Girl Time

I am a girl's girl, so one of the biggest things I have missed since my big move is girl time. I get my fix at work because I work with all girls (most of which are really cool and fun) but I still miss all my girls back home. That is why I am SO excited my mom and Lori are on their way here right now as i write this post! We have planned a weekend full of shopping, relaxing, sun-bathing, eating, drinking and what we do best: talking. And, I can't wait for them to meet Scarlet! Yay!

Ob-Sessions: Sparkle

Like all girly girls, I've always loved sparkle (when done tastefully). I'm seeing it everywhere these days and its not just for evening-wear anymore. I love the sequin shorts with the casual sweatshirt in the thrid picture. If I wore shorts, I might just have to get some of those. Maybe they would be cute with tights under them. Then, I could wear them! Hmm...

But, my absolute favorite is Nicole Richie's gold sequin dress paired with black tights and patent leather heals in the last picture. I wish I could find a picture of the open back of this dress. OB-SESSED!

Words of Wisdom

"If I’m honest I have to tell you I still read fairy-tales and I like 
them best of all."
 
— Audrey Hepburn

Dream House: 36 Gramercy Park East

It's no secret that I miss NYC and dream of one day moving back there. WHEN I do, I want to live in my dream apartment at 36 Gramercy Park East. Of course, the living room would be decorated with that bohemian vintage style I love so much like in the 3rd photo and my bedroom would have to be old-timey, cozy and romantic like in the last picture. 

When I first moved to New York, I lived just 2 blocks from this building and even after exploring for a year and a half, it is still my favorite building in the city. It was built in 1909 and just became a "for sale only" building within the last few years (bummer). Before this, studios were going for $2000/month. For those of you who don't know, that's not extremely expensive in NYC. Carmen and I paid $2700 for an apartment that could barely be called a 2 bedroom, had no closets, no washer and dryer, no dishwasher and no bathroom sink... Yes, we brushed our teeth in the kitchen. Totally worth it though!

But, now the least expensive condo in this amazing building is almost half a million dollars!!! I may need to start a new career path because one day I WILL have a condo here. When I say I WILL that means I WILL it to happen. When I WILL something to happen, that means I want it so bad that I will at some point make it happen. It's worked for me so far in life (except for when I will Ole Miss to win, but we all know no one can control them). 

Style Crush: Clemence Poesy

From Harry Potter to Gossip Girl, Clemence Poesy has been popping up in all of my favorite places! She is so adorable and oh so French! I am obsessed with all of her outfits above. Dressed up or down she always looks chic. Out of all of my style crushes, I think her style is closest to my own. I would so wear every one of those outfits, especially the first 3. Oh to be a Parisian fashion model.... And those cheekbones! Ugh! 

Song of the Week: Yellow

Yes it's old, but I stumbled upon Yellow the other day while on shuffle and it has pretty much been on repeat ever since. It makes me smile and reminisce. I feel like, so far, if my life were a color it would be yellow :) Plus, Chris Martin's voice and accent are pretty easy on the ears... Happy Friday!

Exhibit A

After I posted Slipping Back into Leah Land yesterday, I was going through all of my photos to find some that I want to print to make my apartment more "homey" and I came across this and had to share! Ed took this while we were strolling through Central Park in New York last summer. We had just left The MET which always inspires me and sparks my imagination. I'm definitely in Leah Land here. Like I said... never too old!

Slipping Back Into Leah Land

They say a common symptom of the Quarter Life Crisis is nostalgia. Maybe that is what has inspired my previous post as well as this one. When I was a little girl, my friends and I used to play in "the woods" as we called it. My imagination would run wild and these photos remind me of what it used to look like in my head. I especially love the ones of the arches covered in vines. If I saw one of those when I was little, I just had to walk under it for some reason. I saw it as an entrance into something... A magic imaginary land. I even sometimes get the urge now as an adult when I see pretty walk-ways like these to walk through them and see what happens. You're never to old to make believe!

Soul Mates

I believe that we have multiple soul mates... Not just "The One" that we fall in love with, but also those who we have a different connection with. You know, those that aren't technically family, but might as well be?  I have many amazing friends, but then there are those that I have a deeper relationship with that I know will last forever no matter how far away we are from each other, how horribly we treat each other, or how long we go without seeing or talking to each other.... These are the people that every time I see them, we pick up right where we left off (even if it has been years since we last saw each other). Here are my favorite pictures of each of them with me in the order that I met them.

Lindzey: Her claim to fame is that she taught me how to ride a bike without training wheels when we were 5. I wish I had a pic on my computer of us back when she had "the fro".  We met up again our freshman year of college and still love to play dress up. Obviously meant to be bffs!

Christina: We met in the 1st grade and immediately started butting heads... But, for some reason, we always make our way back to each other <3

Carmen: Middle school P.E. class misery bonded us for life. Who knew then that we would experience so much together (picking just one pic of us was a tough one)!

Stephanie: This pic, however, was easy! We met freshman year of high school - love. at. first. sight. My other half :)

Anna: This pic was another easy one. The start of summer beach trip after our freshman year of college was epic... She had me at, "Are yall swayin?" (Inside joke)

Edward: We met in Cabo my junior year of college. Surviving 5 years of long distance proves he is definitely The One.

