BRIDES & GROOMS IN THE METRO DC/MD/VA AREA!
Do you need a wedding planner? I have a contact who can offer you wedding planning services at a steeply discounted rate if you are willing to make available your wedding photographs for her portfolio.
This is such a great opportunity and I’d love if one of you could benefit!
E-mail me if you’d like the details!
(Feel free to send to friends in the DMV area as well.)
Smile Friday Thursday!
Just found this on our old wedding blog.
I think the fro is my best look. Either that or the cat-eye glasses. Brandon “I look handsome all the time” looks good in all of them, even with a wicked feathered side part thing going on. Whatever, I’m not bitter.
cupcaked asked: hey! i'm not sure if you've mentioned it in the past (i searched but came up empty handed) but i was wondering if you had read The Art of Racing in the Rain? a follower tipped me off about the book and i picked it up by its description. based on how you talk about your own dogs, i think you'd love it! it's a really quick, easy read as well.
I have read it! It was such a beautiful book. Certainly one of the best books I’ve read this year. Here’s my review of it.
(Also, bonus points go to any book about a dog that makes me cry in a happy, good way instead of a Marley & Me deep depression, want to curl up in a ball way.)
![What I’ve Read
Life is Meals by James Salter - This isn’t so much of a curl-up-and-read kind of book, but more of an interesting resource, with a different foodie tidbit for each day of the year. I think this would be the perfect gift for a hostess, or for the friend who watches Food Network, Top Chef, cooks constantly and loves Anthony Bourdain.
The Unlikely Disciple by Kevin Roose - As someone who grew attending Christian private schools, this book struck a little close to home. Roose, who was raised in a liberal family and attending Brown University, decided to attend ultra-conservative Evangelical Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia for a semester to learn more about the “other side.” I was so taken in by this book that I finished it in a day, unable to put it down even while cooking or doing my hair. Although the schools I attended were much less conservative than Liberty, there were enough similarities that I felt like I related to Roose’s experiences on several occasions. Rather than being a cloying discovery of how everyone can get along, or a scathing expose of the conservative youth he spent time with, it’s a nearly perfect balance of observation and open-mindedness. He doesn’t disparage the school or the students, but tries to use an open mind to examine each experience, each class and each student for what they are and to learn from it. It’s so well-written that you’d be hard-pressed to believe a 19-year-old college student (his age at the time at Liberty) wrote this book. No matter what your political or religious views may be, this book won’t injure or insult you—and I was surprised by the constant message of acceptance, despite massive differences in belief systems and political affiliation. What I took away from this book is that people are just people and that being scared or disgusted by the other side is far less productive and meaningful than trying to learn why and how they believe the way they do and learning from it.
My Horizontal Life by Chelsea Handler - Well, from Liberty University to Chelsea Handler—quite the leap. I’ve been on a huge Chelsea kick this summer and this book, while funny, was not quite as good as the other two I’ve read. However, the last several chapters more than made up for some less-than-funny earlier chapters. I finished this book last night and lay in bed just cracking up, with Brandon shaking his head at me. “You should be embarrassed right now,” he said. “Why?” I asked. “You’re laughing at a book!” Don’t knock it til you’ve read it. She’s hilarious.
Seven Year Switch by Claire Cook - A single mother is startled when her gone-for-seven-years deadbeat husband reappears and tries to work his way back into her and her daughter’s life. This is the perfect example of a beach read: short, cute, happy ending. It’s a book that makes you smile just because and doesn’t make you feel empty or wanting more when you put it down. It’s just a fun book to grab when you don’t feel like anything heavy or intense.
[Edit!]
jgh2 answered your question:
what’s wrong with laughing at books? i laugh at jokes in books all the time. silly brandon.
It’s not so much laughing at books in general, but ME laughing at books. I was kind of doing this awkward snort-chortle and was simultaneously jiggling the whole bed trying to suppress my laughter. He gave me the side eye and proceeded to mimic my snort-chortle.
