what are you doing this weekend?

happy weekend, lovelies! what are your plans for this last weekend(!) of february? i'm bundling up (florida is having the coldest winter i can remember, and i've lived here my whole life), taking a trip to ikea, sleeping in, and hopefully cleaning my mess of a bedroom and donating a bunch of clothes. i had such a great weekend away last week, but it's nice to be home and back to my normal routine, too.

what are your plans? please share, and i'll see you back here on monday. xoxo

p.s. a lovely, lovely film by nathan pickett, via taza.

{ via brenda of fleur avenue, who also writes a beautiful blog. }

and these days, i wish i was six again...

lissy elle's beautiful flickr photostream is making me really happy on this thurday morning--i love-love-love that light so much. (and on a side note, how much fun was making tents with sheets and pillows and blankets when you were little? my little brother and i did it all the time, and i miss it.)

blue crush.

dear living room, can you please magically turn into something like this? i already have the wall color down. and the large abstract painting. and a couch that's the same color (even if it is tragically tattered and in need of replacing). i just need the pretty wood floors. and, um, the fireplace.

still, filing this one away under do-able inspiration.

{ photo by anna behrendt, via little bits of lovely, which is a lot of bits of lovely, actually. }

it's been a long time since 22.

things that are making me happy right now:

+ snuggling with my cat, oscar, who i really missed over my weekend away.

+ cherry chapstick.

+ john mayer. (yes, yes, i know. but i love him. always have, always will. his concert in philadelphia this past weekend was incredible. and he brought a nine-year-old boy up on stage, let him play a song, and then gave him an electric guitar. by the way, i love philly--but i still love sarasota more.)

+ boston terriers. my future dog? i really don't know that much about them, but if the one i met this weekend is any indication of what they're like, then i'm sold. and in love.

+ typing this odd little list.

+ no more food poisoning! (as evidenced by the fact that i ate the equivalent of a semitruck yesterday.)

+ really, really great friends and family. the kind that check up on you when you're sick and veggie-bomb your doorstep with fresh produce they think you'll like just because.

+ february snuggle weather. and soft beds and pillows.

+ feeling rejuvenated and ready for the (admittedly short, yay) week.

what's making you happy right now?

{ photo via captivate me }

sunday funday.

happy sunday, everyone! i've been visiting one of my oldest and closest friends in pennsylvania for the weekend and was sick with a case of food poisoning/a weird stomach bug earlier in the week, hence the radio silence. i'll be back home monday evening, but until then--how have your weekends been?

{ photo via mary ruffle, of course. i think i want to grow my hair out so that it looks like this, although i'm positive i'll never get it quite that perfectly mussed. also, hello, pretty red lipstick. }

my song is love.

there is something fundamentally disconcerting about forgetting part of the melody to one of your favorite songs. i think maybe it's even more disconcerting when you're not completely off--just a note or two. i was driving home last night, singing at the top of my lungs to a song that i really really love but haven't heard in awhile, and when i got to the chorus, the melody in my head was different than the one streaming through my stereo speakers. weird how time changes things. especially memory.

what music are you listening to--or remembering--lately? for me, it's badly drawn boy, devotchka, john mayer's battle studies and the (500) days of summer soundtrack (still).

{ photo by rebecca miller, via design is mine }

what are you doing this weekend? + happy valentine's day!

happy valentine's weekend, my lovelies. what are you doing over the next few days? i'm planning on relaxing tonight, exercising and having sushi with friends on saturday, and going to the circus on sunday (my friend k. got tickets, and i love the aerialists). i'm also planning on baking a lot of treats for my valentines--a.k.a my best friends here in sarasota--and hoping to go see the movie valentine's day. a sweet weekend, indeed.

what are your plans for this heart-shaped weekend? and is it a long one for you, as well? please share. xoxo

{ oh-my-gosh-amazing shoes by vivienne westwood (of course), via i don't like mondays }

aurora.

one of the things on my "accomplish in this lifetime" checklist is seeing the aurora borealis, or northern lights. i'm not sure why i'm so obsessed with this natural phenomenon, but i think it's because, for me, the aurora are comprised of one of my favorite combinations: science and romanticism. (my undergrad thesis was about this very topic. have you ever read nathaniel hawthorne's "the artist of the beautiful"? you should.)

