currently loving… Lori’s Shoes

Sam Edelman - York

Seychelles - Belle

Dolce Vita - Eve

Steven - Fantacy

www.lorisshoes.com

Careers Cocktails & Shopping

For All the DC area Ladies

Career, Cocktails and Shopping

Author Nicole Williams’ book Girl on Top turns dating rules into career strategies and she is coming to DC for a special event. On November 23, from 6-9pm she will be at The Limited in Pentagon City Mall. There will be free-flowing cocktails, an exclusive 40% discount on The Limited’s brand new business-chic attire, amazing gift bag (first come first serve) and career advice from the author. Use the link below to RSVP.

The Limited Pentagon City Mall
1100 South Hayes St
Arlington, VA 22202
girlontopbook.com/tour

emptying my brain… random ramblings

• I love my friends
• We got in a discussion that was pretty great over the weekend about understanding that some relationships and friendships are just for a season
• And that it takes a mature friend/person to know when to let go
• It’s funning how weddings make people realize their standings with some people
• Someone (not in my circle) actually used the term second string friends
• If they are second string then are they REALLY a friend?
• All my friends are my friends
• No tiers, levels or strings
• Some I’m closer with but you area friend or not a friend
• The end
• I had a blast in Brooklyn this weekend with them though
• I know had I stayed up there instead of moving back to Md I may be broke
• Not to mention a totally different person
• I live the total relaxed sleep late, get brunch and walk through the park lifestyle when I’m up there
• I may need that though (for a weekend)
• I have a list of things/places I want to go the next time I’m up that way
• Including this nail spa that a friend of a friend opened
• One of my new favorite nail colors of the moment is emerald green
• Looking at my hands just reminded me of that
• It surprisingly has worked with every outfit I’ve worn with it
• I want to try the chanel jade green polish but I’m not fighting anyone over it
• Redoing my budget I changed my netflix account to one movie at a time instead of three, since I felt like I wasn’t watching them all fast enough anyway
• Now of course as it gets colder there are more movies I want to watch and I don’t like the lag between sending and getting the next
• I need to be more patient lol
• I threw off my queue last week and moved up an old movie to the top
• “The Last Dragon”
• That movie is absolutely hilarious
• Because of that I added ” The Golden Child”
• that will probably be tonights choice
• That is if I don’t get caught up in HGTV
• That channel and home/decor/design blogs are my crack
• I also think I found a development I like
• the houses are brand new and in my budget
• it’s just far out, but once my job moves locations in a year the commute would be 15 min
• now it would be an hour (vs the 25 min one I have now)
• I don’t want to stay in the area I currently live but its so darn convienent to the world
• decisions deceision
• Traffic in this area is a monster
• Friday it took me less time to get to NY then it has been taking me to get to Philly
• Doesn’t make sense but it’s because I left for NY during a no traffic period and I usually do Philly after work
• my friends that left for NY after work thursday it took them 2hours to just get outside of a 30 mile radius and then another 2 to get near Philly
• A mess
• Speaking of Philly I wrote my boyfriend a letter last night
• Wonder if he’ll still be my boyfriend after he reads it lmao
• I’m so much better at times on paper expressing my thoughts and feelings then saying them
• Either way stamp is on the envelope (which I got from paper source lol) and it’s in the mailbox so he’s getting it
• I wasn’t rude just honest
• I was listening to my friends wedding CD’s on the ride back from NY last night (and again this morning)
• I love classic love songs that make you feel good
• Some of the emotions that were in the old songs, I can agree with my parents/aunts/uncles, just aren’t in music today
• This song was on the cd so I think I’ll end my ramblings with this
• It had me wanting to just stop the car and start dancing on the parkway

