Look what I bought + road trip envy

Happy weekend all! Just wanted to pop in for a moment to share with you two pieces I bought recently from the ever-fabulous Ruche.

When I saw this top awhile back I instantly fell in love with it. But alas, it was all sold out in my size. With little hope, I signed up to have Ruche email me when it was back in stock. Much to my surprise, about two weeks ago, I got an email saying it was back in! Hallelujah! It must be meant to be, I thought, so I immediately ordered it and days later a package arrived on my doorstep. I was happy as a clam when I opened the bag and saw it was just as cute and comfy as I'd hoped it would be. I think it is the perfect punch of color to add to my summer wardrobe. Light and pretty, plus the dolman sleeves cover my arms which burn oh-so-easily! I couldn't ask for more...

Except, I did! Ha. I ordered these adorable (and inexpensive) anchor earrings to go with the top. The perfect, beach-y combination, don't you think? I wore both the top and the earrings here, you might recall...

While we're on the subject of Ruche, I've been wanting to share these images from their summer lookbook (vol. 1) with you. They make me want to go on a road trip with my girlfriends... and a beautifully styled one at that! (click images to see bigger)

I'm sort of in love with that last dress. Isn't it pretty? And Ruche just put out a second summer lookbook for me to drool over. Ruche, you're going to make me go broke!

So tell me, what's your latest purchase? Does the change of the season make you want to go buy new, airy, girly things for summer? (Like it does for me?)

And have you ever been on a road trip? Do share! (I've only been on family vacations that required lots and lots of driving, all while sitting very close to my younger brother. I'm sure you can imagine the drama that ensued, mile after mile... but I'd love to go cross country with a group of my best buds!)

xo,

Montecito shores

This past weekend, Hazel experienced the ocean for the first time. She's been on the beach before and smelly the salty air, she's even walked on a pier and been to a lake, but she's never actually put her paws in the Pacific Ocean.

The boy is house- and dog-sitting for an old friend who has an apartment just blocks from the beach in Montecito-- a small town on the outskirts of Santa Barbara-- so Hazel and I decided to take advantage. On Saturday afternoon we piled into the car and made the hour or so drive to Montecito.

Once we got there, the boy and I had a quick late lunch of turkey sandwiches and Cheetos-- so bad but I just had to have some!-- before hitting the beach. Hazel was a flurry of excitement the moment she saw the waves. I didn't necessarily intend for my freshly-groomed pup to dive into the water but I abandoned all hope of keeping her clean and said what the heck. Go for it! Have fun! And she did.

Hazel was fascinated by the water but a bit hesitant, too. When the foamy waves first hit her paws she looked at it, puzzled, and sniffed. But soon enough she took charge of that beach, running in circles, making friends with other beach-goers-- both people and dogs alike-- and playing games with the waves, even biting at the sand!

Her games went something like this:
Go get 'em! Run run run. 
Oh, no! It's coming! Run back, fast fast fast.

By the end of our time at the beach, Hazel was decidedly dirty, drenched in sea water and covered in sand. These pictures say it all:

Don't worry, today she is back to her cute, fluffy and surprisingly clean self. Like with a kid, we took a hose to her, soaking her from head to toe, and then told her to give a good shake. A quick rub with a towel later and she was good as new.

Here's a few more shots from our day at the beach: (warning, gratuitous picture post ahead!)

This shot is my favorite. Look at her little paw prints in the sand!

It was so nice to put on some shorts and get out into the sunshine. Summer is definitely here! What did you do this weekend? Did you spend some quality time with dear ol' dad? (Father's Day around here was celebrated with a home-cooked breakfast of Belgian waffles and sausage. Yum!)

Oh, and, happy Monday!

Happy Sunday, everyone! I hope you had a lovely weekend and were able to get out and soak in some sunshine. Mine was fairly low-key and included a little work and a lot of TV and movie watching, but sometimes being a couch potato is okay, right?

Anyhow, I just spied this amazingly chic Soft French Lace Bag (literally made in France!) on Etsy and simply had to share it with you, stat. Isn't it sweet? I think it would be the perfect summer tote, just right for a busy weekend, an afternoon of shopping or a quick trip to the farmer's market. Seriously, I'm dreaming of it swinging from my own shoulder, because those stripes and lace detail are just too cute to resist!

Head on over to Becky's shop, TortillaGirl, to check out the rest of her fantastically feminine totes, plus clothing and accessories... and see if you can resist!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, and talk soon,

We all love the Sex

This past Saturday night, I finally saw "Sex and the City 2" ... and I loved it! I was happy to see the girls together again and they were just as witty and wonderful as ever. And no doubt fashionable and fierce! This time around there was a little less emotional drama and a lot more fun... though, there still were a few tear-jerker and "oh-my-god, what?!" moments. Despite some not-so-nice comments made by critics, I walked out of the theater very pleased with the flick and I know some of my fellow SATC lovers feel the same way.

