just call me whimsy

Dress: Zulily, Top: J. Crew, Necklace (similar): Ruche,
Booties: Urbanog, Tights: Target

Here's a very true fact about me.

I was a little bit boy crazy. Gasp, I know, it's true, it happened. 

I had many real-life crushes but, even worse, my walls were covered in magazine clippings and home-computer print-outs and life-size posters of Orlando Bloom, Tom Welling, Elijah Wood, etc...my adolescence was obviously smack dab in the middle of Lord of the Rings and Smallville mania. 

It was a good time, my friends.

I was young and foolish I suppose, but you know what else? I was still young and foolish when I got married. Maybe I still am. Is there such a thing as being young and foolish until you're old and grey? 

I feel like I can say I'm not young and foolish anymore...but I also feel like that's something a young and foolish person would say. 

I'm getting off track I think. The point of this whole conversation is that I kind of got to skip the whole dating scene. I was the typical boy crazy adolescent, but my husband and I started dating in high school in the midst of all that, and have been together ever since.

No awkward bar conversations, no flirting with strangers at the baseball game. No awkward pick-up lines. Part of it makes me feel a little excluded, because I don't have any funny awkward stories (about that, at least). 

I did have a guy drop a sugar packet once and tell me that I dropped my name tag. But it was when I was 13, maybe 14, and it was at a Christian summer camp. Haha. Look out!

Until Monday, I had pretty much avoided all of those cringe-worthy encounters. I didn't know what being hit on would even be like.
I would just wave it off naively, like, oh, he was just being friendly! 

So here it goes: I work in a library, and there's a guy that I've seen several times due to his exceeding number of interlibrary loan requests. He's a nice-looking guy, maybe a year or two older than I am.
He's had some problems with his account lately, and after I helped him out again on Monday, I was starting to walk away when he quickly says,

"You're looking whimsical today, by the way." Wink. 

I'm not gonna lie, I did love my crazy print-mixing ensemble and being called whimsical is the best kind of compliment for me, truly. Right next to you could be in an Anthro catalogue and I feel like Jess from New Girl would wear that. But then he winked and made it weird.

Why are winks so creepy? Why?
I love winking. I think it's adorable, it's sweet. But to a stranger? There is nothing in the world that's creepier than being winked at by some crazy nomad, some wandering half-blinking soul.

You know when it's not creepy? When it's a secret, a wordless exchange between two people who know and love each other:
Heath Ledger in A Knight's Tale, winking at his lady.
Geoffrey Rush in The Book Thief when he's winking at Liesel, his adopted daughter.

Winks should be reserved for those who don't need words, because their hearts are already entwined.

Don't be a creep. Don't wink at strangers. 

the last crystal

Destiny seems like a strong word when you're talking about a small token of desire. A token like a necklace.

But I don't really know how else to describe a series of events like this one....

In November we went to the mountains with another couple. It was such a beautiful fall, and we couldn't wait to spend a little time away!

Her family owns a beautiful house in Blowing Rock, NC -- there's really not much to say about the weekend except that it was absolute perfection. 

Board games by the fire, leaves turning, stunning vistas, ice cream, coffee, shopping.

In town there's a great strip of outlet stores, and we decided to go there on our last day. 

This may be a huge shocker, but us girls wanted to shop a lot longer than the boys wanted to...their patience was growing a little thin. Right around the time they started dozing off on the couches in LOFT. 

I was, of course, the last one to be rushing to finish up -- I ended up getting only one pair of pants because I was in panic-mode and didn't want to buy stuff I wasn't even sure I wanted. I'm guilty of that way too often!

With Dusty following close behind, shielding my eyes from any further distractions, he cowed me into the checkout line and I hastily flung the pants onto the counter.

Once the cashier rang me up, I went to pay and suddenly noticed her ensemble. So cute! A LOFT sweater, of course. It was nearing the official time to be sparkly and festive, and she was wearing a maroon sweater with the most amazing necklace ever. It was so sparkly on her, I just had to comment : I love your necklace!

She smiled, I think it's actually right behind you!

Oh yes. There it was. Hanging in the jewelry section that I hadn't had time to browse.

It's such a horrible feeling, regret.

I saw it hanging there, the little tag sticking up. $8.00. 

I think Dusty saw the look in my eye because he seemed to raise in stature and his eyes said, don't you dare. Our friends were waiting by the door and I started to sweat.