Cindy: ESP at its best! We started out just cubicle neighbors at Conde, but she quickly became a special person to me. Although we come from completely different backgrounds and now live on complete opposite sides of the country, we still have that psychic connection ;)

I have been so blessed to have so many of my soul mates in my life already. I think that's a sign that I am on the right path! I wonder if I have any left.....

An All New Scarlet

Scarlet has quickly come out of her shell and is like a new dog now! As you can see from the pictures, she is bursting with energy. She loves going to the park so much (even in this heat that is actually visible in the 1st picture). The 2nd picture is my favorite! If you click on it and make it bigger you can tell that she is running her little heart out. Chasing birds is now one of her most favorite activities. She also has no problem hanging with the big dogs. The 3rd picture is Scarlet trying to squeeze in for some water :) She's still pretty shy when I take her to work (especially with kids), but I can already tell she gaining more confidence. And, have I mentioned how smart she is? Obviously, I'm a proud mom!

The New Rug is Here!!!

It's all coming together! 

No potty on the new rug, Scarlet!

Yay! The rug that I ordered over a month ago that was backordered finally arrived! And, perfect timing... Right in the middle of my spending freeze. It's like pre-paid shopping! It's just what my apartment needed to sort of tie everything together. Next on my list: the other 3 panels for the dining room windows, curtain rods, a new dining table and chairs, a coffee table and 4 new succulent plants to replace the ones that died :( My thumb is black! 

Song of the Week: How'm I Gonna Get Back Home Tonight

I love finding new music and He's My Brother, She's My Sister has quickly become one of my new favorites! Click here to see their video of How'm I Gonna Get Back Home Tonight and enjoy!

Summer Movie Time!!!

Ok, I know I've been MIA lately, but this whole spending freeze thing has left me quite uninspired. I haven't been doing anything, buying anything and I've even tried to limit my internet time because it always leads me to something else that I will want! So, to keep myself entertained I've been having movie time. Turns out, it is the perfect activity for these hot summer months.

Ed got me a Netflix account for my birthday last year. It is my second favorite gift he's ever given me (behind Scarlet of course). So, I've been taking full advantage of all of these free movies at my fingertips. With the new and last Harry Potter movie coming out in just a few days, I've been getting ready by watching ALL SEVEN Harry Potter movies leading up to this one. That has really helped keep me busy. 

Netflix is actually really good at suggesting movies based on other movies I like. It noticed that I liked period films with a strong female lead (haha) and suggested Dangerous Beauty. I read that it was set in Venice (one of my favorite places on earth) so I said ok send it to me. It is now one of my all time favorite movies... SO GOOD! I definitely recommend it, but avoid watching it with your parents or grandparents.. Just saying.

I've also been re-watching (for the millionth time) some oldies but goodies like The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood and Pride and Prejudice. Next on my queue: Inception (seen it, loved it, want to see again) and Due Date. Yes, I am a loser, but this is all I can afford to do right now! Anyone have any good movie suggestions?

Life Lessons: Sacrifice

Sacrifice is giving up something good for something better.


Recently, I put together a budget for the next couple of months due to several trips I have coming up plus a recently added expense named Scarlet. Let's just say I had a reality check. Up until this point, things have been pretty easy. I've actually been able to do more shopping than I thought I would after my move. But during these next couple of months I am on a major spending freeze. And it will probably carry over into the holidays that will be here before we know it! I've eliminated my morning coffee, been eating whatever I can scrounge up around the apartment instead of getting take out, and have limited my daily yogurt to just a few times per week (I can't completely give that up). I even returned that cute pink fringe kimono from the Good Buys: Fringe Kimonos post :( And, on top of all that, we keep getting so many cute things in at the store that are so hard to resist. Being broke and working in retail is the worst!


Although an unlimited budget and zero credit card debt would be ideal, I keep reminding myself of what I'm giving all of these things up for... My mom and Lori are visiting in 3 weeks and we are going to do so many fun things including a spa day at a luxury resort!! In August, I'm going home for Lori's 30th birthday party and an end of summer trip to Destin. And, I have Scarlet. I think I've made it pretty obvious how happy she has made my life. All in all, my "problems" are pretty frivolous and are just part of the growing up process I guess.... If anyone has some money saving tips, I'm all ears!

My First Haboob

You learn something new every day and today I learned that the 5,000+ foot high dust cloud that came through Phoenix last night is called a "haboob". Coming from a land of tornadoes, the haboob wasn't too scary (unless you were driving or flying into the city like Ed was last night), but today it looks so strange and eery outside. There is dust everywhere and I feel like I need to take a shower every time I come back from being outside. And, as you can see I badly need a car wash! I thought monsoon season was supposed to be rainy???

The July Free People Catalog

OMG, I just looked at the new Free People catalog online and once again they have outdone themselves! It is full of oversized sweaters worn with funky leggings, gorgeous crochet items and FRINGE!!! In case anyone wants to know what is on my birthday list.... see above. ;)

Style Crush: Twiggy

1960's London might be my favorite style era of all time. While America's youth were turning into grungy hippies, London was turning on the glamour!  And, Twiggy was the face of it all. I love Twiggy so much that I named one of my pups after her. And, now the "Mod Look" is all over the runways for this Fall. My favorite is Burberry's combo of this look and their classic military style....

I have loved Burberry's Fall Collections these past couple of years... Can't you just see Twiggy wearing all of these? With all of this amazing fashion plus the extreme Arizona heat, I have never been so ready for Fall!!!