i really like things that put me in my place, especially when those things come from nature. things that make me sit back and say, "wow, i am a tiny speck in the universe of this life i'm living." the beach on a foggy day does that for me. so does driving through the mountains at night and glancing down at homes that are lit from within and look like dollhouses. and i think having those moments makes you appreciate everything else so much more, which is why i like the idea of seeing the aurora--because i feel like they're so far outside the realm of anything i've experienced before that they'll change my life a little. (see? i romanticize everything. and like i said, i like it when nature puts me in my place.)

have you ever seen the northern lights in person? was it as breathtaking an experience as i imagine?

{ image via here }

perfect for a wednesday.

the minute i saw this image, i almost involuntarily started singing "we go together" from grease at the top of my lungs. the memories of watching that movie over and over when i was younger, coupled with the print's cheery colors, make me really happy.

you know what else makes me happy? that blog it forward, the blogger mash-up, starts today! so many of my favorite bloggers are participating that i feel like my head is going to explode from all the inspiration i'm about to take in. for more info, check out sfgirlbybay, and (shameless self-promotion) look for my post on february 22nd.

xoxo

{ image from here, via all the mountains }

here comes the sun.

dear lauren conrad,

yellow is my favorite color, and i love this coat you're wearing with an intense burning passion. thanks for inspiring me to start hunting for something similar. (this one is pretty awesome, yes?)

love,

megan

cheeky + committing to...

i know this photo is a little...unusual...but i also think that there's something really sweet about it. the little bird, the soft colors...do you agree? (or maybe i'm just nuts. i do know that i wouldn't mind my derriere looking like hers, though. maybe if i keep up the running...!)

oh, and here's what i'm committing to this week:

+ making an effort to look nice for work (and humans in general) every day. this means lipstick and blown-out hair. i am often a victim of the wet-hair-slicked-back-into-a-ponytail coif.

+ bringing more color into my life. not sure yet how i'm going to do this. i'll let you know.

+ taking more photographs. (this might be how i accomplish the above commitment.)

+ doing my laundry before the end of the week.

+ dropping off all the clothes i've purged from my closet at goodwill.

+ making valentine goodies! (i'm thinking cupcakes, or heart-shaped cookies with pink frosting.)

at any rate, happy monday. i hope you have happy, cheeky days ! xo

p.s. just because, here's my favorite superbowl commercial. well played, google.

{ via mary ruffle }

what are you doing this weekend?

happy weekend! aren't you so happy it's friday? i've had a bit of a rough week--some personal drama on tuesday, a swollen eye on thursday, and just a general busy-ness--so i'm looking forward to a relaxing evening filled with what not to wear and couch time. and just like last weekend, i want to run a couple of miles, hit the farmer's market, spend time with friends, and maybe bake a cake from all cakes considered, which hasn't gotten much use yet, but does look awfully pretty on my coffee table.

p.s. some local stories you might find interesting: a tightrope walk over sarasota and a bald eagle swimming in the gulf (this story makes me a little teary, for some reason--the eagle is ok, though). sarasota was full of craziness on thursday!

a whole lotta cuteness.

if you tell me that these aren't the cutest pillowcases you've ever seen, i...probably won't believe you. (seriously, though: adorable, right?)

lower cases and capitals.

(taking a cue from naomi at the rockstar diaries today and writing my own little letters. maybe you could share your own, too?)

dear nurture langley boots,

i am so sad i didn't purchase you when i had the chance. you were so comfortable and the perfect color and height, and best of all, you were an extra 30 percent off your sale price. responsibility got the best of me, and that's a good thing, but i'm still sad you're not in my closet.

dear all cakes considered,

your author, melissa gray, is a genius, and every recipe inside of you looks delicious. brown sugar pound cake with cream cheese frosting is probably going to be the first confection of yours that i make. i'll report back.

dear spinning class,

thank you for kicking my buttocks every monday night. i am pretty much addicted to you, and you get my week off to an endorphin-infused start.

dear sarasota,

70 degrees during the day and 50 degrees at night is pretty great. keep it up. i'll even allow a little rain if you do it.

