Tuesday, February 28, 2012

it's that time again...

about two weeks ago i signed up for the philadephia broad street run 2012! last year was my first time competing in the race, along with 30,000 others. and that is when i was bit. bit by the race bug. the broad street run was gorgeous, exciting, fun & a fairly easy course.

this year i am excited to be running along side my fiance! this will be his first race & i can't wait to share this experience with him! i hope that he, too, will fall in love with racing as i have. i would love to do a half marathon with him & perhaps even a full.

setting a goal with a partner makes achieving the goal all that more fun. although this is a more fun, less competitive race, i have set a goal for myself.  i'd like to cut a minute off my average mile time. this would leave me finishing ten minutes quicker than last year. i know i can do it!


this saying is so true for me. this is another reason why it is very helpful to have someone to hold you accountable. this is also why i force myself to get out the door before i'm awake enough to get onto the computer & get distracted.  shawn & i started going to the gym before work back in the fall when school started.  this has been the best part & the worst part of my work day! getting up is the hard part..but once at the gym i'm fine and feel awake. the gym is at my fingertips, almost no one comes to my gym at 5am. also, nothing compares to the feeling of coming home from work & not having to work out. i love being able to come home & relax, or have the option to head out if need be without missing my workout. i realize this is not for everyone, but it has really helped us!

time to start upping those miles...race day is may 6th! :)

xo,

Monday, February 27, 2012

a new read

recently, some co-workers organized a book swap at work.  slowly, the collection of books started growing & i eagerly searched through in hopes of finding a goodie.

for christmas, S gave me a kindle.  something that i had wanted so badly, but had not expected.... the perfect kind of gift to receive.  although, i don't miss holding a book & turning its pages, it's sort of nice to hold a book & turn its pages...haha.

back to the swap: i picked up two books i'm eager to read while on hold for e-books from the library. i have already started the first.

the last letter from your lover: a novel by jojo moyes


this has been quite the page turner & i love how it is unraveling this far.  amazon says:

"A sophisticated, page-turning double love story spanning forty years-an unforgettable Brief Encounter for our times.

It is 1960. When Jennifer Stirling wakes up in the hospital, she can remember nothing-not the tragic car accident that put her there, not her husband, not even who she is. She feels like a stranger in her own life until she stumbles upon an impassioned letter, signed simply "B", asking her to leave her husband.

Years later, in 2003, a journalist named Ellie discovers the same enigmatic letter in a forgotten file in her newspaper's archives. She becomes obsessed by the story and hopeful that it can resurrect her faltering career. Perhaps if these lovers had a happy ending she will find one to her own complicated love life, too. Ellie's search will rewrite history and help her see the truth about her own modern romance.

A spellbinding, intoxicating love story with a knockout ending, The Last Letter from Your Lover will appeal to the readers who have made One Day and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society bestsellers."

the second book i picked up from was barefoot: a novel by elin hilderbrand.  

says amazon:
" Three women arrive at the local airport, observed by Josh, a Nantucket native home from college for the summer. Burdened with small children, unwieldy straw hats, and some obvious emotional issues, the women-- two sisters and one friend--make their way to the sisters' tiny cottage, inherited from an aunt. They're all trying to escape from something: Melanie, after seven failed in-vitro attempts, learned her husband was having an affair, and then discovered she's pregnant; Brenda embarked on a passionate affair with an older student that got her fired from her prestigious job as a professor in New York; and her sister Vicki, mother to two small boys, has been diagnosed with lung cancer. Soon Josh is part of the chaotic household, acting as babysitter, confidant, and, eventually, lover. "

review to come!

i recently finished girls in white dresses by jennifer close.  


unfortunately, this was one of those books that had too many characters to keep track of & too many story lines that were too similar. i was confused most of the book & kept waiting for something to happen. even up to the last three pages, i was searching for a storyline. at the end, i was still waiting for something to happen.  if you have read this book before, i would love to know your thoughts! perhaps i was missing something with this book!

xo,

just because





 
 
 
 
 
xo,
 

Sunday, February 26, 2012

pinning away

lately, i have been finding myself dreaming of owning a home. i would say the dreams have alllllmost turned desperate... i can't stop thinking about how i would decorate each and every room. i day dream about whipping up some fantastic meals in my state of the art kitchen. hours cozied up in front of my fireplace in my beautiful living room. lush towels in a clean, crisp bathroom complete with a his & hers sink. i could go on & on!!

i blame two major culprits for these insistent day dreams...

culprit 1.

OBVIOUSLY - PINTEREST! i know i'm not alone in this. who doesn't have pin upon pin with home inspirations?!




i guess i have a thing for neutrals, huh?


culprit 2.  

last weekend S & i started our wedding registry! now that i have an idea of the items that i want to one day fill my home with, i just need the home;)

some of the items i'm most excited about :
 we have only just started the registering process but so far it has been so fun!

we still are planning to look at bedding, a toaster oven and a vacuum, among other things. i would love any advice or must have items i should add to our registry!

xo,

Friday, February 17, 2012

happy friday + 4day weekend


a few things i'm loving this lovely friday morning...

