A Year Ago Today...

...we were roaming the streets of Paris.

It was the best trip of my life and definitely changed how I see the world.

I can't wait to go back someday...

New Discovery...

One of my larger splurges was on the Sugarboo frame we have in our family room. Well, I just saw that Sugarboo Designs now makes smaller frames for $99. They are just as precious and would make an excellent wedding or baby gift!

Beads.

I am loving these beads from Banana Republic. They are perfect for Spring and would look adorable with a t-shirt. They might be mine soon...

Easter Wishes.

I hope everyone had a lovely Easter yesterday. We enjoyed our brunch with family, tulips everywhere and every window and door open to a beautiful Spring day. Unfortunatley, today my allergies are driving me nuts...but it was worth it to enjoy such amazing weather yesterday.

To see family pictures from yesterday go here.

Good Friday and Preparing for Easter...

Today is Good Friday and the start of the Easter weekend. We are having our families over Sunday morning for Brunch and I've been a complete slacker on getting everything ready. J. is off from work today, so we are going to brave Costco and see what we can throw together for Easter morning....which also includes 2 Easter egg hunts - one with our neighbors and one for nephews. I hope to have fun pictures to share on Monday....

Happy Easter and enjoy a chocolate bunny!

First Day of Spring.

Jardin du Luxembourg in Paris

Today marks the first day of Spring and here is my list of how to celebrate....

• Sit and read in the sun to soak up Vitamin D.
• Go buy new flowers to plant.
• Drive everywhere with the sunroof open and windows down.
• Clean out drawers and dark places that need to be cleared out and organized.
• Have a picnic outside on the grass.
• Eat strawberries.
• Treat yourself to a new Spring outfit.

Happy Spring!

Circle of Life.

Yesterday I went to get my hair cut and colored, and my usual bubbly, high energy hair stylist was not herself. When I asked her what was wrong, she reminded me on my last appointment her telling me that her best friend's mom just found out she had stomach cancer. She then said that the cancer aggressively spread throughout every crevice of her body and that she is in the hospital and will most likely die today or tomorrow. This all happened within one month...

She told me that in the hospital her friend's mom is in, they play a lullaby throughout the hospital every time a baby is born. I was in awe of life's profound message...as they sit in the room watching someone pass away, there is a constant reminder of new life entering the world. It just confirmed for me how life is so precious and fragile, and should never be taken for granted. Hospitals, like airports, are filled with some of the saddest people as well as the happiest. The circle of life is so real and constant.

So Much To Be Grateful For...

I am reflecting on the many things I have to be grateful for today...

1. A healthy body working properly and the way God intended.
2. Brooks softly snoring and cuddling with me on the couch.


3. A husband who cleans all the dishes after dinner and tells me to "go relax" since I made the meal.


4. Wonderful & amazing friends who support me in life's events.


5. A quick fix for the garbage disposal back up I caused by shoving Brussels Sprouts down the drain {Roto Rooter was here within 2 hours of my 5pm phone call and had it fixed by 7:15pm...whew}.

My Dream Uniform.

If I had to wear one piece of clothing everyday, it would be a Tory Burch tunic or a caftan dress with sandals and lots of accessories...they're both comfy with style at the same time.

Happy St. Patricks Day.

I am spending the majority of my day waiting for a repair man to come and fix my much missed microwave. He better be wearing green or he's going to get pinched...

Enjoy your day and do something green!

Day Brightner...

Our microwave broke last night {3rd time in 3 years} and the repair man can't come until Monday between 8 am - 5 pm...which means he'll probably be here at 5:15 pm. It's throwing me off a little bit, since I use it to warm water for tea and cook my oatmeal in the morning.

Anyway, this video has made up for it because it makes me so happy. I can't even tell you how many times I've watched this. This little boy's british accent melts me...

Sweet Nephew.

Diego on our wedding day getting help with his tie.

My nephew, Diego, is on spring break this week so I jumped at the chance to watch him while he's off from school. He is the sweetest 9 year old boy I've ever known and being with him doesn't make me afraid to have children. He rides in the car with me while I run errands and asks thought provoking questions like, "Is is true that people will die if all they eat is sugar?" and "Is there more than one radio station?" He opens and holds the door for me wherever we go, and he told me to go rest when I told him that my stomach felt weird. I took him to see the movie, College Road Trip yesterday and we giggled through the whole movie together. I can't wait to see who he is when he's older...he's going to melt a lot of hearts.

One Of My Favorites...

Every Monday night at 7 pm, J. and I are glued to channel 5, anxiously waiting to watch our favorite TV show, How I Met Your Mother. It's about a character named Ted telling his children how he met their mother, but the stories involve his 4 other friends and their lives. The writing is so amazing. It literally makes me laugh out loud and J. and I talk about it the whole next week until the next episode. I can't wait for next Monday night...finally the writers strike is over and new episodes again!

