because you're worth it.

before december disappears on us - heck - before twenty thirteen does, i have to squeeze in just one more *pinch me* moment. sometimes at work, i am lucky enough to be the fifth or sixth person in line asked to attend certain events {and hopefully cover them} when others on the team can't. it's one of the perks of being on a lean 'n mean team of talented folks.

well, this time i got to attend the l'oreal paris women of worth event at the very swanky pierre hotel in the upper east side. it was a night spent honoring a select, nominated group of women who are making a difference in the world. many leading ladies chosen by l'oreal were in attendance to give the awards. it was a jaw-dropping-i-am-in-awe-and-oh-so-very-inspired kind of evening. you can read my article over here on stylelist and here are a few photos shot from my iphone.

starstruck over hoda, lea, diane, and andie {we're going first name basis here}.

sweet trisha yearwood {this is when i parked it right next to the press from extra and e!} 

the presenters cheat sheet. 

my favorite star sighing of the night... mr. bill cunningham himself. it was beginning to feel like this whole new york thing wasn't real without seeing bill in the flesh {remember this post?}. and so, there he was, blue jacket, vintage camera, and all. i guess it's real after all. 

the bottom line after experiencing this night was that there are some pretty kick a** women in this universe {amen to that!} and i'm just trying to be more like them. i snuck out at the end on a high. a complete high. that's the thing about this city, in the matter of minutes, just as it has the ability to make you feel down and out, it has the ability to make you feel like just about the luckiest and coolest girl in the world. new york is a great metaphor for life - take the good with the bad - it all evens out. i am so grateful to have had this *pinch me* moment... one that i will cherish forever.

mind the gap.

the past few days i've had a very dear friend staying with me all the way from california, so posts will be light as i try and balance the craziness of work, the holidays, and taking the time to have quality moments and nyc adventures. oh, the whirlwind that is december. my, this year has been a big one... and so many thoughts, finally, so many thoughts!

tyler is pure comfort to me. so far, we've been doing normal things like equinox, trader joes, laundry, and going to the movies {frozen is a must-see!}. but, i've also been dragging him on random and spontaneous adventures around the city like brooklyn, tribeca, and bryant park to name a few. it is his first time in the big apple, after all.

we met in college and have been by each other's side ever since. he opens doors and walks on the busy side of the street, and even carries my heavy bags. he is charismatic, bold, passionate, curious, and follows his heart and intuition without looking back {and ladies, he's single too! just saying.} from santa barbara to san francisco to exploring new lives in different cities (him la, me nyc) he's been a constant to me for so many years, and i am grateful for our relationship that withstands time and distance. i think it's incredibly important for women to have good, quality men in their lives, so lucky lucky me. thank you for always looking out for me, friend. your care for me makes my life so much sweeter and you are without a doubt my definition of a guardian angel.

so anyways, my loves, see you around soon, okay? may we all be grateful for those constant and steady friendships in our lives.

ps. the mind the gap title is really borrowed from my dear friend in london. i miss you, sister!

holiday gift guide: the 20-something working girl.

i am sure you are well aware that it is one of my someday dreams to be an editor. until then, i have it's all happening as an outlet. i'm oh so grateful that my job allows me to dabble in writing content for our lifestyle sites {our group includes stylelist, kitchen daily, homesessive, style me pretty, and makers}.

most recently, i got to create a gift guide for stylelist. each gift guide is what we call a stylelist select in which our editors are selecting the nine best products for you in a certain category. the products have a get it button that takes readers directly to purchase. so, you're shopping while you're browsing! fun stuff.

so, dolls, i present to you, treats for the 20-something working girl. it's meant to be for the girl living in the big city, and gifts that you really really want, but may have a tough time buying for yourself.

get it {it's a little out of order to match the stylelist selects}.

