Happy Friday!

I hope you have a lovely weekend! Mine will be spent inside eating chicken broth and popsicles since I went to the doctor this morning and found out I have strep throat. Have an adventure for me!

Listening to: "You'll Think of Me" by Keith Urban
Thought of the Day: "Make Yourself Proud." - Peter W. Smith

{Image via PaperTissue.}

Adventures on the Islands

As promised, pictures from the 2 week trip to Hawaii with my brother and sister. We stayed in Honolulu and then basically every region of the Big Island.

Oahu

{Waikiki's Duke Kahanamoku statue}

{Pretty little things}

{Orchids in the Botanical Gardens}

{Pineapples!}

{North Shore}

{Dole Pineapple Plantation}

The Big Island

{Sea Turtles while snorking}

{Gecko - I wish I had this vibrant of animals in my backyard}

{What other animal looks better dead than alive?}

{I cheated: this is a resort :) }

{Carvings in Pu'uhonua o Honaunau National Park}

Backpacking to Waimanu Valley. Annie and my first backpacking expedition ever and Joe chose a 9 mile, for "experienced hikers only" trail. This basically sums up the theme of the trip. As Kanye would say, harder, better, faster, stronger.

{See that line on the far side? We hiked it. No biggie.}

{Gorgeous}

{This view made braving creepy guys, mosquitoes and non-stop rain worthwhile.}

{What goes up, must come down.}

Listening to: "More Than This" by Missy Higgins
Thought of the day: "Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery today is a gift."

A Pop of Color

Did you get your August 2009 J.Crew catalog in the mail this week? I put off looking through it for about 2 hours and then dug in. To be honest, I was a little disappointed with the back-to-school-ish issue. I am not a fan of all the pastels, anklet socks, and their use of tights (I love tights though, just not the way they did it). Some looks I did love:


My disappointment could have also been because I couldn't concentrate on the clothes thanks to this:


But why did they only use it on the Asian model? I think it looks great on other skin colors too. What do you think? Would you wear this?

{I used Rimmel London Wear10 in Tequila Sunrise}

{Some tips on neon nails from Emily}

Listening to: nothing... just watching the Cards beat the Dodgers :)
Thought of the Day: “The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud.” - Coco Chanel


P.S.: J.Crewd - only J.Crew would be popular enough to have someone make a spoof of their magazine.

Anything but Ugly

This weekend I saw The Ugly Truth with Katie and, even though it has been receiving pretty poor ratings, I liked it. It could have been because of Gerald Butler, but more likely because I loved Katherine Heigl's wardrobe. Her stylist should be receiving a raise.
I also am obsessed with her picks for the movie premiere...


I love how polished she looks even though she has messy hair and mismatched pearls.

Listening to: "Her Diamonds" by Rob Thomas
Thought of the Day: "There are all kinds of courage. It takes a great deal of courage to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends." - Albus Dumbledore

{Images via JustJared}

I love these prints. Wouldn't they cheer up any room?

{dazeychic}

{dazeychic}

{dazeychic}

{sfgirlbybay}

{Made by Girl}

Listening to: "Make You Feel My Love" by Adele
Thought of the Day: "When the mind is backed by will, miracles happen." - Yogi tea bag

Grandma's pj's

How adorable is this?? Spotted on Coney Island, this dress was homemade from her grandmother's pajamas! Inspiration to look at everything with a more creative mindset and maybe a future diy for the summer?


Listening to: "All I Want to Do" by Sugarland
Thought of the Day: "Love is friendship set on fire." -unknown

{Image via style.com}

Weekend Snapshots

Adventures in Allerton Park with the family...

{Avenue of the Chinese Musicians}

{Adam}

{the mansion}

{Foo Dog Garden}

{Sun Singer}

Listening to: "Mad" by Ne-Yo

Thought of the Day: "Leap and the net will appear." - Zen saying

Happy Friday!

After 3 finals and a paper, I finally finished my 4 summer courses yesterday night! Yay!
I am so excited to finally have more free time to catch up with my life. On my list:

1. Read more books.
2. Get back into running. I work out, but I haven't been doing any distance training and I really want to do the St. Louis Half Marathon this coming spring.
3. Work on some lesson plans for the freshman intro course I co-teach at my university.
4. Fill out my application packet for student teaching (yikes!).
5. Figure out more solid plans for after graduation - teaching? volunteering? more school?... I can't believe I am that old.
6. Buy a pair of denim cut-offs.
7. Spend more time with friends.



