life is good today

back from new york, completely exhausted but sublimely happy {more on that later}.  also still lacking in post inspiration, so instead i'm going to leave you with proof that my puppy boy is basically a model.  these pictures were taken over the weekend when he was staying with his grandparents:

click to enlarge.  the two middle pictures just kill me.

empire state of mind

off to nyc for work until thursday! 

cannes crushes

i am seriously lacking in the Anything Interesting To Say department these days {too much wine muscle relaxers work, not enough sleep}.  but fortunately, hollywood has been frolicking on the french riviera for the cannes film festival this past week and provided lots of drool-worthy frivolity for me to entertain you with.  i give you my top three best dressed of cannes 2010: ka*te bec*kinsale, ca*rey mulli*gan {also my current girl crush}, and sa*lma ha*yek {aka the boy's girl crush}.

this one just absolutely takes my breath away. i want to be buried in this dress.  and those earrings. with that hair.

hello, i am a movie star.

it's not fair to look this good as a mother.  seriously, how does one wear a dress that looks like an oilslick and still look this fabulous?

le squeal! she is one of very few people who can pull this off with absolute panache.  j'adore her!

so edgy and feminine at the same time.  tres power dressing.

day-um, girl.

i am in awe at how she manages to always look sexy, but never look trashy.  that takes serious talent.  i would look like a hooker in this.  she looks like a million bucks.

if my hubby were ceo of the gucci group {among other things}, i would be looking at him like that too.

falling apart at the seams

um....so yesterday i tore the muscles on my upper left rib cage.  i am in constant stabbing pain.  i am now on muscle relaxers and prescription-strength aleve.  i have to go back to the hospital this afternoon for a chest x-ray to make sure i didn't "pop" {doctor's term} my lung.  so what, pray tell, did i do to inflict this injury upon myself?  a particularly challenging yoga pose?  carrying my new coffee table into the house?  attempting to hang new blinds and curtains?  nope.  all things i've done in the past week with no pain whatsoever.

i sneezed.

welcome to my life.

soup weather...in the middle of may

it is downright frigid here in small town, va this morning and the weather has completely zapped whatever energy i had on this blustery tuesday morning.  with the forecast calling for thunderstorms throughout the rest of the week, methinks it's time to hunker down in my snuggie with the puppy boy and the dvr.

definitely soup weather.

8 days a week

sweet miss red and white tagged me in this so i'm playing along!

8 TV Shows I Like to Watch
{i’ll preface this by saying i really don’t watch very much TV. the only one of these current shows I am devoted to is LOST. and the food network. everything else is kind of take it-or-leave it for me. the only reason I still have my cable right now is because of quickly-approaching world cup.}
1. LOST
2. 30 rock
3. sex and the city {can i say that?}
4. how i met your mother
5. modern family
6. seinfeld {what about that?}
7. the office
8. pretty much anything on the food network

8 Favorite Places to Eat and Drink
1. chick-fil-a
2. bouchon
3. duner’s
4. piatti
5. in-and-out burger
6. the virginian
7. snake river grill
8. take it away

8 Things I Look Forward To
1. summer in small town, va. it’s my faves.
2. trip to napa/san fran this fall with the bestie
3. friend c and friend l’s upcoming weddings
4. the end of the fiscal year
5. naps
6. football season {hello, new head coach who i adore!}
7. getting married {not any time soon}
8. becoming a mom {a looooooooong time from now}

8 Things that Happened to me Yesterday
1. met the pioneer woman
2. had a yummy dinner with my mama at p.f. chang’s
3. started rereading the 6th harry potter book for about the 217th time
4. wrapped mother’s day and wedding shower presents
5. had a minor meltdown over the broken gas station sugar-free french vanilla cappuccino machine. not a proud moment.
6. made a grilled cheese sandwich with tomatoes and lots of tillamook extra sharp white cheddar. nom nom.
7. returned a few overdue library books
8. cuddled with my sweet puppy boy

8 Thinks I Like About Winter
1. christmas
2. fires
3. college football bowl season
4. my leopard print snuggie
5. homemade hot cocoa
6. manhattans {straight up, two cherries}
7. that first big snow {i pretty much hate all of the ones that come after}
8. boots

8 Things I am Passionate About
1. family
2. friends
3. history
4. interior design
5. the future
6. food/cooking
7. dancing
8. animal welfare {be sure to check out my newly added freekibble link!}