// 1. kate spade iphone case // 2. mark and graham everyday leather tote {love the black but any color is perfect} // 3. gap printed poplin pj {set in micro dot milk allure} // 4. kate spade just browsing laptop sleeve // 5. gap socks {sold out but other cute ones here and here} // 6. jo malone perfume set at nordies // 7.  lululemon carry me om tote // 8. emily elizabeth jewelry xo stud earrings // 9. anthropologie capri blue jar candle //

also, on my twenty fourteen goals... learn photoshop. in fact, i'm about to purchase photoshop for dummies. tips are always welcome! it's something i've been wanting to master for years now. i've got lots to learn {as you can tell from my first try at the collage above}.

happy holidays {and happy shopping}, my little snow angels! hoping i have time to sneak in another guide before christmas because i have so many coveted wants in this 'ol head for you.

ps. that one other time i got to publish some words.

bottle you up.

just about the nicest words i ever did hear. keeping them close to my heart forever and saving them for a rainy day.

i am so grateful for these kind words... spoken on a chilly day in november on the streets of new york city post lunch date. love you!

*original photo found here.

be mindful.

i watched this video today and found it incredibly helpful especially for a girl who has struggled with mindful eating herself, particularly on holidays.



what i found most profoundly true:

we must honor our digestive system. we can be so abusive to our digestive system. a lot of great holistic doctors say how the digestive system is the soul of our being. it's like our spirit. and if we're blocking our digestive system we're blocking our creative source.

let's remember these wise words this upcoming season and vow to treat ourselves well so that our creativity is always thriving. i know i'm going to work on it because i can relate to feeling blocked when i'm too full. also, if you haven't checked out the spirit junkie, i highly recommend it. she's the modern day guru.

happy early thanksgiving, my grateful beings! 

pinch me moments.

so that one time when i lived in new york and got attend the victoria's secret fashion show...

...the story i'll think back on and smile and feel lucky and grateful to have had that experience. celeb sightings, taylor swift performing, and probably the most beautiful human beings on the face of the planet walking the runway. this rivals the two thousand nine grammy's {yes, it was documented the second month i started it's all happening...!}.

i remember in college we would huddle around the tv at theta for this momentous night in early december {a religious routine!} and motivate each other to be healthy, and to somehow, someday look like a victoria's secret model {so silly!}. and then, a few weeks ago, i found myself sitting in the audience staring at the a-listers in the front row thinking to myself, how did i get here? 

taylor kicks it off with british invasion.

alessandra ambrosio poses for shipwrecked.

karlie kloss puts her hands up during snow angels.

adriana lima waves during snow angels {and that's adam under her arm!}

the grand finale!

i think the lesson here is really in embracing it. don't ask questions. just go forth. hang on to what you're good at. persevere. stay strong. stay grounded. say yes. take chances. soak it all in. and live. live life for all that it's worth.

it was a night to remember forever and i am so so grateful. pinch me!

p.s. you can tune in on tuesday, december tenth to see the live show on cbs. also! check out the media running on stylelist as well as the countdown clock starting december fourth. so excited!

detox soup.

something is in the air. is it just me? 'tis the week of detoxing. ever since last saturday i've been doing a little makeshift cleanse. lots of juices and smoothies and soups. my body needed it. do you ever feel that way too? 

while it's taken a bit of a toll on my bank account, it has also reset me in a way that i oh so desperately needed. out with the old, in with the new as they say.

tonight i made a recipe from the goddess of gluten-free, ms. gluten free goddess herself.

i'm calling it detox soup. i put my own spin on it by adding kale and subbing the water for low-sodium, gluten-free vegetable broth.

it's absolutely de-lish! make sure you have an immersion blender, that is key, and not always the most common kitchen gadget {i remember hunting the aisles of target for the best bargain when i was in the market for one, and i think it netted out to about thirty dollars. side note, these are the days i covet a vita-mix!}.

tonight reminded me of the nights standing up in my bite-sized kitchen in san francisco cooking soup, post yoga, starting the endeavor way too late, and boiling into all hours of the night.

coast to coast, i guess some things never change. miss you, california.

p.s. for more soup inspiration see here and here.

this is the voice.

you guys. the voice. the voice! is it just me or are you as into this show as i am? oh, please say yes! it's one big happy family, and i want to be a part of it.

maybe its adam, maybe it's the coaches' chemistry, maybe it's cole or caroline, but whatever it is, monday and tuesday nights are some of my favorites these days {yes, even mondays!}.

last week, i was lucky enough to get to go to the victoria's secret fashion show {more on that pinch me moment later} where i was just feet away from mr. levine himself. i watched him gaze at his love walk the runway and really all i wanted to do was go ask him about turning chairs, what's in his starbucks cup, and who does he really want to win the voice?

today i am grateful for the little things in life like adam levine and the voice.

p.s. do you remember these swoon worthy gentleman? well, adam should be added to this list immediately. in fact, did you hear the rumors he's going to be 2013's sexiest man alive? yes, please!

p.p.s. an old tv obsession here.

