Warby Parker

Confession: I feel absolutely naked without my glasses on. Yes, I understand the convenience of contacts and I wear them occasionally but I'm definitely most comfortable in glasses.  I have a pair of black Tiffany's (aka Luxottica...have you heard about their glasses monopoly?) that I love but I'm in need of a new pair. I've heard and read tons of great things about Warby Parker so I naturally had to check them out for my next pair of glasses! I ordered a home try-on box (love that they offer this!) filled with five pairs of tortoise shell glasses   After seeking the opinions of my friends and family I've narrowed it down to two pairs. Now I need your help! 
Here's the final two:

 Ballard 

or....

Sims

Leave a comment and let me know which one you prefer!

TED Talks Tuesday

I love TED talks. Love, love, loveeee them. That's why I'm starting a new feature: TED Talks Tuesdays! 
Here's this week's TED Talk:

This talk from Sarah Kay is one of my absolute favorites so I figured it would be a perfect one to start with. I hope you all enjoy it!

The Sunday Currently

This week I'm linking up with Lauren (so weird writing your own name but thinking of someone else haha) for The Sunday Currently. I absolutely love this link-up and hope you will too!
Currently...
Reading... The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith aka J.K. Rowling, not very far in yet but I'm enjoying it so far
Writing...  my guest post for Sara (sorry for lallygagging!)
Listening...  to Sunday Morning on CBS
Thinking...  about going back to work tomorrow after two weeks of vacation. I'm having mixed feelings I can't wait to get back to my customers and the way my work days fly by but I've also loved these last two glorious weeks filled with summer fun!
Smelling...  this fresh bowl of strawberries and my green tea
Wishing...  it wasn't so dark and rainy right now
Hoping...  Jay's schedule slows down and we're able to see each other for more than 15 minutes
Wearing... black t-shirt and denim shorts, comfy and casual
Loving... the new Shep Shirt Jay got me as part of my birthday gift.
Wanting...  an island green from Tropical Smoothie
Needing...  to stretch; sidenote: is stretching not the best feeling in the world? #reasonsiloveyoga
Feeling... so relaxed...this is what two weeks of vaca will do for you
Clicking... around on this website, I'm clearly obsessed

What are you up to today?  

Martha Stewart

Do you like cooking? Baking? Crafts? Entertaining?  If you answered yes to any of these then you must go check out the new and improved MarthaStewart.com! The clean layout and plethora of helpful tips and tricks is quickly making it one of my top go-to sites. Also, the interface is so great, really user friendly and fun!
Here are some of my favorite things on there now:
- I'm a sucker for pasta and all these recipes have my tummy rumbling!
- Working on your piping skills? Check out these helpful how-tos
- These nautical knobs look so simple and pretty!
- Love the idea of this Summer Bucket List

Go check it out and enjoy :)

Re-Lilly

Lilly Pulitzer is definitely a quintessential summer brand.  But unfortunately Lilly isn't always the most wallet-friendly of brands. That's where Re-Lilly comes in! 

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Re-Lilly is a Facebook page where you can buy, sell, or swap anything and everything Lilly. I've purchased a few things through Re-Lilly and have always been very happy. Plus I've madw a few new friends through it too! 

 Swing on over to Re-Lilly and check it out! Be sure to read the guidelines so you get the best experience possible. 

Memrise

It's no secret that I have a little bit of a fascination with languages. I speak Arabic almost fluently and I'm always looking to absorb bits and pieces of other languages whenever I can. And, if you've looked at my 101 in 1001 list you know that I'm hoping to learn a new language in the next 2.75 years! That's where memrise comes in.

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 Memrise is an app (and website) that uses mems (memes for learning) to help you learn and remember languages, vocabulary, history, trivia, etc. The interface is great and makes learning the languages really fun. Lately I find myself playing around on it every time I have a few spare moments of free time. Plus some of the mems are really silly. 
Try it out and let me know what you think! Do you have any favorite apps right now?

Martha's Vineyard Adventures

On Sunday Jay and I hopped on his motorcycle and headed over to Martha's Vineyard for the day! We had an absolute blast! Although it was a little rainy in the morning the weather cleared up fast and it ended up being a gorgeous day.  We took the ferry to Oak Bluffs and then cruised all around the island, spending time in Edgartown and Vineyard Haven too. It was Jay's first time visiting the Vineyard and he loved it, we're already planning our next trip back! Here are some pictures from the day:

Best chai I've ever had yum!

outside the Vineyard Vines in Oak Bluffs

Inside the Offshore Ale Co. Brewery

the Carousel!

