thoughts for friday

Happy Friday!  Last weekend was a wonderful recharge for me and it was so needed before this LONG week of projects, meetings, interviews, etc.  Fingers crossed for another recharge weekend full of relaxing, checking things off the list, and CELEBRATING EASTER.  

image

As a brief aside, my perspective on Easter tends to get so skewed as a student- I inevitably wind up looking towards exams that are coming up in a few weeks instead of focusing on what I consider to be the most important holiday in my faith.  Let me just say that while I have loved the flexibility that being a student has afforded me, I am super excited to re-join the "real world" and hopefully to focus a little more on the things in life that mean so much more than any test or paper.  

image

With that perspective in mind, here are a few things that have brought a little extra joy this week, that I highly recommend trying, or that I am contemplating trying myself.  I bit of a mixed bag of "friday finds" and "thankful thursday" items if you will.  

Dogwoods are BLOOMING in our neighborhood.

Makes those chilly walks so much nicer!

photo credit to josh...xo

Tried to "recreate" the feeling of vacation with a little french patisserie visit in Raleigh.

My croissant didn't come with a view, but it was still a delicious mid-week pick me up.

paris  // j'taime

I LOVE these blue earrings and am contemplating them as a treat for myself.

Thanks to the ever stylish Lauren T for introducing them to me!

stella and dot

New workout tanks that wick but aren't too tight.

Why didn't someone think of this sooner?!

oiselle

Delicious...no DELICIOUS rosemary sea salt bread.

Run to Fresh Market and grab some...it has made an appearance with most meals this week!

Happy Weekend everyone!  I hope it's a wonderful, relaxing time to focus on what matters most to you.

xo,

last spring break

Good Morning.  Last weekend was a big one...my last spring break as a student...ever.  I think it's finally safe to say I will be done with my schooling when I graduate in May, so this really was my last random break for the time being.

image

While I can't say I spent my break living it up on a beach somewhere, I had the most wonderful week and I am so thankful for the time I got with dear friends.

As a quick recap of the last week:

• Put our house in North Carolina on the market...went under contract the first Saturday of break
• Spent time in Florida with friends and family
• Spent lots of time in Florida house hunting
• Spent time in the mountains with law school friends

outdoor fire / mountain sunset

The last part of break was a great time to hang out with the law school friends we have made over the past three years.  While all of us will be in different states after we graduate, I am confident that we will remain close friends.  (The bonds formed during weeks of an 8:30am class and the stress of exams are quite enduring.)  

As a quick recap of our weekend celebration:

swiss mustard batons / saturday night dinner / beef tenderloin / tuscan chickpeas and grilled bread

We ATE, ATE, and then ATE some more.  As a result, salads and veggies are going to become VERY prevalent in our household over the next few weeks.  Check back for recipes soon.

wine tasting / whiskey tasting / a new find

Josh organized a blind wine tasting on Saturday night.  Each couple brought a bottle and we blindly tasted and ranked each.  While it was a close race, a malbec won the day.  The boys (and a few girls) were also so excited to do an "irish whiskey tasting" at the Old Edwards Inn in Highlands.  I'm still not sure how we talked the hotel into opening the tasting to us non-hotel guests, but we were thankful and the boys loved the free whiskey.

hiking

After all of our eating, we attempted to be active with a hike up Whiteside Mountain.  I can't say I am in the best hiking shape, but the views (and friends) made the climb worth the trip.

shopping in highlands / pj quadruplets / out to dinner / hiking

I couldn't help but post this collage of "girl pictures."  We laughed all weekend that we must all be friends - we kept showing up in almost identical outfits (including the pjs featured in this post.)  Great minds think alike ladies!  In all seriousness though, I am so thankful for all of you- the last three (and two KK) years would have been a much different adventure without each of you.  Love you all!

Last, I have to leave you with this picture of our mountain pup.  He was so happy to spend some time in the mountains and let his ears fly free!  Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

mac

xo,

hello march

Happy Friday and hellooooo March!

via

I hope you have a fabulous weekend and you do something to celebrate what this Florida girl marks as the official start of SPRING.  March always feels like a tease- sometimes warm, sometimes chilly, but it is when I start to believe that warmer weather, lighter sweaters, and longer days are ahead.  Wouldn't this be the cutest for one of these first spring days?!  Love the turquoise with the red...

via

Back on Monday with weekend updates (including a birthday celebration!)  Enjoy the weekend!

xo,

hot pink pants

Happy Friday! Spring must be in the air because all I can think about are BRIGHT colors.  Right now I am loving hot pink pants.  While the color is bright, and may be off-putting for some, I think it is a fun color that can bring an outfit to life and be styled for different occasions.  Here are a few of my favorite ways to wear a pair of bright pants:

top /wool blazer /pants / heels / jewelry 

sweater / pants / shoes / necklace /sunglasses

chambray top / jacket / pants / shoes / sunglasses

What do you think?  Hot pink for Spring?!

xo,