friday eye candy

meet my friend allison. she's gorgeous. she runs half marathons. she loves jesus. she has a cute dog named ranger. she now lives around the corner from me. she sells mary kay. she is the only person in the world i know who owns and loves every season of friends as much as i do. and she just got married to her best friend. i don't know rob too well yet, but my favorite thing about the two of them together is that when they had a long distance relationship they'd use skype to play connect four with each other. is that not the cutest thing ever? personally, i'd be partial to texas hold 'em or monopoly deal, but it's probably hard to wager things via the interwebs.

i had the honor of sharing in allison and rob's special day and despite the fact that the temperature never rose above 50 degrees, had a blast at their outdoor ceremony. what's even better is that allison hired my sweet friend and insanely talented photog, lindsey lee hartsell to capture her special day. and it's your lucky day because there's a huge slideshow of their lovey nuptials over on her blog. go check it out and round out this week of love with a real wedding featuring two people who definitely love one another.

happy friday!

p.s. if you leave a comment on lindsey's blog post, allison can win free photography. it takes five seconds and i promise lindsey lee will not fill up your inbox with spam. i mean, why wouldn't you want to help allison print more photos of her fantastic bridesmaids to hang on her walls?

all images via lindsey lee photography

the one with the candy hearts

 

better late than never, but happy valentine's day! i've been running six ways from sunday today, but it's been a happy one. cupcakes for breakfast at our office party. planning with a sweet sweet coworker who is leaving tomorrow to have cancer surgery. event rebrand meeting at the insanely cool ten park lanes in charlotte. learning and live tweeting at the TEDxCharlotteED conference this afternoon. dinner with my parents. now i'm sitting by the fire and nursing my sugar hangover.

 

if you haven't already done so, hop on over to ibelieve and read my far more insightful thoughts about today instead of my half-asleep wishes at the end of all the craziness. i hope you felt loved today. and i hope you ate some candy hearts and chocolate of some kind. until next year...

 

"and love is stronger than fear, life stronger than death, hope stronger than despair. we have to trust that the risk of loving is always worth taking." - henri nouwen

put a little love in your heart

even though i almost never post lately, you should know i'm still alive. and in celebration of the fact that i love valentines' day and it's coming soon, i have taken the time to create the ultimate love song playlist. i like love songs. i like making playlists. especially ultimate ones. i also especially like love songs that are not generally played by delilah. all of the ones on the playlist in the sidebar ------> really resonate with me for one reason or another. they are my favorites and you should listen to them. and stop being mad at me for never posting on my blog. my valentine to you. you're welcome.

a few other notes in regard to this playlist:

- kc and jojo's all my life almost made it. don't judge me.
- in case you ever had any doubt that you're the inspiration isn't one of the greatest love songs ever, watch this video from the old tv show ed (remember that!?). tom cavanaugh and julie bowen are second only to ross and rachel and nick and jess when it comes to great tv couples.
- nickelcreek's when you come back down isn't just an ultimate love song, it's likely my favorite song in all of the world.
- if you aren't already a dave barnes fan, you should be. three of his songs made the list because they're that good.
- i'm sorry, tpain, but just because your song is entitled best love song and i like to listen to it when i run does not entitle you to make the list. thanks for playing.

additional note: if you're reading on a tablet or mobile device, the embedded playlist won't load. but don't dismay! click here and put a little love in your heart.

image via laurenconrad

swift

if i had a dollar for every time lately someone has told me i look like taylor swift, i could probably buy the ralph lauren collection dress that she wore to the people's choice awards last night. i am freaking out a little bit over how stunning she looked. that dress is unbelievable. i'm generally a pretty modest dresser, but i think she played this one perfectly. she looks sexy and classy.

i don't really see my resemblance to tay swift, but i have been asked to appear as her at the cabarrus chamber's annual meeting next friday. given that i don't have to sing and get a free lunch out of the deal, i am pretty happy about it. perhaps taylor would lend me this dress for my appearance? or is it too much for a day event?

images: 1.-2.stylefrizz

hope

happy 2013!

after a lovely christmas holiday, i ended 2012 with three petty traffic citations (none of which actually had to do with my driving and i'd like to think that cops on nye are more interested in citing drunk drivers than goodytwoshoes rule-followers like me, but alas, some state troopers are apparently bored) and kicked off the new year with flannel pajamas, my mom, a downton abbey marathon and a little bubbly. today i am back at work and making an effort to actually ignore the crazy to-do list (and the 250+ emails) that follow two weeks of vacation and take a proper lunch hour to blog and breathe.