1. this is the weekend i have been looking forward to for quite some time.  tomorrow we are headed to the bridal boutique where i found MY DRESS to shop for maids' dresses! can't wait to see how beautiful they will look!... hoping i'll be able to slip on my beauty while we're there;)

2. the tulips from my valentine are just starting to open up.  they are seriously gorgeous!


3. currently kicking off a 4 day weekend...need i say more?

4. shawn is coming home early today so that we can get this weekend started! heading into the city for a little bling action, then grabbing a drink.

5. two words: GIRLS NIGHT. after dress shopping tomorrow, the girls & i plan on sipping some champagne, wearing our heels & dancing to our songs.  i. can't. wait.

wishing you a fabulous weekend!

xo,

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

7 MONTHS!

not only was yesterday valentine's day, but it was also the 7 month mark in the countdown to our WEDDING DAY! eeeeeeeks!! i've mentioned before that we usually do not make a big fuss over valentine's day. just a special meal and some good wine, linger a little longer in the hug, snuggle a little closer...you know, the little things. but this year is slightly different.  this is our first and last valentine's day as a an engaged couple. and to me (to us) this made valentine's day 2012 slightly more special :)

so it was quite a lovely surprise when i arrived home verrrry late from work to see a beautiful vase of red & raspberry tulips along with a little love note.  something that i was not expecting. something that was so beautifully written.  i will keep that letter forever.  and probably feel butterflies every time i read it.

it's the little things like this that make me realize & appreciate the meaning of love.  i will always remember what our priest told us at our pre-cana class back in october - it is no coincidence that you are sitting next to the person you are next to. what is happening, is meant to be happening. this is something so much bigger than you can ever imagine. you are your partner's life project, his/her key to heaven.  it is your life's job to get your partner into heaven.

this sentiment has stayed with me in my heart and in my mind. i love feeling like this once in a lifetime love, best friend, soul mate, forever kind of love is so much bigger than us.

when something special happens to us, we turn to each other and say, "always remember." ...
i will always remember...
...the second i knew shawn was about to get down on one knee & ask me to be his wife.
...our giggles & happiness during our engagement photo session.
...the closeness we felt after our pre-cana class.
...picking out our wedding bands & the feeling i got when i saw a wedding band on his hand for the 1st time! ....

i will always remember the giddiness of coming home to beautiful flowers & the loveliest of love letters... and knowing i'll always have a valentine...






xo,

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

hey there sweetheart

there is something sweet & romantic about valentine's day..to me, anyway. wishing you a lovely valentine's day!

xo,

Friday, February 10, 2012

weekend wishes

it's finally friday & i have to say that this week has been a longggg one.  on the agenda: i'm looking forward to sleeping in, long runs, a little bitta wedding planning, and a baby shower for my future sister in law!



and of course a glass of wine & a movie with the boy ;)
have a fabulous weekend, girlfriend..

xo,

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

beautiful invitations

when the wedding planning process commenced (after a month of engagement enjoying/non wedding talk/pre-planning) i was super excited to start coming up with ideas for the invites. i love the idea that an invitation sets the tone for how your wedding will be perceived by your guests.  it was important to me that our wedding invitations allowed our personalities to show through, as well as our style, wedding colors, and a few personal touches.

we met with our invitation creator, robyn, back in november & immediately knew that she got it. she knew what we were trying to accomplish.  she came up with three drafts of invitation suites complete with complimenting save the dates.  after a few tweaks, we were all settled on what our invites were going to look like!

here are a few of the images we showed as our inspiration invitations!







i think robyn was able to blend all of these beautiful inspirations into our perfect wedding invitation!
i can't wait to send them out in about 5 months!! til then, i would love to share our save the date...





all inspiration invitations via pinterest.
if you are interested in using robyn for invitations, you can find more info here.

xo,

Sunday, February 5, 2012

sunday musings

to me, sunday used to be the most dreadful day of the week. which i think has since been replaced with the awful monday. ..

i think what i love most about sunday is the feeling of guiltless laziness. let's lay around all day..read a good book..try a new recipe..have a mimosa..sleep in a bit..have breakfast in bed...catch an afternoon movie..try a new coffee shop..enjoy brunch..savor the rest&relaxation before a new work week commences.
off to enjoy this lovely sunday!
xo,

Thursday, February 2, 2012

love is in the air


not one for making a big fuss over valentine's day, but there is something very romantic about a holiday devoted to you & the one you LOVE.

my ideal valentine's day would be spent at home with a good movie, a good bottle of wine & a good home made meal.  nothing fancy, just us!

what's your favorite thing to do on valentine's day?

xo,