Madewell...the name says it all

My new obsesh is to have a wardrobe consisting entirely of J.Crew, Banana Republic, Madewell, and Anthro. Ha! It's even more hilariously unattainable in writing. Oh well..a girl can dream, can't she? Here are the items I'm fervently searching for on Ebay from Madewell, J.Crew's little bit edgier, trendier sister...I like to think of these two brands as the Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen of clothing...both completely amazing.

Madewell Cambridge Cardigan $68 madewell.com

Madewell sweatshirt sweater $58 madewell.com. I feel like this sweatshirt is kinda like this one on Stefanie Pratt below, which is super cute for a casual night out.

and, drum roll please...I am so in lust with these boots...and that is how it will forever stay.

The Archive Leather Boot from Madewell.com $298...like I said...never. gonna. happen.

the Posse

This past weekend we partook in a second helping of wine tasting in Paso. But this time we brought back-up. We had SO much fun...I'm pretty sure I lost every single calorie I drank because we were laughing so hard the entire day. I mean, the six of us go together like the rippin' and the tearin'...the rippin' and the tearin' (yes, you had to be there). I am so incredibly grateful to have all of you in my life.

Maryland is for lovers...

reading for fun?

I haven't known that term for seven months now as I feverishly consume every piece of academic literature in my sight. If it weren't for the hallucinogenic rants of Allen Ginsberg, I think I might go postal. However, whilst on the Outer Banks in North Carolina, I was able to endulge in a little guilty pleasure reading thanks to my sis-in-law for providing the sustinance of course...in the form of Candance Bushnell. I read The Carrie Diaries in about 2.5 seconds, truthfully it was 2.5 days, but either way it was way too quick. I wasn't ready for it to be over. That's when you know you are really enjoying a good read, when you think about the characters when you aren't reading like they are real people, hoping that they will be alright from the aweful break-up or heavy night of partying. Then you slap yourself right in the kisser for being so lame. This book was so great. It was everything I want my pleasure reading to be. Shallow, easy, and a little slutty... basically the three adjectives you should refrain from putting in a job resume, unless of course it's for Harrison Ford. It's all about Carrie Bradshaw her Senior year of high school...before Big and Aiden, and comic book guy, and jazz guy, and all of the other men she gave her..ahem..resume to. So anyways, I highly recommend it...almost as much as I would recommend my own novel...if it were published.

Another book I'm currently reading is Chelsea Handler's Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang. I read Are you There Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea, when we were on our honeymoon and it was hilar. But I must say, My Horizontal Life fell a little short of my raging expectations. But this one made up for it in a real big way. She's really stinking hilarious. Seriously.

What happened to July?

Beats me. All I know is that it's gone, and August is quickly following suit. Well the good news is, the painting is done, and my sanity is still partially intact...the doctor says I should make a full recovery. AND I'm only 2 1/2 weeks away from completing my master's. This summer has been a whirlwind. We spent 10 days on vacay where we went to DC for a few, Maryland, Virginia, and spent 6 days on North Carolina's Outer Banks...OBX fo life yo. That's right, I said it. The beach was beautiful, although there were excess amounts of large bulbous jelly filled sacks in the water...It thought Hiedi Pratt had exploded or something. Turns out they were just jellyfish...of the non-stinging persuasion. Oh and my sweet hubs bought me the greatest grad gift ever...the Nikon D3000..oh yah.

On a different note, while in DC we went to the Newseum. It was really incredible. Every time I turned to a new exhibit I found tears rolling down my cheeks. There was an exhibit there that showed all of the Pulitzer Prize winning Photos and gave a brief explanation about each picture. I don't even have words to describe what I saw and felt...it was just really something. If you are ever in DC I highly recommend checking it out.

Then we walked up the street to a rather delicious lunch.

More photos from DC...

Watching the sun rise out of the ocean has got to be one of the most amazing experiences. I say experience instead of sight because there is more to it than seeing it. The fine grains of sand under your feet, the cool briny air whirling across your skin, the rhythm of the waves coming to rest on the shore, all while holding the hand of the person you love most...it's pure bliss.

and they lived tanily ever after...

WaKE uP...and smell the paint

So the rumors are true...I am officially on summer vacation, although it doesn't really seem like much of a vacay quite yet. I've doubled up on Master's classes so that I can finish at the end of August, and I've seriously comtemplated whether or not this is a good idea. Last week I spent an average of 6 hours a day in front of the computer screen writing TWO 15 page, research based final papers. Yes, I know, I brought this upon my self, I just wish I could see my friends more and my laptop less. At least on Saturday some of our wonderful friends invited us up to the lake with them, to which we replied, "Yes Yes Yes!!!" Matt and I both wake boarded, and let me just tell you, I'm two days in and I feel like I've been trampeled by a herd of hungry, wild, salavating Rhino's. Matt kept affectionately refering to me as "grandma" or "Dolores" yesterday as I tried to manuever my way , well, anywhere, hunched over and at a snail's pace. I was just giving him a look into our future : ) On top of all the pain and regret I was feeling last night we still had to clear furniture out of the entire house since the guys were coming today to scrape all the popcorn off of our ceiling and texture it all. Now, let me first begin by saying I am so incredibly grateful that we are able to finally do this, but I am not so much looking forward to the rest of the week which entails me (decrepit and stiffer than Barbie herself) trying to paint every single wall in the entire house. This will be fun. Oh and btw...

perfectionist + impatient = nervous breakdown. I'm pretty sure matt is going to return home on Thursday eve to find me rocking back and forth in a corner covered in "Smoking Oyster," running a paint brush back and forth across my face singing California Gurl. Oh boy.

The Happiest Place on Earth!

The time has come. I am equipped with all the necessary accountremount: hand sanitizer, chapstick, camera, and of course my adorable Jayne Hersh for Target cross body purse to put it all in. It's true...I will be venturing to the happiest place on earth in about T minus 2 hours. I'm not sure what that means, but to translate, I meant in like a couple of hours. I am going as a chaperone for Grad Night for the high school I work at and my sis gets to come with, which is excellent, because only she understands my intense infatuation with the magic kingdom because her own is equally matched. Those little graduates better get out of our way if they actually want to make it to graduation next week without a twisted ankle or black eye, because we are insanely serious about our riding itenerary. It's a little project I like to call it "operation yo ho." We are ready to mingle with the mouse, porouse with the princesses, and chomp our way through every churro stand in the joint. My only worry is that my old age won't allow me to last through the night....but alas, I must. I can only imagine the kind of exhausted, mascara stained heap I will slump into once back on the bus, all my little adolescents accounted for. All I know is that "operation yo ho" is ready for action.