Friday's Fancies

In being swept up in the Royal Wedding loveliness, I am linking up with {av} at {long distance loving} for Friday's Fancies.
This is what I would attempt to wear to the Royal Wedding. Elegant, but not crazy. At least, that's what I was going for. I know there aren't any real POPS of color here, but for this occassion, I would want it to be simple and elegant.

Rachel Gilbert silk chiffon gown, $1,630
Nine West ankle high heels, $47
Nine West ankle high heels, $47
Flower handbag, 55 GBP
Jon Richard pearl crystal earring, 12 GBP

What do you think??

Best Compliment



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 Happy Friday, everyone!!! I have to admit, I wasn't really entirely swept up in all of the Royal Wedding hub-bub. Don't get me wrong, I was excited to see Kate in her dress and the vows, and the balcony kiss, but all of the stuff leading up to it was getting to be kind of overwhelming. But, now that the day is here, and I watched part of the wedding from home (and the kiss from work), I am swept up in the magic of it now. I guess it's that little girl prince/princess wedding fantasy.
And, dang it, they look SO happy (which is even more impressive with ALL of the pressure on them)!



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 As most girls probably do, I think Kate is gorgeous. She isn't a typical form of what most would consider "hot," but I think a more appropriate term is that she is stunning. And she looks kind, like a super friendly, sweet person that you would love to be friends with (even if she wasn't a princess). I think she seems to have the perfect combination of pretty, friendly, worldy, personable etc etc etc etc :)

Well, this brings me to, what might be, one of the best compliments I've ever gotten. When I was out visiting Boyfriend, and the Royal Wedding stuff was on tv....they were talking about Kate going out shopping to local stores and showed several pictures of her... Boyfriend has said before that she is pretty, attractive, etc (I can't blame him...I agree!) and in this moment he says to me "She looks a lot like you"....Insert my mouth falling to the floor while a HUGE smile swept across my face. I told him that that was an incredibly amazing compliment, and I truly take it that way. Even if I don't necessarily see it (and many of you might not either), if there is even a slight resemblance, I will take it. And, if that's what Boyfriend sees, I am 100% a-okay with that!! Here's to awesome compliments that can make your day, week, month, etc!

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Have a royally-fabulous Friday, all!

Three Things I'm Thankful for Thursday

Happy Thursday, everyone! Today is a doom-and-gloom weathery kind of day here in D.C. but we are making it through, one tornado warning at a time! :)

This week has been crazy busy getting back to work after time off, but I wanted to take a little bit of time and share three things that I'm thankful for today!

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1. I'm thankful that I was able to remain cool, calm, and collected today when one of the females I work with came to, once again, criticize the work that I am doing, despite having no actual knowledge of what I do or why I do what I do. This is the second day in a row that she has chosen to do so...I'm just glad that it wasn't in the middle of a parents meeting like she chose to do another time. Being thankful for not strangling someone. Small favors, people!

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2. I'm thankful that Boyfriend was able to book us a hotel for our anniversary weekend in New York City. We have been talking about going since we started dating (Boyfriend went to NYU) to go and get away, but also so he could revisit his friends and so I could finally meet these infamous NY friends I've heard so much about. He is already planning where we are going to eat for our anniversary dinner and everything! I love it when he makes the plans!

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3. I'm thankful that our air conditioning, for some reason, turned itself on in the early hours of the morning, despite being broken last night. Although I woke up shivering, it was a nice wake-up to have a cooled off apartment instead of a hot and humid one! Let's hope the maintenance people can come today and figure out what's wrong since it apparently broke last weekend too.

<--this picture just made me laugh....and at the same time hope that I'm not him when I get home today! :)




So, I hope you all are having amazing ends to the week (one more day til the weekend!!!), and can find a few things to be thankful for today!

WILW

Boy do I need to post some positive things today. Work started off kind of rough with one of my coworkers and I getting into a little verbal argument (she was trying to explain why something of mine was incorrect, what she said didn't make sense to me, she got mad, etc etc). So, not the best of ways to start the day.

On to focus on the positive things! Today I am linking up with Jamie at this kind of love for What I'm Loving Wednesday!



I'm loving that there are only 38 more days of school left. That means I am 38 days closer to being done with this chapter and even closer to starting the new one in St. Louis with Boyfriend!