i am excited about 2013, yet i have realized lately that i'm not really the optimist that i thought i was. i imagine exciting scenarios. change, excitement, future happiness, but i don't really expect they will happen. i've found that i often expect things i wish would happen not to happen to avoid certain disappointment, and i think that's a sad way to live. lately the Lord has taught me that it's good to hope, good to trust and good to plan for the best scenarios. while disappointment is a fact of life, He is faithful and sometimes wonderful things can happen. i don't want to be cynical. i want to be hopful.

i don't really make new year's resolutions because i like to think we're constantly changing and improving for the better, not just once a year (and plus, does anyone honestly make it past january with the eat-only-clean-foods-do-one-thing-that-scares-you-everyday business?), but i do like the idea of making a motto or words to live by for a year. in 2013, i've decided that mine is going to be extremely simple: hope. there are so many beautiful scripture verses regarding hope and i'm excited to explore and memorize them this year as i not only rejoice in the hope i see around me, but hope in the plans that the Lord has for me and watch the way He uses them build my faith in Him and His goodness.

join me in hoping during 2013, won't you?

"may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." - romans 15:13

image credit lipstick&curls via sarah martin

classical ballet for the modern day

60 minutes is one of my favorite shows, but thanks to sunday football, i often forget to watch it because it's never on when it's supposed to be. their stories are always riveting, even when you don't think they're going to be, and generally i think they don't sensationalize human suffering or tragedy the way that a large majority the media does. instead, they create in-depth reports across a wide spectrum of subjects and provide thought-provoking stories that leave me wanting to learn more.

last night, however, 60 minutes knocked it out of the park with a report about the new york city ballet, peter martins and the legend that is george balanchine. it is fascinating and i could write for hours about it, but you should just watch the report. you won't regret it, i promise:

 

the 60 minutes page for this report also features a lot of web extras and lovely photographs of the nycb.

also:

fun fact #1: the north carolina dance theatre is fortunate enough to be able to perform balanchine choreography, as one of its artistic directors, patricia mcbride, danced with balanchine in the new york city ballet. the balanchine trust is exclusive and charlotte is extremely lucky to have access to his legendary choreography.

fun fact #2: peter martins choreographed two of the barbie ballet movies (nutcraker and swan lake). if you haven't seen these, they do not feature real people, but cartoon barbie. i didn't realize that they had actual original choreography. go figure. barbie's got all kinds of people in her corner.

image of nycb via paul kolnik

thanksgiving edition

as i sit on the couch this evening in my stretchy pants, surrounded by my family, black friday flyers, half eaten snack trays on the coffee table, and christmas decoration boxes waiting to be opened, my heart is full of gratitude for the blessings i've been given. sometimes i can't believe how blessed i've been. sometimes it just doesn't seem fair. 

but i am thankful for these blessings every year. the Lord has given to my family freely and while i still wait for particular things that i want to be realized, i am more certain than ever that He is in control and will fulfill my desires in His time. but this holiday, more than others, i think the Lord is teaching me that even if He doesn't, and even if all of the things for which i am so thankful are lost, that He is still good. that He still loves me and is working in my life. it's one thing to be thankful for the things in this world that are fragile and fleeting. it's another to know that the things to which i hold so tightly aren't the most important things and that without them, i still have a pupose, a hope and a future. and for that, i am most thankful.

i hope you all have blessed holiday weekends with your family. and lots of turkey and cranberry sauce.

image via dailycupofcouture

if i was a rich girl

you guys. can we please talk about this coat? oh my goodness. and that's all i have to say.

images via jcrew

weekend in review

i spent this past weekend in one of my favorite places in the world - southern pines, nc. it's sweet and beautiful and i have only happy memories there. bonus, my friend lacey's parents (the aforementioned laurie) live there and their house is one of the few places in the world where i feel as at home as i do at my own house. they are warm and hospitable and fun to play board games with. their couch is remarkably comfortable and i am always thankful when i get to spend time there. sadly this weekend, i took very few photos of anything of merit, but since it's so lovely there i figured i'd share the few i did find time to take.

when i arrived after what seemed like the longest drive ever on friday evening thanks to charlotte traffic, i was greeted immediately with wine and homemade pumpkin cream cheese bars. (and i did go ahead, in case you were wondering.) we ate dinner after that, which seemed like a great decision. then, lacey and i watched parks and rec reruns, i fell asleep on the couch before 9:00 p.m. and was in bed shortly thereafter. bliss.

