New reads:

This week I'm reading Voyager, the third installment in the Outlander series, by Diana Gabaldon. It's a massive undertaking at almost 1,000 pages but I'm enjoying the journey it's taking me on.

For those of you that are interested, here the basic plot, from the inside cover:

"Diana Gabaldon mesmerized readers with her first novel, Outlander, and its best-selling sequel, Dragonfly in Amber. These works of striking originality introduced a reluctant time traveler named Claire Randall, whose wry twentieth-century sensibility meets its match in eighteenth-century Scotland with a gallant young clansman named Jamie Fraser.

In Voyager, the third volume in this sweeping epic, Claire faces a possibility both fearsome and exhilarating  Having returned to her own time, pregnant and brutalized by her trip through the standing stones, she makes a new life for herself, training to become a doctor and raising her daughter, Brianna. But the passage of two decades does little to dim the memory of Jamie or the life they once shared; and the constant presence of Brianna, with her father's brilliant red hair and well-loved features, is a painful reminder of the past.

Now Brianna is grown, and Claire learns that Jamie may have survived the bloody Battle of Culloden. Dare she risk another trip through the stones, a trip that easily could prove fatal? Will she even be able to find Jamie? And how can she leave behind her beloved daughter, knowing all too well that they may never see each other again?

The risks are great, the losses unthinkable. Surely the passage of time has changed Jamie too. What might be left of the love they once shared? But courage, and hope, make all things possible. Claire takes a leap of faith through the standing stones, bridging a chasm of some twenty years. For a second time, she seeks her destiny with a man she cannot forget. Both of them, uprooted from past and present lives, move as one from the battlefields of Jacobite Scotland to the exotic West Indies, in league with Highland smugglers and Caribbean pirates and face-to-face with political intrigue and the dark mysteries of voodoo magic. Together, in their bold voyage to an unknown destination, they are braving the treacherous tides of the human heart."

Happy Weekend:

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Happy Friday, friends! I'm so glad this week is drawing to a close. I'm over it. I've been busting my butt to get ready for a conference this week and between the early mornings and late evenings, I'm worn out.

What are your plans for the weekend? I am getting back into town Friday evening and plan on doing nothing but hanging out with Andrew and Tillie for two solid days. It's going to be glorious.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Happy Weekend:

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Happy Friday, everyone! What are you doing this weekend? I'm doing a Zumbathon with some of my running friends on Saturday and then I'm on the hunt for some new running shoes. We've got a long run on Sunday and I'm starting to think that my knee/foot/leg problems might be due to the fact that my shoes are wearing out. At least I'm hoping that's the case.

Here are this week's highlights:

1. Andrew made it home from St. Louis safe and sound (and brought back some really cool stuff!)
2. A mid-week Order video chat made the week so much more bearable
3. A pizza dinner/marathon training meeting with my lovely running ladies
4. Ran the Go!Running memorial run for the Boston Marathon victims
5. A little light shopping does amazing things to lift the spirit during rainy, stormy evenings

Have a great weekend! XO!

Romper Shopping:

one // two // three // four // five // six

I've decided that this is the summer I'm finally brave enough to attempt the romper. The last time I wore a romper I was about six years old. I've been wary of the adult romper until now. Maybe it's the word romper. Seems a little "kid in a diaper", doesn't it? Playsuit isn't much better. Maybe I should make up a word that makes me feel less weird about it.

Regardless of the ridiculous name for this summer garment, here are the front runners. What do you think? Asos has some really great options at really affordable prices.

We love:

Ah, Romeo and Juliet. I first fell in love with this story in the sixth grade. It was one of the first times I ever experienced something that... intense. It was also my first encounter with Shakespeare. I loved it. And then I watched the 1968 version of the film and loved it even more. Oh how I wanted to be Olivia Hussey. She was so beautiful, independent, and she undermined her parents with such skill and grace. I was in awe. It was exactly what my twelve-year-old, middle school self aspired to be. How exciting.

I liked the Claire Danes and Leonardo DiCaprio version too. I appreciated it for what it was but it couldn't hold a candle to the 1968 version. Claire Danes, try as she might, was no Olivia Hussey.

But take a look at this trailer for the newest version of the most famous love story of all time. Looks pretty good, doesn't it? Promising. And Julian Fellowes (of Downton Abbey fame) wrote the screenplay, so you know it's going to be sensationally written. And doesn't it just look beautiful? Nicely done, David Tattersall.

Can't wait to watch it.

Happy Weekend:

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Rejoice! The weekend has finally arrived. This week has been rough. I'm not even a little sorry to see it go.

What are you doing this weekend? Andrew is headed to St. Louis for some family time. I am hunkering down in my bed for some relaxing time. I plan on sleeping in, eating tons of food, watching movies, and not feeling even a little bit guilty about it.

Have a great one. Hope yours is rejuvenating as well!

