Tutus, ring pops, & sparkles! (...and other stuff that made me smile this week)

Photo: Youtopia3.


Photo: Show Me Your Truth.


Photo: Count Your Blessings Now.


So far this week I've loved...

*Reading The Four Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss, so inspiring!

*Rocking my curly hair

*Sipping Blackberry Martinis at Circa with Becky :)

*Karen Millen Dresses

*Wandering aimlessly around Barns and Noble

*Getting lots of sleep

*Practicing my new favorite yoga posture, not surprisingly called, Dancer's Pose

*Kerastase Deep Conditioner, a little pricey but absolute AMAZZIINNGGNESSS. And I mean, can you really put a price on good hair? Exactly.

*Catching a conservative looking dude in a suit sing along to You Belong With Me by Taylor Swift this morning. We were waiting in line for bagels...so obviously I joined him!

*Busting a move during a Street Jazz class at Joy of Motion

*Taking pictures of the sky

*Sunshine and warm weather

*Purchasing craft supplies for my art journal

*The arrival of Easter candy!

*Roberto di Camerio handbags

*spring cleaning. Wait, let me rephrase. The after effects of spring cleaning.

*Finishing my taxes

*Volunteering at Pals

*Wanting to live in a pink house like THIS ONE!

And obviously tutus, ring pops, and sparkles!

What made you happy this week?

Feeling Springy?

Yay spring is here :) As you revel in the extra hour of light, why not...

* Throw on some brightly colored rain boots (and make a splash during April showers!)

* Exercise outside. Endorphins + fresh spring air = instant feel-goodness

* Plan a picnic somewhere pretty. Grab a blanket, a bottle of wine, munchies (cheese, crackers, & fruit), iPod speakers, and a group of fun people and prepare to enjoy a wonderful afternoon in the sun

* Spring clean your closet (and be sure to display your sundresses front and center!)

* Plan a weekend getaway

* Read up on Mercury Retrograde (non-astrology nuts feel free to skip this one!)

* Make a spring-themed mix CD

* Find a new signature fragrance (floral scents are great this season)

* Develop your green thumb. Plant an herb garden or (if that sounds a tad labor intensive) place a pretty potted plant or an orchid on your windowsill

* Try out a new hairstyle (but always think twice before chopping it all of or dying it a crazy color on a whim!). Take it from someone who has suffered the repercussions of what I like to call "mood hair" and don't make any rash decisions (but if you still want a magenta pixi cut after a month, more power to you!)

* Break out the bike and go for a ride

* Run in a charity race

* Check out a farmers market (and don't forget your reusable grocery tote :) Yay being green!)

* Pick up a new hobby (I just started an art journal!)

* Blow bubbles (they're not just for kids AND apparently come in edible varieties, who knew?!)

* Commit to either being barefoot or wearing really cute high-heeled espadrilles for the next month (except of course during aforementioned April splashing, outdoor workouts, charity racing, and bike rides. Gosh you're gonna be busy!)

xoxo

Things that made me smile this week

Photo: So Lali Dances.

“Life is an opportunity, benefit from it. Life is beauty, admire it. Life is bliss, taste it. Life is a dream, realize it. Life is a challenge, meet it. Life is a duty, complete it. Life is a game, play it. Life is a promise, fulfill it. Life is a sorrow, overcome it. Life is a song, sing it. Life is a struggle, accept it. Life is a tragedy, confront it. Life is an adventure, dare it. Life is luck, make it. Life is too precious, do not destroy it, Life is life, fight for it.”
-Unknown

Here are a few things that captured my fancy/made me happy this past week...

*This colorful graffiti

* Watching old Sex and The City reruns on the elliptical

* Slowly discovering just how bizarre and fabulous my co-workers really are

* These inspiring tips for adding a dose of spring to your interior decor

* This wonderful post by re-PSYCH about cultivating solitude

* Fantasizing about living in a delightfully pink apartment like this one

* Cherry blossoms EVERYWHERE!!

* Discovering this great list of DC area bloggers

* Looking at the lovely art journals of Lisa Sonora Beam, author of The Creative Entrepreneur

* Following the adventures of the The Brox Zoo Corba on Twitter all week (yes I do occasionally do real work!)

* Stumbling upon this epic failure of a marketing campaign, Oh Turkish Airlines...

* Attempting to cook something resembling a "real meal" Monday night and failing miserably...fortunately for me (and perhaps unfortunately for my kitchen utensils) I shall try again! There is a domestic goddess somewhere inside me just waiting to break free, I'm sure of it!

*Going to two movies in one week (Limitless = great, Red Riding Hood = ridiculous...am I surprised really?)

* Getting a deep conditioning hair treatment while munching on Tootsie Rolls at The Shop in Bethesda

* Indulging in delicious Indian food at The Bombay Club...so yummy!

* Looking forward to volunteering with PALS tomorrow morning and checking out the Cherry Blast Saturday night!
Have a lovely weekend friends!
xoxo

Suffering from winter blues?