Although I had a grand idea of getting a bunch of friends together to go get drinks and see the movie, those plans fell through. One busy, one sick. Most of my local friends aren't even big fans of the series or have never seen it (I know, can you believe that?!). All the girls that I bonded with while watching and falling in love with the show in D.C. (when I had my internship there, junior year of college) live far far away, in Seattle or Boston.

So it ended up being just me and my bestie, Marielle. But we did indulge in two martinis beforehand! A Cosmo for me, of course, and a Raspberry Lemon Drop for her.

Marielle is one of those who has only seen one or two episodes of SATC, so I had to fill her in a bit before the show. But, I have to say, the best part of the night was hearing how much she enjoyed the film. She was literally laughing out loud at certain parts, right along with me. She admitted that she didn't think she was going to like it going in, but she ended up loving it. "Who knew Sex and the City was so funny?" she said. I knew! And now she does, too.

I told her that now I have to catch her up on the whole series and then watch the first film. A little backwards but she's game! Good thing I have that big, beautiful pink folder with every episode from every season, plus a copy of the film on DVD.

And a martini shaker. That's a must when it comes to watching SATC, am I right?

So, did you see the film? What did you think?

All SATC photos via the movie's Facebook page

Winding down...

TGIF!

It has been one of those weeks. You know the kind I'm talking about. (I have them often, really.) The kind where you feel like you don't even have a second to breathe. I love long weekends just as much as the next girl, or boy for that matter, but in my business they mean trouble. Because I have just as much to do and less time to do it! This week (and last week, even) I would go to bed late and wake up before the sun rise. Not a good feeling, though for some reason it wasn't that hard to do. I guess because the stress of it all was pumping adrenaline through my veins.

So by the time 3 o'clock rolled around yesterday I was feeling much better. My stories were done, the police blotter was sent, my editor's questions were answered... basically, the paper was put to bed. After leaving the police station and running a quick errand for my editor, I decided it was time to treat myself a bit. So I went to Panera Bread Bakery for a late lunch. (Have you ever been? It is sooo good.)

I don't usually enjoy eating alone but yesterday it was quite blissful. After ordering my favorite salad-- the Fuji Apple Chicken salad, hold the onions and Gorgonzola-- I slid into the nearest booth, got comfy and hooked up to Panera's free wi-fi to browse the web for fun (instead of for work).

After my food arrived, I spent the next hour eating slowly, in relative silence, savoring each bite. My shoulders started to relax, my mind started to free up. I was winding down...

Not long after I got home, I crashed. Into my bed, that is. It was only 5 p.m. I snoozed for the next four hours. Man was I tired. Upon waking I decided what better time to catch up on my favorite, guilty pleasure reality shows? (I don't have a TV in my room and since my brother and his friend have a monopoly over the one in the living room, I've missed a lot of good-- and bad-- television since moving home.)

I watched (on my MacBook) highlights and full episodes of both "The Hills" and "The City." Then I followed that up by watching the premiere episode of "Downtown Girls." Have you seen it? I first heard about it the other day, and read that the main "character," Shallon, is a writer for Glamour. (She pens some of the posts for the magazine's sex and relationships blog, Smitten.) Since Glamour is my fave mag, that piqued my interest. I simply had to watch.

My verdict? Hilarious! At first it seemed like maybe the show was trying to be like "Sex and the City," which isn't a bad thing necessarily, but I mean, c'mon! Nothing will ever compare. (Like Carrie, Shallon acts as a narrator, and you see her talking into a web camera and typing an email to pitch a story idea to her editor. And the episode is centered on the girls throwing a "Recycling Your Ex" party. Remember the SATC episode about the very same thing? Also, the premiere ends with the girls having brunch... it's all so strangely familiar.)

The girls research each others' ex-boyfriends.

But my skepticism faded a few minutes later when the show had me laughing out loud. These girls are super funny and already, after one episode, I want to be their friends. If you have some downtime, you can watch the first episode here. (I highly recommend munching on some Goldfish while you're at it.)

A delicious Panera salad and bread (can't forget that French baguette) and a few hours of reality TV? I can't think of a better way to unwind after a long week.

The only thing missing? A glass of wine :)

How do you relax after a stressful week?



P.S. Speaking of "Sex and the City," I am planning on FINALLY seeing SATC 2 this weekend! (I know, I'm such a bad fan to have not seen it yet! I was supposed to go with friends this past Monday but the plans fell apart.)

P.P.S. Sorry I haven't been around your guys' blogs lately! I miss you! I'm hoping to catch up on all my blog reading and commenting this weekend.

Top image and second image (both of feet, oddly enough) via we heart it.
"Downtown Girls" photo via MTV