No. Just, no.

What do you think?
This is kind of like the no-pigtails-after-age-six rule.
And, why would you want to distract from such amazing shoes?

When is this coming to the U.S.?

I kind of think bunnies are a little freaky...but maybe that's just due to the psychological scarring that occurred when I watched Pet Cemetery in the 4th Grade at a sleepover...

This would look so nice with my 'teef!

Holla.
At Snoozer Loser.

Skillz.

An oldie, but still pretty awesome! Happy Saturday!

Je pense que ce vin a déjà ete bu

Fleet Foxes - A Take Away Show from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.

*Swoon*

A Book to Stay Far, Far Away from...

It's an absolute impossibility that you haven't heard of the massively popular book, Eat, Pray, Love, by Elizabeth Gilbert. It's been on Oprah, airport book shelves, and (most unfortunately) my "to-read pile."

I do have a valid excuse as to why I was lured by Ms. Gilbert: I was extremely travel-hungry at the time. I had picked it up while roaming up and down the cement aisles of Costco and it seemed like a nice reprieve from the impending wedding(s), house buying, and finals. I couldn't have been more wrong.

Gilbert is probably the most self-obsessed and ungrateful woman I have had the displeasure of reading about.

She was able to convince her publisher to give her a hefty advance to travel for over a year to Italy, India, and Bali. Not ONCE does she mention the impoverished state of her surroundings and individuals in India. The only time she looks up from her plate in Italy is to lament the fact that she has gained 20 pounds after a steady diet of pasta and self-soothing-self-centered-ness. In Bali, she finds a "Guru" and finds a way to only discuss how he can help her achieve enlightenment and to "please make his wife smile at her more."

The cultures, the countries, the beauty, and the issues these countries face are never really discussed. I felt I was in this aseptic pod, traveling with Gilbert, to all these different locations, and was being forced to NOT look out the window. (Do "aseptic pods" even have windows? Apparently, in my mind, they do.) All these travels ended up being was an excuse to talk more and more about herself. She could have traveled to Lavan, Utah and the book would have been just as entertaining.

Yes, memoirs are about the author's life and experiences, but I don't think Gilbert has any room to talk about loss, pain, suffering, and resurrection. She is an upper, middle-class yuppie, who lived in New York City, left her husband and got to travel the world. Cry about it! Have you read Angela's Ashes, Ms. Gilbert?

This Blog Will Change Your Life!

You're welcome.

The Neverending Quest for Chic

I've stumbled across many a style blog and "real life" ladies who refuse to wear jeans. I mean as in NEVER. Being from a big, rectangular-y, north-western state, the thought of eradicating jeans from my wardrobe could be likened to getting rid of, oh say, my shirts...Like all of them: t-shirts, blouses, tanks, and the occasional oxford. I would have no fabrics to cover the girls and winters would be more than just a logistical problem.

Now, I KNOW Coco Chanel wouldn't have ever worn jeans, but she also had minions to throw their coats over puddles for her. Laura Bennett, from Project Runway 3, adopted riding pants as her go-to "jeans," complete and costume-y with shiny riding boots. Naomi, of Rockstar Diary fame, is much too busy making cupcakes and leaping to be tied down by denim.

And, yes, I agree, to a point, that skirts and dresses are lovely and feminine and classic. I also know that an ill-fitting pair of jeans can really, really ruin your month or year or decade (see Mischa Barton above). Yes, jeans can be pedestrian, but I'm from a town of ~500 peeps and very, very far from any city center that remotely cares about fashion in terms of stodginess and snobbery...

But a perfectly fitting pair of jeans...no muffin-top in sight, wash just dark enough, with the oh-so-right-it's-wrong pair of shoes...well, it's beyond chic. It's true love.

And now the real celebration begins...!