Before I embark on these though, we have our family reunion this weekend. Lots of cleaning to do! I hope you have a fabulous and relaxing weekend. Enjoy the weather!


Listening to: "Where I stood" by Missy Higgins
Thought of the Day: “The most valuable possession you can own is an open heart. The most powerful weapon you can be is an instrument of peace." - Carlos Santana

{Image via Frangipane}

Latest Love

I've wanted aviators for the longest time but I've been intimidated by them. But then I saw these at Urban Outfitters for only $10 and fell in love.

{Now if I could only look this effortlessly glam...}

{I love Lindsay. Weird, I know}

And p.s. - adorable Thread Social dresses on major sale!

Listening to: "Now Generation" by Black Eyed Peas
Thought of the Day: "There will come a time when you believe everything is finished. That will be the beginning." - Louis l'Amour

{Images via UO and BleuDame}

My Kind of Love Letter

{Image via Le Love}

Le Love = one of my favorite blogs, but it is highly addictive, so watch out.

Listening to: "I'll Be" by Goo Goo Dolls
Thought of the Day: "There is no set path... just follow your heart." -unknown

Summer Essentials

Who knew jorts could ever be so chic? I am in love with these laid-back, yet sophisticated looks pulled together with denim shorts.

{I am completely convinced, by the way, that denim does not work as short shorts.
I have tried way too many pairs on only to be utterly disappointed and depressed.}

{Images via Altamira}

Copycat

1. Current Elliott, $187

2. dELiAs*, $24.50
3. dELiAs*, $24.50
4. J.Crew, $24.50
5. Urban Outfitters, $58
6. Forever 21, $7.80
7. Steve Madden, $39.98


Listening to: "It's Alright, It's Ok" by Ashley Tisdale
Thought of the Day: "Only I can change my life. No one can do it for me." -Carol Burnett

Blossom

Do you remember those cheap silver rings that they used to give out at Pizza Hut (I think) with the little smiley cut out? I found one tucked away with the other great toys from the 80s that we have in our house and decided to try to give it a new life. Taking inspiration from the plethora of fabric flower headbands and my love for big rings, I stitched a simple flower and attached it to the top with some thread.
I am not sure what I think of the result; it's cute, but it might be a little too crafty for me.
To make it, I used three different fabric swatches, a shiny sheer pink, a solid basic hot pink, and a small yellow calico print. I cut 12 inch strips of the fabrics (more of the sheer than the others) and folded each into about 1/2 inch rectangles. I then cut out a petal shape from these stacks, aligned the ends together and roughly stitched the ends together to form a flower.

{I apologize for the poor picture quality - my camera battery was dying and
is now completely kaput, but I cannot find my charger anywhere...}


{What do you think?}

Maybe next time, I will try something like this or this. I could even get a little more creative and try a shirt like this.

Listening to: "Fallin' for You" by Colbie Caillat
Quote of the Day: "Let your light shine. Be a source of strength and courage. Share your wisdom. Radiate love." - Wilferd Peterson

Happy Friday!

I can't believe that it is already halfway through July. I don't know where this summer has gone, between classes, spending time with my family, and visiting friends. I am off again, this time to visit my brother who is in Chicago for the weekend (much closer than his new home in California!) and friends in the suburbs :) So excited for some much needed catching up and relaxing.

Have a fabulous weekend!

Listening to: "I'm in Miami Trick" by LMFAO (lol)
Thought of the Day: "What are you waiting for?" -Lope De Vega

{Image via It's Unbeweaveable!}

Open Your Eyes

One of my biggest pet peeves (even though I have been guilty of it too) is when people aren't proud of their hometown. Every city/town has aspects that make it beautiful, sometimes you just have to look a bit harder. For example, many people are very quick to write off Central Illinois as flat and boring, but on a recent trip to visit a friend, I was awestruck by the gorgeous farmland...

{beautiful clouds}

{storm rolling in}

{I love the contrast of the corn and the sky}

See what I mean?

Erin's feature on downtowns through bloggers' eyes on her blog, reading my tea leaves, has inspired me to look at my city again and discover the little things that make it unique. [Once I find my camera charger that has been MIA for the past couple weeks, expect a post of my hometown!]

What hidden treasures does your hometown hold?

Listening to: "It's Amazing" by Jem
Thought of the day: "When words are both true and kind, they can change our world." -Buddha