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I'm loving that one of my students' parents told me yesterday when she found out that I was not coming back next year that she was happy for me but that she was sad for her daughter because she has been doing so well this year and won't get to work with me next year. Smiles!



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I'm loving that it's warm outside. Yeah, there is some humidity in the air (which makes for some yucky hair days) but I am super glad that Spring has finally sprung and seems to be sticking around for the long haul this time!! Yay for cute summer dresses and flip flops!!

I'm loving my followers on here. Although I don't have a HUGE following yet, I seriously appreciate all of you who check me out on a regular basis. This has been a great outlet for me (for venting, creativity, and just social connections), and I heart all of you for listening (or reading haha).

Hope you guys are having a Wonderful Wednesday!!

Escape Artist

Ok, third post for the day (I'm making up for not being around for a week, hehe).

Boyfriend just sent me this:

So, the day after I fly into and out of Chicago-Midway in rain, on Southwest, this happens. And I escaped the mega tornado on Friday when I was in St. Louis.
 


I think I have super powers. Just call me the Natural Disaster Escape Artist (**I'm knocking on wood as I say this so as not to get trapped somewhere for real). I need a logo. And a cape. Need to go to the gym some more for spandex suit, though :)


Ok, that's it for the natural disaster talks from me! Just thought this one was too ironic not to share! Have a good night, blog friends!

Post-Vacation Depression

Hey everyone! I'm back from Spring Break/visiting the Boyfriend in St. Louis. Unfortunately the weather was not very pleasant (usually pretty cold and overcast with storms, hail, and/or tornados), so I came back to D.C. the same pasty pale color I left it. To tell you how little sunlight we had in STL, when I got off the plane and went outside to wait for my parents to pick me up at the airport, I was literally taken aback by the amount of sunshine. Felt like I had been living in a cave and finally came out to discover sunlight haha.

Anyway, the week off was great and much needed! I think Boyfriend and I really needed this time to be together and re-remember all of the reasons why me moving out there this summer is going to be great!

The week nights were full of stuff for us to do, including my first every Passover dinner with Boyfriend and his family. I'd never had matzo ball soup before and it was really yummy. The dinner itself was good and the traditions were really neat to see and be a part of!



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It also happened that the Nationals were in St. Louis while I was there, so Boyfriend and I found one rainless night (this was a feat in and of itself) and went to the game where we shivered in the 50 degree night air (despite eating nachos, and drinking our weight in beer, we were still cold). In front of us, though, was a family from Germantown, MD which is only 5 minutes from where I grew up and where my parents currently live. Small world! Here is a view of the stadium around 6 when we got there. No tornados that day!



See?? No rain!!

And then Friday night, the infamous Tornado night that I talked about here, we went to Copia Urban Winery for dinner and had reservations in their Wine Garden that features a retractable roof. And boy am I sure glad they did since we ended up getting tornado-rain that night.





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If you're ever in the STL area, this is a great restaurant with a fabulous selection of wine! Highly recommended! (Just don't go when there is a tornado coming!! haha)

So, even after a week of icky weather (and tan-less skin) and a tornado that blew apart the airport (which subsequently gave me an extra day in "the Lou"), I am still sad to be gone from Boyfriend, once again. It sucks going back to sleeping alone when you get used to going to sleep and waking up next to someone. We had such a good time even in spite of the weather (there's no one else I'd rather be stuck inside of a bathroom with during tornado warnings!) and it hardcore sucked to leave. So, this girl left her heart (and a pair of jeans--oops!) in St. Louis!

The countdown is on... roughly 2 months and counting before I become a midwesterner! In the meantime, I'm back to the world of blogging. I missed you guys!!
Hope you all are having a good week!

Tail Wagging Tuesday

Hey all! I'll be back later for an actual post (back from the blog-less land!), but today I am linking up with C-Mae over at Live What You Love for Tail Wagging Tuesday:






Today's link up is to share a picture of your pet where they sleep. Cooper loves sleeping just about anywhere, but most mornings when I get ready for work, little guy loves curling up on the bed to sleep--and usually the side of the bed that I sleep on! Here's an example:

Or, on top of a leg...especially one that is curled up and creates a nice little nook for him (if you make the picture bigger you can even see his tongue sticking out in R&R bliss):

And sometimes in a pile of clothes, sheets or blankets, especially when they are left on the floor (which NEVER happens.....riiiiight haha):



When he was a puppy...look at that puppy fur!!