Here is just a little taste from a previous episode...and she does turn out to be crazy.

Getting Organized.

In an effort to get more organized, I started on my closet a few weeks ago and here are the next steps:

1. Take a huge garbage bag of clothes to Goodwill, along with a few other bags of various giveaways.


2. Take another bag of nicer clothes to Chrysalis {an abused women's shelter where women are trying to get back on their feet}.


3. Continue weeding out the "junk" and items I don't wear anymore to make room for breathing space in my closet.

I am feeling lighter already...

I Get Hooked Every Time...

I am a Bravo TV junkie and one of my new favorite shows is The Real Housewives of New York City. I was hooked on the previous show with housewives from Orange County, and now with two episodes in, I'm hooked on this one too. It's like watching a completely different life that you know exists, but somehow can't imagine it's real. They all live in Manhattan in fabulous apartments/townhouses and then have even more amazing houses in the Hamptons. I drool over their living spaces and my mind is boggled processing the amount of money these people have. It's fun to watch but looks exhausting.

Here's to a Better Tuesday.

Yesterday was a blur. I woke up late, felt totally uninspired to go work out, went to the store and they were out of everything I needed, my allergies were driving me crazy, the market hit another all time low so J. came home frazzled and grumpy, I missed the Oprah webcast and my house was a mess.

Uggghhh...the whole day was blah! I just wanted to ride away on my bicycle into the sunset.

Today is a new day and it's been wonderful....a pedicure, lunch with mom, good workout, the market is up so J. is happy, took allergy medicine, the webcast is replaying and my house is clean. What a difference a day makes.

Pleasant Surprises...

J. and I braved JC Penney today to look at the new American Living line I wrote about last week. I found this black and white dress I was loving online and bought it. It is so comfortable and the quality is exceptional {completely sturdy and thick}. If you see me this Spring/Summer, I'll probably be wearing it...I love it!

Plus, much to my surprise, there is now a small Sephora inside JC Penney {at least at the Tempe Marketplace location}. I couldn't believe that I actually heard J. say, "this place is incredible"...his standard for product and service is extremely high.

Sunday Car.

I saw a cream vintage Mercedes like this one parked in our neighborhood yesterday. Since it's my dream Sunday car, I wanted to hide in the back and go home with it. I really hope one day we can get a car for driving around on sunny days with perfect music playing and Brooks in my lap.

Happy Weekend.

While Roaming The Aisles At CVS...

I discovered that they now carry bumble and bumble hair products! I was so happy since usually you can only find these products at very specific salons. I love their smell and how they make my hair feel.

It was such a lovely surprise for a Thursday afternoon...

These Are A Few Of My Favorites Things....

• Taking a bath and putting my feet under the hot running water.




• Fresh lemonade.




• The smell of rose {real or artificial...I hope I'm a little old lady that smells like rose someday}.




• Chips and salsa.




• Watching Friends re-runs...I still want to live in their building and just hang out all the time.




• The smell of coffee brewing.




• Picnics.




• Candles burning at night.




• Sitting in the sun with a cool breeze.




• Petite fours and cupcakes.

• Getting new magazines in the mail.

• Cropped pants and flip flops.




• Thursdays.

Kaylie.

Today is my wonderful goddaughter Kaylie's birthday. She is 15 years old today and it seems like just yesterday she was born. Her mom Keri is one of my best friends and she had Kaylie when we were in high school. It was one of the most defining experiences in my life, and I wouldn't be who I am today without it. She is so special to me and here are some reasons why...

• I was in the room when Kaylie was born and watched her enter this world.


• She has always been a sentimental, sweet soul.


• She is wise way beyond her years.


• When she was little I would spend the night at Keri's house, after my latest break-up, and sleep with Kaylie for comfort.


• She cares about other people and this world more than most.


• She is the smartest 15 year old I've ever known.


• She resembles a younger version of myself {stylish, deep soul, creative, doesn't like ironing, bedroom with stuff everywhere...}


• She appreciates the small things in life and always expresses it.


• She is an amazing writer.


• She is one of my kindred spirits in this world.

I know that Kaylie is going to contribute amazing things to this world, and her purpose has always seemed so obvious to me. She is truly a gift from God and I feel so lucky to be in her world.

Happy Birthday, Kaylie.

My Dream Cottage.

This adorable cottage was featured in the current Cottage Living magazine. I love the white roses and overgrown vines in front and above garage. If I could design exactly how our house looked, this would be my dream. See the article here.

Recipe For A Perfect Tea Party.

Today my amazing goddaughter, Kaylie, celebrated her 15th birthday with a tea party for she and her friends. The recipe that helped make it special included, flowers, vintage china, finger sandwiches, good friends, bubbles & cupcakes.

The day concluded with the birthday girl flying a brand new red kite....