Feels Like Paradise - Aspen Trip 1

Hi guys.  I'm checking in here from Aspen, Colorado.  We've been here since last Friday afternoon and I'm loving every second of it.  It is BEAUTIFUL here. Besides the 360 degree views of the majestic mountains, the town is clean, vibrant, and gives NYC a run for its money as far as people watching goes.  The weather has been absolutely perfect with temperature at mid 40s in the morning and night, and mid 80s during the day.  But there's hardly any humidity, which means any slight breeze actually does provide a cooling effect.  Here's what I've been up to.

Our first day, we took a trip to the Aspen Art Museum, which is tiny (but will be big once the new building is completed).  Behind the museum is a lovely area with a walking path surrounded by huge rocks, including a standing rock dedicated to John Denver.  This lovely area leads to a skate park, where Randy had to break out his old moves.  The kids who were watching him all commented afterwards that they thought he was going to fall. Frankly, so did I.  But my man did his thing and looked great doing it! 

Our second day, we took on the challenge of hiking the Ute Trail, which leads to the top of the Aspen Mountain.  Let's just say that I almost killed my husband for not telling me how difficult this challenge would be.  85% of the trail is 45 - 65 degree angled uphill climb.  The picture of my husband along the flowered path is just where the trail starts.  

That's me at about two thirds of the way to the top.  I was EXHAUSTED.  But a funny thing happened that kinda made our day.  When we were about 15 minutes from reaching the top, we saw two fit and tanned looking dudes.  We asked them how far the top was.  Upon looking at one of them, I thought he may be Lance.  Yes, Lance as in Lance Armstrong.  The potential Lance said to us, "It's about 10-15 minutes.  But it's shorter to go up than it is to go down."  I was like, yeah, no sh%@.  After the potential Lance and his buddy left us in the dust, a very fit and pretty looking mother & daughter duo came along and the beautiful mother with perfectly sculpted arms said, "Did you see who that was?  That was Lance".  Both my husband and I just about dropped and lost our jaws.  We were so giddy and instantly encouraged to make our way to the top. Hubs did tell me afterwards that he saw Lance checking out the Hubs' yellow and black Live Strong sneakers. Funny, huh.  The other picture is the top of Aspen Mountain.

On our first day, we treated ourselves to a live concert by Ben Harper at the Aspen Music Tent. We had always wanted to see him live and boy, he was no disappointment.  The event started out with an outdoor musical event with food vendors and people, who were about to set up a night picnic and listen to the concert free outside the actual stadium where the concert would be. Let's just say those folks were enjoying Ben Harper's grass music with lots of grass.  

Ok, before I go, one more picture!

One of the landmark places in Aspen is the Wheeler Opera House.  There's this cool little area with a water fountain that shoots up water at random speeds and times. I took this picture of these boys clearly having the time of their lives all because of a simple water fountain and a couple of beach balls.  Ahh... so good to be a child! 

More to come of my vacation in Aspen~~  

TGIF - Whatcha Up To?

   image via here

TGIF! How did I get through this week?!! My mind is still racing with lists (yes, plural) of things to do and pack before I get on that flight to Aspen tomorrow morning. I just have to think, 'by tomorrow this time, I'll be on my way to the airport and all will be fine'.  

I hope to sign in throughout my vacation, during those early mornings when I won't have to worry about getting to work :) 

Hope you have a great weekend!!

Readying for Vacation

Is it me or does it get really hectic right before leaving for vacation?  For me, I need to have my place all neat, clean and organized before I go on a vacation, even if it's just for an extended weekend. I also write a list of every item I need to take with me.  Needless to say, by the time I'm in the car or on the plane, I'm ready to down a shot of something strong and put a sign on my forehead that says "DO NOT DISTURB". 

Well, I'm half way there with the pre-vacation prep process.  Here's a sneak peak at what I'm taking with me for sure.  

  
a. J.Crew Tall Liberty toothpick jean - this is really pretty in person. 
b. Longchamp bag - so light in weight yet sturdy enough to carry lots of schtuff.  
c. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern - I've had this for too long and just started reading it.  It's great so far!
d. Canon G12 - I missed this real deal.  Time to get reacquainted with this beauty. 
e. J.Crew Ikat Tee - the light blue ikat pattern is perfect for the summer. 

Aspen, Colorado, here we come in 2 days!!  CAN.NOT.WAIT.  

Monday Look Back and Forward

Oh, hey, Monday.  You just crept up on me.  Ugh.  

