[Sometimes a girl just needs to twirl.]

 

From an absolutely perfect day spent driving (him) and twirling (me) our way through Shenandoah National Park.

I encouraged him to twirl too, but he strangely declined.

More twirling here.

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A million trillion thanks to Becca, a hugely talented graphic designer who made this twirly pic for me, just for funsies. Check out her portfolio, especially her "Should I Text Him?" flowchart (click it to enlarge), which I highly encourage all girls to look at (and all boys who want to see how creepy and weird our girl minds can really be).  

[Happy Fall. Happy October 25th.]

Happy anniversary to my love.

One exceptional year.

I love you.

[Two Tunes Tuesday: Mylo Xyloto!!]

Along with every other human being, I've been eagerly anticipating Coldplay's new album. People, it does NOT disappoint. I've listened to it about five million times since I bought it yesterday, and it's basically perfect. Can't wait to see them live {again}! I've once again rebelliously broken my two tunes rule by posting three of my favorite tracks from the new album. As I listen to it over and over again, these are the ones that seem to be resonating most with me...for, uh, whatever reason. Hope you enjoy! Did I leave out your favorite(s)?

Apologies in advance if my posting becomes a bit sporadic for the next little bit. And thanks to Linds for writing a blog post just for me! :)

[LV delight.]

source

Love these photos of the Louis Vuitton SS12 show?

Then you'll DIE for this video. Seriously. Just try to watch it without dying. Go ahead. I've watched this about seven times so far, and each time I dissolve into a puddle of pink, tinkly music delight. 

You're welcome.

[Baby's first *S'more* pie.]

A Q&A with myself:

Did I make my first pie ever? Yes.
Was it a S'More Pie? Yes.
Was it delicious? No. I'm really modest. It was okay. (YES! obvi.)
Am I wearing a hot pink maxi dress, which I affectionally call my muumuu? Yes.
Are those burn spots on that one marshmallow? Yes.
Were those caused by Chad holding a lighter to the marshmallow attempting to evenly brown the top, as seen in the recipe's picture? Yes.
 Was this kind of a bad idea? Yes.
Was it my idea? Yes.
Is Chad very patient and cute and helpful in the kitchen? Yes yes yes! (usually)
Is that Mexican hot chocolate, courtesy of Mom's fall care package? Yes! (Thanks Mama!)
Did you really call yourself Baby in this post title? :)

 

 

 

 

 

Also, unrelated, but for your consideration:

Did I walk into a spiderweb yesterday, and do I continue to feel creepy crawly spiders all over me today as a result? Yes.
Do I keep eating things, then five minutes later wonder, "Hey, who ate my ____?!?!" only to realize that it was me, every single time? Yes.

[Two Tunes Tuesday: Martin Luther King.]

This weekend Chad and I got stuck in DC traffic. I hardly noticed, as bumper-to-bumper traffic makes this LA girl feel warm and fuzzy, but Chad wasn't thrilled. Anyway, it turns out the traffic was due to the dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial. We weren't able to attend the dedication, but we did visit the new memorial last month. Ever since I discovered this beautiful song a couple of years ago, Patty Griffin's "Up to the Mountain (MLK Tribute)" always comes to mind when I think of Martin Luther King, so I've listened to it a few times since the memorial was erected. Patty says in the video (below) that it was inspired by his last speech. I saw her perform this song live, and I think it's a very moving, soulful tribute. As a companion song, I've included Common's "A Dream," which includes clips from MLK's famous I Have a Dream speech. Enjoy!

[Reasons to have a boyfriend pt. 2.]

Reason #5741-3: Boyfriends remind you to eat breakfast. And take your medicine. And other important things.

Wouldn't those little texts make your day? Well, they made mine anyway.

Once again, I have a feeling I'm going to be in trouble for the privacy-invading gushiness of this. Luckily, I already have a million "Reasons to be single" posts lined up, just in case. ;)

Oh, and part 1 is here.

[Happy Monday! Some inspiration. ]

Just a bit of artistic and life inspiration that I thought I'd share with you all. These images are by James Gulliver Hancock, an artist who is documenting his attempts to draw all the buildings of New York here. His works are complexly layered, but they take on a simple, whimsical aesthetic that I really love. This video about him and his drawings captures his love of what he does so beautifully, and I think it's quite inspiring to see how much he enjoys his work. Videos like this always make me look a bit introspectively -- do I love what I do? If not, what steps can I take to get to that point?

I love this quote from the video: "You've got all these nice mistakes in each of those layers...I really like all that. It probably kind of reflects the organic nature of the city in a way. The fact that it's a bit full of mistakes, though beautiful."

Happy Monday! Hope everyone is starting their week beautifully!

[Perfect Pair: Pretty in Pink.]

1 / 2

[Kate Spade's Cha Cha Chocolate!]