New Yorrrrrk

That Jay-Z and A. Keys song constantly pops in my head now whenever I think of my old stomping grounds. I have such a love hate relationship with NY (more love then hate). It’s the place where I really came into my own, got a stellar education,where I met some of my most treasured friends, where I have some of the most crazy memories and where I can always disappear and find somewhere new to visit that I haven’t been before. I haven’t been up since July so I’m kind of excited that I’m heading up in a little while to handle some business and celebrate a good friends birthday. So I’m disappearing until Monday (hopefully I can maintain my diet lol). Hope you all have an absolutely fabulous weekend.

stress-free

La Petite Danseuse de Quatorze Ans

This weekend was the absolute perfect weekend. I was totally stressed out from work last week and so I hopped n the car and drove North to spend a little QT with the boyfriend. I checked in a swanky hotel that I got at a FABULOUS price (thanks hotwire), that had a stellar view of the city and was in walking distance to a lot of things. Upon checking in I  just relaxed a few hours and then later in the evening “the guy” came over to chill and we had a good time relaxing watching tv and being silly.

The next day after going to LOVE park, I decided to go to Reading Terminal to have lunch, which is always fun because of all the options there and then later in the day I hit up what is now in my top 10 list of museums, Philadelphia Museum of Art.

There are certain pieces of art that inspire me and make me smile and so it was great just to spend hours alone (even though the bf was mad that I didn’t want him tagging along) taking in all the great pieces and jotting things down in my moleskine that inspired me. One of my favorites is Edgar Degas’ La Petite Danseuse de Quatorze Ans. It’s something about that piece that totally just draws me in. Also Three Musicians by Pablo Picasso was just beautiful to me as a musician and Henry Ossawa Tanner’s The Annunciation totally drew me in as well. I’m usually drawn to certain period pieces but I was surprised by my new respect for modern art and the Asian art there was simply breathtaking.  It was totally refreshing. I’m looking forward to my next trip up there to explore more museums and of course spending time with the bf, maybe the next trip he’ll actually be invited to the museum lol.

I-Heart

 

Last night I saw an incredible movie with some of my friends/family from my church. this movie convicted me and stirred up some things in me in ways I can’t even explain. As a lot of you know I went on a mission trip to Kenya last year with my church and it was one of the most, if not the most, incredible and rewarding experiences I’ve ever had. Because of circumstances this year (new job, change in dates etc) I couldn’t go back but this movie let me know that I need to get back and be focused on what I was doing and all the the things that charged me after that trip.

The movie, “The I Heart Revolution: We’re All in This Together,” was put together by Hillsong United and their I-Heart organization. They have a GREAT purpose and to steal from their site “we’re a group of people from across our earth that endeavour to connect the IDEAS and ACTIONS of people seeking to be the hands an feet of Jesus.”  Last night was a one time showing that was simulcasted in theaters across the U.S. and Canada and it was simply great.

This is a synopsis of the movie from their site:

Filmed over a period of 2 years, The I Heart Revolution: We’re all in this Together follows the worship band, Hillsong United, as they travel across 6 continents 42 nations and 93 cities in a cross-cultural journey of music, animation, interviews and live action documentary as they realise every story of hope, love, loss and sacrifice ultimately points to the one story.

As United crisscross the globe they are confronted and ultimately overwhelmed by the stories of remarkable individuals facing injustice and the uncomfortable paradox of being united in worship yet divided in circumstance. If their entire focus is directed only to what happens on stage, then maybe they have missed the point altogether.

Simply put this movie really just focused sharing that we can use the love that God has put in us to help others.

They also have a great community where you can meet with other people and come up with ideas and solutions to start creating change. I-Heart.org

weight of the world

Ever have one of those times where you just feel like the weight of the world was on your shoulders? Well that’s been me the past few days. So I had to take a step back stop doing some of the things I was doing- breathe, relax, soak, cut off the cell and write everything out that was bothering me. Then after it was written it made it easier for me to tell the people that were on my ___list how I felt in a sane and rational way. Either way I’m better now. A little bit more relieved and way more relaxed.

namaste

One of my favorite parts of the week was my weekly yoga class. I found a great studio in DC that I absolutely loved that really hooked me into yoga. It helped me gain more flexibility, de-stress in a calming way and sometimes get the BEST naps in savasana. That studio was such a great contrast to all that was going on. There were bamboo floors, great soothing colors in the room, the smell of incense and occasionally a siren or a horn honk from outside to remind you that you were still in the heart of the city. I stopped going to that particular studio because it was really hard to find parking in DC on U St at 5:30pm and also it was a little out the way.

