Sunday, August 28, 2011

Come back, Roberto

Friends,

This last week I was feeling especially sorry for myself that Robbie is more than a thousand miles away, so instead of continuing my pity party, I headed to San Diego to visit his parents, Marilyn and Tim.

I'm so glad I did.

Marilyn and Tim are the kind of people that make you feel like you've known them your entire life. They have the greatest stories and they're so welcoming. It was great hanging out with them for the afternoon in beautiful San Diego. The three of us had lunch and spent the afternoon on the back patio. Marilyn and I did what we always do- sipped on almond champagne and white wine.

I got my little dose of the Moen family this weekend, which will keep me going for a little while longer.


Missing this boy.

Starting the four month count down until we're in the same place at the same time...

xoxo


Tuesday, August 16, 2011

The ya-ya sisterhood

My lovelies,

I have two wonderful sisters. One knits, the other blogs. Today, I'm going to tell you all about the blogger. Another time, I'll share with you the knitter.

(left to right: Lauren, Page, Nikol. Photo courtesy of the talented Anne McCarthy)


Page, aka The Mrs. (she was married a year ago to the wonderful RC), is wonderfully creative. She has an eye for design and has always had a knack for fashion. The reason I love, love, love her blog is because it keeps me up-to-date on what's "in" AND it features her amazing crafting ability. This girl can craft like none other. Everything she makes looks like it either came out of Pottery Barn or a Martha Stewart magazine.

What also is awesome about her blog is that it features some really cool, unique spots in San Francisco. Since she's a newbie in the city, she's exploring the nooks and crannies of everything San Francisco has to offer.

Basically, her blog is a fashionable, crafty must-see list of SF. Or something like that. Definitely check her out before August 20th and leave a comment to be entered into a drawing for a FREE birchbox.


Some fun facts about my sister:
- I used to call her ya-ya because I couldn't say Page.
- She is fantastic at poetry. Her rhyming ability is amazing- I swear she could be the next Eminem.
- She's the greatest at giving gifts because she is so thoughtful.
- The girl can't sing, but she sure has rhythm and sweet dance moves.

I'm so lucky to have such a wonderful and talented sister. Thank you, Page, for all that you do for me.

xoxo

Next up: Miss Lauren Mae and her knitting skills!

The East Side

Friends,

It's about a month away. Just a few months ago, my wonderful friend Kristin and I decided we were going to Europe. Just like that. We thought, why not? We could scrounge up the money and wouldn't that be a nice reward to ourselves for finishing four years of college?

And here we are. Five weeks away from hopping on the plane to visit Eastern Europe.

Sometimes I can't believe how incredibly blessed I am to have the life that I have.

Lots of people have asked, why Berlin, Prague and Vienna?
Answer: I've been to France and Switzerland. Kristin's been to Italy. Neither of us wanted to go to Spain or Great Britain at this point in our lives, so we figured Eastern Europe was the way to go.

During these last couple of days, I've been gearing up for my trip:

Thanks, Borders, for the lovely maps. While I'm sad you're going out of business, I'm happy for all the deals.

*p.s. Has anyone noticed how much they've jacked up the prices of their books and then put them on "sale?" Psh. Rip off.


And thank you, public library, for the wonderful travel guides. Check out my travel survival book- if I get stuck in the jungle, desert or sea, I'll know just how to get by, thank you very much.

If you have any travel tips or books I should read, please tell! Kristin and I need as many recommendations as I can get before we can hit the road!

Next up: the long awaited and promised feature on my sister Page.
xoxoooxoxoxoxoo

Friday, July 29, 2011

How old am I again?

My dears,

I don't know about you, but I've been obsessed with Harry Potter since the book series began in 5th grade. Since the last movie came out a couple of weeks ago, I've been finding all sorts of fun Harry Potter things all over the internet.


The star of the show, Harry Potter:


The adorable and charming Ron Weasly:


And the once-frizzy, now-elegant Hermoine:




Adorable.

If you haven't seen the movie yet, shame on you.

xoxo!

