Enjoying Engagement


I LOVE this engagement photo taken my my good friend Johnny of Mazagran Photo. When I saw it, I knew I wanted to post it on the blog with just a short quick note to all of you our there who are planning your wedding.

It's not anything huge that I have to say. Just a reminder to enjoy being engaged. That is all. When you fall down a pinterest rabbit hole of wedding DIY projects, or find yourself tossing and turning at 3 am wondering if you made the right choice on the towels you registered for, or your fighting over the guest list or how much it's costing or what suit he will wear- don't forget why you're doing it all. It's because you found the person you want to spend the rest of your life with and in comparison, nothing else really matters.  

Hair Trick


I read this article a while back about tricks for parting your hair and changing your look. I decided to try parting my hair on the opposite side for the first time....ever. I have been parting my hair on the left side for about 15 years because I always thought my cowlick meant I had to. The first couple of times I did it I had to blow dry my hair in the opposite direction to get it to stay but IT WAS AMAZING. My hair has so much more volume and entirely covers up my cowlick on the other side. 

The first day I tried it I looked in the mirror and was convinced that everyone who saw me was going to make comments all day because it just looked so so different to me. But guess what...no one noticed, not even Patrick or my closest colleagues. I had quite a few comments that my hair looked good or had more volume but no one even noticed that I had reversed my normal part. Which I think is actually a good thing. 

Anyway, if you want an experiment this summer give it a try. The one thing I did have to do was tell my hair colorist so that she could add some extra highlights on the other side of my head. Waa la! New summer look. 

Read This: Judy Blume


Did you grow up reading Judy Blume?

Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great and Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. were both childhood staples for me. But I loved all of her books, really.


I just finished her newest novel, In the Unlikely Event, it's written for adults, but still has that wonderful honest quality of her novels written for kids and young adults. I basically devoured it in under 48 hours. I forgot how much I love Judy Blume!

Honestly, it's sort of an odd summer read, the story is fiction, but it takes place around the real life plane crashes in Elizabeth, New Jersey during the winter of 1951-1952. Judy Blume, who grew up there and was 12 at the time of the crashes.  Regardless, I'd tell you to take it on vacation with you! I loved it and I'd recommend it to anyone who grew up on Judy Blume and all of her wonderful awkward characters who felt like friends in the "What? You too? I Thought I was the only one" sense of my C.S. Lewis quote from yesterday.  

Also, for a truly summery Judy Blume read, check out Summer Sisters when you finish this one.





Monday Motivation


Happy National Best Friend Day! I thought it was a perfect day to post my favorite quote on friendship, even though I already used it a few years back...

Friday Roundup









It feels good to be back on the blog! I hope you all had a lovely week. I'm still catching up on laundry, work, etc. So many things to do. Looking forward to a lovely wedding this weekend and hopefully enjoying some time in the sun too. I've been wanting to do something really summery, like paddle boarding, or making s'mores in the backyard.



Here are some fun things from here and there around the web...












Design Milk turned one of my favorite Oscar Wilde quotes into this pretty desktop wallpaper.

Cats delivering mail

If you also hate allergy season...

Dress made of math for a good cause

These drinks with aloe look super refreshing

Pigs in a blanket. FOR REAL!

Celebrity prom photos

My current favorite shirt that I've been wearing way too much lately. Loving that it supports a good cause too!

Loving these tips on cleaning your house for company... #10 is a great, #12 I've done that.

I can't stop laughing at these gifs of retouched cat photos and the story behind them. Maybe it's just a photographer thing, but it makes you realize how silly retouching can be sometimes.

Teresa sent me this hilarious festival going advice from Father John Misty, good stuff.


Sunbathers in Palm Springs, 1956, Photographed by Loomis Dean, Image via





What's Your Beauty Routine?

It seems that beauty routines have become the thing to post about these days.

It's lead me to wonder, does EVERYONE but me have a set routine? I mean, I wash my face every day and all that jazz, but I can't for the life of me commit to any products. When I run out of face wash, moisturizer, lipstick, etc. I pick up something new, somehow hoping it'll work better than the last thing I had.

I've gone on all natural kicks, all one brand, then all another brand. I've tried pretty much everything but I'm loyal to nothing.

I've been loving Cup of Jo's Beauty Uniform seriesthese posts from No More Dirty Looks and Huff Post's Beauty Street Style column as well. Each time I read one I find myself wondering if this person will have some miracle product that will work for me too.

I seem to be on an endless quest. I rarely buy the same products more than once. I am forever assuming that there must be something better out there that I haven't stumbled upon yet.

Thankfully, instead of buying every product someone one raves about, I've become obsessed with Beautypedia. Have you checked it out? It rates most every skincare and makeup product you could think of and at first, I was skeptical. However, I can tell you, they've been right on about what products will irritate my skin.



Here's what I HAVE learned from reading tons of other women's beauty routines. 

1. Everyone mixes and matches brands. Most product lines try and tell you that if you use their cleanser, for the best results, you need to use their toner, moisturizer, etc. Real women are mixing things up.

2. Everyone splurges and saves in different areas. I was surprised at how most all women were using a variety of department store and drugstore brands. Maybe their cleanser cost under $10 and then they are following that up with a $100 serum.

3. Everyone's skin is different. This I can tell you from personal experience. Some of the products ladies have been raving about on blogs have not worked out well for me and my sensitive skin.


So, my goal for the summer, to find myself a beauty routine. I want to find products that moisturize and don't irritate my dry/sensitive skin, that are proactive about the wrinkles I'm starting to see without being super crazy expensive. And ideally, products that don't test on animals and are fairly natural.

Anyone have anything to recommend?



Images via Pinterest



Wedding Roundup


We kicked off our summer wedding season last weekend and my mind is buzzing with ideas for Wedding Wednesday posts. But for this week, lets start off with a jumble of wedding ideas and advice  I've been seeing around the web lately...

Wedding day yoga poses

Love these table numbers

From Marie Antoinette to Will & Kate...the most extravagant weddings of all-time.

Beautiful watercolor invitations 

#weddinghashtaggenerator

Would you wear a wedding jumpsuit instead of a dress? I kind of like this one. 

Just a ridiculously cute sign for your dog

Wedding registry suggestions from someone 5 years in

Thoughtful tips for happy bridesmaids