THE Sonic Youth Was In Salt Lake City...Pinky Swear

Last night we went to the Twilight Concert series to see one of our most ultimate-favorite-favotites: Sonic Youth.

It. Was. Awesome.

Here's a clip of their very first T.V. appearance...Look how young Dave looks!

Becasue it's been so long...

Sweetface, I love you.

Shug is such a great photographer.

MJ

I know it's been a month and all, and Micheal was associated with some horrible things, but when I watch videos of him before all the scandal(s), I still get chills.

My very first tape was MJ's "Bad." Still have it.

Serenity Now...Like, Right Now

Before all of this crazy wedding stuff started complicating our lives, Shug and I complicated our lives with plans of trips to pretty alright places. Sometimes these pretty alright places had pretty alright bands playing there. This was a bonus.

We'd purchase our plane tickets six months in advance, usually in the smogged-in winter months, when just an image of a fresh-cut mango could carry us through an entire freezing week.

We'd plan, re-plan, scrap those plans and plan again. The details of where to go, how to get there, where to stay, and (most importantly) what to eat were discussed ad nauseam. It was exhilarating!

We are now currently preoccupied with colored tissue paper, table rentals, and helium prices. What happened to us?

Now before I continue wallowing in the luxurious waters of self pity, I will remind you and myself, that I am supremely lucky to be headed to the altar with a man that I believe is the closest thing to perfection...well, other than gluten-free ice cream pies, but I digress...

I realize that I live in a country where throwing a party to celebrate a "marriage" is still not allowed for all couples that wanna get hitched and have it recognized by the government. I also realize that throwing a lavish party, in and of itself, is kinda gross in the midst of a recession...Granted our wedding is going to bottom-line at a THIRD of what the average American spends on nuptial celebrations, but, still...

I think that this wedding planning has been a true litmus test for our relationship. We've already experienced each other ridiculously happy, crap-your-pants ill, boiling mad, and downtroddenly sad...But we've never had to coordinate, decision-make, or discuss so many things in such a truncated amount of time.

Add the pressure of spending moolah in amounts beyond our comfort level and navigating the waters of what each family needs and you've got yourself a certified-relationship-fortitude-test!

I'll let you know if we pass.

Girl Crush: Alexa Chung

I think a lady that can pair Proenza Schouler and thrift store finds is a special lady indeed.

Plus, homegirl knows how to layer a cardigan. Just sayin'.

Image via Refinery29.

'Nuff Said.

Via Hearblack.

Macaroon Goodness

Yum!
Anybody have a gluten-free macaroon recipe?
I'd be forever in your debt!

Via LolitaSE.

It's Guilty Pleasure Week: #2189

This past week Melissa and Ade of "So You Think You Can Dance" fame presented a choreography about surviving breast cancer. Okay, so just get over your hangups about modern dance and the judge that screams "Woo woo!!!" and you will seriously be affected by their performance!

Ade is graceful and strong, while Melissa is trusting and brave...I really thought their representation of a cancer survivor and the relationship with their family and friends was perfectly executed!

And I only cried *a little*!

Spaceship Purchase

Shug is most definitely, positively, absolutely rubbing off on me. Case in point: I just purchased this behemoth. It's kinda special because I can take instant pics with it and I don't have to go sell plasma to purchase more film!

Score.

Guilty Pleasure #465

I mean, what is better than a novice nun-in-training meeting a huge family, teaching them to dress coordinately with each other, sing lovely songs about singing, and spinning on mountaintop valleys?

Um, nothing...

Prism London

I've been needing new glasses for over a year and I think I just fell in a little bit of love.
Prism London.

Ban.do

Love these!
Ban.do.

Nostalgia Junkie

How cool are these gals in this Japanese YeYe commercial? I am really digging the short hair on one of them! It's also interesting to note that this is a commercial spot for a whole minute...An eternity in today's marketing world!

Boy Crush - Continued!!

I had an epiphany last night while watching David Letterman (I still think he's the jam, even with Conan on the scene now), Tim Gunn and the Coop would make the BEST couple on planet Earth!