 

the next morning, we woke up with the sun to hit the semi-annual fair barn sale, where i have scored plenty of fabulous flea market finds in the past. i wore my warmest gym clothes, which really just equal comfortable clothes that are not pajamas, and apprently looked sportier and more energetic than i felt, as i was asked by one of the vendors at the sale if i was running the half marathon in pinehurst that morning. because lots of people go to the flea market before they run a half marathon. although. flea marketing is sort of like a half marathon, as it takes a great deal of training, patience and stamina. perhaps i'll keep it in mind as a warm up if i ever do run a half marathon.

we scored a few deals, watched the horses on the track outside the fair barn and then headed back to swank (the best coffee shop in town!) for some lattes, muffins and catch up time with our friend, sarah martin, who is awesome. i have written about her before here, and you should be her friend too.

after coffee, lacey and i headed back to the house where we were greeted with more coffee (a homemade red velvet latte that was spiked, as a matter of fact) and homemade caramel sea salt pie. lacey's mom has got it going on. clearly.

the rest of the weekend was spent shopping and enjoying a dinner party hosted by lacey's parents on saturday night, where we had a delicious meal including homemade eggnog, and a great deal of chat with the neighbors. the weekend was relaxing and a wonderful way to kick off a short holiday week! laurie and dale, thank you for your hospitality as always, and thank you for packing me a cooler when i left. you're awesome. lacey, i'm glad you share my love for thrift stores, tjmaxx, replacing meals with junk food and not showering. and that you have a cool family and are from an awesome town. you're the greatest and i'm thankful for you.

autumn in new york

a few weekends ago, i took a quick spontaneous trip with my parents to visit upstate new york - where i was born and spent the first five years of my life. my grandma (hi, grandma!) and a large majority of my dad's family still lives there, and it's always one of my favorite places to visit. i haven't visited this time of year in quite a while, and i forgot how truly wonderful it is in the fall. i feel like i can share photos and tell you about it, but experiencing it is really the only way to understand what i'm talking about. it's idyllic. it's like something straight out of a country living magazine or a movie set in new england. the trees everywhere were literally ablaze. it was like they'd been photoshopped. seriously. there were corn mazes and farmers markets and pumpkin patches everywhere. haybales and scarecrows lined all of the streets in each of the small towns we visited and you haven't seen a farmer's market until you've visited one there. the produce is unreal.

we kicked off saturday morning with coffee at grandma's house and then we headed to herman's farm market for homemade doughnuts and nostalgia. i grew up going each fall to pick out a pumpkin at herman's and there's something about the smell there that takes me back to my days as a wee one. they make the most incredbile apple cider on site and have more varieties of apples than i knew existed. their produce makes me wish i could shop there every saturday morning. i was a photo-taking fool during our visit and it was likely very clear to every customer there that i was most definitely not a local. little did they know we have photos from 23 years ago at herman's. once a local, always a local.

after herman's (but not before i downed 1.5 homemade doughnuts before we left the parking lot), we headed to fairport, which is quite possibly the most adorable small town in america. i wish i'd taken more pictures there, but i was too busy shopping at the craft supply consignment store (the greatest idea ever) and roaming the tents at their farmer's market.

finally, we headed up to bristol mountain, which isn't actually a mountain at all, but just one of the really high hills that flank new york's finger lakes. the drive took about an hour and a half one way, but it was through tons of unbelievable farm land. the last time i was at bristol mountain, it was to ski with my family a few christmases ago. this visit was far better than the last, mainly because i didn't spend it tumbling down a green slope in a fit of frustration and persperation. i am pretty not awesome at skiing. instead, we rode the ski lift up a golden slope and enjoyed the lovely view from the top.

 

 

 

 

 

i like to think that this is about as close to heaven on earth as it gets. this time of year, i'm ready to relocate here permanently. but then it starts to snow and i generally re-think that plan when it's still snowing in may. and when i remember there are no chick-fil-as there. 

psalm 46

well friends, the election is over. i will save the political commentary for those who feel its necessary to rant via social media platforms, but whether you think another four years with obama is going to save our contry or ruin it, the good news is he's not really the one with the control. i read this pslam a few weeks ago and thought it was quite appropriate for our country's current circumstances. i am thankful that we still live free, are able to elect our leaders, and that we still answer to a God who is more powerful than any politician will ever be.

