simple pleasures

currently listening to "black to white" by felix cartal feat. miss palmer

{all my favorite movies}

as fourth of july is coming up, i know many people will be gathering with friends and families.. and i hope that everyone takes the opportunity to show their loved ones that they are, in fact, loved.

{shoes displayed on a small antique bench in my apartment}

 sometimes all it takes to brightens someone's day/week/month is simply letting them know that you are thankful for them. you'll be surprised to find that these little gestures could make a big difference.

{photo booth at last week's wedding} 

because life is really too short to not share how you feel. 

when harry met sally

 favorite movie, ever.

saint genevieve

currently listening to "keep it for your own (yours truly session)" by pop etc -- skip to 2:07

salivating yet? you will.

{waffle battered sausage}

had brunch on sunday with some of my very favorite people at this magical place. i dont even know where to start to explain the reasons why and how i fell madly in love with saint gen's.

{egg white frittata with goat cheese and arugala}

maybe it's the fact that we had incredible service. maybe it was the bloody mary bar where you can make your very own perfected concoction (we loaded ours with cheese, celery, olives, bacon, and a very healthy dose of sriracha).

or maybe it's because they had a DJ. or could it have been because they have bottomless mimosas for $12?

{burger with house cut fries}

yea, i think that's it.

healthy living

currently listening to "time after time" by eva cassidy

i know that, even as im typing this, i'm about to give advice that i have no place to give. but okay, lets think of it this way.. in posting this, im challenging myself to follow through with it too. get a good night's rest.

now everyone's body is different so really, a healthy amount of sleep can be anywhere between 7-9 hours, on average. i really haven't done this lately (or maybe "never" is the the word im  looking for), but i know that it's essential to start getting in a good night's rest for so many reasons. some of which include: emotional stability, better control of your weight, time for your body to repair itself, etc.

im a self-proclaimed insomniac (as im sure many of my gen y counterparts are as well) so i've implemented a few changes to help me:

1) turn off your computer/ tv 30 minutes prior

2) drink non-caffeinated tea

3) take a natural melatonin pill

4) read a book in bed (preferably not the hunger games)

5) use lavender lotion to calm your senses

mix and match however you see fit. some nights i honestly do all 5 because i can't get my mind to turn off. hope everyone gets a restful night of sleep tonight!

sparklers

currently listening to "wild ones" by flo rida ft. sia wishing it was still the weekend

still a little weirded out by the fact that people my age (or younger!) are getting married; this feeling was definitely highlighted this weekend after seeing one of my childhood best friends marry the love of his life.

the wedding also doubled up as an impromptu high school reunion and it was actually so very pleasant and wonderful to see everyone from my yesteryears all grown up and doing well.

it didn't even feel like i haven't seen some of these kiddos in over 8 years... so funny how time can fly by like that, but yet still feel like just yesterday. im already eagerly anticipating the next time we all meet up again.. can't wait to see where 8 more years will take us!

{j.crew dress, kate spade earrings}

our own pretty ways

quote of the day

Fanny Brice: You could get lonesome being that free.
Nick Arnstein: You could get lonesome being that busy. 

- funny girl, one of my absolute favorites

pretty little tunes vol.29

oldies, but goodies -- happy friday! :)
1. "shining star" by the manhattans
2. "cruisin'" by smokey robinson
3. "can't get enough of your love baby" by barry white
4. "lean on me" by bill withers
5. "best of my love" by the emotions
6. "superstition" by stevie wonder
7. "rescue me" by fontella bass
8. "let's stay together" by al green
9. "who's loving you" by the jackson 5
10. "stand by me" by the drifters

brunch party

currently listening to "flying by your window" by jason myles goss

hosted a brunch party last friday for a few co-workers aka my evil clever plot to have people over just to play catchphrase with me (my favorite game, ever). wearing a peplum shirt from casual couture that you can't quite see and a j.crew pencil skirt that, again, you aren't able to see.. but hey, you get the point. it was a fancy occasion topped off with many, many mimosas. i think we should do this weekly and maybe just rename it an andre party. 

