my weekend in pictures.

This weekend was rodeo weekend in Tucson= two days off of work. Not too shabby... My hubby and I and his family jetted off to a weekend of fun in the sun in Cabo San Lucas. Yup- it was beautiful, warm, and lots of fun. Here are a few photos of a crazy weekend that went by way too fast...

any man who can drive safely while kissing a pretty girl is simply not giving the kiss the attention it deserves.

albert einstein.

NYFW

Today marks the end of New York Fashion Week.... I have been glued to my computer looking at the photos and watching the videos whenever I have time. The feeling of breathlessness when a piece hits the runway that is purely ethereal never gets old.... these are a few of my favorites:

Ralph Lauren

His Spring 2012 collection was inspired by 1920s, Great Gatsby silhouettes. From turn of the century pant suits to flapper dresses, Lauren embraced pastel hues, heavenly ivory and showy metallic, spring celebrates all things soft and feminine with floral prints, satin and feathered accessories.

Carolina Herrera

Her Spring 2012 collection, full of sparrow prints and linear motifs, “started with the Bauhaus,” she said, citing “the modernity of lines and the fluidity.” Throughout the show, Herrera sent out fluid mint green dresses and architectural embroideries. The color palette — largely jade green, rusty red, and sunny yellow — came from the Bakelite bangles that were used to accessorize the collection, she said.

DVF

A series of solid-colored separates and dresses brought together smokey greys, mints, and topaz; a grouping of graphic florals mixed black, white, pink, and lilac; and an explosion of large-scale prints found their bearings in vivid coral, red, violet, and jade. Silhouettes were a wearable mix of slouchy mod-lines and tiered layers —  swing-backed jackets, full-skirted wrapdresses, cropped trousers, and loosely-cut sheaths.

Jenny Packham

Packham's palette is inspired by the summer skies, from sunrise to sunset, including rich reds and oranges as well as stunning shades of chartreuse and turquoise.  These colors are further accentuated by glittering Swarovski crystals that adorned most of the looks in this collection.  In addition to her signature gowns, Packham presents us with flirty mini dresses, rompers, and tiny lace shorts, also accentuated by crystals and sequins.  Nearly every piece is made of French or chantilly lace and Italian silk chiffon (or a combination of both), sometimes with touches of tulle, organza trim, pleats, or beaded flowers.

J. Mendel

His spring 2012 collection alternated between patchwork style prints and sleek silhouettes that accent the female figure. Taking on this season’s trend of sheer, lightweight dresses, designer Giles Mendel used vertical stripes paired with color blocking for a sexy yet sophisticated look. For beauty, the Mendel woman donned wavy side-swept locks and sun-kissed skin.

*** Oh and that holiday that has just passed? To me, it was perfect. Of course Valentine's Day was celebrated with the typical chocolates, flowers, and gifts; but Valentine's Day isn't really all about those things now, is it? And as for the opportunity to make it special and unforgettable, my sweet husband was triumphant. Those details, my friends, are memories kept close to my heart...and I know unequivocally, that although they are not described in this little blog diary, their vibrance will not fade. xo

my love.

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of being and ideal grace.
I love thee to the level of every day's
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for right.
I love thee purely, as they turn from praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints. I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.

~Elizabeth Barrett Browning

**happy valentine's day to all you lovers out there...

the worst ways to prepare for a race.

So, our best friends Ann and Marcel came down for another fun-filled, memorable weekend. We spent it doing the very things that you should NOT do before running a relay race on an early Sunday morning. Let me give you a list of ways that we tried very hard to not prepare for a race.

1. Eating {super spicy} Chinese food for dinner Friday night, followed by finishing off 3 bottles of yummy flavored vodka.
2. Staying up until 4 am doing a puzzle, and waking up at 9 am to eat a lavish homemade omelet bar {prepared by yours truly}, followed by homemade donuts with glaze {prepared by my handsome husband} for dessert. Yup- dessert after breakfast.
3. Spending the rest of the day on the couch watching movies while the boys went out shooting, causing a temporary conductive hearing loss.
4. Eating Mexican food Saturday night, complete with quesadillas, chips and extra hot salsa, guacamole, queso with chorizo, giant margaritas, and our individual entrees- chicken chimi for me. We all had our pants unbuttoned.
5. Playing Farkel until 2 am, accompanied by more flavored vodka.... well aware of a 6 am wake up call to get to the race and register beforehand. Super smart.

Another weekend with not enough sleep, too many drinks, way too much food, and not enough exercise. In other words... perfect.

Oh- and that race? Ann and Rick killed it... 4 miles in 28:45. We had to celebrate afterward with some TTT breakfast. Maybe we should eat that way every race weekend- certainly more fun.

my sweet.

"whatever comes,"

she said,

"cannot alter one thing.

if I am a princess in rags and tatters,

i can be a princess inside.

it would be easy to be a princess

if I were dressed in cloth of gold,

but it is a great deal more of a triumph

to be one all the time

when no one knows it. "

frances hodgson burnett, a little princess

Party Time!

This weekend was one of my favorites to date... we were able to hang with lots of friends and family, and we had the best time. Saturday night, Randi and Kevin hosted a BBQ at their house, lots of food, laughing, and dancing... unfortunately I did not take any pictures. This may have been because of the bottle of Swedish fish flavored vodka my husband and I polished off. Thanks, Ann, for the ride home! Sunday was the Superbowl and Rick's Mom's 50th birthday- more food, more fun, more drinks. This weekend we get to do it all over again! Ann and Marcel are coming to visit! This eating and drinking binge of late does not bode well for my Cabo bikini body- oh well, totally worth it!

So ready for this!

Today, we are heading up to Phoenix to spend time with our nearest and dearest! My oldest friend, Randi, has offered to have a BBQ tonight so that Rick and I can visit with friends we don't get to see very often. I am so excited to visit with people I haven't seen in months!

Then, tomorrow is Superbowl Sunday, as well as Rick's Mom's birthday! Another day of eating, drinking, and celebrating ahead.... I see a lot of beer, Mexican food, and various chips and dips in my future. I couldn't be more pumped- Superbowl Sunday is one of my favorite days of the year! GO GIANTS!

let's get loose

with

compassion,

let's drown in the delicious

ambience of

love.

~hafiz



Back at it.

While I was training the last few weeks for the marathon the mileage got pretty high up there and I was in no mood to do it on a treadmill.....so, I stopped going to my school district's fitness center to work out. Instead, I would run outside, or if I was working too late with clients I would hit up my own treadmill at home. So, sadly, I have not been to the gym for a couple of months now. But- now that I am no longer training for a marathon, and almost totally sick of running on a schedule, I was back at the gym this week. I have done two boot camps this week so far, and although I am walking a little funny from all those jumps and suicides and up-downs, I am SO happy I went back.

Yesterday, my friend Jackie went with me, and we laughed throughout the entire session. I am sure the instructor wasn't loving the extra chatter, but it made the class go by so fast! And both times I went this week I got to see a friend and coworker who is recovering from a devastating car accident, also working out. If he can drag himself on crutches to the gym with a shattered pelvis, shredded intestine, and a rod in his leg, I can certainly suck it up and jump a little higher, squat a little lower, and lift a little heavier. Besides, Cabo is in less than 3 weeks!! Holllaaaaa!

My weekend in pictures.

*** another wonderful weekend celebrating a wonderful friend. Vegas was a blast, as always.... and the company even better. Happy Birthday, Banana!