*thank you, pinterest, for this gem of a photo.

on feeling like your old self.

i feel like i met my soul again today.

hi soul, nice to see you. it's been a while.

not much happened to be honest. whether it be the candles burning a familiar and comforting scent, the dilly dallying, the fresh pressed juice, or just getting lost in a cup of jo for hours, i found my soul again. i knew we would find our way back to each other somehow.

today was quiet. today was still. the kind of day where you don't follow a jam-packed agenda, but instead, just take care of yourself. much needed, my loves.

i'm so grateful that i've found one of these days in nyc, for a while there i didn't think it was possible.

p.s. you may notice a pretty new font in the header and a link revisions in the top nav. i hope you enjoy and that it makes things easier for you, my sweet readers. xoxo

*photo by our fave max wanger.

how wild it was, to let it be.

i'm quite the meticulous reader. i like to make sure i read every. single. word. and so, i end up going back and re-reading pages a lot, and hence, take a rather long time to finish a book {at least that's one of the reasons}. i'm also somewhat of a book juggler. i like to have multiple going at once, which often times leaves me a third of the way through for months. exhibit a, gone girl. yes, guilty as charged, still trucking {many have taken priority!}.

anyhow, cheryl strayed's wild was one that took {a short} three months to finish {lots of plane rides this summer!}. cheryl is one of my favorite writers of all time as you might remember from when i saw her in person and when i gushed about her other book. in wild, she tells her story of hiking the pacific crest trail from california to oregon alone while she was twenty six. it's an unfathomable journey and yet she makes it seem achievable, as i felt like i was with her every step {literally} of the way, waiting to see how it would all unfold. she's an inspiration, and while my {new york} adventure is much less scary than hers, i couldn't help but find a few parallels along the way.

i thought i'd share some of my favorite quotes that left me in awe of her words.

i knew that if i allowed fear to overtake me, my journey was doomed. fear, to a great extent, is born of a story we tell ourselves, and so i chose to tell myself a different story from the one women are told. i decided i was safe. i was strong. i was brave. nothing could vanquish me. insisting on this story was a form of mind control, but for the most part, it worked. every time i heard a sound of unknown origin or felt something horrible cohering in my imagination, i pushed it away. i simply did not let myself become afraid. fear begets fear. power begets power. i willed myself to beget power. and it wasn't long before i wasn't afraid. 

and, as part of her last chapter, a good life lesson...

it was the the dream of a common language. i'd carried it all this way, though i hadn't opened it since that first night on the trail. i hadn't needed to. i knew what it said. its lines had run all summer through the mix-tape radio station in my head, fragments from various poems or sometimes the title of the book itself, which was also a line from a poem: a dream of a common language. i opened the book and paged through it, leaning forward so i could see the words by the firelight. i read a line or two from a dozen or so of the poems, each of them so familiar they gave me a strange sort of comfort. i'd chanted those lines silently through the days while i hiked. often, i didn't know exactly what they meant, yet there was another way in which i knew their meaning entirely, as if it were all before me and yet out of my grasp, their meaning like a fish just beneath the surface of the water that i tried to catch with my bare hands - so close and present and belonging to me - until i reached for it and it flashed away.  
it was all unknown to me then, as i sat on that white bench on the day i finished my hike. everything except the fact that i didn't have to know. that it was enough to trust that what i'd done was true. to understand its meaning without yet being able to say precisely what it was. to believe that i didn't need to reach with my bare hands anymore. to know that seeing the fish beneath the surface of the water was enough. that it was everything. it was my life - like all lives, mysterious and irrevocable and sacred. so very close, so very present, so very belonging to me. how wild it was, to let it be. 