And since I was just in St. Louis for the week spending time with Boyfriend, I also got to spend a ton of time with his dog (Cooper's brother), Miles. So I had to include a picture of my other doggy-son! :)



Miles, curled up on the couch next to me on his 3rd birthday with his new toy gorilla

That's it for me and the cute pictures of the pups! I hope they've brought a little smile to your face....just looking back at the pictures definitely brings one to mine!
Happy Tuesday!!



Tornado Alley

Hey all! I know I have been MIA this past week (but you all knew that was going to be the case), but in light of the recent tornado that hit here in STL, I wanted to get on and let you guys know that I'm alright here. Boyfriend and I were out to dinner when the storm came into the area (and, of course, it was dinner under a canopy roof....which started leaking....haha). We were moved inside since we were getting leaked on. We finished dinner kind of quickly (no tornado alerts had been issued that we were aware of), and headed to the car and then drove fast as we could home.
Along the way, tornado sirens were going off (I have heard far too many of these, and spent several sessions in the interior of boyfriend's bathroom this week), which was kind of scarier than just hearing them from your house. Driving by them made you go "hmm....this just doesnt feel safe." So we high-tailed it home and a couple/friends we know came over  and we all watched the storm on the tv. It literally had two BIG swells of storms and one teeny tiny narrow part. That tiny part happened to be the part that went over us. Thankfully. They had even shut down the highways. Everyone was joking about how I wouldn't be able to get home and how I should just stay anyway (I am loved!! haha) and then this morning we woke up to see just how much damage had been done across the area. And to the airport.
Conveniently enough, after almost two years of joking about my flight getting cancelled and not being able to leave, this tornado came through and made that "joke" into a reality. Which section of the airport did it take out? It DEVASTATED the C-terminal, which just happens to be the terminal I fly out of. They lost windows and parts of the roof.
This morning I got on the phone with American (they suck!) and they said they could get me out of somewhere in Illinois that is about 2 hours away, but the earliest was Tuesday. So, I called Southwest and was able to get a flight on there (the terminal they fly out of is not damaged at all, other than a loss of power they expect to get up and running tonight), for $80 more than my return portion on American. Of course American won't pay for it (thanks, buttholes), but now I get another day with Boyfriend since I'll be leaving Monday morning rather than Sunday afternoon. (Which makes me even more happy since his evil boss is making him work today, knowing that I'm here and was supposed to be leaving tomorrow. Hate him!!!)
So, all in all, we are safe, and from what I've heard on the news, no one died in this storm which is amazing and really lucky!
So, I'll probably be back to the blogging world sometime on Monday afternoon. Assuming there aren't anymore tornados to roll through here....
Hope you guys are having a calm, relaxing weekend!
Jenn

Friday's Fancies

HAPPY FRIDAY!!!!!! Today, I'm linking up with {av} over at {long distance loving} for Friday's Fancies, and since I'm flying out to see Boyfriend today, my outfit is for a casual and comfy airplane ride. Still arriving cute for pick-up by Boyfriend, but comfy enough to stand sitting on an airplane to get there! What do you all think??

Friday's Fancies Airplane Attire by Jamiffer featuring leather jewelry

Catherine Malandrino draped top
133 GBP - theoutnet.com

White top
499 DKK - musthaves.dk

Seven For All Mankind slim boot cut jeans
$178 - zappos.com

G by Guess embellished shoes
$50 - gbyguess.com

J W Hulme flap handbag
$690 - lagarconne.com

Shamballa Jewels pink jewelry
7.800 EUR - montaignemarket.com

Aurélie Bidermann leather jewelry
$450 - kirnazabete.com

Keep your fingers crossed for me that the scary storms that are supposed to be in the 'Lou hold off until my plane touches down!!
Since I'll be in St. Louis, I'm not sure how much I'll be able to access the blog-world, so if I drop off for a week, don't worry, I'll be back! I hope you all have fabulous Fridays and amazingly fun weekends!

Three Things I'm Thankful for Thursday

Happy happy happy Thursday, all! Can you tell that I'm excited??? Let's get right into the three BIG things that I am thankful for today!

