Have a great weekend!

We're heading north to spend the long weekend with my family.  This will be a real whirlwind of a trip, but I can't wait for the fun to begin! 

We'll be doing a little of this:

A lot of this (13.1 miles here we come!!! Operation hydration is in full effect right now):

 And we will surely hit up the world's best farmers market where I will eat my weight in cheese curds and chocolate croissants:

Summer Shades

In my opinion, sunglasses are never too big for your face unless they are physically falling off.  My husband, on the other hand, has drastically different opinions about sunglasses and loves to tell me that I look like I have bug eyes in my newest shades!!  Do any of you experience the same thing with the men in your life?  I feel like maybe they just don't understand??

PS -- enter to WIN a gorgeous Lilly Pulitzer Murfee scarf at Trish's Preppy Pink Lilly Lover blog.

Happiness.

Last night over a delicious dinner of grilled steak, corn-on-the-cob, spinach and strawberry salad with a homemade poppy seed vinaigrette, and biscuits (quite possibly my favorite summer dinner ever) I announced that this has been the best year of my life.  I'm the happiest I've ever been.  I feel loved by my sweet husband.  I am fulfilled by my job.  I adore our new house.  I've found terrific friends in this new city.  Things are good.

It's amazing to think that just about a year ago to the day, we were living in Washington DC, and SB was interviewing for a new job in a city that neither of us had ever visited.  Little did we know our entire world was about to change (all within about 40 days of our wedding!).  In the past 12 months I have learned that it takes courage to make big changes, but change can truly bring about the most wonderful opportunities.  Of course, it is far easier to jump into the unknown with a partner.  I definitely lucked out in that category.  I can't tell you how much I used to despise change.  I mean despise.  And now?  Well, I certainly hope that we won't be moving anytime in the near future, but I also know that I'm capable of much more than I originally thought, and I welcome any new opportunities that change can bring.

My advice to you:  EMBRACE change!  EMBRACE the unknown!  You can make anything happen, even in the worst circumstances.  Don't sweat the small things, and keep life in perspective.  I surely would have lost my mind last year, living/working/sleeping/eating all in the same hotel room....24/7....with our dog....and my husband when he could break away from his brand-new job.  Oh -- and throw in buying a house and getting married, and well, life was crazy -- but we did it, and we're better off for it now!

Dear Lilly: Stop growing!!!

Here are some of the latest pics of Miss Lilly.  She is growing, growing, growing!!  I took her to the vet yesterday, and she now weighs 17 pounds.....at 12 weeks old she has more than doubled in size in the 6 weeks that we've had her at home. 

Happy Weekend!

Wishing you lots of sun and relaxation!!  I have cleaned the whole house, walked the dogs, and now I'm off to play tennis!

Empty Walls

It's really hard to believe that we've almost been in our house for an entire year.  Since then, I've literally put just five things on our walls.  We have two new lemon/lime prints from Ballard Designs, one map of Germany from my grandparents (their homeland), a framed print of the Athens Theater (SB's) and one wedding picture with a signed mat from all our friends.  That is it.  Our walls are bare, and the time has come to at least decorate our main great room!  It's the space we spend the most time, and it has two glaring holes over built-in shelves. 

The lowcountry area of South Carolina is a special place for SB and me.  We used to take weekend trips there from Atlanta when we were dating, and we spent our honeymoon on Kiawah Island.  There's something beautiful and mysterious about the marshland and waterways there that I just love.  We have agreed to find art depicting that area....so now we just have to find something in our budget that we love!  Here are a few current contenders:

(art by Christine Crosby & Laura Fontaine)
The giclee prints seem to be the best options.  Have any of you bought giclees before?  Any recommendations on what to look for, or what to avoid?  Basically it's a digital reprint of one of their oil paintings (making it like 1/3 of the cost of an original oil)......and my understanding is that the artists often paint on top of the print to make it look more like an oil painting.   We're also considering finding some high quality photography and framing that.  I'll keep you posted on which one we go with!  We also have to get drapes for the great room soon too!  This whole decorating a house thing surely isn't the cheapest thing in the world!

Dear Mother Nature:

Please be advised that rain will not be an acceptable forecast for Sunday, May 30, 2010.  While the 30th is not yet in Weather.com's 10 day outlook, which I check obsessively for big occasions, the few days leading up to it are making me nervous!!!!!!  Rain + 13. 1 mile run = unhappy Emily!!!!!!!!  PLEASE consider some nice to semi-cloudy weather options instead of rain.