{casual couture top, j.crew necklace}

healthy living

currently listening to "on this train (live)" by zac brown band

as bikini season is in full effect, many of my friends have sworn to start crash diets. and while i definitely understand the appeal of fast results, im personally terrified that if i were to give in, i'd put the weight back on (plus some) just as quickly as i lost it. which is why im trying to stand my ground with the idea of making simple changes for a healthier lifestyle, not just a healthy week. what's one change i've implemented? replace a regular meal with a salad.

{a salad i made this week: romaine lettuce, cucumber, red onion, cherry tomatoes, goat cheese, avocado, and fresh ground pepper with a balsamic vinaigrette} 

after my trip to new york, i felt gross. simply put. i overloaded on pizza, pasta, cookies, etc... i can never turn down really, really good food (portion control is clearly my best friend). so when i arrived back in dallas, i thought "i really need to go on a liquid diet" -- that lasted, oh, about 5 seconds. instead, i opted to exchange a normal lunch or dinner meal with a salad. now, i normally eat side salads and do my fair share of greens throughout the week, but just by replacing an entire meal with a meal-sized salad has really helped me feel less guilt-ridden of my nyc indulgence. be mindful of what you're piling your salad with though; if you load your greens with bacon bits and ranch, that pretty much defeats the health factor. just give this change a go and you'll see how easy it really is!

pink lace

currently listening to "red red rose" by the weepies

{j.crew dress and bracelets, banana republic clutch, michael kors watch, gifted necklace}

photo by amanda riordan

if i were asked to choose just one piece from my closet to describe my style (or what i'd hope it to be perceived as, at least).. it would be this dress. nude-ish pink with laced detailing and just the right balance of sexy and sweet aka it's sickeningly perfect. and lucky for all of you lovelies, the dress is currently on sale :)

somebody that i used to know

quote of the day

be of love (a little)
more careful
than of everything.
guard her perhaps only
a trifle less
(merely beyond how very)
closely than nothing.
remember love by frequent anguish
(imagine her least never with most memory)
give entirely each forever its freedom
(dare until a flower,
understanding sizelessly sunlight
open what thousandth why and
discover laughing)

- e. e. cummings

last weekend

currently listening to "welcome home" by radical face

a few photos from kathy and ryan's beautiful wedding this past weekend in houston. apparently my love for food is grossly very entertaining to my friends. i went texas ranger on that steak.

pretty littles tunes vol.28

a very relaxing and soothing playlist this week:
1.  "simple life" by the weepies
2. "the district sleeps alone tonight" by the postal service
3. "higher love" by james vincent mcmorrow
4. "are we different" by priscilla ahn
5. "winter song" by sara bareilles and ingrid michaelson
6. "amelia" by matthew perryman jones
7. "carries on" by edward sharpe & the magnetic zeros
8. "autumn leaves" by eva cassidy 
9. "tip of the tongue" by the donnis trio
10. "champagne supernova" by oasis

gold studs

currently obsessed with "higher love" covered by james vincent mcmorrow

found this dress during a shopping day in nyc.. it is everything i could hope for: lightweight and simplistic, with just the right amount details in the form of beautiful little gold studs.

{zara dress, j.crew bracelet}

photos by amanda riordan

the manhattan project

\ obviously this week's posts are all going to be new york themed.. this video was too cool not to share

new york city photo diary

currently listening to "save me" by nicki minaj

{dresses in order of appearance: bcbg, j.crew, kate spade}

falling in love at a coffee shop

quote of the day

“Southern girls are God's gift to the entire male population. There is absolutely no woman finer than one raised below the Mason-Dixon line and once you go southern, may the good Lord help you, you never go back."

- Kenny Chesney 

simple pleasures

currently listening to "wait in the dark" by memory tapes

{taking naps in east village}

sometimes i can forget to take part in relaxing and good-for-you days when back in dallas, but when you visit another city (say nyc), those groundhog days seem far and few. 

{eating lunch at an outdoor french café}

laying out in the grass, overindulging in french onion soup, and taking time to stop and appreciate art coming to life were only a few of my favorite moments from my most recent trip. 

{artists along the streets of new york}

the met

currently listening to "little lies" by dave barnes

after being caught in a slight rainfall on our trek from subway to central park to the met, we were greeted with absolutely stunning pieces of artwork. the met is a definite must for anyone visiting new york, but allow yourself an ample amount of time to truly enjoy every little bit.. we were only able to stay for part of the afternoon and i felt like we barely even scratched the surface of what this place offered.