We got in the car and I seriously considered yelling apologies as I ran back into the store before anyone could stop me. But, alas, it was too late. I had surrendered.
We went back to the cabin to enjoy our last few hours, then drove back to Virginia and bid farewell to an amazing mountain weekend.

Non-buyer's guilt is real, though. It's real. 

Obviously the story doesn't really end there.
The first weekend in January we went back with our friends to the mountains, (and almost died in a crazy snowstorm, but that's a different story), went back to the outlet mall, and I walked back into LOFT and that feeling of sadness still lingered.
Of course, it's an outlet store. Things come and go and change and filter out like crazy. There was a cute new striped sweater in the window that said Bonjour, so I decided it would be my fun purchase for the day if I could find it. The necklace was something from my past that I wasn't going to let ruin my day.
I kept it simple, tried some things on, and was the first at the cash register. My friend was still shopping so I felt at ease browsing the jewelry section.
I saw a few cute necklaces, but was suddenly blinded by something shocking and beautiful.
There. Behind a stack of other unremarkable necklaces. Was the necklace. 
It was there! After all this time, one little straggler was left behind, perused but never bought, considered but never taken home. It was there waiting for me.
The last necklace.

See?

It was destiny.

flutter on by

I love Monday and Tuesday nights.
For the last few months, we've had two of our favorite friends come over almost every single Mon/Tues for The Bachelorette and SYTYCD (So You Think You Can Dance).
We order pizza, or make crepes, or grab ice cream, and/or make coffee and enjoy some quality television together.
The result is hours of fun conversation revolved around the dramatic happenings of a woman trying to find love and a group of dancers that just want to try and make their dreams come true.
We've had a blast. With the finale of The Bachelorette this past Monday, there was gasping, crying, screaming, laughing, throwing things. It was the best darn 2 hours of television I've ever experienced.
(And by the by, I was #teamChris from the very beginning!)

Dress: J. Crew, Necklace (shop!) (similar!)/Earrings/Shoes (shop!): Ruche
Bangles: Kate Spade

Yesterday's outfit was very minty fresh.
This dress was one of my favorite buys from our local J. Crew Outlet two years ago, our first year living in Virginia.
It has served as one of my favorite go-tos, and has encouraged my love for anything and everything mint in my life.

During Ruche's jewelry sale last week I snatched up one of the very last listings for this layered necklace!
It's absolutely perfect for this monochromatic look, and I can already see it's the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
(Especially since Ruche included a surprise pair of matching earrings for every necklace I purchased! They're the best! I would highly recommend scanning their jewelry section.)

After my husband kindly took these pictures for me out on the damp rainy asphalt, we wandered back towards our front door when we noticed all of our friendly butterflies happily grazing away at our front bushes.
There are literally hundreds throughout the summer, and I try never to take advantage of how beautiful they are to watch.
We spent the next 15 minutes or so just taking a few shots of our dear friends, watching them live their lives, just fluttering on by.

Our front door :)

contessa cat eye

Good news!
My absolute favorite pair of sunglasses is back in stock over at Ruche.



















The Contessa Cat Eye sunglasses were a splurge right before our trip to Paris, and they ended up being my favorite accessory there.
They traveled with me along the Seine, in front of Napoleon's Tomb, beside Notre Dame. They filtered the bright snow and sunshine while I enjoyed the views from our balcony, and hung on my collar while we ate baguettes near the Eiffel Tower.


I know accessories don't have a life of their own, but I'll never wear this pair again without thinking of all the magical properties of Paris!

Pick up a pair if you're feeling adventurous. :)

pocket full of posies

On Earth Day, I decided to host a great giveaway from Posies by Cait on Etsy.
My little shop has jewelry and accessories that are picture perfect for springtime and all the happy florals that it accompanies.

On Friday, I decided to wear one of my favorite Posies in spirit of the giveaway.

My best friend and Maid of Honor in my wedding threw me a bridal shower a month before the wedding, and Posies were the favors for the guests!
It was such a wonderful idea, and this headband is one of those special favors.

While the giveaway will feature custom-made items specifically for the giveaway gift box, it will include a special spring headband as well.
Don't forget to enter the giveaway!
Today is the LAST DAY to enter, and the winner will be announced tomorrow, May 1st.

The prize will include a gift box full of gifts from Posies by Cait, including an assortment of surprises valued at $40+, and these earrings, which were posted as a "sneak peek" on Posies by Cait's Facebook page and my Instagram.

If you win, feel free to share the prizes with friends and loved ones!
A wonderful choice for Mother's Day, or simply a happy spring treat for yourself!

Happy Spring!