I mean, the mind boggles at the power pairing of TWO silver foxes, but I do believe that it remains within the realm of my comprehension...Even if it is the outer limits of said comprehension.

Search no more, I have found the perfect man for Tim.

P.S. Project Runway starts on August 20th! A glorious wedding present, indeed.

Image via Becka'sBlog.

WhiteOwl

Oh, yes.
WhiteOwl is a new Etsy fave.
Now how to choose...?
WhiteOwl's Shop.

MIXTAPE

Forest Swords - Miarches from the battle on Vimeo.

Nice.

And our kids will be ashamed of us...

A few nights ago, Shug and I were decompressing after a harrowing day of weddingness. We flipped on the ten o'clock news to be greeted with a late-breaking story about this.

Even though we live behind what many deem the "Zion Curtain," we were surprised that a couple would be detained after just holding hands and a peck on the cheek on LDS Church grounds. Then we realized we KNEW these people! These sweet, loving, amazing people were HANDCUFFED and CITED for "inappropriate behavior".

The LDS Church contends that ANY couple engaging in public displays of affection would have received the same treatment. Oh, really?

I keep forgetting in the haze of wedding planning that Shug and I are so lucky to have the right to marry each other. We will have the right to see each other in the hospital in the event of illness, we have the right to share our health, car, home owners insurance benefits, we get mad tax breaks after we marry and file jointly...

We can walk down the street and hold hands and even kiss each other if we want to without the fear of being ticketed or arrested.

I am so lucky to live in a time where, as a woman, I hold the same rights as men do. But I realize that less than a hundred years ago, women didn't even have the right to vote or own land. I also realize that change was created by a paradigm shift, a slow and steady fight to gain equal treatment and legal rights. I listen to the stories my mumma tells me about the women's rights movement in the 60's and cringe at how "archaic" things were back then...

I'm looking forward to the day when I can tell my incredulous kids about how ridiculous the times were when people were arrested for LOVING EACH OTHER.

Source

To veil or not to veil...

I have a rare issue that has presented itself not only as a fashion conundrum with a feminist twist, but an question of purity and personal moral fortitude: Should I wear a veil to my wedding ceremony?

A veil used to (and still does, to a certain extent) symbolize the virginity and modesty of the bride. The groom would lift the veil as a symbol of his "unwrapping" of his new possession: his wife. This is where the term, " giving the bride away" and "taking a wife" came from.

Kind of messed up, huh?

But as fashion usually does its bewitching magic on me, I find myself leaning towards the mini-skirt of veils: the birdcage...

I find myself rationalizing that it will just be an accessory to the wedding dress, which is also saturated in messed-up symbolism and wedding-day-dogma...And I'm still wearing THAT, so why not just throw all caution to the wind?

What's a thoroughly modern girl to do? I'm taking suggestions...

Find these here, here, and here. Oh, here too! All on Etsy.

Deerhunter Sunday

I think I'll be listening to this today and dreaming of Chicago and music festivals...Next week is the Pitchfork Music Festival and I am a little sad I'm missing it!

Oh, Ozzy...!

I don't even know which Olsen twin this is,
but I am really questioning their canonization as the new saints of fashion...

Guilty Pleasure #90: Not Going Out

You know when you get to hang out with friends...


And you don't need to have any activities planned,
or a show to see,
or other peeps to meet up with,
or a movie time to make,
or a restaurant to go to,
or a bar to sip drinks at...

You just get to chill,
and talk,
and laugh,
and tell stories,
and get to know each other...

Without having to talk over the band,
choose a cute outfit to wear,
figure out what restaurant everyone likes,
or worry where you left your purse...

Some nights I really, really love not going out!

Via flickr.

True Hot Chocolate Heart

I'm so in love with this animal it's not even funny.
Didn't Shug do a lovely job of photographing Ruby?
She's beautiful.
Her ears are slooooooowly starting to perk up, too!

Oh, flowers...I forgot about you...