Dream vacation

Does anyone else feel like this week is about a million days long? It's a little ridiculous. I am spent. Done. Over it. I'm tired, grumpy, so sore, and in desperate need of an escape. Preferably somewhere tropical with a magnificent view of the ocean. Unfortunately, my calendar and bank account won't allow it. So, join me this morning in taking a mental vacation to any (or all) of these locals:

Amazing, right? Although that last one might make me a little claustrophobic. Worth it.

[photos via ultrahome]

Spring cleaning:

This weekend I spent a few hours with our laundry and had a marvelous time. Nerd alert: I really enjoy doing laundry. And any project that involves both the doing of the laundry and organization is right up my alley. Throw in a session with my garment steamer, and we're talking about my ideal Saturday night.

Andrew's dresser drawers have been in a state of chaos for a long time. It bothered me, sure, but I had been able to just shut them and forget about it. Out of sight, out of mind. Until recently, that is. Slowly things have started to overflow out of the drawers and into the room. On the floor, the trunk at the foot of our bed, doorknobs, etc. I could no longer remain blissfully ignorant.

So, I tackled them this weekend while he was out watching Jurassic Park in IMAX 3D with his college buddies.

A few hours and 3 drawer dividers later, I ended up with this. Easier to take inventory. Easier to put clothes away. Easier on the eyes.

Sometimes, I'll come up here and open his drawers, just to peek at all the glorious organization inside. It makes my heart happy.

I want to go to there:

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I have no idea where this is, I just know I want to go there. To be in that place, in that moment, instead of where I am. Land-locked. On a Monday. Spring has taken forever to get here and I am longing for a bit of sunshine off the water, preferably from a boat. Most preferably of the sailboat variety.

Happy Weekend:

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Happy Friday, everyone!  What are you doing this weekend? We are running in the Capitol City Classic 10k tomorrow morning. I'm hoping to get a PR. My IT band has been bothering me this week so fingers crossed that it won't be an issue come Saturday.

Here's what we've been up to this week:

1. I stayed home from work on Monday with a migraine and sinus issues. Not fun.
2. We watched the documentary Fat, Sick, and Almost Dead, and it kind of changed my life.
3. Thriftbooks is having an awesome basement bargain sale and we scored a few treasures at a deep discount.
4. Kristin was in town this week with her Urban Promise kids for Spring break. I got to see her for about a milisecond, but still, best milisecond of the week.
5. We enjoyed many rainy evenings this week curled up in bed, watching DVDs of old TV shows, and catching up with our good friends Turk and J.D.

Have a great weekend! The weather should be really lovely so get out there and enjoy it.

How I feel today:

Thank you, someecards, for always being able to express how I'm feeling.

This is the end:

This is the End, is a new movie coming out starring a whole mess of people. The premise is a bunch of celebrities are holed up in James Franco's house during the Apocalypse. Sounds completely ridiculous, right?

But I cannot believe how badly I want to see this.

New Reads:

This week I'm reading The Skin Type Solution by Leslie Baumann, M.D.

Baumann, a dermatologist in Miami, has come up with a series of questions based around your skin care routine, genetics, and habits. From your answers, she determines what type of skin you have, tells you how your skin reacts to different ingredients and environmental variables, and then offers some suggestions on skin care routines and products that would be most beneficial to you. She tells you which ingredients to look for when buying products and which to avoid, based on how your skin would react.

I am a DRPT skin type, which is dry, resistant, pigmented, and tight. Interesting because I thought I was sensitive but apparently not. If you answer the questionnaire, I'm sure you'll be surprised with the outcome as well.

I have really enjoyed reading this book. I feel like I've learned a lot and I have several things I'm going to discuss with my dermatologist.

I'm looking forward to trying some of the products she suggests to see if they are as beneficial as she says. I love trying new products and learning about all things dermatology-related. I think maybe I missed my calling. I should have gone into dermatology.

If you've been unhappy with the condition of your skin or the ineffectiveness of the products you're using, you might be using the wrong things. Check out this book, make the changes she suggests, and see if it's any different. Because if you're already unhappy with your skin, what have you got to lose?

No-heat April:

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I've decided to take break from heat styling tools this month. That's right, no hair dryer, flat iron, or curling iron for the entire month of April. Not that I use them a lot anyway, especially once the weather gets warm. I really only use my hair dryer during the winter months (it's no fun going to bed with wet hair when it's so cold out) or when I'm in a hurry and can't wait for it to air dry. I occasionally use a curling iron to give my hair a little texture. And I can't remember the last time I used a flat iron. For the month of April, though, I'm putting them all away and declaring 31 days free from heat styling to give my hair a little break. I like to think of it as a mini-vacation for my head.

I'm not worried about what it will do to my hair because it's really thick and really straight. So, no matter what I do to it, there will be lots of body and minimal frizz. These days, I like going to sleep with my hair wet because it amps up whatever natural texture my hair may have in the morning. I like being able to just get up and go without having to do much to it. I'm a wash-and-go kind of girl. I'm not that big on styling products either, so this will be a nice break from them as well, I imagine.

Sometimes I do want to change it up though, and if I do during my heat-hiatus, I'll use one of these really great ideas from Sunnie Brook, makeup artist and hairstylist: