I had my first music festival experience this weekend and WOW was it a lot.  The people watching was absolutely phenomenal, and at times alarming; I was definitely not prepared!  It was a lot more crowded than I had anticipated, but Bruno Mars was absolutely incredible.  He’s just so talented it’s nuts.
We were pretty far back but I got up on Kip’s shoulders for a good bit and loved every minute.

These floral shorts were my attempt at a “festival look”.  They look best with the white silk tank, but I figured something would spill on it, so I wore the scalloped hem pink instead.
And my sunnies are only $12!

// SUNGLASSES – ONLY $12 //
also love this pair and this pair, also $12

Kip did some more home projects and built out some stones off the new porch
and laid some gravel (I promise to share the full porch reveal soon)

Please ignore the state of the backyard – we haven’t touched it in weeks during the construction.  

I watched all 5 episodes that have aired so far of The Murder of Laci Peterson and loved every minute of it.
I also have realized for the millionth time that marathoning a show makes it so much better….. 

Did you like the Emmy’s last night?!
No one really wowed me too much?
Here are some of my favorite looks:
Emmy Rossum made my list really just for that ring.  I couldn’t stop staring at it!!
And Michelle Pheifer because I just couldn’t believe how great she looks still! 

And a few that I didn’t :
Kristin Cavallari’s dress wasn’t bad, but it needed a little bit more fabric on that silver bust part – it cut her at such an awkward spot on her chest?  I cannot even with Jane Fonda’s hair.  And I wish Ariel Winter would stop leading with skin, skin, skin every day for every look.

I thought Stephen Colbert did a great job! I was so happy for Sterling K. Brown’s This is Us win – I cannot wait for that show to return!
And I definitely did a rewind when I saw Nicole Kidman kiss Alexander Skarsgard on the lips in front of Keith Urban! but I guess during filming they had lots of scenes doing far more than that, so they must have had to get close?! 

Hope you all have a great start to the week!!!!
and for those that watch, set your DVR, Dancing with the Stars premieres tonight! 

I hope you all had a great weekend!
I had the lamest weekend ever – and it was incredible. Kip was out of town for a bachelor party so I had the place all to myself for three whole days! It was an extremely relaxing weekend, filled with lots of errands, and it felt so good to get so much checked off the list! I honestly accomplished more than I possibly ever I felt like Bradley Cooper in Limitless (which is really pathetic that just doing doing things on my to do list makes me feel like that?)

I made it to my first Pure Barre class in over a year on Friday!  It kicked my butt but in the best way; the instructor Alexis at Brookhaven was great – so energetic and played great music.

I forgot a towel though and I’d like to blame it on the room being hot but I think I was just sweating like a pig.  Oh well.

I cooked dinner and did some work at home Friday night, planned some Italy packing, caught up on Real Housewives (amazing), and caught up on The Great British Baking Show.  I’m not kidding, that show speaks to me.   I just love it! The host is pretty funny too.  So somehow I was up until 2 AM in bed just having a REAL wild night.

A few items added to my packing list :
These jeans that I snagged for only $30 at 50% off (they are currently 40% off!) are so insanely soft and stretchy.  They will be the only pair of denim I am bringing on the trip, other than a pair of white jeans.
Amsterdam seems to be much more casual and has cooler temps, and with the bike riding I know we’ll do, I need to incorporate some jeans into my stockpile of dresses!  I wore these all day Friday and Sunday!

// MID RISE LIGHT WASH DENIM //
TTS, but you can go down a size if you want to because of the stretch!

With packing, I am trying to stick to a similar color scheme like I did last time.  It makes it where you don’t have to pack as much (hopefully…..) when everything kind of matches.
Right now my color palette is looking like a lot of navy and white, so this scarf is a perfect addition.

// PRINTED SCARF //
also love THIS SCARF WITH THE POM DETAILING! 

I found these adorable pineapple studs for only $5!

My mother in law just sent me this monogrammed stackable jewelry case for my dresser.  It’s been so useful – I always just had everything thrown on a tray together. 

// PINEAPPLE  STUD EARRINGS //

Saturday I woke up hangover free (preach!) and celebrated by heading to Sculpthouse.  Somehow in my state of sobriety, I didn’t comprehend that taking Pure Barre the night before and then doing this was the absolute worst idea in the world.

I thought not drinking was supposed to help you make smart decisions and think clearly but apparently not?   I also worked out with earrings in my bra the whole class without realizing it…. I always put my phone and earrings in my sports bra if I’m in a hurry to get out the door in the morning and have my hands full…. never realized the stud earrings were still in there.  Seriously, I think I’m smarter when I drink wine the night before!
My tush is completely numb.  I don’t even know if it’s there anymore.  It had a full on muscle spasm in class and I almost fell over on the machine, so that was fun.

The classes are always filled with cute young girls and I’m like “Ooo potential friends!?” and then I hear
“I love you’re sneakers!”
“Thanks they are marathon sneakers.”
“I know Ive seen them!”
and I realize nooooope.
No friends to be made, no thanks, look away and walk away from runners!

You know you are old when Saturday morning with no hangover, being post-workout at Trader Joe’s by 10 AM, getting flowers and groceries with no rush or crowd and all the time in the world brings you such immense joy.
I mean living it and thinking it was embarrassing enough, but typing it out and sharing it….

I kind of want someone to slap me across the face and be like “Who the hell are you!  SNAP OUT OF IT!”
The shame!!