God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.

there is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.
nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
He lifts his voice, the earth melts.

the Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.

come and see what the Lord has done,
the desolations he has brought on the earth.
He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the shields with fire.  
He says "Be still and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth."

the Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.

image via thefullerview.tumblr

sunday edition #10

you know those kids you see on corners and in front of shopping plazas with cardboard signs advertising sales? some twirl them. some dance with them. some stand there awkwardly and wave. watch the above clip from the office to see what i'm talking about if you're still not following (although i'd recommend watching it either way because it's hilarious). i maintain that there are probably few jobs in the world worse than this, so for some reason seeing those poor teenagers always makes me happy to know that someone has enough work ethic to make sure i know about a store closing or a mattress sale. they're adorable and i always wave at them.

last night on facebook, i discovered this photo. this is my cousin, mitch. he's a pretty big deal - major sports star at his high school in new york and likely heading to college on a scholarship next year. and this is mitch dressed as a mattress. advertising a mattress sale. perhaps you won't find this as excellent as i do, but i laughed for a full minute straight at this photo last night. mitch just skyrocketed to the top of my people-who-are-really-cool list. i hope this brightened your day almost as much as seeing this in person on the side of the road. and next time you see a poor kid trying to spin a sign and attract attention? wave at him for me. he's somebody's cousin.

they're here

this morning, my coworkers and i deemed it "bagel thursday" and took a walk to panera for a little carbo loading. as overstreet mall crawled with professionals with somewhere far more important to be than in line for some empty calories, i realized something amazing.


the starbucks red cups are here.


i was so excited in fact, that i forgot all appropriate social behavior, stopped walking and practically shouted "STARBUCKS HAS RED CUPS!" so loudly that people looked. people holding red cups, that is.
some may argue that it's too early. i am not some. call me crazy, but grande americanos are far more delicious when the cup is red. and that is all.

image: biggerinreallife

whom shall i fear?

not much time today, but with the effects of hurricane sandy ravaging much of the eastern seaboard, i can't help but think this new song from chris tomlin was released at just the right time. i heard it again on my way to work this morning and am filled with peace at its truth. i am thankful that my God is bigger than any frankenstorm, and that yet he still cares about and calms the smallest parts of my heart that are under seige daily.

You hear me when i call
You are my morning song
though darkness fills the night
it cannot hide the light
whom shall i fear?

You crush the enemy
underneath my feet
You are my sword and shield
though trouble linger still
whom shall i fear?

i know who goes before me
i know who stands behind
the God of angel armies
is always by my side
the One who reigns forever
He is a friend of mine
the God of angel armies
is always by my side

my strength is in Your name
for You alone can save
You will deliver me
Yours is the victory
whom shall i fear?
whom shall i fear?

and nothing formed against me shall stand
You hold the whole world in Your hands
i'm holding on to Your promises
You are faithful
You are faithful

if you haven't heard this song and you want to listen, you can do it here. you won't be sorry.

image: textsscrawled.tumblr

for laurie

hello! i'm alive! i'm blogging! it's been months and months!

grandma, aunt ginny, laurie, mom... you've been heard. since my readership is clearly out of control and the masses (er, my family) are begging for my return, i've decided to give the people what they want. it's happening. get ready.

in all seriousness, things have been great lately. my lack of blogging really hasn't been a reflection of anything but the fact that i'm busy and enjoying life. and that baby mac has been struggling ever since this summer's extremely traumatic hard drive crash; but three semi-working office laptops later (working for a non-profit sure has its perks), i now have two computers that combined add up to one good one, so we're on track for some non-efficient-but-nonetheless-awesome-posting.