Have you read any of these books? What did you think?](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l82ls2ra161qz7t98o1_500.jpg)
What I’ve Read
[Edit!]
what’s wrong with laughing at books? i laugh at jokes in books all the time. silly brandon.
It’s not so much laughing at books in general, but ME laughing at books. I was kind of doing this awkward snort-chortle and was simultaneously jiggling the whole bed trying to suppress my laughter. He gave me the side eye and proceeded to mimic my snort-chortle.
Have you read any of these books? What did you think?
I love stealing Brandon’s shirts. (This is one of his favorites, so don’t tell him!)
I am wearing a GENIUS pair of new jeggings from H&M that are so soft and comfortable (hurray for stretch waist bands <- a sentence I never thought I’d say) and even though it’s hot out today, I couldn’t resist wearing them and giving them a test run.
After I had the shirt on, I decided to put a tank on underneath in case I got hot running errands and wanted to shed a layer.
Much better! (And, just so you know—I did indeed shed the plaid shirt and ran the last half of my errands in the tank.)
Let’s also touch for a moment on something you are likely never to see again: my red lipstick. For some crazy, oddball reason I thought that I would give it a try again, knowing full well that red lipstick is not my thing. The only upside? At least it matched the shirt. (Another bonus: when you wear red lipstick, you don’t have to wear eye makeup. Pick and choose, guys, pick and choose. One or the other.)
I got startled when I looked in my car’s rearview mirror, though, and swiped a bit of it off on my hand and put on some red lip gloss instead. It’s going to take me some time to get used to the clown lips, but I have faith that one day I shall wear them confidently. Until then, gloss and lip balm it is!
Hollister buttondown; H&M jeggings; Aerosoles wedges; Old Navy tank; watch, nabbed from my dad; H&M bangles; L’Oreal lipstick in “Penelope’s Red”
I’ve been wearing this nail polish since high school. I saw it on my friend’s toes and went to Wal-Mart (yep, Wal-Mart) as soon as I could to grab a bottle for $1.50 or however much they were charging at the time.
Let me give you an idea of how amazing this color is. First, it’s a dusky, sexy pink. You’ll need several coats, but once you’ve got it on…it’s perfect. Second, it looks equally good on hands or feet. Third, it reminds me of January Jones’ ubiquitous pink shade she sports on Mad Men.
There are probably a million more shades like this that are better quality and go on in fewer coats, but I can’t give it up.
Love My Nails in “Palest Mauve”, $2-4, depending on where you buy
Please note that I will be discussing Target in terms of “what to buy” strictly by what you can put on your body. Not what you can eat off of or clean your house with.
PRICE RANGE: $5-$100
WHAT TO BUY: Work staples; trendy seasonal clothing; trendy shoes; pajamas; scarves; tote bags; sale/clearance items; designer collaboration collections
WHAT NOT TO BUY: Denim/pants; overpriced designer collaboration collections
WHY? Target’s biggest pro and its biggest con are the exact same thing: the darn designer collections. Here’s how they get you: they stir up huge hype about the collection, manufacture it at iffy quality-control levels, put a minimum of design and creativity into each piece, use less-than-desirable materials and slap a $70 price tag on it. And you know what? You buy it. Because it has a designer label on it. To be frank, there are very few designer collaboration collections for Target that are worth spending retail on. (Wait for the clearance racks.) You can get an equally priced item at much higher quality elsewhere. Don’t be fooled by the hype (or the recent Gilt Groupe sale). The only way to know if buying their clothes makes sense is to try them on in person. If you want to buy sight-unseen, know that Target sizes their designer collections by junior sizing (sizes 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, etc).
Also, a note about Target pants: namely, they suck. I know of very few people who have had luck with Target pants/jeans and the complaints are usually due to fit, not necessarily quality. It’s hard to mass produce pants and have a desirable outcome. For similarly-priced denim/pants with a better fit, try Old Navy or H&M.
Something else you’ll need to know is that Target shoes are more often than not quite uncomfortable. They’ve gotten better, yes, over time, but be careful. Try them on and walk in them. This is usually an area of concern in their heels/flats, but not so much with wedges, boots and sandals.