Friday, July 22, 2011

I heart Star Wars

My friends,

If there's one thing you must know about me, it's that I adore Star Wars. I don't know how many Halloweens I dressed up as Princess Leia and Queen Amidala. After watching the original Star Wars: A New Hope with Robbie and realizing what a big Star Wars nerd he was, I knew he was it.

So when I came across this photo, I couldn't help but share it with you.



Translation: "That's not a moon."

Adorable.

xo


Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Converting to Texanism

My lovely friends,

I'm back in action in the blogging world, I promise. There have been a ton of changes in the last month or so that have kept me from posting, but I'M BACK!

I'm a graduated girl now! Graduation weekend was the best weekend ever. If you're interested, read all about it on my sister Page's blog, PageonPaper. If you haven't had a chance to check out her crafty little blog, please do. She's a wonderfully talented little lady with an eye for design & all things crafty. She's always posting cool finds around the internet. I'll be sure to do a feature on her and her adorable blog soon!


Since graduation, I've moved back home to save money, plan a trip to europe with my hilarious friend, Kristin, and get ready to move to Austin, Texas with my handsome boyfriend, Robert.

That's right, I'm going to be a Texan.

Before diving into the responsibilities of being a Texan (which I'm assuming are wearing cowboy boots and loving America- two things I pretty much already do), I took a trip to Austin to check it all out.

I met Robbie there (he was already in the city training for his job) and we spent the week exploring the weird and wonderful city of Austin.

Texas is hot. Riverside is hot, but Texas is Texas-hot. The secret to keeping cool? Swim whenever possible.

Robbie took me to a sweet pool that his new Austin friends had taken him to: Barton Springs. Let me tell you, this place is a Godsend.

The water is refreshingly cold. There's great people-watching. AND, if you're lucky, since Austin is one of the few cities in America where going topless is legal, you may see a pair of you-know-whats hanging around.

The pool itself is huge. It looks like a normal pool, but the bottom is totally natural. There are rocks and seaweed and fish swimming around in the water.

Sam (Robbie's friend from school) and Robbie jumped off the diving board.

Sam's flip was fantastic.

Robbie's jump... a little less graceful. Equally fantastic, though.


The city of Austin is gorgeous. Even the graffiti was pretty. I think the graffiti on the train bridge in this picture said something along the lines of, "peace and love," or something to that effect. Adorable.





The bars and clubs in Austin were awesome. Sam's uncle owns The Continental, so we were treated like VIPs when we went there. They had some excellent bands playing there, including the Mother Truckers and The Happen-Ins. Loved both bands.


On 6th Street, which reminded me a lot of the French Quarter in New Orleans, we went to the Blind Pig and the boys played this punching game. (I wasn't a fan.)



Robbie practically broke his hand.

And Sam broke something else...


His pants.


One thing to note about Texas: they don't care if you drink in public as long as your container is covered.

So noted the dry-erase board when we entered Hamilton Pool: "No public display of alcohol consumption." As long as your beer is in a beer koozie, you're set.

This was taken right before we saw the pool. Before we saw...


THIS! This picture can't show you just how massive this rock is. Hamilton Pool is absolutely gorgeous.


The handsome boyfriend.

My not-so-fantastic photo-taking skills.



There were mini waterfalls everywhere. The pool was absolutely stunning.


My first impression of Texas was definitely a good one. I'm looking forward to going back and spending some more time with the McCarthy family/my second cousins.

Texas, I think I can handle you.

xoxoxoxoxooxoxox

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Featuring a not-so-average average girl

Friends,

I just wanted to share a new and adorable blog with you: Nat, your average girl.

Natalie is a close friend of my sister and here are a couple of fabulous things about her:
- She and her husband look like Barbie and Ken. They are absolutely adorable.
- Her brother, Kevin, recently got engaged!!! He and his fiancee ALSO look like Barbie and Ken. Check out their beautiful engagement photos on Nat's blog.
- Natalie is a great friend and a huge help. She helped pass out programs at my sister's wedding and was a blast at Page's bachelorette party.

I'm in love with her posts and her pics.

Give her blog some bloglove.


(via Nat)

xoxo