Hope you guys had a great weekend.  Mine came and went with lots of play on Saturday (visited my folks for Father's Day) and lots of work on Sunday.  If all goes well with Speedz, we will be off to our vacation this Friday.  If not, we will stay home. All of this uncertainty is making me a little anxious and crazy.  But I do thank the stars that Speedz is looking much better than he has in days.    

Here's a little recap of the weekend.

  

It's going to be another busy week.  HOpefully, that'll make the week go faster, right?!  

Happy Monday and have a great rest of the week~~

TGIF - Whatcha Up To?

TGIF~~ My best friend, aka "the WEEKEND" is finally here.
It has been a long and tough week for me both at work and home. 
My puppy, Speedz continues to brave through various symptoms indicative of some sort of an autoimmune disease. We are waiting for the biopsy results to come back from those excellent doctors at the veterinary hospital of UPenn. In the meantime, our boy continues to be sluggish, which breaks my heart... Thank you guys for caring.

******

Here are some things that made me smile and cheer up this week. 

photograph by Nathan Coe for Vogue

The picture above, my friends, is that of Almafi Coast, which to me looks like paradise. My husband has been there during his younger days and tells me it's absolutely beautiful. Vogue did a photo spread of a couple's wedding held at Almafi Coast.  The bride looks so beautiful (and young!).  Um, yes, I hate her.  

It's Father's Day weekend.  I have to admit that I don't get too creative with my father's day gifts.  I will likely be getting my dad another golf shirt with a little crocodile thing on the front pocket. (And yes, I note that I have to do this like by tomorrow morning!) But I may put in the effort to download and print out this card.  

I also want to check out the local farmer's market for a vegetable called "scape".  My blogger friend Laicie of 1000 Threads made this grilled cheese sandwich below.   

My mouth is drooling...

Lastly, I'm coveting these two accessories from where else, J.Crew. 

Iphone 4 cover from J.Crew

Waterski Print Scarf from J.Crew

Happy weekending~~

Off the Wishlist

This morning, I checked out Madewell to see if I could find a pair of cute shorts for my upcoming vacation. To my pleasant surprise, they are having a one day 40% off + free shipping sale on selected items. And to my pleasant surprise, again (love double surprises, don't you?!), this necklace, which has been on my wishlist for some time, is one of those items. I have this necklace in black and gold too.  It just goes with EVERYTHING and I get compliments every time I wear it. 

Happy Thursday~ We are almost there!!  

Speedz

Yesterday, we made our third trip to the vet within a week.  Our Speedz has not been feeling well.  He's been hiding under our coffee table during the day and under the bed at night.  It appears that he ingested something toxic that resulted in pretty severe ulcerations throughout his mouth and throat. We have NO clue what he could have ingested...  The poor guy is in a lot of pain.  We have to drop him off at his doctor's again today and possibly tomorrow if we decide to get a biopsy of his throat culture (to rule out any autoimmune disease).  Although we are told that he will be ok, we can't help but feel as though our world has been turned upside down. Crossing my fingers our guy will heal up in due time and return to being his normal, sweet, cuddle bug.  

Need and Want Now

Having gone to school in Pittsburgh for 4 years and Syracuse for 3, I am not afraid of getting wet in the rain or snow. I gave up on counting how many umbrellas I lost within the first couple of months of living in Pittsburgh.  With all this said, I do want, no NEED is more like it, a rain jacket pretty badly especially since I don't carry an umbrella.  Yesterday was NOT pretty as we dealt with a typical summer torrential downpour.  I also WANT a couple of other things like below, for the summer.  

a. bandou top from Gap
b. bikini bottom from Gap
c. Kangarro Baggu for J.Crew
d.    Fiji by Essie - just got my pedicure done in this color and   LOVE IT. 
e. Boys Rain Jacket (size L) from Gap - this sizing was recommended for small women in one of the many reviews. 

What are your latest need & want items?

Polo Anyone?

Good Monday, friends~ 
I hope you had a wonderful weekend. 
Saturday, I started the day with a nice long run, before or around 7:00 a.m. to avoid the unforgiving sun.  
Later in the day, I treated myself to a set of fresh flowers ($8 at Wholefoods - not bad!)  

Sunday turned out to be an awesome day.  We were invited to a charity polo match organized by Chester County Hospital.  It was a last minute invitation from a good friend of ours and we had no reason not to go.  We had so much fun being out in the sun, talking to strangers, drinking our BYO wine, and watching the game, although I had/have no idea how the game works.  There was also a good amount of people watching, on my end, as there were ladies who had on some awesome fancy hats!  (what is it about horses and fancy hats?)