since i've stopped blogging, a lot has happened, in fact. i am awed by the lord's blessings during the past few months and unbelievably thankful for his continued faithfulness. work has gotten quite amazing thanks to an incredible new boss lady who is absolutely wonderful. liam and i moved into a lovely little new house in charlotte in a sweet little neighborhood with families who play basketball in the driveway in their church clothes on sundays. we are happy here. i bought 456968 new articles of clothing at the goodwill to replace all of the ones that i sold/gave away when i moved, and i have attempted, somewhat successfully, to fit them into the only closet in my teeny tiny house. i started freelancing for charlotte style magazine and have written a total of one articles so far. i managed to make it through the hot summer months without having one single temper tantrum. i bought my first set of grown-up furniture (a couch and a loveseat). i joined claire danes and charlotte's elite with a visit to the new 5 church restauant in uptown (i maintain that fancy pretentious food is fun, but overrated). i killed approximately ten cockraoches in my new house with no help from anyone (dad, please don't tell anyone about that one time you had to come over...). i went to raleigh. i went to southern pines. i went to the beach. big things. good thing i'm back just in time for my favorite two months of the year to share lots of inspiration and pretties.

see you soon! tomorrow, in fact... (for real). you're welcome.

as promised, this post has been dedicated to the always lovely laurie. you have taught me how to yard sale like i mean it, use coupons more efficiently than anyone i've ever met, cook without following directions, and fill a house with things that make it home, like vickie the duck. thank you for letting me sleep on your unbelievably comfortable couch with the star wars sheets, drink your wine, eat from every single pint of your front porch ice cream flavors at once, and beat you to good treasures at your local thrift stores. let's do it all again soon?

image: ifreakinglovetaylorswift.tumblr

exciting news - but hurry!

oh my goodness. you guys. i checked my email this morning to find an amazing one - blooming branch has been nominated for a charlotte web award from elevate lifestyle for "best personal blog". my heart is full and i am completely floored.
unfortunately, i've been consumed this weekend with other things and didn't even see the email until now, and voting ends at 10:00 a.m.
if you have a moment, will you please follow this link and vote for blooming branch? it takes about thirty seconds. if you have facebook, twitter, and pinterest you can actually vote THREE times.
i would love you forever if you did. :o) more soon!

http://charlotte.citywebawards.com/best-personal-blog

image via modelcentric.tumblr.com

today

today i...
- slept in and woke up to coffee i didn't have to brew or buy
- left my hair curly, went without make-up, wore a white lace caftan as a dress
- rode a giant ferris wheel
- met an nfl star randomly at lunch
- shopped at the goodwill (and spotted some lanvin)

- bought some gorgeous sea anemones for my new mantel
- drank two white wine spritzers before dinner
- laughed over casserole at my grandparents' dinner table
- walked on the beach at sunset
- put on pajamas before 10pm
- ate brownies and ice cream
- watched hgtv for the rest of the night

my kind of weekend

an invitation

hello friends!

it's a big day over at blooming branch. as of two weeks ago, i am officially a charlotte resident! i have a sweet little triplex house with a fireplace and a deck and a closet that comfortably fits all of my clothes. can you believe it!? it all happened rather quickly and while it doesn't feel like home quite yet, i'm so happy to have reduced my commute to work by 45 minutes (seriously. it's bliss.) and live among the cool city people. liam is adjusting well to big city life and i feel that i'm coming along quite nicely as well. i've been pulled between concord and charlotte for quite a while now, and while i'll still be going back and forth fairly often because i like concord and i like my parents, it's nice to feel settled and committed somewhere that i've wanted to be for so long.
the best part about this move has been all the downsizing. my new place isn't really much bigger than my old one, so i've tried to be really cognizant of how much i actually need versus how much i actually want. they are very different.  so, guess what? i want you to have all the things i'm getting rid of. and by have, i mean buy at yard-sale-like prices. so. you're invited to my in-house, invite-only moving sale. it's basically like a yard sale but in the air conditioning, more dignifed and with no aggressive yard sale strangers (you know the ones i'm talking about) and with cupcakes and delicious beverages. how can you pass that up?

also, PLEASE bring your friends or share with anyone who may be interested.
p.s. i had a rather unfortunate hard drive crash last week, so i'm still without a computer at home (boo) but much more to come soon, including blooming branch's first-ever GIVEAWAY.

twenty-something

i think it's safe to say that my twenties haven't quite turned out how i expected they would. looking back, i can't say exactly what i expected, but i've spent the last few years feeling stuck in one place. unsure of what to do next. frustrated. perhaps i've watched too many lighthearted movies featuring kate hudson in the prime of life, living in a beautiful manhattan apartment that would more than likely rent for about $3000 or more a month, working at a chic job doing something glamorous, dating matthew mcconaughey and spending two full hours looking bouncy and glowy and drinking martinis and wearing manolos. apparently in my younger years i thought that was what being twenty-something felt like. (although i'd gladly date ryan gosling over matthew mcconaughey. or zac efron...thoughts wander...but i digress.)

