Greatest Hits of July (so far)

Tonight, Brad and I are hitting the road for Virginia. I am soooo excited to spend some more time down south with my favoritest people! My sister, Josh, and my boyfriend all in one place. UGH IT’S GONNA BE AWESOME!
We come back before the month is over, but I just know it’s going to fly, and that I’ll have tons of pictures to share from the trip in their own posts. So for now, here are some photos of things from this month that have been pretty great!

Awesome new mug alert! When I visited Catie last month, we stopped at the cutest shop and I grabbed some awesome items, this being one of them. I love when mugs have little surprises inside! Also, M. For Me! Michal Lynn!

So we only did this one night this month, but Brad and I are working on a joint 6x8 Project Life album. I’m excited about it because we are using the Plus One Mini Kit (which is amazing) plus my Studio Calico kits. The whole thing is going to be free-flowing, unlike my fairly structured 2014 book.I can’t wait until we have more time to work on it.

I’ve been doing this challenge on Instagram, #30DaysofBookstagram . It’s a lot of fun and more creative than you might think. One of the prompts was “Book Spine Poetry” and the pic above is my poem. I know it’s geeky, but I’m proud of it!

As you may know, I read Landline by Rainbow Rowell in less than 48 hours. I adore Rainbow Rowell.
I did some nail art inspired by the amazing colors of the cover and gave a shout out to the author, just for fun. SHE TWEETED AT ME AND FAVORITED IT. FANGIRL moment! (And yes, Fangirl is also one of her books!) I also got a little comment from one of my favorite bloggers. I love social media.

These ridiculous dogs! Mia has joined the crew at Lou and Brad’s and she is like 0 pounds and the funniest little thing.
I love that I caught both of them with their tongues out.

Jenna has been in PA for a while, but we only just got to hang out this past week.
I had to do a Party Party .gif with her! Which, by the way, Party Party is the best.
If you check out my IG feed, you will see a lot of #partypartyapp on there!

It’s been a fast month with lots going on. I can’t wait to enjoy some more summer fun!

Greatest Hits: June Edition

I say it all the time, but life is flying by. The days fly, the weeks fly. It’s insane! Working in retail doesn’t help since I work days, nights, and weekends. I kept thinking today was Thursday. It’s a jumble. Not to mention the fact that it’s also the second day of July. WOW. Breathe in and out.

Every time I want to write, I just can’t get myself to sit down and do it.
So here’s a post of things that happened in June that slipped through the cracks!

So I posted about my trip to Virginia twice, but there’s no doubt that was a highlight of the month. Not just getting away, but traveling that far on my own for the first time. A total of 13 hours in the car, something I’m proud I accomplished successfully (although I’m very glad I’ll be with Brad when we go again at the end of this month!).

I got my first official Studio Calico Project Life kit in the mail. It’s the second one, but I bought May’s box after it was released. In fact, my third box is being packed right now. I’m so excited about this new subscription.
Check out some more information here!

Brad and his friend/biz partner Tim made a short horror film starring their friend Drake that you can check out here.
It was fun watching them in action. Can’t wait to see what’s in store for these guys!

Celebrating some of my favorite peoples’ birthdays (and the new job/move, which I’m kind of sad about).

Brad’s cousin got married in a nice little ceremony with an unconventional (in a good way) reception!

I got lucky and had a whole month of free coffee at Panera (one a day, iced or hot). It was such a lifesaver.
I can’t express how much I adore Panera. It’s my fave place to sit for lunch, read, and get away from work for an hour.

Seeing one of my favorite people, Ed Rafter, even if only for a couple of hours. Lucky girl!

My dearest friend Catie was in from Arizona, so I got to see her for longer than a couple of hours in the past year.
I visited her in Sparta, NJ and spent the night being “Lakeside Girls” with her. So nice to see people I love!

June felt a bit uninspired, but looking back, I got to do some really great things and see some really great people.
A lot of the time, it’s hard for me to step outside of the box and visit with friends (especially when it includes traveling alone or spending money), but I realize the importance of it. It’s good (obviously) to see new places and familiar faces.

This Week’s Greatest Hits

So, we celebrated Cinco de Mayo a day early with some of our friends. I had fun…like, a lot of fun.
Sitting on the back porch, drinking fruity beverages, and eating tacos…how can that suck?