It’s right after these moments of pure euphoria from doing menial things, like picking out hydrangea at TJ’s, that I get severe stomach pangs for my life in Chicago.  Because sleeping until noon after a late night on a friends rooftop brings me just as much euphoria. Screw productivity.  But luckily, the moment passes, and quickly I am happy again with life here.  I wonder if that will ever stop? Everyone told me it will take 2 years… we’ll see…. I need to stop typing what I’m thinking because Im sharing way too much emotion.  It’s all about the facade over here 🙂 No emotion!
 I’m working on posts for when I’m away on our vacation and I keep deleting my emotional posts.  It took me SIX years of blogging, many in secret to my family and friends, to break down the wall of being public with my face and being like HERE I AM on instagram…. so I feel like I’m really hurling myself too quickly in the extrovert direction.  SOS.  

ANYWAYS.

LIterally.  Someone come slap me and yell snap out of it.   Maybe I do need my husband home more than I think?! Look what has happened to me with all this free time on a weekend!?

To feel young and cool and hip and with it again, I bought tickets on impulse for Music Midtown because Bruno Mars is performing and I will do ANYTHING to see him.

Including attend a music festival apparently…. which as this summary of my weekend has shown, will prove to be extremely difficult in my old age.

I went and got my dress for the wedding in Italy altered and can’t wait to share it! Hopefully the alterations turn out because I had to really hack it up – it was ready for someone 6 feet tall and I could hide 3 people under it, so fingers crossed we can make it work!

I met up with girlfriends for Sushi Saturday night and we closed the place down (whoops! Look at me! Back at it already!)
I wore this dress that I bought for our trip to Italy two years ago and still wear constantly.  It is so soft and comfortable and it comes in a couple of colors – great staple to have on hand!

// DRESS // SIMILAR EARRINGS // SIMILAR SHOES //

// HIGH LOW MAXI DRESS // 

It was a perfect Saturday night…. until……I was back home sitting on my couch and HEARD this bug on the patio door all the way across the room. And I decided that I am never going outside again.  Ever.

My husband saw the snap the next day and said “Oh, the roach?” and I calmly explained “THAT IS NOT A ROACH YOU MID-WESTERN FOOL!”
anyways…….

Sunday I did a Flywheel class, had my Sunday morning ritual of making pancakes while listening to Joel Osteen’s podcast, and spend some time with my family.
I did lots of meal prep for the week,

made two new recipes that I’ll be sharing soon,
and had a nice dinner and walk with Kipper when he got home from his trip.

Alright.  Enough of my weekend. I will stop torturing you with all of this Basic nonsense.

PS. I am loving Crazy Rich Asians so far!

I hope you all had a great weekend!!!
Mine was so fun and I am so exhausted physically but still on cloud 9 mentally.
One of my best friends from Chicago, and the lovely lady that introduced me to my husband because they are great friends from college, was in town visiting for the weekend.  She left Chicago for DC about a year before we moved to Atlanta, so I don’t get to see her when I’m in Chicago either so it was such a treat to get a whole weekend together. And the weather cooperated and we had gorgeous weekend outside!

She flew in early Friday so we drove straight to Ponce City since it is on the way home from the airport and I wanted us to spend as much time outside as possible!   We grabbed lunch, did some shopping, and had drinks on the rooftop.

// BCBG ROMPER // TORY BURCH SANDALS // TORY BURCH PEARL STUDS //  SUNGLASSES BACK IN STOCK! $10! // 

We did happy hour at the house and went out for dinner in Virginia Highlands.
Saturday was such a fun day and we once again got to spend tons of time outside. We went to Ladybird for drinks while we waited for a seat outside at Superica at Krog Street.  I love the vibe of both of these places so much.

// POM EARRINGS  25 % OFF// WHITE SILK CAMI  25% OFF // FLORAL TIE FRONT SHORTS  – sold out, AVAILABLE IN THIS PRINT + CHAMBRAY + WHITE  ALL 25% OFF) // COLE HAAN MULES // SUNGLASSES (BACK IN STOCK! $10! // 

I had never been to Superica at Krog Street and hadn’t had their brunch but had heard amazing things.  Oh my goodness. I think this is my favorite brunch I have had yet in Atlanta.  Even Kip, who never is easily excitable about food, said it was amazing.  That’s always my true test.  My friend got the Huevos Rancheros and loved them, Kip got a steak and eggs dish, and I got the Breakfast Tamales.  Hollllllly my Goodness.  It was so freaking amazing.  And they all come with this huge sides of beans in skillets smothered with cheese and a side of warm tortillas.  As if we needed more food!

There is a private airport in Brookhaven near our house and we had heard the restaurant and bar there was a fun spot (and a good brunch apparently too!) . We have always talked about going to the airport bar down the street from our house but have never gone.  So we figured we would swing by.

It was a cute spot and fun to sit and watch the planes take off. It definitely had the average age of about 87 years old when we were there in the middle of the day, which was kind of fun actually.   We definitely want to go back to try brunch sometime and it was fun to do something different for a little bit.

It was an amazing weekend that was perfect and so good for the soul – there’s nothing like being with one of your closest girlfriends that you don’t get to see very often, and her and Kip are so close so it is always that much better.

Sunday Kip and I spent some time planning our trip.  Our AirB&B we had booked was getting a little weird – the host was asking lots of questions and seemed to want to know way more information that he should need to and kind of creeped us out a bit – so we have a request for a new one in the Jordaan area in and hopefully the woman will respond today that it is still available!

I always try to detox for the week after indulgent weekends like this, and this one was REAL indulgent, and the 7 Day Slimdown from Tone It Up starts today.

I will be trying to follow the plan as closely as possible! Kip and I polished off a whole box of Lacey’s cookies as I was typing this post in preparation for Monday morning’s “diet starts Monday” so we really need to lock it up and get some self control back into our lives.

I had only ever seen these at Whole Foods, and finding them at Trader Joe’s is equal parts amazing and horrible.

I hope you all have a great start to the week!