Guilt-free Friday!

Looking forward to another great weekend in wonderful Wintergreen, VA! Great friends, great food, and great music! Hope your weekend is wonderful to!

In the mean time... Hey it's ok...

To crave popsicles/ice cream/gelato/frozen creamy goodness every day the temperature climbs above 75 degrees... i.e. every. single. day.

To feel a little panicky when you see anything "back to school"

To always take the bigger half whenever chocolate is involved.

So last week we talked about boxing up my apartment? The day has finally come to move into my new one! The daunting task of schlepping all my possessions from one to another is moderately horrific, however, the prospect of settling into the new place with three of my favorite friends makes up for it tenfold. Icing on the cake? The Lil Bee is giving away the Domino Book of Decorating! Coincidence? I think not. Now I just have to win it, and then the apartment transformation can commence.

The roommates! We are just so happy about living together we can hardly contain ourselves!

shorts story

So, as stated Monday, I have been loving heels. Can't get enough of them. I started out just wearing them with flowy sundresses and summery skirts, but this weekend I even paired them with ... wait for it... shorts. And they didn't even look trampy or stripperesque! I'll admit that I was skeptical at first, but it honestly can make your legs look a mile long. To avoid being mistaken for one of Tiger's cronies, I made sure my heels weren't too sky-high. I opted for these:

"Kamera" by Madden Girl. I purchased these back in January, but I have been delighted by how seamlessly they transcend seasons! 

Next, I chose shorts that were not too tight or short. Mine were a classic, tailored fit from J. Crew in a dark-wash linen denim. These from Forver 21 would be cute too. 

I finished it off with a breezy, racer-back silk top. (A TJ Maxx find, of course) Here's a few cute ones from (again) Forever 21:

Abstract Ethnic Woven Tunic (looove the detail on the back)

Satin Big Bow Top (there is a zipper on the back to balance out the girlishness of the bow!)

Well I guess that's enough of this... I don't want to strain my arm patting myself on the back, but I will say that the look turned out quite nice. 

What I want now...

1. An adorable Yochon puppy to call my own.

2. Hair that looks effortlessly perfect and perfectly effortless like this adorable J. Crew model. (video via A Cup of Jo)

what the heel

Living in a coastal community definitely has its pros and cons. For example, you live at the beach (I mean, can it get better than that?) However, it leaves something to be desired in the fashion department. Don't get me wrong, I love the laid-back atmosphere that this coastal town has to offer, but I could certainly live without the sideways glances and infinite questions I get every time I wear anything more than a bikini and a cover-up. By late July, bikinis get old and flip flops and metallic sandals start feeling a bit monotonous after wearing them for days on end. Enter: the high heel. I have been loving them lately. And I don't discriminate. Wedges, espadrilles, strappy sandals... I love them all. This whole high heel kick (pun obviously intended, as always) started with these...

"Olympic" by Coconuts

And these were just the beginning... more fabulous shoe posts to come this week.

Added bonus: Apart from the fact that they make your legs look like Gisele's, heels make people wonder what you're up to... and with shoes this hot it can't be anything good. :)

Listening to...

"So when you run, make sure when you run, to something and not away from..." -The Avett Brothers

I got new running shoes. It was about time. My knees started bothering me a few weeks ago, and that is usually a good sign that it is time to replace. So, I'm very excited for my run this morning.

In honor of my new shoes, I figured I would share this fabulous song by the Avett Brothers (because I mean hey, it talks about running, right?) Or maybe I just have been loving this song lately.



Sidenote: Getting excited to see them live in concert next week with John Mayer! 

dream and a cardigan

It is bad news when you next-door-neighbor's adorable standard poodle has 9 precious labradoodle puppies. It is double trouble when said neighbor is a CAbi consultant. Last night, my mom and I stopped by to visit the puppies, but we soon found ourselves swooning over CAbi's new fall line. There are so many great pieces! Despite this week's climbing temperatures, I found myself craving all the beautiful sweaters. Call me Veruca, but here's what I want now...

From Top to Bottom: The Gigi Sweater (amazing... can be worn 3 ways- buttoned back, double breasted, or open) the Tuxedo Cardigan and the Party Cardi (which is light enough for fall but would transition beautifully into the holidays)

The pictures are a little wacky (ie the models don't have legs...) because the website is all Adobe flash player-ed out, so that made it difficult to get images of the clothes oh here, so you will just have to visit their website! 