PRICE RANGE: $15-150+
WHAT TO BUY: Denim/pants; sweaters/cardigans; plain tees; outerwear; loungewear
WHAT NOT TO BUY: Everything else
WHY? GAP does basics really well. So, stick to the basics. Jeans, a plain t-shirt or two and a warm winter coat. These things have always been GAP’s specialty and have been further refined over the past several years. Their denim, in particular, has seen huge improvements in fit and style and the quality has been compared to jeans costing nearly twice as much. Don’t be allured by dresses, sandals or trendy blouses: you can similar items elsewhere for a better price and a more flattering fit.
PRICE RANGE: $20-$200
WHAT TO BUY: Sale items or items from Express outlets
WHAT NOT TO BUY: Everything else. I’m serious.
WHY? Express has some great sales, take advantage of them. But, let’s be real. Express is the less stylish, more expensive version of H&M, trying to reinvent themselves by switching up their inventory every several years. “We’ll be trendy this year!” “We’re the new Banana Republic!” I tire of it, guys. I really do. And their prices are just ridiculous. $200 for a coat? From Express? I think not. Express has some nice items, especially by way of pants/trousers, but you can buy them from their outlet stores, or wait for their large seasonal sales. There is no reason to ever, ever buy retail from this store. Trust me.
[Part III is coming soon!]
Please share with the other readers! :) Do you agree/disagree with my assessments of these stores?
I’m feeling a wee bit under the weather today, but there is nothing that…
…can’t fix.
Angela Kinsey - Looks nothing like her familiar character, and that’s a good thing. She looks gorgeous and glamourous. Her hair is doing a funky thing down that one side, but whatever. She looks great.
Vote? Best!
Christina Hendricks - This is one of those dresses that’s right on the ugly/pretty fence and depending on how you feel about, oh, lavender, that’s where you’ll come down. She has the type of intensely striking beauty that would constantly give her the “I’m wearing the dress and so no one notices the dress” problem (if you can call THAT a problem), so she sometimes overcompensates by choosing a dress that wears her, if that makes sense. This is right on the precipice of being too-too much. But, the neckline looks great and the color sets off her hair well.
Vote? Best, but not a home run.
Claire Danes - It’s a lot of gold on one person (even her hair is gold), but I’m a sucker for a sparkly dress. (The fit looks weird though.)
Vote? Best!
Dianna Agron - The look on her face here says it all. I’ve seen mixed reviews of this look so far this morning, but I have to say—this, in my opinion, is a total trainwreck. It’s so busy, ages her, does not show off her figure to its best advantage and—on top of all that—looks like a tablecloth/lace curtains. This is a stylist gone rogue, right here.
Vote? Worst.
Elisabeth Moss - This looks good on her and fits her well. Would have looked better in a color (maybe navy or green), but I like it. Her hair looks a bit matronly, though.
Vote? Best!
Emily Blunt - This may be one of my favorite gowns of the night. It’s soft and beautiful without being cloying, and the fact that you can tell—from the distance this photo was taken—that it matches her eyes perfectly is pretty awesome. Also, hair, make-up and accessories are A+.
Vote? Best!
Emily Deschanel - Thought this was Zooey at first glance (must be the bangs), but I kinda like this. It’s different and has an interesting neckline. On someone else, this might have looked cheap, but on Emily it just looks unique.
Vote? Middle of the road.
Jane Lynch - I think she looks awesome from the waist-up, but wish that skirt had been more fitted. The color also photographed poorly—it looked much better on TV.
Vote? Pretty good!
January Jones - I hate this. Not the dress so much, because it IS an amazing dress—but her IN it. With casual hair and no-makeup. Like she just rolled out of bed. Yes, you’re gorgeous January Jones and we all know it, but come on. This could have been amazing if she had put more effort into the overall look.
Vote? Try harder.
Jayma Mays - Hair looks awesome, love the navy/gold scheme—but that dress? I’ve seen like 500 versions of that dress over the past 5 years. Yawn.
Vote? Kinda boring.
