Bon Voyage

Farewell, adios, good riddance, arivaderchi, aloha, au revoir!

Goodbye my friends - I'm headed to the Big Apple for a full WEEK of bliss.

This little (read: long) trip is the first time I'll be heading back since the big move of '09. I can't wait to stroll the City, eat my heart out, join in some wedded bliss, and catch up with some of my very favorite people.

I'll be taking my Instax along for the ride - can't wait to share all of the fun with you when I get back. Until then, I’ll trust that you’ll hold down the fort here in God’s Country.

Peace & Yankee love,

kristen

Baby Love

Last week I got the chance to take a quick lunch break and meet with my dearest Ali, her sister Amanda, and baby Luke. Amanda keeps the most entertaining blog of the life of Luke and I can't help but d-i-e over stories of him learning to crawl, falling asleep vertically in his crib, and taking formal portraits in the most precious of Newsie caps. He is without a doubt one of the happiest babies I have ever seen and has the most beautiful blue eyes to boot. We ate our salads and gabbed on the latest and greatest in our lives, while he listened intently and moistened some Cheerios. I was sad to rush back to work but had the best time "lunching" with my buddies.

Check out the baby overalls* - adorable.


*One of the many examples of things that babies can pull off that adults can't. Also included: Crocs, bonnets, bloomers, graphic tees, denim shorts (this has exceptions), onesies, bibs, etc.

"I'm lovin' it!"

I hope that the title to this blog reminds you of those vintage McDonald's commercials where they played the "Have you had your break today?" theme song. You should know that I played the flute in the 5th grade and taught myself to play that little jingle. Yes, on the flute. For our final concert I decided that it would be a good idea to go up and play my final piece - my very own rendition of that jingle. It wasn't long enough to fill my concert time so I just played it again. Not once, but twice.

Normal, right?

What is even better is that this was during a very traumatic phase in my life that I had bangs and loved to wear my favorite denim dress with boots. Good Lord, the awkwardness.

Anyway, I'm not really sure where I'm going with that story other than the fact that I have a few goodies that I'm lovin' these days:

Bands:
The Temper Trap - I went to their Dallas concert last week and had a blast. Very rarely do I get into a band long enough to hold my attention, but they have managed to do so. Their most popular song, "Sweet Disposition," was featured on the 500 Days of Summer soundtrack and has grown from there. Their entire album is goodness - check it out.
The Kissaway Trail - I hate to jump on the wagon too quickly and promote their album, mainly because I don't even have their cd yet, but they opened for The Temper Trap last week and gave a great show. The song I most remembered was "Philadelphia."

I heart this shirt!

paperwhite studio

A few ideas:

• my luggage (gotta love a good Steel Mag reference!)
• Nutella
• New York City
• Friday Night Lights
  
• Diet Coke

...see, now that's love.

Yes, please.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

A Reason to Swim

Clever, clever.

(click picture to enlarge)

At one point with my former employer (ironically, at a magazine), my co-workers and I were given the task of training the newest assistant to the office. During the course of her week-long training, we each spent a fair amount of time explaining the office how-to's and our personal advice on workday survival.

For instance,
this is how you bind the presentation...
this is how you call the help desk...
this is how you make coffee...
etc.

At one point in my rambling, the girl (who was all-around confused) looked at me and asked some variation of the question, "so what do you do when you have nothing to do?" Listen - boredom in the workplace is just a reality. I knew what she was getting at. Or at least I thought I knew what she was getting at. I, of course, encouraged her to reach her potential and maximize her productivity as best as she could and that when she felt like she had some downtime, she could join the rest of us and "read news online." Which of course meant, surf the internet. She knew what I was getting at and I knew that in that moment I had just explained the most trivial (and obvious) of day-to-day boredom fulfillment. From that day forward, the notion of "news online" took on a whole new meaning. Whether or not our stories were newsworthy, my fun NY co-workers would send around articles on the vital world facts: who Brody Jenner was dating, what on earth Kate Gosselin was up to, and the latest and greatest recap on Gossip Girl...

Dan Rather, eat your heart out.

Lookin' Good

A few things have caught my eye recently and I thought I would take a second to share. First of all - Lonny Mag. I love this little online gem and I think you should too. Not only do they fill the Domino void in my life, but their staging is so inspiring. It makes me want to do nothing but shop and re-decorate.
Also featured, were these cute tote bags from Maptote. I wasn't surprised to see the Manhattan/New York prints, but I was giddy to find the Austin representation!

I know this is all very random - online magazines to wine totes, but it's the small things.

Last but not least, I love this image. I stumbled upon Sarah Rhodes (a husband and wife photog duo!) awhile ago and catch them when I can. Good stuff.

Splendid Easter

My Easter was full of Spring goodness - how was yours? I spent my time at my parents house and made them buzz me around the lake on Saturday. It was glorious. In fact, all I wanted to do was listen to country music, eat BBQ and stay forever. Normal, right?

I really cherish the time I can spend with my family, especially on a weekend that brings so much joy to my life. In fact, it brings THE joy to my life.

"I have told you these things, so that in me you have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." - John 16:33

And I'm so glad He did...