a recent conversation.

the other day i lost my camera charger. i rummaged through every closet, opened every drawer, lifted up every pillow, and still couldn't find it. the grumpies ensued.

i was so irritated, in fact, i think simon was temporarily afraid of me. after i calmed down, we had the following chat...

me: are you sure you want to marry me?
simon: yup.
me: even though i am a pain in the butt sometimes?
simon: yup.
me: even though i lose stuff?
simon: yup.
me: even though i'll never ever be able to take pictures ever again? (dramatic, much?)
simon: yup.
me: just checking.

phew. :)

p.s. and in case you're wondering... i have since charged my camera with a friends' charger. double phew.

(photo credit: clumsy bird)

farmers' markets and friendship.

yesterday i spent the day with my friend, christine. we walked around boston, strolled through farmers' markets, and chatted about life.

one of my favorite moments of the day came when we shared a chocolate chip cookie and munched on juicy nectarines in the grass, and it hit me that it was a tuesday, and only 3 p.m. i guess you could say, fun-employment has been really good to me. :)

today i am off to see a movie, and visit the famous flour bakery. i hope you are all having beautiful days!

packing for yoga school.

in just a few days, i'm heading to western massachusetts to participate in my yoga teacher training. since i'm dorky and excited, i've been meticulously planning what to pack, and i think i've finally settled on a thoughtful and reasonable amount of "stuff" for the month.

in addition to approximately twenty pairs of yoga pants and an equal amount of tank tops, i'm bringing a few special little things that will make me feel at home and happy:

my sigg water bottle, comfy flip flops, a travel candle, a fan for the warm august nights, a soft blanket from home, mala beads from india, a journal to record my thoughts, china gel to soothe sore muscles, and my favorite hoodie.

my dears, do you have any other suggestions for ways to make me feel at "home"? i'd love to hear. you always have the best ideas!

our wedding invitation.

almost as soon as simon and i got engaged, i decided i wanted ellie of hello tenfold and mint design blog, to design our wedding invitation. she agreed (hurray!) and then proceeded to indulge me and my inspiration boards, as well as my numerous long emails and random ideas. :)

and i couldn't be more pleased with how it turned out: delicate, romantic and understated. now the fun begins, as the rsvp cards start showing up in our mailbox!

thanks, as always, for letting me share all of this with you. :)

wedding stamps and calligraphy.

good morning, my friends!

i'm sorry for a lack of posting this week. things have been wonderfully busy! but i will be back in the swing of things next week as i prepare to leave for my kripalu yoga teacher training.

in the meantime, now that most of my friends and family have received their wedding invitations, i am excited to share them with all of you. first... the envelopes.



we chose ashley osgood to do the calligraphy. (she is incredibly talented and has a unique style that i simply love.)

and then i adorned them with a variety of vintage stamps (butterflies, flowers, birds etc.) that i found on ebay. what do you think?

next week, the actual invitation... stay tuned!

lovely tea towel.

happy monday, friends!

maybe it's the soon-to-be wife in me, but i think this tea towel is adorable. bonus: it's made using 100% organic cotton.

yes, i would like one please, thank you very much. :)



(available here)

have a sunny weekend!

my loves,
what are you up to this weekend? simon and i are off to a wedding. huzzah! simon is the co-best man, so i am excited to see him in his tuxedo.

i hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and in the meantime, here is one of my new favorite song writers, in la blogotheque style.

the first song is the one i adore, but trust me... it's worth watching the whole video - josh rouse is phenomenally talented and the video itself is pretty cool. it makes me want to go back to barcelona!


josh rouse - i will live on islands.


p.s. if you're unfamiliar with la blogotheque take away videos, check them out! they are incredible. my favorites are sigur ros, bon iver, and of course, phoenix.

