goodbye 2012

Thank goodness 2012 is over. Let's just say it was interesting, tough, and I learned a lot about people and myself. Lessons were learned and advice was taken with good measure. Here's a reflection of some of my favorite memories of 2012 . . .

 

my sister getting engaged



weekends at the lake

 

 two best friends getting married

summer craft nights



sister weekend in ATL



spending the summer with these goobs

  

summer nights with the best girl friends



family vacation in st. thomas



the only game I could watch the little brother play in



the color run



cousins at the lake

moving to NYC



my best friend getting engaged



having the best and hilarious roommate

spending thanksgiving with friends and family



living in the city with these fabulous girls



interning with laura

game days at the ainsworth with visiting friends



uncle mark came to visit

family Christmas party

oh, and graduating from college

 

 

May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you are wonderful, and don't forget to make some art - write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself.

Neil Gaiman

For the past couple of years I have made a list of things I want to accomplish for the year, a bucket list for the year if you will. It's fun to add events on the list that you're looking forward to, to add goals you'd like to achieve, etc. This is an ever growing list, but here is what I have thus far . . .

Move to NYC

Jessica's wedding and have the best MOH speech

Drink more water | eat more greens

Vacation outside of the USA

Half marathon

Attend a JM concert

Have a pen pal

And as John Mayer says: May this be the year that things go your way most of the time, and when they don't, may you have great friends to lean on.

 

 

weekend roundup

This weekend did not disappoint. It was spent with family, sharing stories, eating, dancing, and eating some more. Friday night Dad made his homemade pizza dough and then we made our own little pizzas {which were amazing and of course I forgot to take a picture} and then after went to visit my sweet cousin and her husband who just moved in to their first home! We may have pulled out the microphone and had a little karaoke sing off, ha! Saturday night we had our annual Christmas/December birthday party at my aunt's house. It was so fun and took full advantage of a cleared room as a dance floor. Jessica and I tried to prepare the older crowd with a few dances for Jess' wedding next year!

life lately

So sorry I have been lacking with regular posts! Monday night I went to a little Christmas get together with some college friends. It was so wonderful to catch up and to see some friends I haven't seen in months {which is rare for us}, especially Casey who now lives in Germany with her husband! Needless to say, time got away from me and didn't leave until after 1:00 am . . . we all had lots of catching up to do! In other news, I've checked a few things off my break list.

1) Preparing to back some cookies. Every year my grandmother and mom would bake Christmas cookies, but my mother hasn't in a while. I've been searching some recipes and loving this,  this and this.

 

2) Caught up on Gossip Girl. Holy Dan Humphrey! It all makes perfect sense.

 

3) Starting marathon training

Pictured below is Star Lake which makes for pretty scenery and Riley, my parents dog. I wanted to jog a little more, but Riley decided to sniff every piece of grass we went by. Lesson learned: don't take ADHD dogs for a run!

a day of inspiration

It's been pretty rainy and gross here in Alabama. The past couple of days I've unpacked {for the most part} and just catching up on laundry and visiting with family and friends. Tonight I am so excited to meet up with some college girlfriends, especially one in town from Germany! Today I'm inspired of laid back essentials with a bit of glitz. Think . . .


gingham + fur

 

pretty hair accessories

shimmery smokey eye with a pink chapped lip

 

On a side note, here are some pretty things that have inspired me lately . . .

 

 

alabama alumni

 

It's official, I'm an alumni of The University of Alabama! The whole day felt surreal. Partly because I was a sleep deprived, another because I have been out of the college loop for a while. The day was exciting and was a wonderful day spent with the family. Can you believe I only have these two pictures thanks to my sister?! I'll have more to share a little later today!

well hello cap hair

goodbye new york city . . . for now

 

Well, I am on a plane heading back to Alabama this morning. I can't even tell you how sad that makes me. I have grown to love the city. This whole journey has been one bumpy roller coaster that was scary, thrilling, and a ride that I never wanted to end.

Looking back, it's funny to see the transformation in my love/hate relationship with New York.

In the beginning, I was captured by the bright lights, loud noises, and the excitement {along with dehydration and the worst foot cramps from walking everywhere}. I just started this really awesome internship where I got to meet some incredibly talented and lovely ladies. They were so welcoming and eager to answer any of my questions {note: I ask a lot of questions. And by a lot, I mean a copious amount.}

Then after a couple weekends, I started missing elements from my southern living. Like fresh air, driving my car to the grocery store or to a friends house, having my "local" spots. The crowds were so large, so many different people that spoke different languages, the tourists, the funny smell in the air, and the noise. Every night Kate and I would talk about the future {yeah we know, totally ridiculous}, but you couldn't get us out any quicker. I was done with it all and totally over the New York life.

The next couple weekends we had friends and family come in to town. It was so refreshing to see their faces! Taking them to the "local" places we stumbled upon was so fun! We were just now learning the places to go and the crowds to hang around. Each weekend kept getting better and better {except for the one where UA lost to those damn Aggies}.

When I left the office last night, I was truly sad to go. I kept stalling to go out the door. I made some wonderful new friends and I sure hope I get to see them soon!

I do have to say though, visiting and living here is two totally different things. I've got a lot of grief from people who just didn't understand why I wanted to leave so bad. Talking with friends from my internship program and the ladies at work, I have learned the key to living here is to find a place to live that best suites you. I want more of a homey place to escape from the busy streets.

What's next? Well, your guess is as good as mine. Over the last month I grew from hating to loving this city. It has a special place in my heart right now and forever. But, I am praying that I will return in January after the new year!

The House of Perna

Today I am so excited to share pictures from The House of Perna photo shoot with the sweet designer Amanda Perna! She is a graduate from The University of Alabama so I knew I had to help! It was such a blast and the pictures turned out beautiful! Amanda sent me a few shots from behind-the-scenes . . .

love the detailing in this dress, so fun with all the ruffles

of course caught in the act of talking

the shoot was held in this really cool location in the heart of manhattan called space 530

The rest of the collection . . . that blue dress {first row, second one in} is my absolute favorite!

Here is more information on The House of Perna.

weekend round up

December started off on the right foot. I had some wonderful friends come in town to visit and we had an absolute blast! There was never a dull moment {is there ever?!} Most of them had never been to the city before so it was lots of walking around and sight-seeing {hello Brooklyn Bridge for the 5th time}. I accomplished one thing off the bucket list, we went to see the World Trade Center Memorial. It is quite a humbling experience and highly recommend for you to visit. Of course there were moments I wanted to share, but as usual, I always forget to take pictures. Hopefully one of the girls will send them soon!  

 

thanks to my iphone it's dark and blurry. But here is a mix of friends from high school/college/interns

WTC Memorial

How pretty is the Rockefeller Center tree at night?!