The glow of the holidays is beginning to wear off. Its dark. It's cold. You can't stop sneezing and a not-so-sexy bruise is forming from when you ate pavement yesterday (thank you ice). I feel you. But instead of fantasizing that you are on a beach somewhere exotic (drinking margaritas with someone even more exotic!), I challenge you perk up, bundle up, and enjoy some of the simple magical pleasures of winter. Why not...

Build a fire - Go ice skating - Spend a Saturday in bed - Paint your nails a wintery color - Dive into a novel you've been meaning to read - Drink tea - Make a snowman - Get to work an hour late and blame it on the snow - Plan a trip to the spa and sit in the sauna - Take a road trip with friends - Cuddle with someone you love - Light yummy scented candles - Learn to knit - Take a hot yoga class - Call your grandparents/other relatives who love hearing from you - Wear your Uggs out on the town (this will likely horrify some of my girlfriends, but I'm listing it anyway!) - Start a craft project - Make someone's day - Bake something (or intend to bake and just eat all the batter...) - Send snail mail to close friends telling them how much they mean to you - Clean out your closet - Volunteer at a soup kitchen - Plan your next vacation - Watch old movies - Enjoy yourself...

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6 Ways To Make Mondays Better!

Hello all. This morning as you busily check your Inbox and dive back into projects (and last weekend’s frivolity rapidly fades to a distant memory…), take a second to read some of my tips for making the most dreaded day of the week, well, better!

1. Look extra cute for work (or school…or sitting on your couch!). You just did your laundry, got lots of sleep, and are ready to take on the week, right? I don’t know what it is, but whenever I take the time to look extra nice, I have a better day (I like to call it the “blow-dry and high heels effect”!). Start making a point to look extra fabulous on Mondays and it will set a positive tone for the week to come!

2. Get your most arduous work/school task done first thing in the morning. You’ll get a huge energy boost when you finish and will give day a sense of productivity and accomplishment.

3. Indulge in a good cup of coffee. Monday is not the day to go cheap or go without. You need fuel for your week!

4. Have a delightfully bizarre conversation with a complete stranger in the elevator. I do this almost every day and am a better person for it.

5. Stay away from the office candy bowl…at least until 4pm.

6. Start building a supply of treats at your desk to keep yourself feeling pampered and happy throughout the day. My stash includes aromatherapy peppermint spray (so refreshing and apparently promotes focus), a colorful head massager (really cool looking/makes me popular when people’s kids come to the office), lip gloss (a low-cal stand in for candy…KIDDING), a mini zen garden (so fun to rake…the easily amused know what I mean), Gummy Vitamins (don’t let anyone tell you they’re just for kids), and a fun mouse pad (mine is leopard print!). Investing the time to make your workspace a place you actually want to spend time will pay great dividends on the days you feel close to burnout, trust me!

Have a great week!

My FABULOUS New Years Resolutions

Here's what made my list, in no particular order…

1. Take more bubble baths (potentially wearing a tiara, because really who doesn’t love feeling like a princess?).

2. Dance. Every day. Even if it’s just a booty shake while I brush my teeth!

3. Listen to live music at least once a month. There are so many cool music venues in DC and I have no excuse not to enjoy them!

4. Workout at least four days a week. I heart endorphins. Enough said.

5. Think of three things I am grateful for each night before I go to bed. I read a quote recently that said, “developing an attitude of gratitude is the only path to true fulfillment.” Corny? Perhaps. But I couldn’t agree more.

6. Do more “outdoorsy” things (aka. hiking, camping, kayaking, etc). I always love spending time in nature but I need to make more of an effort to build it into my schedule.

7. Read something inspirational every day (if you want to add this to your list and need some advice, check out some of the blogs I follow!). Also enjoy more solo excursions to Borders (I really do have an unhealthy obsession with bookstores…).

8. Get more professional massages (Don’t ever let anyone tell you this is a frivolous waste of your money. They are wrong!). And on this general topic, spend more of my money on experiences rather than things.

9. Be better at keeping in touch with friends (and siblings!) who live far away. My closest friends (you know who you are!) mean the world to me. As tough as it can be to make the time and play phone tag, it is ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS worth it. Friends are everything.

10. Write in this blog once a week (NO EXCUSES!). On that note, take a writing class or join a writers group. Continue to take baby steps toward my ultimate goal of writing a bestselling novel.

11. Go to sleep earlier during the week and wake up a half an hour earlier each morning to write in my journal.

12. Find a community service project in DC that I enjoy and do it regularly.

13. More quality time with Pablo (I love you Becky!! J).

14. Plan more fun (and off the beaten path) outings with friends.

15. Learn to use my super duper really sweet camera and take more pictures. Be "that girl" who's always snapping away.

16. Take steps toward launching "The Pursuit of Fabulous" with my incredible sister, Lindsay. More info on this to come.

17. And maybe while I’m at it I’ll eat more vegetables, floss regularly, give up chocolate icing binges once and for all, and be more punctual! (These make the list every year but a girl can dream…)

What are your resolutions for 2011?