Wanderlust:

The new online travel magazine, Wayfare, is out and it is really beautiful. I want to go to disappear inside every. single. picture. Check it out here.

P.S. Happy Leap Day! Do something exciting with your extra day of February!

One Day on Earth:

I mentioned this project a while ago but I'm excited to share that the creative geniuses behind this movie have edited it down (a massive undertaking!) and on Earth Day -- April 22, 2012 -- the global screening is happening! It's so cool! You can sign up to request an invite to the screening here. Fingers crossed I get to go. It looks amazing.

Sloth Love:

This is one of those videos that we watch multiple times and then walk around quoting it for days:

And here it is auto-tuned:

Happy Weekend:

It's finally the weekend. Even though this week was short (thank you President's Day!) I am worn out.

And sad because Lauren leaves for S. Korea Saturday morning. So to cheer myself up, I plan on spending some time shopping and catching up with some darling ladies from work. And if the weather's good, soaking up some sun is definitely on my list.

Domino:

The now defunct Domino Magazine is coming out with a special edition on April 17th! Now this is news.

Tweaking My Bike:

Since the weather's getting warmer and Spring is on its way, I'm prepping my bike for some serious adventures:

This includes a new seat, new grips, and a front basket. I've got my eye on this seat and these grips, both from Brooks. And I just ordered the Model T crate from Bates Crates for the front of my bike. It should be here in time for prime bike weather and will look a little something like this:

Except on my bike instead of Andrew's. And minus the pug. I don't like pugs particularly well.

Drunk History

A few weeks ago Lauren, one of my most favorite people in the world, introduced us to this lovely little series called Drunk History where people get insanely drunk and give a history lesson. And then famous actors reenact it. Horribly funny. Just watch.

Hello Monday:

Celebrating this state holiday (and not having to work!) by going for a run. This is the first time trying out my new tights and running shoes (above). 

Note to self: if not feeling motivated to go on run, look at this picture for about .5 seconds. That should do it.

Happy Weekend:

Happy Weekend everyone. I'm planning on doing some serious relaxing after a stressful week. Maybe I'll binge on some ice cream while I fantasize about the above photo. Kind of wishing I could crawl inside of it right now.

New Reads:

Up next we're reading The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. A woman at work recommended it to me, saying it was so good she didn't want to finish it. And since live for that kind of connection with a story, I immediately picked up a copy.

Here's the basic description:

"January 1946: London is emerging from the shadow of the Second World War, and writer Juliet Ashton is looking for her next book subject. Who could imagine that she would find it in a letter from a man she'd never met, a native of Guernsey, the British island once occupied by the Nazis. He'd come across her name on the flyleaf of a secondhand volume by Charles Lamb. Perhaps she could tell him where he might find more books by this author.

As Juliet and her new correspondent exchange letters, she is drawn into the world of this man and his friends, all members of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, a unique book club formed in a unique, spur-of-the-moment way: as an alibi to protect its members from arrest by the Germans.

Juliet begins a remarkable correspondence with the Society's charming, deeply human members, from pig farmers to phrenologists, literature lovers all. Through their letters she learns about their island, their taste in books, and the powerful, transformative impact the recent German occupation has had on their lives. Captivated by their stories, she sets sail for Guernsey and what she finds there will change her forever."

This story has many elements that make me think I'm really going to love it, including:

1. written in letter format
2. Nazi occupied Europe during WWII
3. classic love stories
4. people who love books
5. 1940's/1950's 

If you're keeping up with my 56 book challenge, this will be my eighth book so far. The list reads as follows:

1. Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?
2. Everything I Needed to Know About Being a Girl I Learned From Judy Blume
3. The Sweet Far Thing
4. Interview with a Vampire
5. The Tales of Beedle the Bard
6. Spud
7. The Secret History

I figure when I reach the halfway mark this summer, I'll do a recap of the books I've read thus far, including which ones I have loved the most and why. But let me just say right now, The Secret History is leading the pack. Read it. It's fantastic.