she learned to let it be. to accept what was and trust her life exactly as it was. let that be a lesson for all of us. it's a must-read, my friends!

p.s. they are making a movie and reese witherspoon is starring as cheryl!

i just can't get enough.

when i was little i used to spend hours upon hours dancing and singing in the entry way of our house. there was what i'd like to think of as a stage in my make believe land, but really it was just a single stair that served as a platform looking out onto my mom's fancy living room. i pretended {oh i pretended!} that i had an audience - a full house - watching me perform. of all the time spent dancing on that step {blasting amy grant, spice girls, and mariah carey to name a few}, the moments performing scenes from the broadway musical, a chorus line, are the ones that stand out to me the most.

since moving to new york, i've added three more broadway shows to the list... the book of mormon, jersey boys, and most recently, annie. i love them all {jersey boys might be my most favorite of all time}, but there was something about annie that brought me back to the days of being a kid, channeling my inner clara, and truly dancing like no one was watching on that foyer.

there is a song in annie entitled nyc in which daddy warbucks serenades annie as he prepares to take her out for her first time in new york. its goes something like this...

what is it about you 

you're big 

you're loud 

you're tough nyc 

i go years without you 

then i 

can't get 

enough 

enough of the cab drivers answering back 

in the language far from pure 

enough of frankfurters answering back 

brother, you know you're in nyc 

too busy 

too crazy 

too hot 

too cold 

too late 

i'm sold 

again 

on nyc 

and the chorus...

you crowd 

you cramp 

you're still 

the champ 

amen for nyc

as i sat up on the second balcony peering down at the stage, i smiled. not because it was funny, but because there i was, all grown up, seeing a show that took me right back to being a kid. and, here i was listening to these lyrics all about this new city i am living in, which couldn't ring more true. it's tough... too this and too that, and yet, i just can't get enough. 

that bright eyed and bushy tailed dancer i was, never would have thought i'd be here. never would have imagined i'd be spending my friday nights in times square, or my tuesday nights at a jazz class in midtown. but, here i am. what was once a big scary place is becoming my home for now. that smile had every bit to do with the fact that i'm digging deep to embrace my inner dancer, the one with spirit and charisma and charm who believed that she didn't need an audience to dance, she just did it because she loved to.

{photo sent by a dear friend. thank you. at the time i had no idea this post would come out}.

this one's for the wedding montage.

on october 12th, 2013 my bestest friend got married. and i wrote a speech. speaking in front of others isn't something that comes naturally to me... writing here feels much more comfy. but, it was an absolute thrill so i wanted to share it with you. cheers to love stories!

***

hi, everyone. for those of you i don't know, i'm gina, one of alexis's maids of honors and very best friends. i'm so excited to be up here tonight because i've pretty much been looking forward to this moment since the very first day i met alexis. so, please know it is an absolute gift to be standing here.

i do actually remember the first day i met her {if you don't count the time we serendipitously attended the same info session at usd in the spring of 2003}. it was in the common area of our freshman year dorm at ucsb before school started. she was in a gray sweatshirt, maroon juicy sweatpants, and rocking a bun on top of her head. high school ladies, i'm sure you know the exact look i'm talking about here. it was the freshman year uniform.

and i, ironically enough {while i have no idea what i was wearing} was walking into the dorm with a friend of hers. it was he who initially introduced us, and while i hesitate to give him any credit since we learned shortly thereafter that we were to live directly across the hall from each other, it was this torrey pines mutual friend who bridged that first gap, and i will forever be grateful for that rare moment.

alexis was the first real best friend i ever had. she taught me what it meant to have a supportive, compassionate, trustworthy, loyal, and true person by my side. we were in a scary and unsure phase of life, going off to college... both the oldest of two siblings leaving our families for the first time, both timid to be in a new place... one that consistently made the list of top 10 party schools in the nation, and both very much connected to people and aspects of our home.

i think, looking back on it all, that god sent me alexis as a guardian angel. the closest thing to a sister, aside from my own, that i'd ever have.

in prepping for my speech tonight, i re-lived some of our college days by going back through every facebook message we had ever sent to each other. i don't know if any of you guys have ever done this, but you should because it is a real treat! anyhow, it turns out that i had been writing this speech all along...