in all honesty, my twenties aren't that unlike kate's. i have a great family and truly excellent friends. i have a cute house. i spend at least a few evenings a month at happy hour. sometimes i eat brownies for dinner. i work in uptown charlotte. my hair is kind of bouncy. i own a pair of kate spade shoes. i'm actually almost like kate hudson. minus the handsome fellow. and the expensive apartment. and the tan. but despite this truth, i often don't feel like i thought i would in my twenties. i start comparing myself. i dwell on what i don't have. i don't have a husband. i don't have a high-paying job. i don't have a retirement plan or stock options. i don't own a house. i don't have any manolos. i don't have a tan. when i compare myself to where so many others are at this age, i freak out a little bit and wonder what i'm doing with my life. why God hasn't opened more doors for me. if i'm going to let my twenties pass me by without ever enjoying them.

...

i still remember the moment, last august in southern pines. i'd come to visit the lovely lacey and her family in the dead of summer and we did what we do every time we we're together: starbucks. i had just ordered my grande-iced-coffee-with-a-splash-of-soymilk and set my straw tote on one of the leather armchairs. i was wearing this dress and despite the horrible temperatures, feeling kind of fancy. from a few feet away came this voice. "where in the world did you get that dress!?" i responded. we started chatting. within moments, i was having an extremely comfortable conversation with this girl that i'd never met. talking about crafts and blogging and our lives. i was drawn in by her warmth and enthusiasm. we exchanged info. we became virtual friends.

since that time, i've read sarah's blog pretty regularly. she is completely passionate about ministering to twenty-something women. never in my life have i had such a random encounter with a complete stranger that i have been so certain was ordained by the Lord. while we haven't seen one another since, she has ministered to me in more ways than one, and i'm so grateful that i was able to meet her that day. we keep in touch every so often through facebook or twitter, and as of about a month ago, she published a book! a legit book. a sold-at-barnes-and-noble-and-on-amazon-book. i remember her telling me that day we met that she was writing a book (in fact, she was working on it at the time). i remember thinking i'd be interested to read it. and i finally got my copy tonight and am so excited to join the online study that she is hosting on her website. while i don't often get excited about books that can be bought at the christian bookstore (and feel terrible for even admitting that, but it's true), i feel certain that God has selected this book for me during this time and i can't wait to see what i learn through it. sarah is extremely genuine and extremely passionate and i have a tremendous amount of respect for her. if you're a twenty-something girl, you should join us for the study! you can buy the book here and you can sign-up for the online study here. hooray!

i'll be twenty-seven in a month. this makes me want to throw-up and cry and eat a lot of cake all at the same time. i am thankful for people like sarah who remind me that slowly approaching thirty is okay. that i'm right where i'm supposed to be, in the hands of the One who created me.

images 1.zap2it 2.eloranicole

well, hello, friday!

would anyone else like to agree with me when i say this has been the longest week? oh my goodness it is about time friday rolled around. today i took a half day at work despite the unbelievable list of to-do's and deadlines looming because my pretty friend lacey (of the famed humming right along) is in town to play! hooray! we went to the gavin degraw/colbie caillat concert last night thanks to some free tickets i won on the radio and we plan to spend the weekend hanging out and eating loads of junk food, which is essentially the best part of our friendship, we are great at doing nothing together and still having fun. we both very much like pajamas, swedish fish, wine, wine coolers, boxed wine (don't knock it til you try it), pizza, ice cream and chai lattes from dilworth coffee. since i have nothing of consequence to share today, here are a few links that you might enjoy:

the colorful jen ramos is making me want to paint.

the glitter guide turned one this week. if you don't read it you should. one of its founders, taylor sterling is my ultimate style inspiration/girl crush.

in the celebration of father's day, watch jimmy fallon dance like a dad. guaranteed to make you laugh.

concert with gavin degraw renewed my love for him last night. he is so great live. check out my favorite gavin song, a lesser-known one.

finally, for those of you that took the time to call, email or message me after my rather melodramatic post on wednesday, thank you. your encouragement is such a blessing to me. ♥

happy weekend! 

image via laurel from iiiinspired