eye candy.

don draper is so so sexy.

xxoo.

shop 'til you drop.

hello strangers. things are just dandy these days. the sun is shining. i'm so, so close to graduation (i can just taste the victory!). i recently went to see The Naked and Famous with some dear friends. i saw (and embarrassingly loved The Lucky One...Zack Efron, you sexy man!). i've been exercising and eating right to get ready for bikini season (woof). my puppies are the cutest things. the love of my life is in a habit of giving me amazing back massages and cooking lots of yummy meals. and, i just went on a little shopping spree at tobi.com. gotta love it!!! 

and, my friends are just amazing. right now 5 of my lovelies are engaged and 1 is soon-to-be. i'm so excited for them and it is so much fun to celebrate with them and watch/help them plan their big days. congrats J, J, K, T & R!! 

check out my new purchases (let's hope they look as cute on me as they do on these models!): 

xxoo.

a post-bachelor season post.

is anyone as obsessed with the bachelor as i am? this year some of my friends put together a bachelor-draft....you know, like an NBA draft. my bracket won!! i was rather excited about it. i just came across this HILARIOUS bachelor sketch book. if you watched this last season, and you want to laugh out loud, check it out. 

xxoo.

falling in love.

read this. it is so true.

also, i'm very in love. and happy.

boring.

one of my favorite things to do last year was drool over fashion blogs and get daily inspiration for composing new outfits with items i already owned. but for some reason, i've been incredibly boring lately. i haven't had a single ounce of energy to rummage through my closet, and i'm often grabbing something thrown on the floor, checking the armpits for stench, and shrugging it off. okay, that's gross-but 75% true. and i can't even tell you how often i'm wearing gym clothes to school. i don't know what's wrong with me! i was just looking at one of my favorite fashion blogs that i used to constantly mimic and i felt just plain boring. it's time to step it up!! because honestly, why not wear my new, bright green heels tomorrow??

time to finish up my reading for class tomorrow! (and pick out an outfit for the day.) have a splendid thursday.

xxoo.

my valentine.

my valentine's day was so sweet and full of love. C made me scallops wrapped in bacon, salmon skewers and home-made thai potstickers. he also got me a gorgeous bouquet of flowers and a new pair of sunglasses. how did i get to be so lucky, i ask you?!?! i got him those tickets to anthony bourdain in seattle and a really cool print from etsy. we ate lots, drank wine, and relaxed at home after our long road trip. perfect. i'm so in love. have i mentioned that lately??

my card to colin

the dog's card to me

colin's card to me <3

drool-worthy scallops with bacon

hope you had a good v-day, filled with cupcakes, kisses and sparkle! 

xxoo.

our trip.

the trip was incredible. i can't even describe how much i loved portland. and it was a ton of fun showing colin around seattle. 

in portland, we stayed at the ACE Hotel and now i understand what the hype is all about! the room was a mix between military minimalistic and chic boutique with unique touches like mason jars to house q-tips and cotton balls, cilantro conditioner and mint shampoo, and old silver utility lamps. it is now my hotel of choice! when we got into the city, we were exhausted (we'd driven 12 hours!) so we took a nap, freshened up, and then took the dogs to a park to burn off some energy. after exhausting them as much as possible, we hit the town on our own, getting cocktails and mussels at a restaurant that smelled drool-worthy, burgers and beer at a recommended pub, and then popping into a couple shops. in the morning we wandered next door to kenny & zuke's for corn beef and hash (yum!) and went shopping at powell's books, american apparel (to get the dogs brand new red hoodies!) and a couple of local spots as well. we stopped at voodoo donuts on our way out of the city. 

the half-way point between portland and seattle is olympia, washington. we stopped there to visit with an old friend of mine that i recently reconnected with. we enjoyed seafood chowder and shared a pitcher of beer and winston got into his first dog fight on the street with a fat hippie pug. (don't worry, colin was there to the rescue-no harm, no foul). 

in seattle the highlight was introducing winston to my parents and just relaxing at home. we also went out to anthony's home port and scuttlebutt brewery in everett, washington and  spent a day in seattle, wandering around pike place market (and devouring a cup of jumbo shrimp), eating out at the alibi room, and SEEING ANTHONY BOURDAIN LIVE AT THE PARAMOUNT!! (my valentines day gift to colin). i had no idea what to expect when i bought the tickets, but it was absolutely hilarious. "tony" and his french chef friend "interrogated" each other in the beginning which was both dirty and comical. then, the second half of the show was a discussion about responsible eating. it was really quite fascinating and informative, without being preachy.

we decided that we'll be doing that road trip every time we take the dogs to my parent's house. i loved playing hookie, spending time with the love of my life and being in my home town.

do you like going on road trips? what has been your favorite road trip?

xxoo.

skinny bones.

xxoo.

portland and seattle.

on wednesday we are going on a little road trip to portland and seattle. i'm so excited!! (how can it only be monday??) in portland we are staying at ace hotel...which i've heard amazing things about in the blog-world. their rooms look so unique and best yet-they're doggy friendly! does anyone have any recommendations on what to do while we are there?

the purpose of the trip is to introduce winston to my parents. i can't wait to see them and see their reactions to our new addition!

i also can't wait to stroll the streets of seattle with C. we are also going to celebrate valentines day while we are there, so i'm going to take him out to some of my favorite spots (details to follow!):

can't you just imagine wandering around city streets wearing this outfit, holding your love's hand and walking two adorable dogs??? yeah, me too.

atlantic-pacific

xxoo.

for no particular rhyme or reason.

Italy 

Atlantic-Pacific

Sass & Bide

this weekend has been quite nice, even though i've been missing C terribly. (he's in NYC for 5 days). friday i got my hair done at Cake Salon, downtown and then went to Cannella's with S & S for their cucumber mint martini (YUM!). saturday was busy, with an xtend barre class (that will kick your butt...literally....my butt is so sore!), a mentoring marathon event and then a fun game night with the girls at J's house. today has been lazy and i've just been researching for my directed research paper (finally). 

how was your weekend? hope you enjoy the last few hours of sunday! and have a great week. (i have a feeling it is going to be a good one.) 

xxoo.