Guys. GUYS. We all know how much I adore Kate Spade: My iPhone case (valentine to self). My gold purse (break up present to self). My shiny wallet (RIP Prada wallet present to self). My etiquette books (fall present to self). Every month this year they've rolled out a color of the month, and this month's color is chocolate. It seems that Kate Spade is finally aware of my love for their brand, as one of the products they're rolling out for this month is Cha Cha Chocolate! It's basically all the things I love -- Kate Spade, dark chocolate, and RED, plus it's named after me. I'm dying. If anyone ever wanted to know the key to my heart, this. is. IT.

Come to Cha Cha!

[Two Tunes Tuesday: Run.]

As in, my nose is running.

My body is basically trying to be as icky and malfunctioning as possible today, so I've been in bed pretty much all day. Highlights of my day were the two times I've dragged myself out of my ruffly Anthropologie comforter heaven and descended from my cave to the kitchen. First trip: got my Fall on and baked some pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. Second trip: Since chewing with a locked jaw is a tad impossible, I can basically only eat soft, ideally mushy food, so I scavenged a few slices of turkey from the depths of my fridge for lunch. Then for second lunch (it's a thing) I made myself a little strawberry shortcake with a homemade biscuit leftover from yesterday's breakfast, topped with strawberries mixed with maple syrup and a little sugar, and whipped cream. (Mom: I know this is really overly sugary and unhealthy, but the maple syrup and whipped cream were necessary to make it mushy enough to eat. And maple syrup is natural, so it was basically like eating vegetables.) Sometimes I dazzle myself with my new, magic, "let me just whip something up" abilities, even in the face of a sickness that addles my brain to the point that I think watching a Nicolas Cage movie is a good idea.

Anyway, to get to the point, here's the oldie but goodie Snow Patrol song, "Run," followed by Leona Lewis' really pretty cover.

For those interested, I've traced my sick lineage: Roommate Ginette -> Roommate Domineau -> Me. But Chad was also mildly sick this weekend, so I was hit from two angles. Basically, everyone's out to get me, and I despise the world right now. Enjoy your evening.

[Dessert monster.]

**Warning: Reading this post may lead to unhealthy amounts of cookie dough consumption. Proceed at your own risk.**

The pictures speak for themselves. A lethal combination of chocolate chip cookie dough, oreos, and brownie batter resulted in this decadent dessert monster. If I do it again (read: when I do it again), I'll probably take it out of the oven a few minutes earlier for optimal gooeyness levels, but other than that it was pretty much perfect.

It doesn't slice very well, so it isn't the prettiest dessert to photograph, but I hope it encourages you to get your bake on anyway.

Side note: Everyone please feel very, very bad for me, as I am basically on my deathbed, sick at home with a nasty head cold and a locked jaw. I've hypothesized that my icky congested state led to tense face muscles, allowing my TMJ to finally get the best of me, and now I can no longer open my mouth more than like 3/4 of an inch. Not really sure how to proceed other than mope around, make really weird, stretchy jaw faces, and watch daytime TV, but if anyone knows the key to unlocking a jaw, please fill me in.

[Two Tunes Tuesday: Found and Lost.]

I've paired these two songs together because I think they're pretty good thematic foils. The first positively revels in the excitement and hope of finally finding him or her, while the second articulates the helpless desperation of one in a failing love. I think "I Found You" is possibly THE most perfect song ever. Southern rock at its finest, people. And "Telephone Games" captures these emotions we've all felt at one point or another so perfectly. (PS-if you're reading this in Google Reader, click through because the first song doesn't show up there!)






Brooke is also one half of the The Girls With Glasses Show duo, which she does with my old (but young!) friend, Summer Bellessa. Check these pretty ladies out here!

N.B. I also think it's kind of interesting how the ordering of this pair dictates the overall mood of the post. The way I've purposefully paired them is a little tragic -- it's the exhilaration of a new love, only to be slammed down to reality when it unravels. But had I switched the order, the mood would have been decidedly more uplifting -- the misery of a failed romance giving way to the hope of a new relationship. Fascinating, right?

mmmmmk. Clearly I think about things too much. Done now.

[Longing for NYC.]

New York has been on my mind lately, and I MISS that beautiful city (if you haven't been able to tell from my tweets or daily complaints to ANYONE who will listen). I had been planning to go this past weekend, but, alas, was prevented, so my longing lives to see another day. I especially find myself missing the city as the weather changes here in DC. It's cliche, but there's nothing so magical as September through December in Manhattan. Found myself looking through some of my old NYC snapshots yesterday, so I thought I'd share. Love New York with me, won't you?

1. The morning view from a best friend's apartment--lucky girl, that Dani Koo.

2. Taken during one of my favorite New York activities, the aimless downtown meander.

3. 116th, my subway stop at Columbia University for four years.

4. The Guggenheim, where i did one of my favorite internships in the Director's Office.