graduation - take 2

Some of my favorite kids!

Devan and Danielle are probably the first of my cousins that I remember my aunt actually being pregnant with. She was HUGE! I know that sounds awful, but they are twins and she was pregnant through the summer, so in a bathing suit a lot. My impressionable 9 year old mind very vividly remembers the belly under that bathing suit! Well, this Friday they graduated high school. I am so proud of them. They are smart, loving, caring girls.

Devan!

Danielle!

A very Danielle face.

Devan, rockin' some sunglasses!

maxi dresses

After my recent weight loss, I have been searching for some new clothes because nothing I have fits! It has been kind of fun because I have been able to try on new styles and see what looks good on my new and evolving body. I fell in love with a few maxi dresses this season. They are something I could never wear before and now I am completely loving them.

Found here.

Found here.

Found here.

Found here

funky earrings

I'm not a fan of bracelets or funky necklaces, but I am really a huge fan of earrings of all shapes and sizes. I really love when you can find a big variety of funky jewelry inexpensively. Forever21 is my favorite spot to find cheap, fun earrings. Here are some of my favorites right now!

graduation number one

This was a crazy busy week! Sorry I disappeared a bit! Over the course of the week I had 2 cousins move up to new schools, 4 graduate high school, and a birthday. It was crazy and very busy, but so much fun!

My cousin Dean is a special breed of kid. He moved up from fifth grade and elementary school to sixth grade! While most of the kids were dressed nicely, Dean has a certain swagger. Before heading to the actual graduation, he got all primped and asked to take a few pictures. When all was said and done I had taken 422 pictures of him and he was very excited about it. So here is to graduation number one!

anniversary

Spending the day by the pool

Mike and I celebrated our first anniversary on Saturday. I can't believe it has already been a year! Way back in January we decided to put some money aside and splurge on us for our anniversary dinner. The restaurant Terrapin in Rhinebeck is completely amazing. They focus on local and natural foods as much as possible and that makes the quality of the food so much better. It isn't fancy or the type of restaurant where a shirt and tie are required by any means, but the food is completely amazing. Apparently the Clinton's agree, as Terrapin catered Chelsea's wedding. Mike and I had an amazing day full of love and hugs and kisses. I couldn't ask for anything better than him!

It doesn't get much better than this.

Menu at Terrapin.

Mike at dinner...Swoon. he's gorgeous.

Dessert we shared, molten chocolate cake. Yum!

Clearly we liked it.

Very happy after dinner

I have so much love for him.

grill

I have a grill, I have no need for a new one but I saw this one and I love it. I have a small addiction to the color green, I love all things green. So what isn't to love about the grill? It's small but completely perfect for just me and Mike. It is just adorable.

new goals!

After a lot of careful consideration I have picked my next big race! I've decided on the Disney Princess Half Marathon! February 24-26 we will be there! Mike is actually going to run it with me and I am stoked! Even though it is geared toward women he wants to be there and run my first half marathon with me. I'm not sure I have any interest in ever doing a full marathon, but I am dying to meet this goal! I set it way back before I even started the c25k plan. Back before I could run for more than 2 minutes straight without wheezing and crawling off the treadmill. Back before I thought I could ever run a 5k, let alone the 5 miler. I read about someone running the Princess Half and I was impressed. It seemed incredible and so unattainable. After learning to run and learning to love to run I think I can do it, and I think I will LOVE it. I'm hoping to come up with a training plan goal based on a couple different training plans I have read.

Not only will I be running a half marathon, but I'll be running it in style. What other race can you actually run in a tutu and completely fit in?!

everyday entertaining

Who doesn't love getting together with family and friends? It is one of my favorite things to do. I love cute, easy gatherings. It is so much fun to just have the people I love together, eating, drinking and laughing. Some are some of the things I'm lusting over at the moment.

I have a couple of galvanized aluminum tubs, but I love
this one and the slant! It would make it so accessible!

Adorable plates!

I would love these for my next get together, you know, for next weekend! Do you have any everyday entertaining favorites?

(both were found at crate and barrel)

shoes!

poppy by kate spade

Sometimes I see something and I feel an irrisistable need to own that item. Usually this need passes and I decide I can live without spending an obscene amount of money on something I will only use a few times. Today I saw a shoe and decided I needed it.

It is poppy by kate spade. I'm not sure where I think I'm going, but I am completely in love with it! I can't justify $325 for a pair of shoes, especially when the dresses I'd want to wear it with combined cost me less than $50, but I can daydream about them and just be in love with them!

inspiration

Everyone needs a little bit of inspiration sometimes. It can come from seeing a picture you don't like, getting winded quicker than normal, not feeling as strong as you once did, or sometimes it can come from an adorable little boy who just learned to ride a bicycle.

He is right, just keep practicing, because I too know you can do it.

best. day. ever.

I was browsing some of my favorite blogs this morning and while reading 100 Layer Cake I saw Lilia and Ryan's  Palm Springs wedding. Sean Flanigan Photography did an amazing job of capturing what was one of the cutest weddings I have ever seen. My favorite thing about it was how they wove in the theme of "best day ever." I have completely fallen in love with that as a theme for my wedding because that is exactly what it should be, the best day ever. It is such a festive concept and I think it really gets the guests into a "get that party started" kind of mood.

Welcome tote bags by Enviro-Tote

Stationary designed by the bride, Lilia DeGregory

cute tshirts

I have a thing for silly sayings on t-shirts. There are really very few places you can wear them, but running is definitely one of them. I actually find myself drawn to strong, inspiring sayings on running shirts, especially if it says something about me running fast because I am simply slower than a turtle. I find it inspiring. I found these shirts on etsy and wanted to share them because I'm in love with them.