dear hair,

i think i want to grow you out. you're pretty long, but i may want you longer. hmm.

dear friends,

thank you for always thinking i am good enough, even when i don't.

dear oscar,

why are you so cute? i love when you wake me up with eskimo kisses, purr like a little motor in my face, and curl up and sleep on the backs of my legs at night. you make my apartment--and my life--a happier place to be.

dear awesome people at apple/itunes,

it is amazing having all of my purchased music back on my computer. you guys rock for letting me re-download everything.

dear bedroom,

it would be awesome if you'd clean yourself.

dear readers and dear blogosphere,

you guys are awesome. enough said. have i told you lately that i love you?

love,

megan

{ crappy blackberry photo of me grinning maniacally taken by my friend k. last saturday night. please excuse the devil eyes. also, we can pretend my menu is me reading my little letters! }

AMAZING blog alert.

oh my gosh, you guys. have i found an amazing blog for you.

well, actually, karey m. found it, because she's awesome like that. but i want to share it with you, just in case you haven't seen it yet.

leah dietrich, a los angeles-based ad agency creative director, pens a thank you note a day--to everything and everyone, from alcohol to movies to books to colors--and her writing is just.beautiful. thxthxthx is one of those blogs that will make you feel like laughing when your eyes settle in on one word and then crying when they hit the next. also, it's a giant reminder that there is so much to be thankful for and to laugh about every day.

the other day, i was feeling a little off. a combination of coffee, hormones, and restlessness was churning in my body, trying to whip up an all-too-familar recipe: anxiety (i'm fairly prone to this. it's the sensitive person's curse, i think). i tried to stave it off by going for a bridge run, but that didn't help--and in fact, halfway through i almost had to turn around. but i pushed forward and, as i did so, i took a deep breath and took myself out of my head for a moment. below me was almost blindingly blue water; above me was sparkling yellow sunshine; enveloping me was crisp, 65-degree air. what, really, was there to be anxious about in that moment?

that's when i got home and discovered leah's blog. talk about cementing that bridge-run-induced perspective shift. thxthxthx to leah for writing it, and to karey for finding it, and then tweeting about it. don't you love this online community of ours? it's something i, for one, am very, very thankful for.

{ images via thxthxthx. so cool, right? p.s., if you want to follow me on twitter i'm @pinkoclock. }

oh, and p.s.: blog it forward!

i'm participating in this, which is being organized by this fabulous lady. you should, too! here's all the details; i can't wait to see what everyone comes up with. it should be fun.

{ image by ez }

happy monday + this week i'm committing to...

happy monday, lovelies, and happy first day of february.

um, by the way, where did january go? weren't we just celebrating the onset of 2010? gosh, time really does fly.

so, how were your weekends? mine was good--i got to the farmer's market, i spent time with friends, i ran those few miles i talked about and i got a lot of work accomplished. also, i went to a bar with two of my favorites on saturday night and saw a waiter who looked exactly like john krasinski, but with a shock of jet-black hair instead of john's dirty-blonde locks. needless to say, i was a little smitten. (it's fun to fall just a little in love with something every day, isn't it? even if that something, or someone, is a doppelganger?)

anyway, now it's a new day, a new week, a new month. so here's what i'm committing to this week:

+ sticking to my new budget. (gulp. but also, many, many thanks to my financial advisor, a.k.a. my dear friend j., for reminding me that i deserve a stress-free financial life. even if it means i have to give up some of my shopping habit.)

+ cooking everything i eat this week. i think this will require mapping out a meal plan (does that constitute a sub-commitment?), but it'll be fun. my copy of judith jones' the pleasures of cooking for one should come in handy for this one.

+ giving my house a deep clean. boring, i know, but it's funny how much better a clean house makes me feel.

+ reaching out to my brother. he and his live-in girlfriend of two years just broke up, and i think he might need some older-sister love this week.

+ eating fewer cadbury creme eggs. you guys, those things are like a birthday party in my mouth, but i don't think two a day is very healthy. i think i should switch to apples, instead.

a weird little list, i know, but it's what's on my mind. what are your goals for the week?

{ cute little pink heart via i *heart* you }