Sat
May 29

Scattered Showers

81°
59°

60%

81°F

Cheers!

Emily 

Preparing your house for a puppy....

Being a new puppy parent requires lots of goodies to make your new pup's life as good as possible! (and to ensure that you stay sane, get sleep, and that your belongings aren't mistaken for chew toys) 

Here are a few of our favorite items:

1.  Planet Dog bones:  these are good for Lilly's teeth as well as Daisy's.  Daisy can chew through most anything, but these chewable bones are well worth the price because our last one lasted over a year (which is rare in the world of dog toys for hard chewers like labs).  We also like the natural rawhide bones - they give puppies a good chewing workout.  You'll want tons of things your pup can chew on so that they can satiate the urge to chew, while steering clear of things like sofas, pillows, flip-flops, and the like!

2.  A crate.  Little puppies need some structure to help them learn to be house trained.  A crate allows you to live your life, while providing a safe, contained area for the puppy to sleep.  Lilly stays in her crate at night (you'll want to confine a little puppy during the night so that they don't "go" anywhere in your bedroom), and also during the day when I'm working and can't keep an eye on her.  She gets lots of outside time, and walks too - so she really does just sleep when she's in the crate.  We like the iCrate because it comes with a divider so that the space can grow as the pup grows -- which helps the potty training.  Puppies usually don't soil their sleeping areas, but if the space is big enough for them to co-exist with it, they don't mind as much.

When Lilly is fully house-broken, she'll (probably) sleep on the new round bed we ordered from Harry Barker.  I love their dog beds.....especially (*only*) when they're on sale.  They regularly sell for like $140, but you can get the On Sale version for like $50.  A great deal, and totally worth the $$.

 3.  I love our new Harry Barker food storage container.  It's about as stylish as you'll get with dog food containers! (and it's not too pricey)

4.  Cute collars and leashes!  Ok, these may not be a "necessity," you can totally make do with a $5 collar from PetSmart.....but it's like dog jewelry and I just can't resist a preppy collar.  I finally decided on the classic collar from Eliza B....and ordered one of each of the patterns on the right.  I will have a couple of preppy pooches!

5.  Ok, this is the least glamorous one of all, but it is a TOTAL necessity.  House training a little puppy is not a walk in the park.  In fact, if you have any hints on what worked best for you, let me know, because I am so ready for her to be completely trained (pipe dream for a 12 week old puppy....probably - and we are close to getting there....but it's exhausting!).  Right now a day without an accident is kind of like a pitcher pitching a perfect game.  I feel like I can't say anything mid-day because I don't want to jinx her!  It goes without saying that some absorbant paper towels, and a good odor-neutralizing cleaner are absolute necessities.

6.  To avoid turning your furniture, electric cords, or shoes into chew toys.....this is a must!!  It's a bitter apple spray that apparently repels dogs.  You can find it at any pet store.  After the first taste, they'll steer clear anytime they see the bottle.  It is seriously magical!

Add this to your "must read" list!

I know that many of you have already read The Help, but in the event that you haven't.....go borrow or buy it now!  My sister sent me her copy, and I can't thank her enough.  The book is so well written.  It weaves together the stories of three women (Minny and Aibileen (both black maids), and Skeeter -- a recent college grad and active junior leaguer) living in Jackson, Mississippi in the early 1960's.  In a strange twist of fate, they work together to write a book to expose the true lives of black servants in the deep south during the civil rights movement.  The Help is thought-provoking, funny at times, gut-wrenchingly sad at others, and just completely authentic.

WIN a pair of new McKims!

Well today is all about fun giveaways, isn't it?!  Visit How I Met Your Father to enter to win a pair of the new skinny strap McKims.  I haven't ever owned a pair of Lilly shoes, but these would go with everything.  The perfect summer sandal!!

WIN these awesome shorts!

Head on over to It's the World I Know to enter to win the adorable Lilly Pulitzer shorts above. I am absolutely head-over-heels crazy about the new summer Lilly items. I ordered a couple of things yesterday and I still have my eye on a cute polo (one of mine shrunk in the wash so it needs to be replaced), and a pair of fun patterned shorts.

Running Recap

In 15 days SB and I will be running a half-marathon. I am feeling decently good about it - my training hasn't been outstanding, but I'm trying to work in long runs without killing my knees. I've had really good runs the past 3 Saturdays:

May 1 -- Ran a 5k race and PR'd -- 24:48 (SB finished in 19:38)
May 8 -- Ran 9 miles around Creve Coeur Lake
May 15 (today) -- Ran 6.2 miles (10k) on treadmill (SB ran a 10k race (in the rain!)....finished in 41:57 -- amazing!)

