summer love.

thank you, thank you, a thousand times thank you for your colorado suggestions, both here and on facebook. we're having so much fun planning and considering our options.


we've heard from several people that the red rocks amphitheater should be at the top of our list. shane checked the amphitheater's schedule to see if there were any concerts we'd even be interested in seeing during the time we're planning to visit, and i must admit that i shrieked a bit when i heard that florence and the machine will be there in late july. florence and the machine, people; one of my absolute favorites! tickets have been on sale since february which means there is a limited quantity left, and the tickets that are still available are $150. bummer, right? let's just say that the concert tickets are the newest addition to my growing birthday wish list.


i won't bore you with the entire list, but i'd love to share some of my absolute summer favorites. get ready for gorgeous overload...

i need these kate spade studs in every color... honest to goodness, every color.

this dooney & bourke "happy bag" is another must. choosing a color is overwhelming, but today i'm leaning toward the yellow. it's so happy, dainty, and cute. 

and finally, these topshop sandals make me smile. they're so adorable and fun, and i can imagine wearing them daily.

are you drooling yet? i am. 

planning a birthday adventure.

i love holidays, no matter the day or occasion. birthdays, however, have always been a bit troublesome. growing up, my birthday treat was a trip to tulsa for back-to-school shopping. i love shopping and tulsa in general; i always have. back-to-school shopping, though, is more a necessity than a treat, and with three siblings, my birthday treat always felt more like a, well, necessary back-to-school shopping trip for the four of us.

because i'm a bit of a planner and because i want to enjoy my birthday in its entirety, i've started meticulously planning birthday adventures for myself. sometimes they include shopping and occasionally they include tulsa, but they never resemble the back-to-school shopping days of old. my birthday has become a great excuse to get away, and shane appreciates that he isn't expected to plan some elaborate surprise.

this year, we're contemplating a road trip to colorado. i've somehow never been to this neighboring state, and a birthday adventure isn't really adventurous if you're not trying something new.

we haven't yet mapped our route or decided which particular cities we want to visit, but i'm currently compiling a list of things to see and do.

one of the things i'm most excited about is potentially visiting the stanley hotel in estes park. first of all, it's called the stanley hotel. that's pretty cool, right? i'm thinking a tour is in order, and if we're really brave, we may even stay a night there. the hotel is where stephen king's the shining was filmed, and it's said to be haunted by at least seven different ghosts. supposedly, while filming dumb and dumber, jim carrey was scheduled to stay at the stanley hotel but after checking in quickly decided to stay elsewhere. maybe the ghosts, much like myself, weren't impressed with his ridiculous facial contortions and expressions.

have you been to colorado? what else should we add to our list of colorado attractions to consider visiting? 

28.

this past weekend, my hubby and i spent a few days in tulsa celebrating my 28th birthday. we stayed at the amazing aloft -- the same hotel my girlfriends and i stayed at the night before my wedding.

saturday we spent some time poolside and did some shopping. we had dinner at bonefish grill and finished the night with a movie.

sunday morning, shane gave me my present, a kate spade "i do" necklace. it's pretty and dainty, and i love it to the moon and back.

we had birthday doughnuts (as is tradition) at krispy kreme, where the birthday girl made her favorite boy wear the silly hat for a picture.

after doughnuts, we contemplated the tulsa zoo but decided against it because of the heat. instead, we saw another movie and then met up with my family at dave and buster's for lunch and games. there are zero pictures of the family festivities because everyone was too busy winning tickets to stop for a photo. 

it was a great weekend and honestly one of my very favorite birthdays. 

28, be good to me.

my birthday dream come true.

my best friend in the world lives across the world -- japan, to be specific. she's a real pretty lady who apparently attempted mt. fuji today with her husband, dylan. and if i know bethany like i think i know bethany, she was the most stylish lady climbing that nearly 13,000 foot mountain.

admire her style here and here.

my story today, though, has little to do with her style.  here's what you need to know:

my 28th birthday is this sunday, and celebrating without one's bff is a recipe for disaster. but, i must tell you, disaster has been thwarted. minutes ago beth's mom arrived at my door with two birthday packages.

notice the cake batter rice crispy treats wrapped so perfectly. i noticed the treats right away because i had recently pinned the recipe for them on pinterest (best. website. ever.) -- according to linda, bethany sent her the recipe and requested that she make them for my birthday. so sweet and so thoughtful... that's my friend. i'm eating one now and i could not care less about the sticky mess on my keyboard.

i saved the big package until after linda's departure -- if i had been wise, i would've opened while skyping with beth, but i didn't think of it nor did i have the patience for such a rendezvous. i began opening the package immediately.

THIS, my friends, is what i found inside:

notice the debris in the background. i tore into the sucker. now, notice the beauty of the dooney.

take a minute...

how stinkin' adorable is that bag? it's the perfect rene bag. a long strap to wear across my chest when my hands are too full or too busy shopping to carry said bag and the perfect handles to hang fashionably on my wrists. oh, and the inside... let me show you the inside.

the pink and white stitching make for a beautiful inside, and the colors contrast the amazing turquoise color of the entire bag. every detail is perfect! i'm in love.

this bag, my birthday bag, is the very same bag i pinned on pinterest months ago. never could i have imagined that i would be the proud owner. pinterest, after all, is where you daydream about things you want but don't really think you'll ever get.

take another look.

gorgeous, right? just like my friend, my best friend forever.

bethany, i love you. thank you so much for my birthday dream come true.

one.score.and.five.

the 14th of august meant moving day. and, somewhere around 5pm on that very day i became another year older. my friend bethany says 25 sounds like the perfect age. i agree. i'm convinced that this year is going to be good. i see potential in so many things and in so many people around me. my thoughts and prayers are full of anticipation. God is at work, and i'm consistently reminding myself to look for His glory on the journey and not just at the end of an answered prayer. after all, an answered prayer doesn't mean God is finished. in fact, an answer to prayer is usually just the beginning.

1 Corinthians 2:9
"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him."