Go running:

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Hoping this will serve as motivation to get off the couch and go running.

Happy Valentine's Day:

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Happy Valentine's Day. What are your plans? Today, the only thing we celebrate is my parents' anniversary (which is pretty important anyway because I wouldn't be here without it). We don't celebrate Valentine's Day in the traditional sense. There are no gifts, no candy, no balloons, no mushy cards, or elaborate displays of affection. We celebrate it by being ourselves and doing what we normally do: homework, reading of books, knitting, cooking together. Every day we work hard to show love and support to each other. To make each other feel valued and appreciated. Every day is Valentine's Day at our house. So I don't need a present. I just need to be with my husband, cuddling under blankets, eating tacos, and laughing at The Big Bang Theory. That's the happiest I could possibly be. 

So if you celebrate today, then have a very happy Valentine's Day. I hope it's exactly what you wanted it to be.

And Happy Anniversary, Mom & Dad! I'm so glad you met and fell in love. 

I want to go to there:

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Austria's Green Lake.

Happy Weekend:

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What are your weekend plans? I plan on spending time with a certain twin before she leaves the country again. And relaxing. Excessively. I may not even get dressed. Hope your weekend is as comfortable as mine is sure to be.

New reads:

This week we're reading The Secret History by Donna Tartt. 

"Storytelling in the grand manner, The Secret History is a debut remarkable for its hypnotic erudition and acute psychological suspense, and for the richness of its emotions, ideas, and language.

These are the confessions, years afterward, of a young man who found at a small Vermont college the life of privilege and intellect he'd long coveted -- and rarely has the glorious experience of youth infatuated  with knowledge  and with itself been so achingly realized. Then, amazed, Richard  Papen is drawn into the ultimate inner circle: five students, worldly and self-assured, selected by a charismatic classics professor to participate in the search for truth and beauty. Together they study the mysteries of ancient Greek culture and spend long weekends at an old county house, reading, boating, basking in an Indian summer that stretches late into autumn.

Mesmerized by his new comrades, Richard is unaware of the crime which they have committed in his dreamy, unwitting presence. But once taken into their confidence, he and the others slowly and inevitably begin to believe in the necessity of murdering the one classmate and friend who might betray both their secret and their future.

Hugely ambitious and compulsively readable, this is a chronicle of deception and complicity, of Dionysian abandon, of innocence corrupted  by self-love and moral arrogance; and finally, it is a story of guilt and responsibility. An astonishing achievement by any standard, The Secret History immediately establishes Donna Tartt as a supremely gifted novelist."

Jason Wu for Target:

Jason Wu's collection for Target hit stores Sunday. And I woke up really early in the morning just to make sure I grabbed a piece of the action. 

My favorite score? This dress:

Rumor has it they ordered more than the Missoni disaster of 2011, but no doubt they're going to go fast. So make sure you stop by a Target store or www.target.com to pick up a piece before they're gone.

I want to go to there:

beach towel / swimsuit / kindle fire / necklace / chambray shirt / shorts / hat / sunglasses / sandals

Someecards:

Dear someecards,

You totally get me.

XO,

M.

Happy Weekend:

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Happy Weekend everyone! What are your plans? A and I are attending the wedding celebration of a good friend at the Rock Town Distillery. If the weather stays nice, there will be plenty of outdoor adventures as well.

Sh*t Nobody Says:

Wish List:

With Spring on its way, I've been dreaming of warmer weather and pretty new things. Among those most coveted are:

1. Saint James Minquiers III tee ($75)
2. Lively Loafers ($138)
3. NARS Heat Wave ($24)
4. Chloe Stud Earrings ($35)
5. Cafe Capri ($89.50)
6. Hooverville Frames ($99)
7. Jolly Leopard Wedges ($80)

J.Crew Spring 2012:

Big surprise, I am loving J.Crew's new Spring line. Stripes, bold colors, and animal print? Yes, please.

Note to self: track down new denim jacket.