So I found an instructor literally a few streets over in my town that taught classes in this beautiful old church in a room almost up in the steeple. That class was also really just relaxing as well, the peacefulness of the church, birds chirping in the trees, the church bell going off (which was a great reminder there was only 15 min left push through) and the fact that if the day was lovely I could add to the exercise and walk home. But I stopped going there too.

date night

I’m always trying to come up with things to wear out on a date night. Being in a long distance relationship you try to maximize your time together so when going out (especially when going to visit him) it makes things easier to choose an outfit that can transition well. So I decided to pick this outfit because one all of these things I currently have in my office, it’s easy to pack in my over night bag, it still reflects my personal style and we can go from movie to restaurant to lounge with a seamless transition.

Gap Always Skinny Jeans – These jeans are fashionable, reasonably priced and comfortable.
J. Crew Viscose tango Tank - This is a really lightweight tank and it adds a feminie edge to the outfit
ASOS Leather Bomber – I love a leather Jacket to bring some chicness and edge to a regular outfit
Calvin Klein Raine Shoe Boots – I found these boots in Philly and fell in love. I also have walked around in them for hours so I know they are comfy.
Charles David Raleigh Satchel- This is my favorite bag it can hold a pair of ballet flats for later in the evening (if the feet decide to hurt), a small clutch if I don’t want to carry a big bag into a lounge, and makeup etc for touch ups
Diamond Studs & Silver Bangles – Simple items that don’t take away from the clothing

Keeping Organized

Today is a busy busy day. I have a meeting at 10, then at 10:30 I have to interview someone for an article I”m writing, after that I have to run by my old job and turn in forms so I can get my 401k money transferred, then back to work, yoga… you get the drift. So I have to find some sort of way to maintain my sanity and stay organized. People tease me because I carry such a big bags but they help me sort of maintain my sanity.

My moleskine with notes I was taking while reading "Living a Charmed Life"

The first thing is my moleskine notebook. I mentioned it in another post but it’s like a place where I toss thoughts that pop up in my head, take notes when I go to freelance events, write out plans for events (my moms entire 60th birthday party is outlined and planned on a page), notes I take when I may see a website I want to jot down or find some good bullets or points in a magazine or book and then other random ramblings and affirmations I may need to flip to to motivate myself. My favorite feature is the back pocket. I keep stamps in there (because I can NEVER find a stamp when I really need one), receipts and different award coupons from my shopping addiction that I need to use but always seem to forget once I’m in the store. I also chose to get one that had a grid style page, like graph paper. This way for me I can write neat and also randomly (i.e. making side boxes, thought bubbles, writing in opposite directions etc). This helps me organize things the way my mind works, uniquely.

My planner with an extremely empty week- I was out of town so that helped

My other source of organization is my nifty weekly planner. I really like it because as a week progresses you tear off the perforated edge so that you can easily thumb to the current week. I used to be stuck on the monthly format of calender but sometimes seeing all the things you have to do at one time, while you are continuously adding can kind of overwhelm you. Because I tend to overload myself I write A LOT in there, from a standard doctors appointment, to birthday’s, to yoga class, to when I’m going to visit my boyfriend. I’m also into things aesthetically pleasing so I like that the planner I chose was kind of artsy and it’s designed by Savannah College of Art and Design Students through Working Class Studio.

Of course I use digital technology to help with organization like my blackberry and outlook (the tasks function is the best thing ever). But for me I really need to see it written.
So my notebook, planner and my sharpie pens (which are seriously the best writing tool ever IMO) help keep me on task.