Delicious Strawberry Daiquiri! 

Ginger-glazed Calamari...so good!

Pina Coladas to end the day

Have you ever been to the Vineyard? If so what's your favorite spot? Hope you all had a weekend as fun as mine!

23!

Today is my 23rd birthday! I did a little pre-birthday celebrating over the weekend and am planning some birthday festivities for this weekend so today has been blissfully laid-back. Just some shopping and lunch with Jay (plus presents of course!) followed by some baking and just hanging out. A perfect way to start my 23rd year :)
Here's some old birthday pictures from years past: 

Second Birthday!

Fourth Birthday!

Sixth Birthday!
(Fun Fact: I've had that same Friendly's Watermelon Sherbet Roll ice cream cake every year since I was 6!)

Routine

Every week my work sends out an e-mail featuring a thought of the week. I almost always find something to take away from those e-mails but this particular statement really resonated with me. I've been going through a real transitional stage in my life and this e-mail came at the perfect time. I'm trying to remember it and apply it to my life in different ways, for example I've always wanted to get into running and this quote has helped me maintain the motivation to get out there and run every day. 
Is there something in your life you're trying to change? What's your favorite inspirational message right now?

Stuck in My Head

Can't seem to get this song out of my head lately. Can you say #guiltypleasure much?

New Favorite Hair Product: Heaven in Hair

If you've been reading this blog for awhile you know that one of my New Year's resolutions this year to start embracing my curls. It's been quite the adventure and learning curve at times but overall I'm so happy that I took the plunge! My hair is healthier then it's been in a long time and I just feel more "me" if that makes any sense. Something that has made the transition so much easier has been the Devacurl line of products. Made especially for curly hair Devacurl is hands down the best haircare line I've ever used! Lately, my curls have been pretty dry, probably because of all the sun and salt water I've been exposing them to lately. I decided to pick up Heaven In Hair, Devacurl's deep moisturizing treatment, to see if that would help.

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 Oh my goodness, it has been so great! It smells awesome and makes my hair feel so hydrated! Also all that added moisture makes my curls extra bouncy with no frizz, a definite plus on these hot, humid summer days! So far I've just been putting around a quarter to half-dollar size amount in my hair and leaving it in for around thirty minutes before washing out. I'm planning on trying leaving it on overnight to see if it makes any big difference. Either way though Heaven in Hair is definitely turning into one of my new favorite products!
Do you have any favorite hair products? Any suggestions for managing or embracing curly hair? Leave a comment below and let me know!

Life Updates

How was your July 4th weekend? I spent all weekend hanging out with my family and complaining about enjoying the heat. Now that it's back to work as usual I'm trying to stop myself from going into vacation mode! As of one o'clock this coming Saturday I'll be on vacation for two weeks and I absolutely can't wait! I'm excited for days spent at the beach, plenty of time to read, day trips, and trying a bunch of new recipes! Oh and celebrating my birthday of course! What are you looking forward to this week?  

theSkimm

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Have you heard of theSkimm? 
If not then you are absolutely missing out! theSkimm is a daily newsletter (sent Monday - Friday) designed for educated professionals. It includes headlines and news from politics and foreign policy to the latest Hollywood updates and sport news. Informative and helpful with a fun and witty twist, reading theSkimm is the perfect way to start your day!  One of my favorite aspects of theSkimm is it's "Repeat After Me" section. It is filled with great conversation starting news and also never fails to make me laugh. It's something I look forward to reading everyday.   Sign up here if you haven't already and give it a try, you'll love it!

Re-designed!

I recently had Brielle create a custom design for my blog. It was definitely time to upgrade the design and I absolutely love the direction Brielle and I decided to go in! I'm so, so happy with the work she's done and am delighted to have been able to work with her! She was quick to respond to any of my questions or requests, seemed to be able to almost read my mind (everything she designed was almost exactly as I had pictured it! She's awesome!), and was so approachable and friendly. Plus she works super fast, my blog design was completely finished and installed in just over a week! I highly suggest browsing her etsy shop; it's stocked with adorable prints and blog design listings. Thanks so much Brielle!