Side note: Please excuse the Miley lyrics that I used to title this post. I couldn't resist.

boxed out

I am not looking forward to packing up my apartment today, however, I am slightly more excited about all the new music on my iPod. When my computer crashed in September I lost my iTunes, but all my music files were backed up on an external hard drive (I highly recommend). So I spent a majority of the weekend recreating my library (and I saved iTunes to my external this time...just in case!) It was an arduous task, but I know my efforts will pay off when I'm on the treadmill this morning... gotta love new music!

Guilt-free Friday!

Happy Friday! Hope everyone has lots of fun things in store this weekend!

Hey it's ok...

To secretly hope it rains so you can have a little break from all this sunshine and heat (sound familiar? see here.)

To fish a sports bra out of your dirty clothes hamper and proceed to wear it to the gym. What matters is that you're working out, and that covers a multitude of sins.

To be completely completely baffled by the season finale of The Hills. And let's be real, a little pissed.

rainy day

John Ruskin said, "There is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather." I couldn't agree more. There is something refreshing about a rainy summer day. It provides a nice break from the heat and gives you the perfect excuse to lounge around indoors all day. Sunny days at the beach have so much pressure to soak up some rays, but days like today allow you slow down and enjoy the finer things in life... embarrassingly bad shows on DVR, glossy magazines, a comfy leather couch, and a steaming cup of coffee (or two... or three...)

(Photo by Arthur Leipzig found here)

Splendora's Gelato

Our first night in Virginia was spent eating dinner alfresco in downtown Charlottesville followed by the best gelato of my life. To say that I have a new obsession would be a bit of an understatement. The Italians get everything right.

We stumbled into Splendora's Gelato Cafe just minutes after getting kicked out (literally) of another ice cream place (that shall remain nameless) because "it had been a long weekend and they wanted to close up shop early." Well, providential doesn't even begin to describe it. First of all, the baristas at Splendora's were absolutely adorable. So sweet and obliging, encouraging us to sample as many flavors as we wanted and offering recommendations based on their personal favorites. Such a nice alternative to those at ice cream shop numero uno.

But let's talk about gelato.

They had everything from birthday cake to cookies and cream to Thai tea. Fortunately, I got to choose two flavors. I opted for chocolate espresso crunch (which was so dark and delicious) and salted caramel. Yes, salted caramel. It was amazing. It was like everything good about caramel popcorn minus the dental devastation it leaves in its wake. 

The only problem with Splendora's? The 5 hour drive I will have to make when I really start craving it. 

Side note: I'm totally kicking myself for not trying their homemade lavender lemonade. How refreshing does that sound?! 

back in action

Well, after a whirlwind week, I am home. I got to spend a few relaxing days in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. It was nice to escape the scorching temperatures and and enjoy long hikes all over the mountain, leisurely dinners, and countless cups of cappuccino.

(Dinner at Duner's in Charlottesville was delicious)

(I swear he's thinking of jumping... haha)

After Wintergreen, VA we headed to Salisbury, NC (home of Cheerwine.... yuck) to spend a few days with my boy's darling family.

(A Carolina thing? Or maybe just a Salisbury thing...)

Then we continued the tour de North Carolina by meeting friends for a late lunch and a little shopping in Raleigh.

(I got this dress)

(Taylor got these shoes)

We finished things up with a relaxing day in the sun at Wrightsville Beach. Jordan has all the pictures of that, though! 

In other news, tomorrow I will be starring in a never-before-seen episode of True Life: I have been on vacation all week and spin class is going to kick my butt.  Trust me, you don't want to miss this.

Guilt-free Friday!

Happy Friday, chickens! Here's this week's roundup of permissible pleasures!

Hey it's ok...

To feel a little slighted when you forget to fast-forward through the commercials while "cleaning out" your DVR

To scream at the sight of anything that crawls (snakes, lizards, bugs, babies...)

To let your patriotism get the best of you and buy that fabulous pair of red heels out of "civic duty" (Happy 4th!)

"Toppazz" by Steve Madden

lacquered up

Primped for the holiday weekend yesterday with a mani/pedi. Surprisingly, I strayed away from my typical coraly pinks and went for something a little different. I'm quite pleased with the results. :)

Manicure:

"Kiss on the Chic" by OPI (duhhh) Kind of reminds me of the shade that my girl Giada usually wears...

Oh Giada... how I wish I could be you. 

Pedicure:

"Shorts Story" a kind of magenta-ish pink. (Disclaimer: It isn't as pink as this picture.)

boys will be boys

This is the scene I found as I pulled into my driveway earlier...

"Of all the animals, the boy is the most unmanageable." -Plato

True that.