I was also happy to make some new memories.  I mean, it's not like every other weekend we attend a polo match!  Btw, I went to extremes with my floral outfit.  At the time I put on the outfit, I thought I was Olsen twins boho-chic, but looking back, I look like a crazy flower bag lady!!  Whatever.  It was a great day and I'm glad to be documenting some of those moments here and sharing them with you.  

How much do you love a set of fresh flowers?!

 Hubs looking dapper in his madras shorts! 

 The view... these tents provided us with just enough shade. 

So cool to see these players up so close.

Yay! Finally a picture of us together. 

This needs to happen more often!

And me in my flower bag lady outfit!

TGIF - Whatcha Up To?

TGIF!! While the day is starting on a gloomy note (raining outside), I don't care, it's still the weekend and I'm happy as a clam! 
  
Saturday, I'm meeting up with an acquaintance, whom I hope to get to know better. This get together has been in the works for like over 2 months.  Maybe it's just me, but it takes weeks and at times months to "get together" with some one.  Luckily for me, my closest friends are really good at making the initial efforts to stay in touch with me.  I LOVE THEM, you know who you are. 

Anyways,here are some amusing, interesting, and happy thoughts and images on my mind~

Lovely photos, right? Well, check out the artists behind these images to find something REALLY interesting about them. (Btw, a shout out to Ames for finding these images!) 

So, most of you know by now, that I'm a pescatarian. That means I eat lots of veggies, grains, and at times, some seafood. One of the grains I eat the most is quinoa. I think quinoa tastes and digests better as well. I made a dish similar to the one below a couple of weeks ago and to my surprise, my meat loving friend as well as my husband found the dish very tasty.  Yay, me!

recipe via here

The recipe calls for "liquid smoke".  Whaaa-at? It makes no sense.  Well, it exists!  See here.  

Remember here when I talked about my love of Matchbook Magazine? Well,I officially have a girl crush on Katie Armour, one of the co-founders of the magazine.  Her own personal blog, The Neotraditionalist is full of beautiful images, finds,helpful shopping guides, etc.  And seriously, Katie's pixie cut is to die for. As well as her utterly feminine and exquisite home. (BTW, I had the same cut in college and am no longer brave enough to go back to it!)  

Lastly, I came across this pretty pair below via the Matchbook Magazine.  Can someone tell my husband to read today's post?  (My birthday's still 3 months away, but you know, he can always prepare early!) 

Happy weekending~~~

Cute Pullovers

Loving these cute pullovers... and oh by the way, totally affordable too.  

1.Merci 2.Mon Cherie 3.Cherries 4.Frenchie

One more day 'til TGIF~~

Curtain Call

Adding pom pom fringe on curtains has been a trend for some time but I'm now finally seeing how it can be used in a room other than your kiddos.  Yup, grown up rooms or spaces with pom pom fringed curtains. Take a look at this Insta from Erica Cook of Moth Design. Inspired by Erica's photo, I went searching for more on Pinterest.  

this pin (I'm really drawn to the black and white contrast - adds a more grown up look)

this pin

this pin

this pin

So what do you think?  A go or a no go on these pom poms? (I wonder how long these will stay trendy...the chevron trend seems to be finally on this fading out phase...)

Happy Wednesday - we are half way there!

This Or That...

This is my first "This or That" post! It kinda happened as I was pinning away things with similar color tones and style.  

TOPS: This/Joie Eleanor Silk Top.... That/Joie Suela Silk Top

FLATS: This/Sol Sana Erika Flat Sandal....That/Boutique 9 Yendo Studded Loafer

DRESSES:  This/Zara Bird Print Dress....That/Pim & Larking Gatsby Dropwaist Dress
BAGS:  This/Tory Burch Viva Backpack....That/One by Meli Melo Thela Bag

If I could, there would be no this or that for me.  I'd get both!! 

Life via Insta

Hope you had a wonderful weekend.  It was scorching hot here in the suburbs of Philly.  I went for a long run on Saturday morning and was reminded of how unforgiving the sun can be even if it's only 7:30 a.m. The run did give me a burst of energy and Saturday became a GSD (get sh*t done) kinda day where I got rid of more stuff and cleaned the house.  IT FELT SO GOOD.  Here are my instas from the weekend. 

Btw, I LOVE cherries and am so happy to see them in the market. See my two past posts on cherries here and here.  

Hope you have a great, sunny, and energetic week ahead~