Jewel - Once I saw the bow, it was all over. You don’t get a second chance when you wear a bow like that. Also, I’m over the lace trend.
Vote? Worst.
Kelly Osbourne - I think people are fawning all over this look because she hasn’t really pulled herself together like this in quite some time and, well, that IS commendable, but on anyone else—I wouldn’t like this. Hair and earrings are great for the dress, though, and I like where the waistline hits on her. It’s tailored well for her.
Vote? Pretty good!
Lea Michele - Someone needs to feed her. I can almost see her gasping for breath between pictures. Good god. She’s corseted to within an inch of her life in that thing. Also, hate the dress. Once again, I’ve seen a million versions of this same dress all over the red carpet for the past decade. Did she and Jayma Mays go dress shopping together?
Vote? Not this time, buttercup.
Mindy Kaling - What. Is. This.
Vote? Worst.
Stephanie Pratt - You are not at the MTV Music Awards.
Vote? I can’t even.
Tina Fey - I love this silhouette on her, but it’s a lot of print going on. Almost…cast-iron fence-ish from far off. But, she still looks great.
Vote? Best!
Who are your picks for best and worst dressed at the Emmys?
![Brandon and I started an Alias marathon about two weekends ago and have made it almost all the way through—finally on the fourth season.
Alias is one of my favorite shows of all time, but mostly because it was a huge high school fixture for me. I wanted to BE Sydney Bristow, or…Jennifer Garner. I cut my hair like her. I wanted to have arm strength like her and mostly—I wanted her on-screen (and off-screen) boyfriend, seen above.
[Spoilers Below!]
While watching the series, I was again reminded too of how completely beautiful Melissa George was in the series (playing good-girl-gone-bad Lauren Reed) and why so many Alias fans rooted for her, even as she tried to kill…almost everyone.
We used to have Alias nights at my house and invite a few friends over and my mom would make popcorn and my sister and I (well, mostly my sister) would make cookies and we’d all sit around and watch. So fun.
There are a few things I can look back during my four years of high school and say, without a doubt, I was having fun, but Alias nights were one of them. Perhaps (definitely) more geeky, playing in the band and orchestra and taking long bus rides with my best friend Lisa and my sister to go play at concerts was another.
But, Alias still takes me back to great times and rewatching the series with my husband only reinforces the fact that this show will be one of those special ones I can always pull out from the stack of DVDs and rewatch and love.
[Also doesn’t hurt that the show has so many awesome female characters!]
And, because this is a fashion blog—here’s a look at a few of my favorite Sydney Bristow “aliases”:
[Most photos from here.]](http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l7w31toS0f1qz7t98o1_500.jpg)
Brandon and I started an Alias marathon about two weekends ago and have made it almost all the way through—finally on the fourth season.
Alias is one of my favorite shows of all time, but mostly because it was a huge high school fixture for me. I wanted to BE Sydney Bristow, or…Jennifer Garner. I cut my hair like her. I wanted to have arm strength like her and mostly—I wanted her on-screen (and off-screen) boyfriend, seen above.
[Spoilers Below!]
While watching the series, I was again reminded too of how completely beautiful Melissa George was in the series (playing good-girl-gone-bad Lauren Reed) and why so many Alias fans rooted for her, even as she tried to kill…almost everyone.
We used to have Alias nights at my house and invite a few friends over and my mom would make popcorn and my sister and I (well, mostly my sister) would make cookies and we’d all sit around and watch. So fun.
There are a few things I can look back during my four years of high school and say, without a doubt, I was having fun, but Alias nights were one of them. Perhaps (definitely) more geeky, playing in the band and orchestra and taking long bus rides with my best friend Lisa and my sister to go play at concerts was another.
But, Alias still takes me back to great times and rewatching the series with my husband only reinforces the fact that this show will be one of those special ones I can always pull out from the stack of DVDs and rewatch and love.
[Also doesn’t hurt that the show has so many awesome female characters!]
And, because this is a fashion blog—here’s a look at a few of my favorite Sydney Bristow “aliases”:
[Most photos from here.]
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