This moment in time

Over the past two days I've had an influx of emotions riding over me - mainly the majority of them pertaining to getting married and well, getting old. It's not cold feet - it was just the sudden realization that some studies and statistics say that half of married couples get divorced. Wham. Wall of bricks. I don't want to be a statistic, I thought to myself late in bed last night. And well, I (we) are going to do everything within reason to make sure our marriage is a successful one.

ranunulous make me happy.


I do have to take this term from Kelle Hampton - she referrs so moments when you want time to stand still and just revel in things as sucking the marrow out of it. It was laying in bed last night with dave to my side and us trying to squish rosie between us that I have never wanted more to have a camera to step back and capture this, this moment, this feeling - this uncontainable happiness, these moments at 26 when I'm in my apartment with my cat, my chinchillas, my future husband that I'm completely at peace and wouldn't put myself anywhere else. I want to draw back and just make time stop, feel the way I'm feeling and remember it, because who knows at what age down the line if I'll even remember how I feel.


Rosie in her window

 There's a part of me that feels very bittersweet as well, because unfortunately time doesn't stand still and I know that I may not always feel like this. I'll get older, so will Dave, and Rosie, and the chinchillas, and this tiny little blip of time on the radar of my life will eventually fade away into the past, replaced with new memories and feelings, thoughts and even people, places, and things.

In a way, I'm a bit scared. Scared because I hate the changes that I can't control. I hate not knowing what life is going to throw at me, what ups and downs are try and shake and break me so I can try and plan ahead for them. I desperately miss my grandpa and wish he was here with me to celebrate this time of life with me, to ask him how he and my grandma did it for 60+ years, to just pick his brain because the 30's, 40's, were not easy times - although I don't think any time is an easy time.

So, thanks to Kelle, I'm going to follow her advice. I'm going to continue sucking the marrow out of these bright brilliant happy moments, photograph them in my mind and hold on to them. I'm going to write more, whether its here or in my paper journal. I will be more thankful for these moments, these snippets of time that I'm just completely in awe.

And that, friends, is where I'm at at this moment in time.

Hello Miss May!

I honestly can't believe that today is already May 2. Where has 2011 gone? (I actually went to write 2010 but then remembered..)

In celebration of our warm weather that we've been having lately in the bay area (nope, not complaining, although my sunburned shoulders hurt a bit) I thought I'd compile some things I'm loving at the moment.

Ice cream sundaes. Without a doubt my hands down favorite shop sundae is from Baskin Robbins. Chocolate chip cookie dough, hot fudge, peanuts, whipped cream and a cherry on top is the perfect sunny day treat. Click here to find the baskin robbins nearest you.

Bright colored nail polish. I love having brightly colored nails to look down on. Even when its foggy there's something about a little pop of color that makes my day. If I remember correctly, I'm currently rockin' the Gelish color of Samuri, a pretty purplish hue with some sparkles and a sheen of pink. Love! Check out the other awesome colors that you can get done on your nails here - and if you didn't know, these mani's last for at least 2 weeks!

Maxi dresses. The little girl in me longs for a few of these glorious dresses that flutter and sweep along the floor gracefully with every step. However, I've been having a bit of a problem locating some that look good on my figure. I've struck out at forever21 but heard from a friend to check old navy. I plan on getting down there sometime soon.. Or maybe I should switch it up and try a maxi skirt. Decisions, decisions! I really love the colors and the style of the Anthropologie one pictured above, but the price point is a little high for me.

Nautical stripes. Theres something so fun and summery about striped shirts I can't almost put my finger on it. But they look fantastic paired with anything from jeans to kahki's to slacks in the office. Can't get enough!  Grab the above J Crew shirt here, a straw hat, and your picnic basket and you are set for a weekend.

That's about it for now - I hope May is treating everyone well so far and let me know what you're crushin on for the upcoming sunny months.

What's in my bag

So I thought this would be a fun little post... what's in my bag!

J Crew lockwood hobo in masala chai, 2011 Sarah Pinto planner, Amazon kindle, house keys, Moleskine notebook, Harrods cosmetic pouch, Louis Vuitton french purse wallet. I just have to say that I'm loving this jcrew bag. The leather on it is amazing. Buttery soft and the perfect neutral! Its nice to have something other than a black bag again.

Inside the pouch: Hello kitty bandaids, safety pin, vanilla mint lip gloss, burts bees chapstick, St Anthony medal, sharpies (i love office supplies), tin of altoid smalls, trident gum, nail file, hello kitty mirror, hair scrunchies, MAC lipglass in pink grapefruit, and suave cocoa butter hand lotion.

If you couldn't tell, I like hello kitty. Not as much as I used to, but the Hello Kitty for MAC collection rocked my socks.

I hope everyone's week is going well so far - only 3 more days until its the weekend again!

So what's in your bag - what are your must-haves?

On saving money

Money. Green. Dough. Benjamins. Whichever way you decide to call it you just can't function without it. For the past several years I've personally struggled with money. When I got my first job I lived at home for almost a year. I didn't have to pay rent - I only took care of my cell phone, car insurance, and whatever else I deemed necessary. Enter spending hundreds on handbags, accessories, shoes, clothes. You name it, I bought it.