8 Words or Phrases I Use Often
1. ridiculous
2. seriously
3. ummm…WHAT?!
4. the f word
5. bless his/her/your heart!
6. whatevs
7. y’all
8. OFF! {yelled at the puppy boy about 10 times a day}

8 Things I Have Learned From the Past
1. there are very few people worth your tears
2. being a good friend is a lot of work, but worth it
3. i will never understand men and it’s pointless to try
4. i lead a very blessed and privileged life
5. cars are not a safe investment
6. pretty shoes are
7. worrying is a ginormous waste of time
8. tequila is not your friend

8 Places I Would Like to Visit/See
1. paris
2. greece
3. thailand
4. san francisco {yay, november!}
5. spain
6. texas
7. kenya/uganda
8. the galapagos islands

8 Things I Currently Want/Need
1. pay off my credit card debt
2. get back in my running habit
3. finish torturing myself reading anna karenina
4. some work wardrobe updates {a new suit set…pants, jacket, skirt, dress…and a few new spring trousers, blouses and cardigans. not going to help with goal one.}
5. relax about the boy and let things happen
6. finish organizing my guest bedroom/home office
7. a new couch
8. a dog bed for the puppy boy

8 Bloggers I Tag

1. black labs and lilly
2. perfectly imperfect
3. katie at the perks
4. preppy 101
5. mrs. mindless
6. molly lou
7. miss sweet tea
8. kate at nautical by nature

what's cooking wednesdays: the fiesta edition!

hi loves! i'm back from a whirlwind trip to the big city to meet sweet mrs. p-dubs.  i promise to do a post on that soon, but today is all about cinco de mayo!  while i am admittedly not in any mood to celebrate, i still thought i'd pass on two of my favorite go-to recipes for any sort of mexican-themed fete. 

first up, watermelon margaritas!  i know it's not REALLY watermelon season yet, but it's so freaking hot and humid here that it certainly feels like it.  i love these margaritas because they aren't those icky fake margaritas made with those neon mixes you buy in a bottle.  those make me want to vom.  by all means, add a little simple syrup if you like things a little on the sweeter side, but i happen to think this recipe is ab fab as is.

watermelon margaritas
ripe seedless watermelon, cut into 1" cubes {about 3-4 cups}
2 limes, juiced
4 ounces good quality white tequila
2 ounces orange flavored liqueur {cointreau or grand marnier}
ice {2-3 cups}
watermelon wedges, for garnish

fill half a blender with the cubed watermelon. add about 2 cups ice.  add the tequila, liqueur, and lime juice.  blend until watermelon is pureed & the ice is crushed.  in a serving glass, pour the margarita over ice & garnish with a wedge of watermelon.

next is a corn, tomato, and avocado salsa that i discovered at one of my fave college restaurants. many, many nights spent downing margaritas and bowls of this stuff.  be warned: it is highly addictive.

corn, avocado, and tomato salsa
2 cups cooked corn, fresh or frozen {i recommend fresh roasted corn}
1 avocado, diced {i am guilty of upping this to 2 avocados}
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 c finely diced red onion

dressing:
2T olive oil
1T lime juice
1/2tsp lime zest
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

combine corn, avocado, tomatoes and onion in a large bowl.  whisk together dressing ingredients.  pour dressing over salad and toss gently to mix.

olé!

sad day to be a hoo

heavy heart for my alma mater today.  i honestly don't even know how to begin making sense of what happened.  i know many of her friends and sorority sisters.  one of the students i work with was good friends with him.  i still know people who live in her apartment building.  how could this happen?  my thoughts and prayers are with the families today.

eeeeee!!!

ladies, i am just beyond excited because in 12 short hours, i will be meeting the pioneer woman!

my mama and i are HUGE fans {after i belatedly discovered her blog in february, i passed it on to the madre, who is also now a devoted reader} so she is meeting me at my apartment this afternoon and we're making the quick trek up to the fairfax borders to meet ree in person!  i am sure i will be blushing beet red and lose all grasp of the english language the second i see her, but i am super-duper pumped nonetheless.  plus, i'm taking my mom to a nearby p.f. chang's for dinner.  if you can believe it, she has NEVER eaten at one, so this will be a nice little pre-mother's day treat for her.

y'all, seriously....i cannot WAIT to meet the creator of such delicious goodness as buttered rosemary rolls, bacon-wrapped jalapeno thingies, and the best chocolate sheet cake. ever. keep your fingers crossed that i don't make a total blithering idiot of myself!