The Olympics are finally here!

Oh my gosh.

Oh my gosh.

The Summer Olympics are FINALLY here. I'm as excited as I am when it is March Madness, and if you know me at all, that is a lot a lot of excitement. I honestly don't understand how people could feel indifferent to the Olympics. The top athletes in the world are competing against each other, all representing their countries. America, attractive athletes, awesome, mind blowing, chilling competitions... really, what more could you ask for?!

Another reason I am particularly excited is because my friend from home, Tyler McGill, will be competing in the Olympics. And not just in badminton or speed walking. But in swimming. In the 100m fly. Against Phelps. I would say it doesn't really get much bigger or exciting than that. He even debuted in the pretty funny USA Swimming rendition of Call Me Maybe - look out for his stellar dance moves at 2:20. If I wasn't already obsessed with swimming and the Olympic team, I definitely am now.

Happy Opening Ceremonies! 

Love to Pin

Pinterest is the most simple concept, and yet so genius. I wish I had thought of it. Here are some of my pins this week that I'm really digging... style, food, and decorating! All the things I love.

I know it's not even August, but this I'm admittedly looking forward to fall and wearing looks like this. So effortlessly chic.

A really, really awesome DIY chandelier that's in my dreams to make. 

I love these.

Beautiful bar cart

This just looks like pure happiness :)

Follow me on Pinterest HERE and look forward to more of my favorite pins each Thursday :) 


One more day until the weekend!

Target + Neiman Marcus... Oh this is good.

If I could shop at one store for all my clothes, I think it could be Neiman Marcus (eeek sorry J.Crew!!!) They carry so many brands I love and so many different styles. Target is another one of my favorite places. I think I speak for everyone when I say it is impossible to go in Target and leave without something you never intended to buy. They have the cutest paper products for cheap, good belts, scarves, basics... you get the point.

So when I heard Target and Neiman Marcus are collaborating on a holiday collection this December, well, I almost peed my pants in excitement. They've got a seriously impressive list of designers signed on, including Alice + Olivia, Tory Burch, Diane von Furstenberg, Marchesa, and Marc Jacobs. Holy moly. I think this is going to be bigger than the Missoni craze, and that was pretty nuts. 

The collection goes on sale December 1st, so mark your calendars to get to a Target or Neiman Marcus in the wee hours of the night! It's going to be ah-mazing people!

I Went on a Vacation...

Last week my posting was minimal because, well, I was on vacation. I probably should have explained that before, and I actually had posts automatically scheduled to post, but apparently Blogger failed me.

After spending three summers on the beaches of Hilton Head, SC, I thought I would be dying spending most of this years summer days indoors and not on the beach. To be honest, it hasn't been that bad. Still, it was absolutely wonderful to be on vacation with my family, and it felt all too short and I wish it could have continued for much longer.

 Janie hard at work

Funny story about this last photo. During the weekend, a guy and his boat, this boat, washed ashore north Palmetto Dunes. Apparently, he found the boat on Craigslist, traded some furniture for it, and set out for sea. Well, the rutter fell off about 1/2 mile out from shore, and then he ran out of fuel. So he just drifted. I'm not exactly sure where he came from, but when he washed up in Hilton Head, he didn't have money to tow his boat, so he just let it sit there. Every morning my family either walked to the boat or biked to see if it was still there. And it always was. Tuesday night we went to dinner at Dunes House and realized that the boat was still there while we were taking pictures. Naturally this was a perfect photo opp and while it didn't turn out perfectly, this picture really makes me smile and laugh. No, we didn't go boating, no we don't own a sailboat, yes, this is a gross boat traded for furniture on Craigslist that we used as a photo prop.

Hope everyone is getting some vacation time and relaxation during these hot summer months! I'm ready to go back already :)

Monday Inspiration

I'm introducing something new to my blog starting this week! Every Monday, I'm going to post something inspirational and try to live by it for the week. On Friday, I'll let you know how the week went. Here's my first one!

As most of ya'll know from my semi frequent rants (sorry....), the job hunt hasn't gone so hot. I'm frustrated, tired, and mostly ready to be at a job I enjoy. Straight up confession right here: I was watching Friends this weekend and actually teared up and got all emotional during the intro song. Embarrassing. But the words kind of, really, spoke to me: "No one told you life was gonna be this way... your job's a joke, you're broke..."So obviously I didn't expect to be at this point in my life. But here's the deal. Not everything is going to go my way. In fact, a lot won't go my way. Just because one plan didn't work out doesn't mean I can give up. I need to adjust my attitude and outlook, start looking into other possibilities and really dig into the job hunt. Something will turn up, life will get better, and I'll look back at this time and maybe, actually, want it back.