Shug's mom and I went flower shopping for the "Big Day" yesterday.
I think because it's now deemed the "Big Day" instead of the "Let's-Just-Have-a-Good-Time-and-Not-Worry-About-the-Details-Day"
is the reason I had a panic attack when asked how many tables we would be seating.
Yes, I broke into a cold sweat and immediately suffered from vertigo when asked this simple question...I also forgot about my place in the space-time continuum and got a parking ticket for letting the meter run dry...
And, to be honest, I STILL don't know how many effing tables we're seating.
Gulp.

Images via OnceWed.

First Aid Kit

These are two sisters from Sweden, Klara & Johanna Söderberg, and they pretty much made my day after I heard their little Fleet Foxes cover. Their band is called First Aid Kit and they are so adorable it makes my cheeks hurt.

And while I'm losing my mind over how great this little band is, here's a different version of "Mykonos."

Oh and here is a NEW Fleet Foxes song, "Blue Spotted Tail." Holy god.

Shoe Porn

Welcome to super-rad granny shoe land...

Worishofer.

I love how comfy these are and they actually look pretty chic with the right clothes...!
And the BEST part is that they are so so comfy!

Endless is becoming a problem for me...

Boy Crush

I lovelovelove this little piece on taste...!

Guilty Pleasure #42: Sparklers!

I might be considered a grown-up in some circles, but I cannot, and will not, get enough of my favorite by-product of the 4th of July:

SPARKLERS!

They are pretty much the most awesome firework ever.
Light a sparkler tonight and just TRY not to spell your name with it;)!

Happy 4th. Let's appreciate our freedoms today.

Image via Inhabitat.

Like I said...Edward is a STALKER!

I already know that I am creating SO many haters by even QUESTIONING Twilight and Edward's awesomeness...But, c'mon, he is pretty creepy, physical, and pushy...All the things we need to watch out for in social predators. I mean, he IS a predator! As in: human blood is his brekkie.

Plus, Buffy is so rad it's not even funny. I love how this little clip exposes how messed up Edward and Whats-Her-Face's relationship is...

Kitchen Demo-Lite

When we moved into our new-old house, many of the vertical surfaces were covered with layer upon layer upon layer of wallpaper...
Did we just paint over some of it?
.
.
.
Yes.
But only because there was 7 layers of paint already on top.
SO we were just joining the paint-over-wallpaper-party,
we most definitely weren't throwing it...!
But.
When we were feeling ambitious in the wallpaper-peeling department,
we started in the kitchen, where only half of the walls were covered with wallpaper.

And EVERY stinking shelf and drawer had Contact paper from 1972 firmly adhered to them.

Here are some "BEFORE" pics of the process.
.
.
.
Oh.
And all I know is that if there is a hell and I am unfortunate enough to be acquainted with it's fiery eternity, I will be peeling wallpaper.
For sure.

And that's why champagne fixes EVERYTHING....

So I am at the midpoint between recovering from my Sissy's nuptials and extreme panic setting in for my very own wedding. Chronologically speaking, I am about six weeks from being a Mrs. and a mere six weeks ago I was Maid of Honor.

That old saying, "the devil is in the details," couldn't be more infuriatingly true! Shug and I hammered out all of the big stuff back while there was still snow on the ground...Ceremony and reception sites, caterer, our photographer, and my dress were all decided upon rather early in the game...But with just a little over a month to go and we still haven't: made our invitations, figured out decorations, booked a bakery for our cake, picked out flowers with the florist, purchased guest gifts, finalized the guest LIST....Dude. And there's a LOT more of these stinkin' "details!"

We have sosososososo much to do. And due to this fact, I'm perusing pics from S.'s beautiful day to distract myself from gouging out my own eyeball with a rolled up stack of Post-It notes with tons of "reminders" for the big day.

But look at S.!!! There is no denying she was luminous!

And what was the most important lesson she taught me for dealing with your wedding day? Champagne for breakfast is not a bad idea.

S. is truly a genius.