Going to the Chapel

I love my friends. I adore them in fact, and all the crazy memories we have made will be the things that I tell my children when they are old enough not too use it against me!

Yesterday one of my favorite people from college got "the question" popped to her. On her roof, in the rain, wearing a bathrobe! If you knew the couple it would make perfect sense. Her fiance then surprised her later that night by having their whole family and all of us ready and waiting at a secret location. I unfortunately had to baby-sit first. I love the kiddo, and I love the cash but it just happened that I really wished I could have been there for the surprise.

Since I would only be there in spirit for an indeterminate amount of time I sent what has become my favorite gift to give the newly engaged/married. An apron, because whats more wifey then an apron? I stopped at my favorite apron purchasing spot Anthropologie and then drove like a banshee over to my friend Chris' to drop it off with him to present in my absence. Little did I know as I was doing this... Richard was up on the roof actually doing the deed! I was there (kinda) in spirit!

So fast forward a couple of hours, I have super great newly colored and styled hair and Im babysitting. Baby J is chattering away and I'm waiting for news that the surprise has been sprung and or when Ill be sprung to join them!

A little while later I got a text from JenBunny telling me to check my email and this appeared. There's my buddy in all her future wifey glory! I finally caught up with everyone, we made a night of it at the bar and then a house... Phil Collins if only you knew how you became the soundtrack of the Richard and Lindsay engagement, I wonder if you could feel it coming in the air tonight?

I can't wait for the ensuing fun that comes with my friends engagements and hopefully Ill have a kick ass date at the wedding. We are dancing, drinking, after-partying fools in this crowd and I can't wait to have even more reasons!

While writing this I started checking out the other blogs I follow and one, A Cup of Jo, had a link about cute weddings so I went down the rabbit hole, and this is super cute... 100 Layer Cake via A Cup of Jo. The bride works for Elle Magazine so I feel like it's cheating that her wedding looks that perfect from the pictures, but then again I would worry if someone working for a major mag didn't have a wedding that looked like it belong in the magazine. Plus I'm a sucker for anything Great Gatsby!

Need Your Vote

I love entering contests, it's something about being named the winner of something random I guess. This contest was no different because I LOVE LOVE Lauren Merkin purses. Clutches are always my purse enemy because of my always carrying chapstick rule. There is never enough room for that final item. However, I borrowed a LM clutch from a friend for a wedding and EVERYTHING fit. From there, I was sold. Her new collection of items is stunning and a chance to take home my favorite just because it matches two of my favorite clothing items was meant to be!

So I will now shamelessly plug my own entry, and if there is a single reader out there who doesn't already know about the contest because I facebooked you regarding it then that's a vote I didn't have before! Here is the link to my specific page! Spread the word!

http://apps.facebook.com/laurenmerkin/entries/browse/49

If I had a million dollars

I swear all my blog posts are going to be about things I am not buying because I'm saving my pennies for travel in 2010!

I'm going to have to break down pretty soon and splurge on some little fun things or go crazy. I have been coveting this little hair ornament for a while. Old Heart, New Soul's website just makes me want to move home and force my mother to open a boutique with me. Only our sewing/crafting abilities are very limited. We always find that out the hard way when we take on a project over our heads! Their stuff is adorable, and at least jewelry-wise I feel like I could make my own versions, if I had the time and the patience. I'll probably convince my friend Katie, who is a true jewelry star to help me out! Oldsoulnewheart.com

After I figure out the hair/jewelry situation I'll move onto buying up dozens of flower pieces from this woman (I think it's her in the pictures). I swear I spend more time coveting genius things that other people make, then just trying to figure out how to make genius things myself. Her blog and her flowers are adorable. I highly doubt I would ever be able to convince any man in my life to rock her boutonnieres, but I would rock all of it. Plus I just enjoy looking at the pictures she posts on her blog. The photo shoots she does with her gorgeous creations are both amusing and interesting. I would never think, "Lets show off my cute hair clips" by feeding tons of ducks. I love it and now I want a pair of green wellies too!
http://emersonmade.com & http://emersonmade.com

It's starting to feel like Spring in Dallas and that makes me nervous. Clearly, I have a streak for a crazy accessory and fall/winter is easier for me to attempt those for some reason ( I think its because I can always wear a velvet blazer as a security blanket :)) I have a pair of OTK suede boots and a velvet blazer (or two) to spend some time with before it turns into pretty weather. Right now they are all sitting in my closet waiting for me not to be lazy and take more then 25 minutes to wake up and head out for work! The outfit from Emersonmade in my blog is so my style, why am I too lazy to actually do something about it???

On a final note, so far 2010 isn't off to the start I had hoped. Although one of my favorite people at work reminded me the other day that the issues that have come up are still a carryover from 2009! I guess I'll have to give 2010 a chance still. Starting next week I will also have to give waking up at 5:30AM a chance, one of my friendlies and I are going to start running the Katy Trail in preparation for the Butterfly Boogie 5K (maybe Ill get so good I can run the 10K)!

Until my next random posting!

Tutus and Toe Shoes

While sitting in the North Park Nordstroms tonight pulling myself out of the work week depression the sales woman told me I had dancer's feet.

Ummm, right size 9 delicate dancer's feet.

She then explained that it was my toes that gave me away. After I stopped reminding myself to get a pedicure I started reminding myself of how much I put my feet through growing up.

Like most little girls I started out in ballet and tap from the age of 3 and didn't stop until high school (which I still regret to this day). I added tons of athletic shoes and cleats to the mix as I grew up playing sports but, that first day with my toe shoe ribbons winding up my legs still sticks out the most. It was proof that I was an official ballerina and within 20 minutes I had the mangled toes to prove it.

The costumes that teachers put me in were crazy, scary, most of the time inappropriate for a child of my age and looking back now absolutely hilarious to witness in film and print. I will have to have a priest legally bind me to my future husband before he sees most of that material. Unless my brother and sisters beat me to the punch, which they love to do. There is one costume I will proudly show anyone and its my ruby red tutu. I think my mom has it stuffed (ahhhh) into some costume bin at their house but that was the costume I have been proudest to walk out on stage and twirl in.

That's why when I saw this... it took me all back. Its basically a grown-up everyday tutu (ok a custom-made formal "everyday" tutu, but that's simply semantics) and someday it will be mine! Plus it would look perfect with any of my shrunken cardies if I got chilly while twirling in it! If I thought I could find a grown-up everyday version of my toe shoes, then I would rock those on occasion too, but I think my toes have seen their last wrapped in lambswool and contorted days.

I would love to meet the creator of this and convince her I need one in every color. Her Etsy shop is genius, and everything is custom! http://www.etsy.com/shop/ouma



http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=37926262

Karma, You Saucy Minx

My friend made his facebook status on New Years Day:
"Dear karma, if you exist you soooo owe me for the next 364 days".

I wish I had thought of that! I stepped away from the blogging scene for a while and I miss it. I loved having a place to put my thoughts/stories out into the universe.

2008 was rocky and halfway through 2009 I was asking for a mulligan. I've been so ready for a new year and now its here. I've made my new years resolutions and hopefully I can stick to them. Plus (hopefully) 361 days from now, I'm blogging that I had a great year and wish it wasn't ending.

I have always believed that you are responsible for your own happiness, and I've always believed that you give what you get. So if karma doesn't owe me yet, I hope she will soon.

Heres to going tobed on time (a resolution) to get up and hit the gym with my roommate (a resolution) and to hopefully kick off my first day back at work by kicking a$$ (nicely of course- but still a resolution ;) ) in cute shoes!