little talks

quote of the day

Princess Ann: I have to leave you now. I'm going to that corner there and turn. You must stay in the car and drive away. Promise not to watch me go beyond the corner. Just drive away and leave me as I leave you. 
Joe Bradley: All right. 
Princess Ann: I don't know how to say goodbye. I can't think of any words. 
Joe Bradley: Don't try.

 {roman holiday}

simple pleasures

currently listening to "divine romance" by phil wickham

this week, during yoga practice, my teacher told us to focus on 3 things that we were grateful for while we were holding difficult poses.. and then, as class was ending, she told us to apply this into our lives: to think of 3 things we were grateful for when life gets hard or when we get frustrated. because we can either let hardships bring us down or we can choose to overcome and learn from them, and most of the time, the things we get upset about are -in the grand scheme of things- not worth being upset over. life is just better lived if we concentrate on how lucky we really are. and i, for one, am beyond lucky.

madewell summer

pretty little tunes vol.22

feel-good tunes that are perfect to listen to while laying out by the pool:
1. "hook you up" by sylver tongue
2. "some nights" by fun.
3. "bennie and the jets" haley reinhart
4. "diet mtn dew" by lana del rey
5. "marathon" by tennis
6. "hey na na" by katie herzig
7. "sitting, waiting, wishing" by jack johnson
8. "don't worry, be happy" by bob marley
9. "40 day dream" by edward sharpe & the magnetic zeros
10. "see the sun" the kooks

family ties

listening to james taylor's "traveling star" (i was actually in the audience with my dad the night this was filmed!)

sometimes i can get pretty homesick and by that i mean, i just miss my family (since what really constitutes as "home" when you've moved around so much?).. not sure why though since my dad will be visiting me in a mere three days (!!!) nonetheless, here are some photos i found from our family trip two years ago, taken in taiwan and malaysia. 

dance-off

currently listening to "honey" by erykah badu

haven't really had time to post this week, but here's a fun picture i thought id share from last friday night.. dancing on rooftops for the win!

{blurred barney's silk top, blank nyc spray-on colored skinnies, michael kors watch}

too close

quote of the day

"Give a girl the right shoes and she can conquer the world."

- Marilyn Monroe

simple pleasures

currently listening to "i don't blame you" by cat power

{making dinner with matt}

happy weekend! per usual this week went by too fast.. im gonna need life to slow down just a teeny bit.. 

{face masks.. sorry if this'll give you nightmares}

{favorite summer grocery items: avocados and mangoes}

{new cocktail shaker from sur la table}

{another purchase from sur la table: spring cupcake cases!}

pretty little tunes vol. 21

my favorite picks from nashville film festival's 2012 mixtape:
1. "don't say" by st. lola in the fields
2. "i've got you covered" by sugar and the hi-lows
3. "come back home" by matthew mayfield
4. "my little life" by korby lenker
5. "closer" by annie williams
6. "jumping trains" by katie herzig
7. "born with a broken heart" by david wax museum
8. "looking for you again" by matthew perryman jones
9. "the way we move" by langhorne slim
10. "fire" by jesse thomas

the big day

most perfect music ever: ivan and alyosha's npr music tiny desk concert

my cup is still brimming with so much happiness and love :)

healthy living

there's no way you can be upset after you listen to this: "home" by edward sharpe & the magnetic zeros

im a consistent socializer.. as in, i hate sitting at home when i know i could be spending that time with friends. woeee to me. but as i've mentioned this before.. socializing and going out can get pretty unhealthy so this week's tip isn't rocket science, it's just about planning ahead: find out what restaurant you're meeting your friends at and look at the menu beforehand.

simple right? if you're anything like me then a new menu can stump you. if i don't have time to look up a menu before arriving then i always end up either A) taking forever and or B) ordering something incredibly unhealthy just on impulse. so just take the 5 minutes to go to a restaurant's website, look at their menu, and pick out something before your meal and stick with it. if i'm feeling extra-motivated, i'll even start plugging in the ingredients of a few dish options to calculate calories (if the nutritional facts aren't available) so i know what i'm getting myself into, but i know not everyone is as crazy as me has the time. good luck and happy tuesday!

rehearsal dinner

currently listening to "brothers" by tanlines

{anthropologie dress}

gloria's margaritas are the best. 

ho hey

quote of the day

simple pleasures

currently listening to "hold on" by alabama shakes

{literally the most perfect dress ever}

today is chelsea's wedding (which i cannot believe is finally here!) and although today is going to be pretty hectic, im so happy and proud to stand up there with her on her big day. here a few happy moments from this week :)