the message string began with a message from me on september 16, 2004, which would have been fall of our sophomore year of college, the first of our 3 years living together as roommates.

the subject line read: theta.

the message: theta love!

from there begins an epic coming of age story of two girls navigating college and then transitioning to the real world. the stress, the angst, the insecurity, but also the pep talks, the silliness, and the inspiration that exist in this chain are a true symbol of two friends being there for each other every step of the way in such unchartered territory.

the facebook messages even revealed to me the first time i met brian. it was february 16th, 2008. a saturday. right after they became official. we were at robby and elizabeth’s in la jolla and did a quick stop-in to meet brian before heading to see our favorite tristan prettyman in la. what i remember most about that first encounter was just how clear it was that brian knew he was meeting someone important. and i don't mean that in a self-boasting kind of way, i mean it genuinely, in a this-is-the-real-deal kind of way. my second time hanging out with brian was the day after. it was a night spent sitting at his kitchen table - with james - in fits of laughter about gosh knows what now, but i remember laughing so hard it hurt and many an inside joke were born. the thing was, it all came so easily. the comfort was there from the beginning.

one of the biggest gems i discovered in this facebook correspondence came from a message sent on november 14th, 2007.

me to alexis: 

i can't believe you are like going to get a boyfriend... what? where did he come from?

and alexis in response: 

i'm not getting a boyfriend, gean. it was one movie, one kiss, and two tattoos.

well, friend, i guess you were wrong about that one.

i once emailed brian in the winter of 2009 when i knew alexis was going through a bit of a rough patch. since i couldn't help solve the problem with a therapy walk to sands like we'd done countless times before in college, i reached out to him as he was the person who was her greatest source of love.

in more words than this, i wrote:

i know you are, but please take care of my little alexis. you are such a positive influence in her life... one of her role models and inspirations and sources of love. i'm so glad she has you.

and in brian's response he said:

i will do everything in my power to help her regain that spirit and that spark. gina, i promise i will take care of alexis. i love her too.

bri, you've always been a keeper. always. you let me sit in the front seat and you in the back when alexis drives. you let me have the bed while you sleep on the floor. you get on the phone too when I call for advice and weigh in with your own. you let alexis and i name your tattoo mitchy without even getting mad about it. but, most importantly, you love my best friend the way she deserves to be loved, and for that i will be eternally grateful.

alexis, i remember when we were in hawaii with my family in the summer of 2006 snapping photos on the beach. after one in particular you said to me this one's for the wedding montage. for some reason, that always stuck with me. like we were in this together. like we'd be looking out for each other on this road to falling in love and getting married. so, here we are on your wedding day, and in this moment i could not be happier for you.

i'll end with a quote that i once wrote to you, soulmates are people who bring out the best in you. they are not perfect, but they are always perfect for you.

so here's to brian and alexis, the kind of soulmates who will always bring out the best in the other. and, here's to a lifetime of being perfect for each other.

i love you both!

***

ps. for more on the characters in this tale see here and here. 

on the little things... like color.

when i first moved into my apartment i was insistent upon putting the head of my bed facing west so that i would have a perfect view of the empire state building. you know, because why wouldn't you want to roll right and gaze up at it in all of its magnificence? turns out, feng shui didn't support that plan, so now my toesies are the lucky ones with the perfect view.

also several days after living here, when i proposed the question to a native new yorker, how do you know the meaning behind the colors of the empire state building? she told me to start subscribing to timeout new york. it tells you in there. so, what did i do? subscribe the very next day in hopes somewhere in that magazine, would be the key to uncovering the meaning behind the colorful lights.

well, no such luck. while i do love timeout new york for reasons i did not know that i would upon first receiving it {i'm a sucker for the fine print of free events happening around town}, there is no mention of the empire state. no full page spread or legend that unveils the meaning behind the unique color combinations like i thought there would be.

and see, those empire state light changers, they take their job s-e-r-i-o-u-s-l-y, so i was just slightly disappointed... do it for them!

really the point of this ridiculously pointless post is to share with you the discovery i made...