Brad and I went for another rejuvenating walk this past Monday…I really want to do this as frequently as possible, but my work schedule and life in general has been crazy all week (and all the time). Anyway, things are finally FINALLY starting to bloom. I’m really trying to keep off the phone, but I kept it with me for this walk strictly for photos. I used this as my #renew entry for Becky’s Photography Challenge…I’m glad I took it and the blossoms always mean renewal to me…renewal of nature and of the seasons in your life.

This dog, Button, is the CUTEST girl ever. Her eyes are Precious Moments – style cute. I could pet her all day.

I enjoyed a little dinner with a former co-worker, Allison. We caught up on my old job’s gossip and just chatting in general. It’s always nice to keep in touch with acquaintances and stay social! Also, I’m freaking obsessed and addicted to Panera’s Greek salad. Add chicken and I’m sold. :)

Two things: I’m a dork who loves to post #selfieswithcoffee but it’s been a while. This is only my 4th iced coffee of Spring so far…it feels like less, so I guess saying 4th isn’t that big a deal but I drink at least one coffee every day and the first time I had iced coffee this year was about a month ago so… I just gotta say, I love iced coffee for the sheer fact that I can chug it. I had about 15 minutes of my lunch hour left and desperately needed a pick me up. It’s so nice to not have to worry about burning my tongue. I know that iced coffees will be more of the norm when the heat picks up, but I can’t deny a hot cup of joe…especially when it’s free and at my house and takes less than 30 seconds to make.

 

I want to make an effort not only to take and print more 4x4 pictures (I have a whole pack of photo pages dedicated to them, and I haven’t even used one yet for my book), but to play around with the Hipstamatic app. When I first got into photography, I really loved playing with toy cameras because they felt effortlessly cool. Purchasing and developing film can be super expensive, though, and the wait can be killer. That’s why, when I first got my iPhone back in 2010, I immediately downloaded Hipstamatic. I still download all of the paks they release, even the ones that cost money, but I have gone months without opening the app. It’s a shame because you can have SO MUCH FUN with it. And, much like my precious Holga or Diana Mini loves, you can play with multiple exposures. I love this picture above. Cali was enthralled by what was going on outside, so I got to take a picture of her gazing and a photo of what she could see.
It would be great to have more of these unexpected and fun pictures in my Project Life album.

This weekend promises to be busy.
My next day off is Tuesday and when I’m not at work until then, I have plans for all my free time.
Still, things feel good. It’s rough to be busy and tired, but I also feel very active and inspired.
Grumpy? Yes, absolutely. But sometimes that grump pays off.

Have an awesome weekend, everyone!

This Week’s Greatest Hits

As Justin Timberlake has promised, it is now officially May! May is one of my favorite months. I’ve said it before and I’ll continue saying it. Yes, my birthday falls in May but so do many other fun things…the beginning of legitimately warm weather (hopefully), holiday weekends, cookouts, etc.

Brad and I went for a walk on Monday that was actually kind of life-changing. I don’t know how to explain it, it was just a walk around the neighborhood for a good hour or so, but it’s funny how one little thing you do can change the way you look at things or even change the whole course of your life in the best way.

Tuesdays and Wednesday were both rainy, windy days…and I just so happen to find that weather comforting and inspirational. On Tuesday, I had off work so I laid out all of my PL gear and scrapped all of April. I’m really proud of these spreads…they are my favorite of the year so far. A lot more pictures, but still plenty of documentation.

On my way home from work on Wednesday, I was overwhelmed with ideas. Maybe it was the lack of sleep, or the lack of food, or the fact that both of those things inspired me to get a Toasted Marshmallow cappuccino and a super sugary glazed and iced doughnut, but I was basically talking to myself in the car about all these thoughts. I shared them with my mom, and we both knew I had to write them down immediately. Funny enough, I stopped at Target for some necessities and ended up with some stuff from the One Spot, as usual, including this little mint notebook. It now houses just a few of my ideas, with more being added as often as they come.

Have an awesome weekend, everyone!

This Week’s Greatest Hits

Today, we are off to move Maria to her new home in Virginia. Instead of feeling sad, I kind of feel like it’s not real.
I know it’ll hit me soon enough. Still, I’m happy for her and glad I’ll have a new place to visit…but she’s my best friend and I will really miss having her around. This week was great because we got to spend a lot of time together.

On Sunday, we had a super lazy day in Maria’s bedroom. We watched fluff movies on TV (like The Ugly Truth) and ate way too much ice cream. It was a dream come true. Perfect lazy Sunday, just as I had hoped.