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1) Today is the last day of work until we get back from Spring Break on the 26th. This year Spring Break has been the latest that it's ever been and all of the kids here, and the teachers, are feeling it. Not to mention that we've had the District-wide testing the past two weeks so the kids are restless! I'm ready for some time off. Plus, today is Jeans Day at work, and our principal is buying us lunch! Woohooo!

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2) I leave for St. Louis tomorrow to spend the 15th-24th with Boyfriend. We need this time. The countdown to the move out there is steadily going down and the move itself is quickly approaching. He is being a dude and having some guy panic about it (this is normal, right?? Someone make me feel a little more secure about this). But, anyway, I'm glad that we'll have some time together to reconnect in person and talk about some important plans that need to start taking shape.


3) We finally have a nice day of weather after what seemed like days and days on end of rainy, gloomy days. Supposed to get up to 70 today and sunshine, no humidity. All things that I will happily accept! Just makes the end of the work week that much better!

I hope you all are having fantastic Thursdays and can find a few things to be thankful for! (If nothing else, at least you're only one day away from the weekend!!)

What I'm Loving Wednesday

Hey all! Hope your Wednesdays are off to a good start. Today I'm linking up with Jamie at This Kind of Love for What I'm Loving Wednesday!

1. I'm loving that I only have ONE more day of work after today before it's 10 days off for Spring Break, and 9 days to spend with Boyfriend in St. Louis. I'm hoping for a better forecast than what is in store right now (rain!) but getting to spend some much-needed quality time together is something I desperately need lately.



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2. I'm loving that I have amazing friends who I can always talk to about my problems, make sure that I'm not over-reacting to things, and talk things through. I love that my friends are open and honest with me, and have the ability to calm me down and make me feel better about situations that I'm upset about. I feel truly lucky.

3. I'm loving that my cell phone isn't dying 2 hours into work (of course, I DID bring my charger today--so I'm guessing my cell knows and decided to hold its charge). And, I'm loving that I beat Boyfriend at a game of Words With Friends just now, hehe (altho he beat me the last 4 or so games before that...dang it!)

4. I'm loving that Cooper's ears seem to be better than they were last week (thank you $150 vet trip!). Fingers crossed it stays that way! :)

{via} Altho it's not Cooper, this pup is still cuuuute!!

Today's been a bit of a challenging day for me personally, so being able to pinpoint some things that I'm loving has been helpful. I hope you all are having more upbeat Wednesdays!



Top Two and Tail Wagging Tuesday!

Happy Tuesday, all! We're back to doom and gloom weather here in D.C. after the beautiful 80 degree day we had yesterday. At least we got a small taste! To make today a tad bit brighter, I'm linking up with The Undomestic Mama for Top Two Tuesday! Go check her out and link up!





Today's blog hop is your two favorite drinks.

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My first favorite drink is Diet Coke! Although I'm trying to cut back, I love me some Diet Coke! Sometimes it's just the right amount of sweet and caffeine to get me through parts of a day that's dragging. And it's a perfect addition to some rum! haha

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My second favorite, alcoholic beverage, would probably be Riesling! I love this on a nice Spring/Summer night. And, unlike red wine, I can drink more of this without feeling like I came from the depths of Hades the next day (maybe that's a good thing, maybe it's not--jury is still out! haha). I also enjoy that you can get some pretty inexpensive bottles of this and they still taste great. Mmmm!




My second link-up for today is with CMae at Live What You Love, for Tail Wagging Tuesday!
This week's link-up is to post a picture of your pet with their favorite toy. Much like CMae, my little Coop monster likes to pull my underwear out of the drawer...luckily he doesn't do anything with it other than drag it out into the living room with a "Look what I found, Mom" look on his face. I'm sure my roommate loves seeing my collection of underwear....haha. Luckily this isn't his main toy item (only when I forget to shut my closet door!)

But, the two REAL toys that Coop plays with are his little sqeaky bear that he has had since I got him as a puppy:



(Back when Cooper weighed 3 pounds...look how tiny and fluffy he was!!!)



And the second favorite toy, which up until this weekend had all of the stuffing inside of it, is his monkey that he got for his 2nd birthday in October. Here, it's pictured, hole and fully-stuffed.

Poor Mister Monkey....

That's it for my Tuesday link-ups! Hope you've enjoyed my pics of Cooper! Go on over and join in so I can see some of your cute and cuddly pets!