what color is the empire state building dot com.

yup, you read it... a website dedicated just to this very purpose {it's currently saved as a bookmark on my phone}.

now when i sit and stare from my window and watch the camera flashes go off until all hours of the night, as tourists pile on the observation deck, i know.

i know that tomorrow will be pink, pink, pink for breast cancer awareness and i know that thursday will be red, blue, green in honor of the fourth annual self esteem weekend. see! these things are important. fun facts. and quite honestly, one of the most fun things about living in new york city.

it's the little things, my darlings. good night! sleep tight.

ph, please.

when i walk the perimeter of gramercy park i feel like i'm in a novel. one full of mystery and characters with an exorbitant amount of money, and yet still wallowing in their sorrows. when i gaze up, i picture the protagonist, a tortured young, rich girl perched by the window in her penthouse apartment, peering down at me, watching my every move.

see, i get into it! there's something about those buildings... they hold secrets only the imaginary characters in my head can tell me.

the other day, i got the below scan of the wall street journal in an email from my mother.

as it turns out, arnie, her co-worker, who receives the wall street journal all the way over in a small town in california, took it upon himself to snip this page out to share with my mom.

is this your daugther's place?

ha! i wish! although, it is just around the corner. i do love that he circled the $42 million in case we might miss that minor detail.

a couple weekends ago i decided to go seek out this gem of an apartment and maybe, you know, introduce myself to mr. anderson. i awkwardly stood outside snapping photos while the doorman gave me the eye as he "swept" outside. no sign of the millionaire, but i am considering adding to my new york bucket list taking a dip in that infinity pool.

i am grateful for my neighborhood. thankful that of all the ridiculously overpriced places to live in new york city, i somehow ended up in this neck of the woods.

ps. i did purchase this book at the strand not too long ago. see, it really does exist!
p.p.s. i once spotted johnny depp parading the park. it was a pinch me moment.

words to live by.

sometimes when you don't have any words of your own, it's best to lean on others'.

these three quotes get me through as of late, and remind me to look for the magic, be happy for the moment, and trust that everything is happening as it should.

i miss this space, and writing here feels foreign. it's both comforting and heart-wrenching at the same time. just know, i think about you everyday... i'll be back soon.

{quotes via love notes, a gift from a friend}.

six trends to watch this summer.

to be honest i've been sitting on this post for at least a month now, but better late than never.

trends are such a funny thing to me. i spend hours thinking about where they come from. the runway? yes. but also no. if i've learned anything about new york, it's that this is much more so the birthplace of a trend than san francisco.

for example, upon arrival to new york, i noticed that wedge sneakers were in. who knew? i'd never even heard of such a thing! either that trend never hit the west coast or i was not paying attention. so, after some light magazine reading and being challenged to know current trends via my job {you can watch the video i appeared in on behalf of stylelist for aol jobs to chat about what not to wear to the office this summer with the fashion editor of redbook magazine}, i put together my own little list of summer trends that i've got my eye on. so, here's my take on summer style and the looks i might try. ready, go!

in tribal we trust.

i love the idea of mixing in one piece of tribal print for some extra flare like the photo above, or even going all out with a long dress. i also see pops of ikat on iphone cases, backpacks, and nail polish. either way, you can find everything tribal you need at go jane.

pucker up for peplum

it's here in many-a-form - tops, skirts, and dresses - and quite frankly, i think it looks cute worn every which way. j.crew carries a simple top... and i might just have to click purchase {photo via}. 

bare in bandeau.

this music festival {in my opinion} inspired trend is really all about baring your midriff, so call it what you will, the point is your top is officially cropped. this takes the meaning of toned abs to a whole new level. check out asos for some inspiration. 

crazy for cutouts. 

this summer, back is in. so is side. in fact, showing just a little bit of skin in unusual ways is all the rage. the key is balancing the fine line of classy and, well, not so much. try lulu's to get it just right.

do it in denim.

always a classic choice, denim is popping up in everything. the classic denim cut off short, the easy breezy chambray shirt, even the manicure. denim is as present as ever {looks found here & here}

take that, tough girl.

