turning 24 and other things

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it has been quite the time lately.  things seem so up in the air these days i'll admit i've been avoiding the blog a little because it's hard to know what's going on from one minute to the next.  while things haven't exactly settled around here (except the cold temperatures... they have settled in and will not budge) it's time to check in and announce a few things that we actually do know for sure at this point.

1.  my birthday is saturday!  steve and i are planning on heading out of town to the west side of the state to inaugurate me into my mid-twenties.

2.  we have officially booked our flight to greece and will be making a brief rome-antic flight connection in italy!  sadly we won't have much chance to explore, but at least we'll get a feel for the airport for when we decide to go back! ;)

3.  our wedding is less than six months away!!  woo hoo!

i'll leave you with that for now, but there's things brewing that i hope i get a chance to come gush about later!  happy thursday!

peoneasy peasy

peonies are apparently the trendiest flower ever, but ann arbor was hipster enough to plant a huge peony garden in the arb back in the roaring 20's.  apparently historic peonies were donated by the same guy who founded the company my dad has worked for since the 1980's so clearly me, doc upjohn, and these peonies are tight.  

(all fun facts i just learned doing research on the garden for this blog post.  see how educated you guys make me?  also... by research i mean clicking this link.)

you guys cannot imagine the willpower it takes not to pick these things.

it may have been extremely hot out

also, since we are trying to break out of our collegiate routine, we poked around the corners of the arb that back up to the beautiful neighborhoods in the area.  we decided to gawk at houses and imagine my total and utter glee when we stumbled upon hogwarts.  seriously, someone won the ultimate parenting award amiright?

and just for good measure here's some kitty pics in case you've been needing a bert fix.  i usually require one every few hours.

meow.

sometimes we don't go to the arb

happy happy happy monday!  (yup today gets 3 happies... fun things are happening at work, but more on that later this week).

i'm going to rewind the weekend a little more slowly than usual because i'm starting to notice my monday posts are getting a little out of control (what can i say, we like to pack our weekend full of fun).

now that steve is done studenting and we are going to be living together, the two of us are really starting to embrace ann arbor as a city instead of just a college campus.  we've been poking around trying to find new corners of the city we haven't yet explored (guess what: there are a TON).

even though we did go to the arb on saturday (the peonies are blooming so i'll post all the pretty pictures later) steve wanted to check out someplace closer to the huron river, so we spent sunday afternoon walking on the boardwalk at gallup park.

shhh i may have told steve to take pictures of me, since there are so rarely any on this blog that don't involve my arm holding out the camera.

hope everybody's week is off to as good a start as ours!

trees

i didn't get around to blogging yesterday because sometimes you just need a second to whine to your boyfriend about being blamed for others' sloppiness at work.

and sometimes you just need a second to go outside and enjoy the 80 degree weather.  we took an adventure in the arboretum and i got all instagram happy (and actual happy too).

it's been so great that steve finally has a chance to relax before starting work in june, but it does make my job feel like such a bummer time-suck since i can't go out an play in the sun until dinnertime.  how am i ever going to get anything like a tan?

it's not the most fun feeling kind of bored, but i suppose we should get our kicks now because i don't think we are going to get a chance to be bored too often in the near future.

for now we are looking forward to the weekend and hopefully we are going to be able to tour our potential "first place" on saturday morning!  it's so exciting that we are finally moving in together after all this time!! happy thursday!

(and if you want to get all my instagram updates before i rehash them here)

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we are what we walk between

happy hump day!  it feels very good to be halfway through this week!

things are still hectic as expected around here, but i'm excited to tell you all about it once everything gets into  place. a few fun things that we've been smiling about lately:

1.  my little etsy vintage shop had it's first sale... and then it had another one!  i'm currently on the look-out for more vintage pieces to put in the store!

2.  pedestrians have abandoned ann arbor (aka all the students went home for the summer) which means i can actually drive from point a to point b again!  (on the minus side, this means the shady people who flock to ann arbor in the summer are starting to come out of their open sewer pipes...boo).

3.  bert, the weirdest cat in the world who prefers to eat popcorn over chicken, has finally found a toy he likes!  peacock feathers forever!

