Playing catch-up...

Wow! It's been a looooooong time since I last wrote a blog! I've been good about Instagram-ing lately, but not so much on the writing end (which kinda defeats the purpose of calling yourself a blogger, haha).

Let me catch you up to speed with my life since my last post (back in January!) quickly...

Work has been the same ol', same ol', like always. I've been keeping really busy with the constant scheduling changes, and all the extra stuff we take care of (which is WELL ABOVE my pay-grade!). Anyways, enough about that...

First off, I'm pretty sure I haven't blogged about it, but I attended the Cotton Bowl this year to see my Spartans play the local Baylor Bears, and we WON! It was so incredibly nerve-wracking since there were so many Baylor fans in the AT&T Center, with Dallas being a hop, skip, and a jump from Waco. It wasn't looking too good for my boys up until the last three minutes of the game, when they started their semi-ugly, yet beautiful come-from-behind win. I literally paced the walkways of the arena, and couldn't bear to watch! I was so overcome with happiness as the final moments counted down, that I started to cry - I'm such a big baby! =) Great win, and I had a wonderful NYE with two of my best girlfriends the evening prior!

Spartan Marching Band

Kristi and I turnt up for New Year's!

Bubbly!

Late January, I turned in my beloved Hyundai, Duchess, for a new sassy red Mazda3! I'm just that creative, where I named my new car "Duchess II" (I'm awful at picking out names - I can never decide on names, even for super trivial things; it took me weeks to finally name Minnie, and she's a cat!). February was pretty uneventful, besides going to San Antonio early in the month. Mary and I had a fantastic time, soaking up the history and culture of the city. I was planning on going to Mardi Gras in NOLA this year finally, but plans fell through. Still enjoyed some spirits and friends' company.

Duchess II

Mardi Gras time!

King Cake!

The Alamo by night

Mary's first time to the Alamo

Mardi Gras beads from Pat O's San Antonio!

In March, I went on a cruise with my mom, dad, sister, aunt, and two very good friends, which is always a blast! We did some pretty cool stuff, including rock jumping in Jamaica, swimming with sting-rays in Grand Cayman (hello gorgeous sparkly aqua water!), and enjoyed an all-inclusive party place in Cozumel. Time always flies while you're having fun! When we got back, it was right in the middle of March Madness, so we made the trek down to Sage County in Midtown (where all the cool MSU alums hang for games) a few times. My Spartans made it a lot farther than they were "supposed" to...so even though they didn't make it to the final game, I'm still SUPER proud of my boys :) The end of March also brought a bit of sadness, because Mary moved back to Michigan :( I miss our weekends out and Saucer Mondays! However, life always a way of throwing you something positive to balance out the negative...I met my man-friend right around that same time, and I can say I'm quite happy and content..so I guess he's ok ;) Haha, I kid, I kid. (If you're reading this, I adore spending time with you! :) )

Ship selfie

Favorite place - the dining room

Mumsie and I by the atrium

Picture perfect.

Pano of our port in Jamaica

Red Stripe beer, straight from the source

Beautiful aqua water!

Beach resort in Mexico

Fast-forward to April, and it was time for two of my other really good friends' wedding in Fredericksburg (that's hill country, a.k.a. wine country!). Even though it down-poured for a majority of our time there, we still had a blast! My sister and I ended up making the trip down to San Antonio the day after the wedding (and stopped to take pictures with bluebonnets!), which is always fun.

Congrats Adam and Hallie!

Gorgeous Bluebonnet

Bluebonnet selfie

Bluebonnet field!

Horse all dressed for Fiesta

Classic Riverwalk

Hopping over to May, not much was really going on until the storms from hell hit Texas on Memorial Day, and Duchess II got 3 inches of water in her floors :( Luckily, my man-friend was nice enough to take some Tupperware and scooped the majority of the water out. We were switching out sopping wet towels just about every hour or so, to keep Duchess II from molding. I'm happy to report she is completely clean now, and just needs to be repaired from when I was hit by a cop earlier in the month.

Poor Duchess II :(

The flood water was so deep - almost came right up to my knees!

A shot of poor Duchess II drowning

Finally, coming into June, my sister and I started it off with a bang! We trekked over to NOLA (it was my sister's real first time there), and had an absolute spectacular time! It's the perfect place for anyone who likes to chill and enjoy good food, drinks, and entertainment. I was able to see my friend I met one LATE night out a year ago in NOLA (I love the randomness of the city!), and he was able to meet my sister (we sat and visited with him at his work (not complaining - he works at a daiquiri shop!). It was really great catching up with him! We also explored Abita Brewery (just north of the city), and attended the New Orleans International Beer Festival later on that day. As they say over there (I'm guilty of over-using this!), "Laissez les bon temps rouler!"

Nicky and I on the streetcar - finally rode one!

St. Charles streetcar

Classic daiquiri from Fat Tuesday

Channing Tatum's bar - quelle surprise there's a stripper pole inside!

Crescent City Connection in the background over the Mississippi River

St. Louis Cathedral

Night view of the French Quarter architecture

Abita Brewery!

Me and Kairo!

