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.