a kid I would write down what I wanted to accomplish and seal it up in an envelope to open the next year. On "big" years (1995, 2000, etc.) I would write five year goals and tuck them away in my bookcase to open much later. Some of those early ones are pretty entertaining when I have gone back and read them – own a parrot (a parakeet was the closest I got), save enough money to buy an American Girl doll (Kirsten!), become a model/actress/singer (so not me) – but many have actually come true.

What I've learned about myself along the way, however, is that winter is not the time for me to start new things. I'm pretty self-motivated, but it's really hard to maintain that resolve when it's dark, cold, and depressing outside. Fall, on the other hand, is perfect for new beginnings. That crispness in the air, that restlessness in your soul, the glorious days that are October in the Bay Area...they make you feel like anything is possible.

They say writing things down is the first step in achieving your goals. Well, I've discovered that sometimes you have to do that more than once for it to actually stick. Blogging is something that I've meant to do for a long time, that I tried to start doing back in 2007 (but never got past the first post), has been a new year's resolution for several years running, and that I haven't made the time for...until now.

I've been longing for a place to capture my thoughts on all the things that I get excited about -- from fashion to food to beauty to books to travel. I'm constantly discovering cool new things that I want to share with people...those things I can't wait to tell you. Here's to a glorious start to that new journey!