4.  sun sun and more sun!  i cannot get enough of this lovely weather!

hope everyone makes it through the second half of the week!
<3<3<3

spring fashion favorite

happy friday!  hope everyone has had a lovely week!

you may remember that earlier this week i bought myself a hat.  i am telling you right now:  best life decision ever.  if you have ever wanted fashion advice from me (not likely, but still) take this: buy yourself a hat.  wearing an awesome hat is the easiest way to stand out.  there's also something terribly romantic and old fashioned about finishing touches like hats and gloves that complete an outfit, but very few people wear anymore.

there is also the potential to go horribly miserably wrong when wearing hats

seriously guys, i cannot stress enough how glamorous you feel if you are pulling off a hat on the street.  i was literally complimented by 4 different people on my walk to lunch when i wore my new hat, and only one of them was homeless.  to help you get started i've put together three spring/summer outfits that will make a statement when paired with a hat.

1.  unisex outback hat // 2.  ruffle top // 3.  floral skirt // 4.  earrings // 5.  sandals

1.  sunhat // 2.  maxi dress (sold out) // 3.  cuff bracelet // 4.  sandals // 5.  diamond earrings

1.  bonnet // 2.  earrings // 3.  flip flops // 4.  one piece

more happy things and birthday photos

happy thursday!  i don't know about you, but i am really geared up for this week to be over... like now please?  well since i've still got to get through two more days so let's make a list of the good stuff lately shall we?  i'll throw in a few pictures from my birthday with my family to lighten the mood (excuse my hair and overall look of death pale... i was probably still a bit hungover when these were taken).

mmm spaetzle

1.  steve's interview last week went very well and his interview with a company in chicago, which was supposed to be today was pushed back one week (which was a life saver since he's been working and writing nonstop for the past week and still needs a haircut and new shoes).

2.  we are almost 2 weeks in to april which means we should know pretty soon if / where we are moving.

3.  i ordered an excellent looking floor lamp that will hopefully provide some actual light in the living room.

4.  i think i've successfully established a balance to managing my modest income.  saving for retirement makes me feel like a grown up.

5.  in a temptation that contradicts number 4... i have discovered that fancy camera lenses are a lot cheaper on ebay... 

6.  i still have about half a carrot cake in the freezer for whenever i want to num it.

7.  ann arbor got a shout out in one of the clues on jeopardy last night and it was amusing.

8.  on at least two occasions i have been able to walk around outside without a coat.

9.  arrested development's season 4 teaser posters have been popping up around the internet and it is very exciting.

10.  even though the past week hasn't been stellar... there are lots and lots of lovely things coming up soon to look forward to.

hope the rest of you have some happy things going on!

warmer weather wants

it's friday!  and it's officially the first day of spring 2013 that we haven't had snow (yet)!  since eight out of the next ten days on weather.com's forecast are supposed to be above a scorching forty degrees, i figured i'd get in the spring spirit by sharing with you some of the warmer weather things i'm currently drooling over.

psst my birthday is in a week *hint hint*

nautical wine bag // maxi skirt // arrow bangle // sandals // polish

seeing green!

{image from ohhappyday.com}

{image from abeautifulmess.com}

one of my self-indulgent goals to work on this spring is getting a little practice with my (not so) green thumb!  fresh, growing plants are one of my favorite ways to see a room come to life.  many of my favorite design bloggers have been giving me spring fever with their amazing posts filled with beautiful indoor plants!  Oh Happy Day has an adorable DIY post today for planting wheatgrass in painted terra cotta pots, and A Beautiful Mess featured their homemade honeycomb shelves decked out in fresh cut flowers and assorted succulents.  I mean what's not to love?

I decided that it's high time i stopped dreaming and started looking into what kind of plants to start keeping around the house this spring!  here are a few of my picks!

{image from asoftplace.net}

1.  fresh herbs.  i love decor that serves a purpose, and i think there is no better way to get the most out of plants than picking ones you can eat! my sister and i had fresh herbs planted on our porch last year and it was such a great idea!  we both used them all the time in our cooking!  this year i'll be planting fresh basil, thyme, and cilantro!

{image from wikipedia}

2.  the snake plant.  as a true beginner to keeping up house plants (well other than our herb garden, but we kept that on the porch) the snake plant sounds perfect.  house plant care websites describe it as "one of the hardest to kill."  sounds right up my alley!  it only needs moderate light and watering once a week! i think the ombre blade-like leaves make it a very attractive plant, and best of all, the snake plant cleans the air in your home by reducing co2 at an accelerated rate.  it also rids the air of formaldehyde and benzene. win win!

{image from dpfwiw.com}

3.  catnip.  assuming i can keep bert away from it, i think i'm going to try growing him some fresh catnip.  he is pretty amusing to watch when he's had a little and it's so overpriced to buy in the store.  the plant also blooms with pretty little purple flowers and acts as a powerful insect repellent!

add a vase of fresh cut daffodils to start out and i'll graduate to tulips when they're more seasonal!  how are you going to freshen up for spring?