{easter goodies make such great decorations around the apartment}

{new magazines... obviously obsessed with lauren conrad}

{wine nights with amanda}

{quite moments at one of my favorite coffee shops}

rebecca minkoff s/s 2012

pretty little tunes vol. 20

this week's favorites :) now off to austin for chelsea's wedding rehearsal!
1. "comes and goes (in waves)" by greg laswell
2. "the stable song" by gregory alan isakov
3. "sigh no more" mumford & sons
4. "walking" the dodos
5. "here we are" by patrick park
6. "skinny love" by bon iver
7. "white winter hymnal" by fleet foxes
8. "daydream in blue" by i monster
9. "sail the sea" by syd
10. "cough syrup" by young the giant

easter sunday

warning: you'll put this on repeat -- "farther along" by josh garrels

spent easter with my little... i think im still in a food coma. 

six flags

currently listening to "pretty girl" by sugarcult

a few pictures from our six flags trip last friday!

healthy living

currently listening to "from the inside out" by hillsong united

it's really difficult nowadays to eat out and not want to consume the entire dish.. believe me, i understand. but if you're lucky like me then you have friends who are just as aware of the massive portions that our society has deemed "normal". so a simple thing to do the next time you're out socializing at a restaurant is to either split a meal or order an appetizer as your meal.

im sure you've heard so many people talk about how portion control is really what makes a difference when you're watching your figure; my brother always said "your abs start in the kitchen!" because no matter how much you workout, if you dont watch what you're intaking then it'll just take so. much. longer. before you can reach your goal.

splitting a meal will not only leave you satisfied, but it'll keep you healthy! i promise you.. you don't need to eat that entire plate of pasta from cheesecake factory. if you don't have anyone to go halfsies with then just box up half your meal before you dig in; it'll keep you from overeating. also, if everyone you're with wants their own dish then try ordering an appetizer. i like doing this because the portion size is usually much more reasonable, it's cheaper, and the dishes are usually more intriguing to me than normal main courses. my eyes are always bigger than my stomach, as im sure is the case for many of you, so just be mindful of your portion size the next time you're out with friends and remember: sharing is caring! :)

gonna get over you

how did i just see this music video?! definitely one of my favorite songs off her latest album.

oh happiness!

"I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me." - Philippians 3:10-12

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!!! :)

simple pleasures

currently listening to "somebody that i used to know" by gotye

{cupcakes i made for bub's birthday}

what a whirlwind week! scratch that. what a whirlwind month! i feel like this year has just flown by; i cant believe it's already easter tomorrow. and with all of my traveling/ schedule planning, its always nice for me to look back on photos from throughout the week of the little things that made me smile.

{repeat repeat repeat}

{new favorite snack: roasted cauliflower}

{failed mirror shot attempts in the limo at the bachelorette party}

{new ray ban aviators}

pretty little tunes vol.19

inspired by my recent infatuation with lana del rey's music:
1. "off to the races" by lana del rey
2. "only if for a night" by florence + the machine
3. "promises (skillrex and nero remix)" by nero
4. "in for the kill (skillrex remix)" by la roux
5. "lights (bassnector remix)" by ellie goulding
6. "howl" by florence + the machine
7. "runaway" by yeah yeah yeahs
8. "fences" by phoenix
9. "radio" by lana del rey
10.  "cover my eyes" by la roux

bachelorettes

obviously obsessed with lana del rey's "video games" -- this is the club clique for the bad girls remix

for those of you who don't know the story on how me and chelsea met, i feel the need to tell you because it was so divinely planned. me and chuls met because both of our families moved our junior year of high school from texas (she from austin and i from houston) to the same small town in massachusetts. we both knew absolutely no one and everyone in that town had basically been friends since they were born. needless to say, it was not easy to fit in. i remember going home that entire first week of school and just crying.

one day during lunch, we both happened to be primping hiding out in the bathrooms to avoid going to lunch cause we didn't know anyone (sad, i know). well, i recognized her from new student orientation day so i measly asked "aren't you chelsea?" she nodded. i then bravely proceeded with "are you having lunch with anyone?" she replied no. "do you want to have lunch with me?" ... the rest is history. 

we went through the toughest transition of our lives together and i feel as though god was truly watching out for me by bringing chelsea into my life so i could have someone to cry to when i missed texas or complain with when there was no decent mexican food. she was my strength and comfort when i needed it the most. 

and what do you know? 7 years later and she's asked me to be a bridesmaid at her wedding. never again will i doubt that even the most seemingly difficult situations can actually bring out the greatest gifts.

[kensie dress, steve madden heels]