I mean, if Rachel Green can do it, then so can Rachel Black.

Can I Get the Time?

I recently saw a blog post somewhere (and I can't remember where!) on watches and it was the same idea - watches to splurge on and watches that are a steal. The thing that made me laugh was that the J.Crew Timex watch was listed as the steal at $150.00. Which, really, isn't a terrible price for a nice watch. The part that made me laugh is that Target carries an identical Timex watch for a fraction of the price at $34.99. I've seen it firsthand -- my brother has the J.Crew version and I have the Target version and there truly isn't a difference. Target's changeable straps are cheaper too, so you can mix up colors depending on your mood or outfit for only $6.99 per strap! I have white, lime green, pink, and navy and white striped, but am looking to get a more neutral, subtle color like an olive green for fall. Just another reason to love Target, as if there weren't enough already!

J.Crew Watch  //  Target Watch

Hello Again

Please excuse my brief hiatus. What with the 4th of July holiday and Patrick in town for an interview, I kind of took a break from posting.

And I kind of have a confession to make. 

Sometimes I just don't feel like blogging or give up on a post because it seems too hard. Which is embarrassing, but true. I'm not the biggest expert in graphic design or web design and sometimes I just can't figure out where to find a shot of a J.Crew shirt or Tibi dress that I love without the model in it. So then I don't really feel like putting together a collage of "what I want to be wearing on the 4th of July"! So forgive me. I'm trying.

Speaking of the 4th of July, I hope everyone had a great holiday. It was weird, right? Being on a Wednesday and all? Not particularly ideal for traveling... but for those of us who stayed in town, it was kind of nice having a kind of weekend in the middle of the week! My 4th was spent laying all day by the pool with Courtney. I think both of us were a teensy bit homesick -- pool games at the CCC, the annual 3rd of July party, family and friends... so it was perfect that we spent it together. We grilled out because I felt un-American if I didn't eat a cheeseburger and while at Krogs I found SPARKLERS! Which were put to use when we realized our apartment complex was not tall enough to see the fireworks over Lenox Mall. Oopsies. 

The weekend was a pretty typical one - lots of pool time, lounging, and reading. The extra bonus was that Patrick was in ATL so I got super duper lucky getting to see him again after only a few days apart!!! I made it a priority that we didn't eat at the same places that we always do, so after seeing Whitney post about the Atlanta Food Truck Park, I KNEW I had to go! And oh it made me so very happy. Even though I had sweat trickling down my back from the 100 temps and I was eating barbecue, I was completely entranced by this little park of food trucks. It was wonderful, and I need to go back very soon :) 

Happy Hump Day everyone!

Happy Birthday USA!

Happiest Fourth of July to all! Hope it is a great day enjoying time with friends and family! 

Weekend Review

Helloooo ya'll!!! I just got back from Kansas City last night after an extended trip to see Patrick and his family. It was such a nice, relaxing trip and great to get away from Atlanta for a few days. This was my first trip to Kansas City and to be completely honest, I had no idea what to expect. I feel like when most people think of Kansas City, they immediately think of the Wizard of Oz and tornados and dust storms. Maybe not. But I've gotten looks like I'm crazy for visiting Kansas City of all places, so I feel like I'm usually defending it when I haven't even been! Now I can actually say that it's a pretty cool place. It's a big city, but really doesn't feel that way at all. There isn't ridiculous amounts of traffic anywhere and everywhere like here in Atlanta and so much is locally owned, which I think is pretty awesome.

Most of the weekend was spent watching Olympic Trials, hanging at the pool, eating at yummy places, and roaming around the Plaza. It was perfect and I wouldn't change one thing... now I have to make fun plans for when Patrick comes back to ATL!

Patrick's favorite brunch spot - very good and cute name!

Laying out at the KCCC... it was so hot, I didn't stay out of the pool long!

Date night at Gram & Dun - delicious food and fun atmosphere

Being silly on the Plaza, making new friends with penguins

Happy 4th of July to everyone!