~Because I have a husband that thinks I look cute in the mornings.
~Because I have a puppy who loves me (almost as) unconditionally as my marido.
~Because I start a new job tomorrow that, gasp, is actually in my field of study!
~Because I start school today.
~Because the beautiful weather followed us wherever we went on our road trip.
~Because we have the most amazing, loving, kind friends and family that made our celebration a success!
~Because I found gluten-free chocolate-covered donuts and I had to eat two for breakfast since we haven't any groceries.


P.S. Look how amazing this portrait is of Ruby!! My friend Kenzie painted it herself! She and her man even made the decoupage frame! It was one of the most thoughtful and beautiful gifts we've ever received! PLUS she just got married on Saturday! Congrats!


Photo via Keep on Creating

We're home.

And school starts tomorrow...'Eff.

Heading Home

Looooong drive today, so we are going to stop here!
But we have to stop here to eat some of these!

And I can't forget my liquids...

Delicioso.

I'm on a diet.

A steady intake of nachos is the plan.

Off to explore...

...the coast in Oregon! What places should we hit? Which one's should we pass on?

On the move to...

...Portland! We are planning to stay at this hotel and eat some spicy Thai food here!

And today...

...We plan on jumping into this!

Honeymoon!

Today we plan on stopping here for a few days...

Today...

...I'm getting married!

And it's raining cats and dogs...
And our reception is outside!
No biggie.
!
!
!
Be back in a week!

Travel Ready

I will be using this to tote my behemoth of a camera around on our honeymoon.

BBQ U

Shug and I are now proud students of the Art of Barbecuing!
I can feel the hair growing on my chest as I type!
Thrilling!

Letterpress Lovliness

Shug and I definitely were all about cutting corners and sticking to a budget when wedding-spending was going down, but we decided early on that there were a few things we would not scrimp on: photography and invitations. ( I also tried rationalizing splurging on a Vera Wang gown, but the feeling of nausea wouldn't pass when the ordering process began...so I scrapped that horrible idea!)

Shug, being the graphic artist, had a pretty clear vision of what we should send out and that it should be nothing other than letterpress.

We found a great local company, Mandate Press. They were so amazing in working with Shug's ideas and making it happen in an extremely tight amount of time. They were so nice and professional, I wish I had other letterpress jobs I could use them for! I highly, highly recommend them.

Hey, you can't rush the artistic process, right?





P.S. The countdown continues. Denial still in full effect.

I dunno...I'm in denial...What wedding??

I don't know if I should give her a high-five or fix her strap...
I'm leaning toward the high five, Susan is 62. I swear!

Via WorldofWonder.

Final Countdown

This is my last Monday as an unmarried woman...
And we still have soooooooooo much to do for Saturday!

Photo via OnceWed.

Bachelor/Bachelorette Party

Shug and I had our bachelor/bachelorette party last night.
We had some drinks.
We didn't get to eat any sushi.
I went home early.
Shug got home and couldn't remember his name.

The end.

Photo courtesy of Shane Hudspeth.

Reason #3 Why I Love Shug So

He is so creative.

But Still Some Celluloid to Make Us Feel Better...

I LIVED for sleepovers on Friday nights and John Hughes' films...!

Crushing

Aren't crushes kinda creepy? I think so!

Um...I have no excuses...

Yeah, these too.
Sorry, Shug! I'm stressed!!

Lovlies from MaraisUSA.

Yellow Shoe Contingency Plan

So remember how I told you when I get stressed I get shoes?
That's true.
x3.

All from Endless, because is there really any other way to ship than overnight??

Bummer.

I still love sparklers.
NSFW source.

Wedding Portrait

Shug and I couldn't be happier with our portrait...Isn't he the cutest? TuesdayMourning did such a fine job! This is really going to make our wedding day all the more special! We really wanted something unique from the usual engagement photos and this really fit the bill!


Ok, so now I'm officially getting excited...!

Not-So-Guilty Pleasure #29087

Go here. It's pretty fun!

Solid Gold

This is the most amazing clip I've ever seen on the "natural purification of the human body..."!

It's still pretty modern for being made in the 1970s!