Jackson Square selfie

Mime as Drew Brees (complete with cigarette, lol)

Another Jackson Square shot

French Quarter carriage

Royal Street musicians

Brunch at Tableau

The Swamp - I was devastated they didn't have any baby alligators to hold :(

Royal House Oyster Bar

New Orleans International Beer Festival

Taps at Abita Brewery

Lake Ponchartrain Causeway

Lafayette Square

Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop Voodoo daiquiri

Jackson Square at night

Bourbon Street

Nicky and I on the Tropical Isle balcony

 Well, now you're all caught up on my life over the past half year or so...stay tuned for my new post on my current favorite things!

- L

It's a neutral time of year...

So, if you have been following my Instagram or Facebook, you may have noticed a trend in my clothing choices as of late - NEUTRALS TO THE MAX! Honestly, when it gets cooler outside, I really have no desire to take the time to put together crazy colors, without looking like something straight out of AHS: Freak Show. Neutrals are amazing in that aspect. It seems like no matter what I throw together, my outfit ALWAYS works when sticking to basics. Heck, I've even taken more of a liking to neutral (mainly nude) nail colors. If I'm feeling a bit sassy on any given day, I may throw in a colorful pair of shoes or a handbag to spice things up.

Here are a few of my favorite neutral outfits I've worn over the past few weeks...

It's nice to mix things up a bit with fun prints in neutral colors, like a plaid shirt or animal print scarf. I love how interchangeable all my pieces are. My staples are black skinny jeans, black and nude flats, black tote, and gray fur vest.

The jewelry I have from Kendra Scott has been great to alternate with my outfits as well. I bought an all black version of the "Rayne" necklace to go along with everything. Another staple of my in jewelry is the Gorjana "Elea" ring. It's somewhat convertible, so there are a few ways you can wear the ring (bonus: it is also adjustable, so you can size it to whatever finger you want to wear it on). 

I look forward to incorporating neutrals into my clothing choices straight through spring, even into summer. They are a classic look to keep in every wardrobe!

Until next time!

L

Happy New Year!

As 2014 winds down, boy has it been a whirlwind of a year. New job (blargh), yet another failed relationship, going out on dates, friends' weddings and babies, a best friend moving down to Houston (woot!), my dear puppy having to be put to sleep (miss you Hershey), trying to make an effort to keep up my blog (more successful this year than any other), and all around attempting to just get happy.

I always make resolutions every year, but, like most everyone else, fail to keep them. I really want to make changes for 2015, and focus on getting everything together for myself, in both the job and personal life realms. The biggest thing is losing weight. Cliche, I know, but it really has knocked down my self esteem.

I hope 2015 has big things in store for me, because I sure as hell have earned it! :)

Cheers!

New glassware obsession

As a lot of my friends know, I'm obsessed with glassware. I cannot resist buying at least one set of glasses any time I step into a home goods store, and you bet your bottom dollar I snag a pint glass from every brewery I go to as well..

Lately, I've really been into collecting wine glasses. Crate and Barrel is definitely my go-to. Come to think about it, a majority of my glass collection came from there. They have every kind of wine glass imaginable (and every other type of glass, really), from vintage style to contemporary.

My new go to for wine is Crate and Barrel's "Camille" glasses, in the red wine size. Made popular by Kerry Washington's character, Olivia Pope, on Scandal, these babies have taken on a celebrity persona of their own.

I feel so elegant whilst drinking my vino from these glasses! At 14.95 a pop, I really only could budget for a set, so I'm lusting after the whit wine set from afar (Christmas?).

One sip from these, and you will be in love :)

Autumn 2014!

Autumn has always been my favorite time of the year for many reasons - that crisp feel in the air (not so much in Houston), the fashion, the colors (again, not so much in Houston), college football, and there is pumpkin scented/flavored everything. I miss Michigan in autumn. You can't beat the colors driving up north, or the feeling of walking on campus at Michigan State University in September.

I don't think I've been so excited for Spartan football season before - under Coach Dantonio's lead, the boys get better and better every year, and are still fresh off a big Rose Bowl win! I see wonderful things in the future, and am so proud of our young team!

I wish so badly I could make it back for a game this year (haven't been since the year after I graduated), but alas, with my job, I'm very limited on time I can take off. If they make it to a bowl game somewhere around Texas or Louisiana this year, I definitely want to make it a point to go.

While I can't make it to East Lansing this year, I did discover (after three and a half years) there is a large Spartan population down here, resulting in Blackfinn of Midtown being the "MSU bar". It was so awesome going in there, and seeing so many other Spartan fans. Gave me hope of possibly being able to still marry a fellow Spartan, even being in the South! Haha!

On another note, the other fall events I'm excited for are the haunted houses to open (I LOVE Halloween!), Ren Fest to start, hunting for good donuts and cider (they have no clue what cider mills are down here, WTH?), and, most importantly, introducing gem tones back into our wardrobes.

Oh, there is so much more I could go on about Fall and all of it's goodness! I'm working on compiling a list a fall-centric drinks, so be on the lookout for that post to roll out! 

'Til next time! :)