Brad and I had a little date after work on Monday, which was nice. After dinner we gambled, and I turned $10 to $60. So that was fun! I don’t do that anymore…back in 2011, we had a lot of luck. It’s smart to stay away, but it can be fun if you don’t mind losing your money…which I do haha.

 

On Tuesday, the plan was to go to Jimmy’s Hot Dogs for lunch, one of the few good things left in our hometown. I was unaware, and Maria forgot, that they are closed on Tuesdays! We still ended up having a good meal at a local restaurant and I made us stop by the mall to get this goofy photobooth strip. I really want to take more photos in photobooths!

Yesterday was gorgeous. It truly finally felt like spring is here. I hope it stays. I took Artie for the last walk for who knows how long, and I love this photo of him. His shadow kills me.

Finally, we enjoyed some blood orange G&Ts with one of my current favorite candies as a garnish.
Delightful.

Things are going to change a bit around here…I don’t know when it will hit me that Maria won’t be home after 5pm or for stretches at a time, depending on holidays and an open schedule. Still, I’m excited for her and this new opportunity.
I hope it brings all of the best things!!!

This Week’s Greatest Hits

On Monday, I baked cupcakes with yellow umbrellas on them in honor of How I Met Your Mother’s finale.
I was a nervous wreck before the show started and I was a sobbing sap throughout.
As many people are, I am conflicted with the ending. I don’t want to give away spoilers, because I hate them myself.
All I will say is that it could’ve been executed better (waaaaayyyy better) but that it’s still my favorite show and somehow, it’ll all be okay with me in a little while.
Also, big thanks to my family, who watched it with me (funny enough, it was the first time my father ever watched the show) and gave me tissues and didn’t talk and let me have my moment.

So, I spent a few mornings this week watching every Superfruit video on their YouTube channel. You probably have seen this Beyonce mash-up floating around (it’s the reason I started watching them in the first place and it’s…flawless), but I love Mitch and Scott. They are best friends who crack each other (and me) up and do the silliest things for 10 minutes and I love it. I told my friend Ed that it reminds me of us in college, finishing each other’s sentences and bursting into song and laughter at any and every given moment.
Keep watching ‘til the end of each video for funny bloopers.

Spent a bunch of quality time with Artie, which is important since he won’t be here after next week.
He, along with my sister, are moving to Virginia. Gotta squeeze in those cuddles while I can.

Started scrapbooking Marh and I’m super proud of my spreads. They are my favorites of the year so far.
I’m getting the hang of it. (It should also be said that Becky Higgins has officially become an idol for me. Her blog, the Project Life products, her response to fans…she’s great!).

I bought a bottle of Bluecoat Dry Gin (recommended to me by Kate, thank you!) and have had one (or more) G&Ts every night since. Last night, I changed it up and made a Blood Orange G&T. The recipe I found on Pinterest called for fresh blood orange juice but I couldn’t actually find blood oranges so….
I bought Cara Cara oranges and Blood Orange San Pellegrino and made my own little concoction.
Gin, a decent splash of tonic, mostly the SP, and some slices of the orange to soak in there. Yum!

Some pretty great moments this week, which was nice because there were some bad moments in there, too.
Just more reminders to appreciate the little things in life.
Have a great weekend!

This Week’s Greatest Hits

Looking back on all the good good that went down.

We watched the Oscars with snacks and drinks, like we do every year!

Maybe it was the several sparkling wine cocktails, but that was the most fun I’ve had watching the Oscars in years!

I went to Panera Bread 3 days in a row.

I work less than a minute drive away from Panera, so when I have an hour for lunch, I just go there. I like to get a coffee and I’m trying to branch out on the soups and sandwiches (the picture from above was during a 5a-2p shift, so my “lunch” was at 9 am, hence the breakfast) and I read and relax.

Lots of pretty sunsets.

The one thing I don’t usually mind about winter is that the sunsets are often insane.
So bright and intense, with different colors from day to day.

Mac and Cheese night with my sister.

Bart & Urby’s does a Mac&Cheese night every Wednesday, and Maria has been several times while I haven’t gone at all. So, since we had to switch cars so she could take a trip to Virginia this weekend, I mentioned that we should go.
It was tasty, but I definitely think they should offer up some more add-ons. I got bacon and fried chicken (because I care about what I put in my body), but I think broccoli deserves to be on their list!

Paulina and I had another craft day.

I’ll talk more about this in a later post, but we decided to go for a spring-y craft in the hopes that it will start warming up soon! We also drank wine, talked tons (I love getting to know more about friends!), and listened to Lana Del Rey on vinyl.