the weekend + committing to...

whew. today was certainly a monday -- the kind of monday that only comes after a week-long vacation (you know what i mean, right?). but it was also surprisingly cool outside, thanks to some threatening gray skies that never actually made rain, and i managed to make it to my spin class, which was amazing. oh, and now i'm typing this blog post with zadie cuddled up next to me. there's no better way, for me, to start the week.

the weekend was lovely, too. in fact, here are five wonderful things that happened:

+ coming back to sarasota and two felines who really missed me. love my fluffs!
+ dinner with my favorite friend t. and her new boyfriend. we drank $3 wine and laughed a lot. it was awesome.
+ sleep. oh, sweet sleep. for some reason, i didn't get a whole lot in savannah, so being back in my own bed was like heaven.
+ cupcake carnage. yum.
+ a perfectly relaxing sunday that included errand-running and movies and nothing i didn't want to do.


and here are five commitments for the week:

+ stay calm. i have a feeling that this is going to be a pretty hectic week, and i can get pretty wound up if i don't watch myself. so, yes: calm.
+ take more photos. i had a ball doing just that in savannah, and my little point-and-shoot is serving me well.
+ think about health goals for the rest of the summer.
+ finish a new book.
+ spend time with friends who have been out of town (talking to you, k.!)

and you? what are your goals for the week? tell me, and i'll see you back here tomorrow!

photo by saraseaside

what are you doing this weekend? + savannah love

happy friday, friends -- how were your weeks? (completely fantastic, i hope.)

as you can no doubt tell, i abandoned my blog for a few days so i could take a road trip to savannah with my mom. i'm prepping a "scenes from savannah" post and mini-travelogue for next week -- i have to edit my photos first -- but for now i'll just say that i am 100 percent smitten with this sweet southern city. here's a little list of things it gave me:

+ the best meal i've had in recent memory (at the olde pink house)
+ the best ice cream i think i've had, like, ever (lemon custard at leopold's)
+ a ridiculously good cupcake from mabel francis potter's cupcake emporium that rivals my beloved bluebird bake shop's (and that is no small feat)
+ the urge to heavily incorporate the word "y'all" into my vocabulary
+ a refresher course in southern history thanks to some great historic home tours and visits to a bunch of local museums
+ even more inspiration to wear fabulous printed scarves with tanks and jersey dresses and t-shirts, even when it's hot out. (thank you, scad students and fashionable locals.)
+ a nice reminder of how enjoyable a truly walkable city is -- and savannah, at least the historic district, is just that

again, more to come on monday, when it's back to work for me (and most other people i know -- seems like everyone was off this week). what are your plans for the weekend? tell me, and i'll see you back here in just a few days!

photo by walkinghead

the nature of space.

i am so taken with this tiny house in helsinki that was featured in the times last week. (according to the article, you can cross it in five paces.) kind of makes you take a look at your own place and rethink things, doesn't it? (and i'm not talking just about objects. i'm talking about proximity -- or lack thereof -- to the people you live with, too.)

photographs by andreas meichsner for the new york times

the weekend + committing to... + happy fourth of july!

happy fourth of july to all my u.s. readers--and happy monday to everyone outside the states! how were your weekends? i hope they were delightful (and, for most of you, that they're continuing today).

and my weekend? it was pretty great. here're five lovely things that happened:

+ a quiet friday night in.
+ sushi with friends on saturday, followed by board games late into the night. (you guys, pass the pigs is amazing.)
+ fantastic brunch with mom, aunt and cousins, followed by a full day on the ringling museum campus, capped off with a seafood dinner at owen's fish camp, one of my favorite restaurants in town.
+ a couple of storms, complete with heavy rain, flashes of lightning and claps of thunder. love 'em.
+ some new-found assertiveness.  hooray, me!

and five commitments for the week:

+ continue to focus on health. make smart choices, especially since i'll be eating out quite a bit this week.
+ make the most of my week off -- be productive, but relax, too.
+ help my mom enjoy our little trip north as much as possible. she's been so stressed lately; i want to make sure she has the best time.
+ keep up the aforementioned new-found assertiveness.
+ be open to possibilities of all kinds. i have a sneaking suspicion that there are a lot of them out there right now.

tonight i'm going to the beach to watch fireworks explode over the ocean and i couldn't be happier. how about you -- what are your plans for the fourth? and what are your goals for the week?

see you back here tomorrow!

love this photo by eleanor hardwick so much. isn't it lovely?

what are you doing this weekend?

happy friday, friends -- and for those of you in the u.s., happy fourth of july weekend! for me today starts not only a holiday weekend, but a company-wide week off. needless to say, i'm super excited, especially because the second half of next week means a little road trip and, um, i haven't been on an actual vacation in like two years. more to come on where i'm going and what i'll be doing in a few days.

meanwhile, this weekend i plan on keeping on with the cleaning/organization i've been doing, helping the felines continue to adjust to each other and getting some much-needed sleep (i didn't get a whole lot this past week, for some reason). there's also fireworks to be watched, sand to dig my toes into, and friends to spend time with; plus, i need to come up with a list of things i want to do over the first couple of days of next week (namely: eyebrow wax and mani/pedi). a little exercise would be good, too.

what are your plans for the weekend? are you barbecuing? watching fireworks? shopping? spending time with friends and family? just enjoying the first weekend of july? tell me what you'll be up to -- and whatever it is, i hope it's one hundred percent summery and joyful.

photo by andy newson