(photo credit: dirtyfeet)

twenty four hours of bliss.

yesterday i had the pleasure of visiting my dear friend, (and wedding photographer) meredith, in south portland, maine. she and her boyfriend spoiled me rotten. they are not only the sweetest couple ever... but they also live in a house that looks like it's straight out of a magazine. wow.


upon my arrival, meredith served me lavender lemonade. it tasted just like the flower smells. needless to say, i finished the whole pitcher. (i'm a great house guest like that.)


every time i turned around, i fell more and more in love with their house: colorful pillows, antique bottles, flowers, vintage furniture, etsy illustrations... it was gorgeous. (did i mention they live down the street from scratch bakery?)


after a feast of risotto, panzanella, and blueberry honey mead, i snuck up to my own little loft space to sleep for the night. i slept like a baby and dreamed about the ocean (which is incidentally, just down the street).


then, this morning, meredith and i strolled around cape elizabeth and chatted about life. it was one of the prettiest walks i've been on in a long time.

meredith, thank you so much for having me. and simon doesn't know this yet, but we're moving... pronto. xo.

walking.

"few people know how to take a walk. the qualifications are endurance, plain clothes, old shoes, an eye for nature, good humor, vast curiosity, good speech, good silence and nothing too much."

-ralph waldo emerson

i couldn't agree more. so, tell me... when was the last time you went for a walk?

xo.

(photo credit: emmily shaw)

the big things, the little things... and everything in between.

as i sit here, with the hum of the refrigerator in the background, and piles of wedding invitations, envelopes, and stamps spread out all over the living room rug... i can't help but pause and reflect.

we are really getting married.

there are days when simon and i discuss little things like the table arrangements, or what color tie he should wear.

then there are the moments when we're driving, and i look over at him and think: "he's going to be my husband," or he says something hilarious about our future children like: "if we have a girl, i guess we're going to have to drive her to ballet class, huh?"

but mostly, our days are just filled with a quiet knowing. anticipation for our wedding day, and a subtle sense that everything is about to get even better.

trust me when i say, there were times in my past when i felt thoroughly discouraged about ever meeting the right person, or getting married.

and yet here i am: folding things, licking envelopes, and sorting through our guest list.

it's really happening.

xo.


(photo credit: emmily shaw)

the yoga journey.

the other day i was rolling up my yoga mat after class, when the teacher approached the girl who had been practicing on the mat next to me. the teacher said: "you have such beautiful form" and the student graciously smiled and said: "thank you".

as i walked away, i couldn't help but feel a tremendous sense of envy wash over me. why hadn't the teacher told me that my form was beautiful? was i doing a bad job? was my form unworthy of a similar compliment?

i realized later, of course, that my form had absolutely nothing to do with the situation. clearly, i was feeling insecure about my yoga practice and needed to address that. yoga is the furthest thing from a competitive sport, and yet i still fall into the trap of comparing myself to other yogis. often.

have you ever had similar moments of unnecessary jealousy? ugh. how do you deal with it?

(photo credit: sunsinger)

lately my life has been...

energizing: i have been waking up at 5:30 a.m. the past few days. it's so quiet and peaceful. i love being able to get things done before it's even 8 a.m.

yummy: i am officially obsessed with fruit salad that has mint in it. have you ever had it? ahhhhh.

interesting: my transition to fun-employment has, so far, been both strange and great. i have decided two things: 1. my growing pains are icky, but probably completely normal (i've had a few moments of "oh shit what have i done") and 2. going to the grocery store in the middle of the day is deliciously dull.

hot: ever since my last day of work, there has been a heat wave in boston. and yesterday the air conditioning in the condo stopped working. i almost wished i had a cold office to go to... but then i quickly came to my senses.

exciting: today my best friend is arriving from san diego! we are having a girls' weekend complete with a day at the spa, yoga and zumba classes, sushi, and cocktails with friends.

what's new with you? i'd love to hear.

(photo credit: themorningtrain)

bravery is hot.

just some food for thought on this incredibly hot day in boston...

(excuse me, while i go put my head in the freezer.)

(photo credit: ivan amezcua)

in the glow.

here are some pictures i've taken lately... the summer light makes photography so much fun.

we spent lots of time on the water this weekend... and i got a hundred new freckles.

if we had a stoop, i would be copying this whole scene... so sweetly messy, don't you think? :)

we savored the sunset on the dock with the dogs. heaven.

it's true what they say: the grass is greener (in maine).

simon water skied like a champ and didn't tease me (too much) for wimping out.

sometimes simon likes to draw. on this particular evening, he was designing a piece of furniture for our condo. so handy...

we also spent a fanciful and delicious evening at a new french restaurant in our neighborhood. we've decided we want to become regulars. bon appétit!

i hope you all had a wonderful (long) weekend too.