Love this one, talk about inspiring! Found here.

Totally going with my theme here! Found here. 

Since the half is my running goal, then onto triathalons, I LOVE this one! Found here.

Love the little bit of math thrown in - a very "me" shirt! Found here.

Cute running shirts always make me want to get out and run. What helps inspire you to hit the pavement?

proposals....sigh....

I have a sweet spot for proposals. Perhaps it is because I haven't gotten mine yet, which I'm sure will utimately beat all of the awe inspiring ones I've seen or read about over the past 5-10 years. I cry at pretty much every single one I see. I love watching a man go out of his way to express his love for his (hopefully!) future wife. Mike and I have talked about the proposal of my dreams, and really it isn't anything like the major productions that go viral online. However, these always make me swoon.
Found on: Engaged & Inspired

Roof decks

Loving the hammock! Found over at Barefoot Floor.

Now that the summer has unofficially started I find myself being reminiscent of my college years which I spent in Boston. I love it there and one of my favorite things about Boston is urban roof decks. In the middle of the summer there are few things better than getting dolled up and heading to one of the many rooftop bars in the city. There is just something almost magical about getting drinks, enjoying a cool summer breeze and hanging out under the stars with close friends. It makes me daydream about dinner parties under the stars with delicious food and even better drinks.

The low lighting is amazing. From Artani San Francisco.

Look at those floors! Holy moly. Love them. Found over at Captivatist.

Don't you just want to have brunch at that table? Found here.

Just looking at these pictures makes me want to sit under the stars and chat and drink all night with friends. Anyone interested?

blue toes

Sinful Colors Nail Polish in Love Nails

I have had a small obsession with blue nail polish lately. I have been wearing it on my toes (while sporting equally bright colors on my fingers) and I am completely in love. I have done a few shades from navy to teal and a iridescent baby blue. My favorite one is definitely the teal blue. It is made by Sinful Colors and is called Love Nails. I stumbled upon this line of polish while in Target the other day, I was drawn to the bright colors and the super low price! Paying 1.99 is awesome when you are picking colors that you aren't sure you're going to love, and that may be a quick trend. Although, to be honest I think I might be the only one who is obsessed with it at the moment.

What color is on your toes today?

bridesmaid dresses

One of my best friends from college surprised us all by getting engaged this past Christmas. When she called me to tell me he proposed I squealed so loud I disrupted my family's Christmas Eve celebration! I could not be more excited for her. Molly and Sam hadn't been dating for very long, hence the surprise, but they are completely perfect for one another. They are sublimely happy and I am so excited to be taking part in their big day.

Molly has picked eight girls for her side of the bridal party and we range in age and size by equal amounts. To deal with this, she is allowing us to pick any formal black dress that strikes our fancy. I was so very happy when she told us about her plan for us, especially because it means I can put off buying a dress until close to the last minute! I'm not procrastinating, I'm avidly stalking dresses constantly, but I am also losing weight at a fairly rapid pace and I don't want to buy something that would need crazy alterations right before the wedding and cost me a fortune to fix!

I'm hoping to share a bunch of different ideas and get opinions on them. With my weight loss, I want to look bangin' in October at the wedding. I know it isn't about me, but it is a good motivator! I'm hoping that my body shape might change a little tiny bit (or at least that my hips will shrink a bit) and I will be able to wear a style that I lust over but haven't been able to wear just yet.

I have a small obsession with one shoulder dresses.

This one is probably the most practical

I really like the bust line.

Very "fashion-y" I love it! Lets hope my body loves it too.

(All dresses from Nordstrom)

Favorite thing: CardioTrainer

I love my android phone. I have a htc incredible, and I don't leave home without it, ever! When I started working out consistently and with specific goals in mind, my phone became invaluable. I LOVE the app choices!

I'd almost go so far as to say that there are too many app choices! I downloaded about 10 before narrowing it down to my top three favorites. Now that it is June, I can safely say that my favorite it CardioTrainer. I adore RunKeeper too (more on that later) but my favorite all around fitness app is definitely CardioTrainer.

WorkSmart labs has done a great job integrating all of my favorite features into one (free!) app that is amazingly simple to use. You basically pick the activity you are doing and hit start and you're off! I love it. I have found the "calorie counting" to be more than a bit generous, but it gives you a decent estimate for your burn during a session. The GPS feature is awesome! It is pretty accurate and I love that it stores the map with your route as well as elevation change information, very informative! It can automatically play a playlist of your choice when you start a workout. Although I would love if I could pick different playlists to go with different workouts. There is also a facebook integration option that I choose not to use, but I could see how some people would like it.

I have a widget that I keep on my home screen that gives me my weekly calorie burn. That is definitely an incentive to keep me going! I hate seeing it get down to silver (less than 1700 calories in a week) and if it goes down to bronze (1200 calories or less in a week), it is torture! It makes me want to get out there and work my tush off! 

grilled pizza

One of my favorite times with Mike is our at home date nights. We make dinner together, spend some time hanging out just the two of us. For tonight's dinner choice we went with grilled pizzas. I grilled some red onion slices and some red bell pepper as the toppings while Mike ran to the local pizzeria to buy a pound of dough. I shredded some mozzarella cheese and got everything ready. By the time he got back the vegetables were ready and the grill was hot and set to go.

Pizzas on the grill

Love that freshly grated cheese

Nicely grilled (then chopped vegetables)

Nice grill marks, they were so incredibly delicious.

Plain pizza, and let me tell you, that dough was delicious!

Mike enjoying some of the pizza.

What could be better than pizza and beer?

Sheldon agrees! He wanted some too, but we weren't sharing...too delicious!

Happy date night!