Upon moving out I was in for a huge surprise. Saving money - and living on a new budget was not as easy as I'd thought. After hours being cut at my fulltime job in late 2008 and draining my savings fund to stay afloat in 2009 I decided that 2010 would be the year of reform. Between the start of 2010 with a pathetic savings account and the start of 2011 I had managed to save 10,000. Of course - selling off a lot of unused expensive designer bags and items helped, but I'd like to think that I've started to get myself into the right direction.

Credit cards have always been my worst enemy. With our recent trip to Europe and engagement, I've kinda gone a little overboard with eating out. But, I'm back on track vowing to chop them up for good (only use them to get more travel rewards) and be done with them forever.

As a result... I've been crunching the numbers on a slower day here at the office and I'll be able to meet my personal goal this year of saving. I'm a little nervous about seeing my new paychecks in May since I'll be contributing to my 401K fund and dental insurance will be taken out. I may have to rework things, but the difference shouldn't be that huge. Plus, I can always up the 401K amount once I've hit my savings goals. And I'd really like to give myself a clothing/spending allowance. I did buy about 49.00 worth of stuff from H&M this past weekend, but I had budgeted that into my biweekly paycheck (look for a reveal later on this week!)

Additionally, I've decided to start putting aside money to a wedding fund. I figure that if there's something I'd really like to have for the wedding (I'm thinking a photobooth....) that I can save for it and buy it myself. It'll give me something to look forward to, and feel proud about on my big day.

Anyway. So I apologize for the off topic blog post, but I just thought I'd throw this out there. Anyone can save - even if its 5, 10, 25 a month. Financial security and freedom is fantastic.

Lust list - April 2011

Dear checkbook, I am so so sorry for the following list. Of course, if it was up to me, all of these items (and then some)  would be coming home with me. Alas, I don't currently have the budget for it, so pouring over these pretty pictures shall do instead.

Skirts:
In case you haven't noticed, I'm kinda obsessed with Anthropologie. Their ruffles and soft colors make the little girl in me squeal.
Anthro's convergence skirt with its stripes and little pleats just make me smile. Plus the colors are a great neutral to go with a variety of tops and shoes, too!

Next up in Anthro's sugar work skirt. What's better for spring than a sunshiney yellow skrit with white ribbons swirling around it?

Anthro's drawing parallels skirt is something that I think would be fantastic for Easter, if not the rest of spring and summer and even fall. I adore the color on this, and I think it would be a fantastic addition to my wardrobe.

Shoes:

There is one pair that I've seen similar styles pop up over several blogs. Alas, my local Urban Outfitters is outo of these and I would have to order them online. I really like the nude color because it's a fantastic neutral, and honestly I don't have any shoes that already look like this. And the price point isn't that bad, either!

Bag:

I haven't lusted after a bag in awhile, quite frankly, probably more than 6 months. The last one I bought got sent back because it wasn't the right size. But this one has me drooling, especially in the chai color. JCrew's lockwood hobo is spot on with everything that I want in a bag - plus there's 4 colors to choose from. And if you order by the end of today, you can get an additional 20% off orders of 150.00 or more.

Well friends that's about it for now - at least on my end. What's currently on your spring wishlist?

engagement dresses

So I have to admit that while the pure bliss of finally being engaged still hasn't worn off I'm starting to turn my attention to inevitably what will be the hard part - wedding planning. But before we dive into all that I just had to turn the spotlight onto this perfect little dress that I picked up at jcrew last weekend with a friend. I thought it would be so cute for an engagement party or dinner with our families.

Enter the JCrew tea stained dobby dress. There's something so sweet and girly about the color and the little red polkadots. Plus with a belt and a cardigan its the perfect thing to wear to a happy party.

I also really adore Anthropologie's pezza dress. The blue is just so upbeat and fantastic for spring and summer. I think I would really get a lot of wear out of it.

I don't have much else to add right now - but I thought I'd share these two really cute dresses.

Thank goodness the weekend is almost here - I'm looking forward to dinner at a nice restaurant and massages, followed up by a fun hair fashion show with a friend.

Have a great one!

A big piece of love.

in its pretty tacori box

I am so excited to announce that after 8 years 5 months and 6 days of dating my boyfriend is now my fiance. On Thursday  morning he got down on one knee and proposed with my dream tacori ring. I'm thrilled beyond belief. Both of our familes are really happy and excited, and I'm still in a bit of an OMGWHAT moment. But that's okay. I'll somehow survive. ;)

pardon the notebook...

LOVE the detailing!

I'm definitely thinking next year. We haven't set a date yet but I have a few in mind. I've already found my bridesmaids - my sister is my MOH, fiance's sister, and my best friend since grade school. I'm way excited to start dress shopping. My dream dress is an enzoani number, but I'm not sure I'll be able to bring myself to spend that much money on a dress.

I have to admit in all of this happiness there is a very bittersweet element. I'm so extremely sad that my grandpa can't be here to see this. I want to pick up the phone and call him so so badly. I'm also coming to the realization that my grandma will probably not be able to see the wedding as its just not feasible for her to do so. I would hate to confuse her even more. As a result, my mom has offered me my grandma's pearls on her wedding day for me to wear. I'm also going to carry my grandpa's wedding band on me so I can have both of them with me on my big day.

I do have a reveal of my holy grail item coming up in the next few days. Until then, champagne really doesn't get old!