Now I have to start working on my half-marathon mix. Any recommendations on songs that really keep you motivated on long, hard runs? Lady Gaga? Beyonce? Kesha? Lady A? What works for you??

Not your typical professional athlete

In an era of story after story about athletes committing crimes and being unimaginably selfish, this is a real breath of fresh air.SB forwarded this story to me, and you just have to read it. One of the Caps' star players (a real team player, hard worker type), Brooks Laich, did the kindest thing after his team lost Game 7 in Round 1 of the playoffs. Driving home from the arena after the loss, he saw a car with a flat tire ahead of him on the Roosevelt Bridge in DC. He stopped and changed the tire (in his suit nonetheless!) for a random lady with her daughter, who happened to also be driving home from the game. I can't imagine the disappointment and exhaustion he must have been feeling right after that game, but he had the sense to realize that he could help them. Of course in interviews following this incident, he simply brushes it off as something anyone would do. I'm quite sure it's not something just anyone would do, but I hope everyone learns from his actions.

New Puppy Pics

Does she look ferocious, or what?!?
Dreaming of "game, set, match!"
One of these things is not like the others.....

Weekend Recap

• Started the weekend off right with a long overdue mani/pedi. There were a bunch of high schoolers in there getting ready for prom the next night. They made me feel about 90 years old!
  
• Ran 9 miles Saturday morning. I didn't experience any knee pain during the run (knock on wood!!!), and I think I could have gone another 40 minutes or so. (though I was happy to stop at 9 miles :) My knees were really achy on Sunday morning, but the pain went away pretty quickly.
  
• Ran a bunch of errands with SB.
• Went out to eat at my fave St. Louis pizza place: Dewey's. Delish!
• Went for a 3 mile hike on Sunday with SB and the dogs. The dogs played in a creek, and were soaking wet. It was awesome (and I still can't believe that Lilly walked the whole 3 miles at 10 weeks old!). Everyone we passed had to come say hello to Lilly. They couldn't believe how well she was doing out on the trail for being so little.
• Grilled out Sunday evening.
  

Cheers to my mom!

(My Bridal Brunch....2009......me, my mom and sister)
Thank you for your constant love, guidance, advice, encouragement, and support. You have helped me through the best of times, and the worst of times, and I don't know where I'd be without you. Mothering is one of the toughest jobs out there, and you did it with shining colors. I hope to one day be as great a mom as you are. Love you! xoxoxo!

Patriotic Perfection

For some reason I get excited about the idea of decorating the outside of our house for the 4th of July. This week I found a new catalogue in our mailbox.....Grandin Road (if you haven't seen their site, you should take a look....really cute things at great prices). Well, lo and behold - they have a beautiful Martha Stewart Fourth of July line! Now I just have to determine whether or not it really makes sense to invest in decorations that can maybe work for one week a year.... (maybe I could plan a party so that they'd get maximum viewage....)

Wish List.....

I always look forward to bringing out my summer clothing! There's something about the bright colors, happy patterns, and carefree ease about wearing them that just makes me happy! Here are a few things that I have my eye on (and actually a few that I recently purchased too!)

I just adore the Lilly line this summer. Their colors are so "me" and I'm just drawn to the pieces below. I need to swing by the local Lilly store sometime soon!
I waited too long for this Vineyard Vines cami unfortunately :( My size is sold out....I keep checking to see if they'll replenish the various sizes, but so far no luck.This top is really comfy, and oh-so-cute! It can be dressed up for dinners out, or just worn with a pair of shorts running errands. I snapped this one up in orchid (though I was looking at the green one too, but then that one sold out).
Land's End Canvas white bootcut jeans. They fit really well, true to size - but a warning to anyone over 5'5", they are a little on the short side. They say the inseam is 32", but I'm 5'5" and I would wear these with flats (perfect for summer!).
I saw this Kate Spade hobo purse at Nordstrom, and I think it's so cute! The color is bright and cheery, and the size is just right for me.
I used to have a pair of platinum J.Crew flats and I adored them. I had them in DC, and all the walking to the metro and to work wore them out in a year. I have my eye on the pair above!
I have needed a new pair of flip-flops for awhile, and I finally settled on the Eliza B. pattern below, with the tan wedge above. Can't wait to see them in person!