images that inspire: {greece}

#1 on my 30before30 list is to go to greece...i've wanted to go for as long as i can remember, and my jealousy spiked a little bit when my dad sent me a text saying he was in athens. (he's known that ever since i went to italy a few years ago, i checked that off and my sights immediately moved to greece.) and then when i saw traveling mama's beautiful posts on greece, well. that was it. i just had to put together an "images that inspire" post dedicated to it.
because we all need 9 more reasons to go to greece.

right.

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where have you been dreaming of visiting ever since you were little?

(see my full 30before30 list here)



weekends were made for...

new bike racks,

summery drinks (vodka + club soda + splash of pellegrino),

 portraits,

big spreads for hungry guys watching football at the house,

enjoying our backyard,

 his & hers stripes, 

 and a couple of decent runs.

i hope your weekend was just as good!

i'll be back tomorrow with some greek inspired images...

images that inspire: {color}

i've noticed myself collecting these photos that all have really loud, bright colors, and i'm hoping that you'll love them as much as i do.
with summer coming to an end pretty soon, i figure we'll start seeing less of these colors, and more of the colors of fall. 

(this is the exact opposite of my recent post on black + white photos!)

(this one reminds me of the transportation for our vineyard tour!)

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{play} me

that terribly blurry picture above is something that i'm used to seeing when looking through the camera roll on my phone. i mentioned on friday that music means a lot to me - i definitely go out of my way to seek out new artists, new songs, etc. (new to me, anyway).

so if i hear a new song that i love while i'm driving around, like the one in the picture above, i reach for my phone and take a super quick picture, no matter how blurry...i'll be able to decipher it later!
(i promise i'm a safe driver...am i the only one out there that momentarily puts myself in danger to take pictures of songs?? please say i'm not.)
this helps me remember songs that i need to download the second i get home. i love creating new playlists whether they're for helping me wake up in the morning, for keeping me moving during a run, or to get me through the work day.

so i'll share my most current playlist with you guys - hope you enjoy it!

(if you're my facebook friend, you can listen to the playlist on spotify by clicking: right here. if we're not facebook friends and you want to listen to it that way - add me! otherwise, spotify is very easy [and free] to use and you can add these 10 songs on your own account)

september playlist:

on a completely different note - i've been plagued with insomnia for a little over 3 weeks now. i know that normally insomnia is attributed to high stress levels, new diets, new work out levels/routines, etc ... none of which apply to me. so i have no idea what's going on, but my body is actually getting used to this no sleep thing, and i'm getting my energy back. this morning i ran further than i have before and was not tired at all until i stopped. so maybe insomnia isn't so bad? even if i was delirious during my run since it was so early and the sun hadn't even come up yet. nothing like thinking you heard a rattle snake next to you, when really it's just a sprinkler turning on, am i right?

{long} weekends were made for...

tailgating at the first longhorns game of the season,

riding this beautiful thing (best birthday gift ever from the husband!),

hangin' with this little guy,

labor day whites + moscow mules at friend's houses,

entertaining ourselves while our power was out for 6 hours yesterday,
(look at the terrible letters i got. and yes, it was h.o.t. in our house with the power out and no a/c)

& making berry cobbler,
husband took one bite and said, "this is my favorite dessert...EVER" - so i know it was good.

i hope there were no power outages to derail your labor day plans.

i'll be back tomorrow with a september playlist!

(see my full 30before30 list here)

{a week in the mind} + weekend plans in picture form

this week was full of organizing at work, much needed pedicures & dinner with a sweet lady, appreciating sore legs and recipe hunting. that last one seems random, i know, but don't you ever get in a food slump? the husband & i try to eat pretty healthy for the most part, and truthfully, sometimes that can get pretty boring. so we've been incorporating new meals into our weekly repertoire, and i'm lovin' it. (earlier this week, i was that embarassing, cheap person at barnes & noble that was taking pictures of recipes in magazines on my iphone so i didn't have to buy the whole magazine. yeah, that's right. i can hear you judging me from all the way over here.)

these are my written thoughts that accompanied all the un-written thoughts this week:

saturday, august 25, 2012
what would you like to tell your father?
oof. so many things. we've had a very strange relationship my whole life, but it's been getting better & better these past few years. so right now, i'd like to tell him that i'm so, so glad we have what i would finally call a "good relationship".

sunday, august 26, 2012
what's the best part about your life right now?
my family. that includes the obvious members, like my parents and siblings, but also my husband & his family.
there's nothing quite like family to help you become a better person. without meaning to, they kind of force you to take a step back and look at yourself and the way you live life and handle relationships.

monday, august 27, 2012
when was the last time you worked out?
this morning. i went for a great, sweaty run. (yum!)

tuesday, august 28, 2012
how would you describe your victory dance?
i'd need to come up with one first. i usually just high five myself.

wednesday, august 29, 2012
what did you have for dinner?
sushi + flatbread. mmm - i know, random combination. but i went on a happy-hour-girl-date and they had this perfect combo awaiting us.

thursday, august 30, 2012
what's your simplest pleasure?
music.
i get really attached to music - to bands, to songs, to albums.
for me, music can really shape an entire day. just yesterday morning, i was listening to my favorite radiohead album (in rainbows) on my drive to work, and knew it would be a great day. my favorite song on the album (nude) came on, and it was so beautiful and put a huge smile on my face.

friday, august 31, 2012
what was the last wedding you attended?
ben & claire's beautiful wedding on july 21.


i'm very much looking forward to this 3-day weekend (hey thanks, labor day!)
 this is what i hope to see & do the next few days, in (mostly) image-form.

attending a labor day party,
making this yummy cobbler,

attempting this pretty crown braid,

spending time in our backyard,

and beating my personal best running distance.

oh, and remember this diy post? i've ordered some needed materials & plan on spending some time becoming a crafty lady this weekend. so you should (hopefully!) see a craft-related post sometime in the near future.

what does your weekend have in store for you?

(see my full 30before30 list here)

images that inspire: {grey + white}

daydreaming about goal #17 (decorating my forever home), inspired by these images with beautiful muted greys + whites:

1 2 & 3

1, 2, 3 &4

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which room is your favorite?

(see my full 30before30 list here)