so, the met ball? never hear of it until this year. or, i did, but i'm pretty sure it just went in one ear and out the other. well, leather is in. punk is in. the 90's are back. that's the buzz. mainly, i think the trend has seeped its way into certain pieces and so, a chic touch of leather is definitely a must. thank you, zara.

ps. just two more things to note that aren't necessarily broad trends, but items that are around every turn. the hepcat shade and the ankle strap heel {may or may not have just bought 3 pair}.  gotta love it.

okay, so long for now, loves. that's a wrap on trends. get 'em before the summer's over.  happy shopping! xo

the science of happiness.

i am in absolute awe.

a little saturday afternoon downtime lead me to stumble upon this video from a gem of a website, soulpancake. there are plenty of videos that will leave you inspired, but this one really hit home as it is the foundation of it's all happening. it will leave you in tears, no doubt, and prove the true power of how reflecting on what you are grateful for can increase your happiness level.

so, here's to being grateful, dolls. may you boost your feelings of happiness and contentment by remembering what you're grateful for.

ps. watch kids take on love, which reminded me of this little boy in love..

p.p.s. while browsing twitter today, i realized how many amazing brands there are doing amazing things in this niche lifestyle space. i want to create a platform where people can discover all of these unique businesses in specific categories. a platform for people to discover platforms, really. a brands doing cool things directory, perhaps?

ten minutes.

i've been tasked with a little project.

write ten minutes a day.

ten, that's all. not eleven. not eight. ten. creative, non-work, thought provoking writing. nothing has to come of it. just words. strung together. so, here's my attempt at those ten minutes. i have no idea what's about to come out. maybe not my best work, but i've got promises to keep.

in the scorching heat today, i had a thought on my walk to work. how many iced coffees must new york go through during the course of a summer? LOTS. oh if i could do a study on that one! then it dawned on me that i am one of those crazy new yorkers downing her venti iced coffee {in t-minus two minutes. but that's another story entirely}.

today on our usual nine forty five am starbucks run, it dawned on me how grateful i am for this little routine. the gals who work there call us the sex and the city girls. i can't quite figure out why, but i'm going to attribute it to this absurdly curly 'do i've got going on this summer {no time or patience or air conditioner strong enough for hairdryers}. i digress.  

anyhow, as long as i live, i want to remember these coffee runs. the mornings i got compared to carrie bradshaw. today i am grateful for new co-workers and the words it's on us today girls and just really nice strangers, but also not-so-strangers who have a unique and unattached way of brightening your day.

i think that's at least fifteen minutes now. ahhh it feels so good.

summer edition.

on a plane ride back from california recently, i decided to spend ample time doing some much needed catch up on magazines {to be honest i looked forward to it for days}. people stylewatch, lucky, and real simple were my mags of choice. dozens of folded pages, several lists, and four post-its {front and back} later, this special summer edition fashion and beauty list was born.

eight things to try this summer.
by, me.

one. try a cc cream. i think clinique will be my go-to.

two. invest in a cute pair of pj's.
the ones below are found at nordies {my second choice over at anthro}. they are the perfect mix of sexy and sweet, and most importantly super lightweight for this scorching nyc summer. 

{might i add there is a lack of good, simple women's pajamas out there. hot business idea if you ask me! ps. sleepy jones, anyone?}

three. shop on zappos for once and for all.
it's time to pull the plug. convenience is really becoming key.

four. rock the headband hair braid.
i once dabbled in the waterfall braid, remember? julianne hough got it right, just saying.

five. play with polyvore. it's genius!

six. one word: jumpsuit.

after much research, this one was found at macy's {and on sale!} DO IT.

seven. splurge on some new sunnies. 

currently coveting these elizabeth and james pair originally spotted on the lovely gals over at a piece of toast. 

eight. find the perfect nude pump... and ankle strap heel... and sandal. 

that's actually three things, isn't it? apparently i will be sticking with number three above after all. finding the perfect shade of nude is a daunting task. up for the challenge this summer! 

and, after making this list, the number one thing to do this summer is actually learn photoshop. it's truly time to step up my collage game {oh, what i wouldn't give to attend blogshop!}.

have a great week, lovelies! here's to trying new things this summer. xoxo.