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I hate being a debbie downer, but Nice, France and the state of our world is heavy on my mind and heart this morning. Another week, another reminder to hug your loved ones close and say many, many prayers for the safety of our country and strong leadership to guide us and unite us. Seems like we are needing it more and more every day. 

I hope you all have a great and safe weekend. We are taking it easy in Lexington with some golf tonight (ha, I haven't played for about 8 years!), pool time, grilling, and lots of relaxing. I'm really looking forward to it. 

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shopping  |   Like every other blogger, I'm shopping the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale. I'm not going to lie, I feel like last year's selection was a little bit stronger, but I'm of course struggling on what to purchase. In consideration: this Barbour jacket (to splurge or not to splurge?!), this coat, this cardigan (loved it on Liz), these booties, and this watch. So many choices, so little money. If I could afford/justify it, I'd buy this Tory Burch cape in 2 seconds.

listening  |   Who else grew up on MmmBop!?! We were obsessssed with it when we were younger. Hanson's acoustic version is pretty bomb and a nice update from 1997.

reading  |   Many of you have probably seen Jennifer Aniston's letter to the media on body shaming, but I thought it was just so well written that it's worth sharing again. If you haven't read it yet, take the time to. You go Jen!

cooking  |   I finally tried zoodles for the first time in this baked ziti zoodle recipe and LOVED it! So delicious and fulfilling. Have y'all gotten on the zoodle craze yet? My basil plant is doing SO WELL (!!!!) so this weekend I'm planning on making pesto for my next zoodle recipe! Look for something soon on the blog!

traveling  |   Another week, another trip. It's been a busy summer! I'm headed to Austin, TX next Thursday for a friend's bachelorette party and so excited. I have never been to Austin but have obviously heard all the great things about it. Can't wait to explore and eat my weight in tacos! Anywhere I should go?!

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Hallelujah it's Friday! And this is an extra special Friday for two reasons: 1. long weekend/the 4th of July is Monday! and 2. I'M GOING ON VACATION TOMORROW!!!!!!!

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Excuse the all caps, but I'm just so freaking excited. Like Kristen Wiig on Saturday Night Live. We are headed to Asheville tomorrow morning and spending the night there, then onto Charleston Sunday. So much fun in store!!! I'm going to attempt to get outfit photos while I'm in Asheville and Charleston. Simon will be my photographer, but he doesn't know it yet (hehe). So that should be interesting!

It was a good week here, full of kickball and being outdoors and watching LOTS of Olympic Trials, specifically swimming. I swam competitively growing up and through high school, so naturally swimming is one of my favorite, favorite events in the Olympics. But I get sucked into just about everything when it comes to the Summer Olympics, even archery. Tonight I'll be taking it easy, watching trials, doing last minute laundry and packing before leaving at 6 am tomorrow.

Have a safe and fun-filled, America loving weekend, loves!

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shopping  |   Loft has 50% off the entire store. I picked up these shorts for vacation and just love them. This romper and this lightweight dress are super cute for hot summer days. I'm also thinking I need to finally snag this top from J.Crew since I've had my eye on it and it's 40% off. 

blogging  |   Love these tips for finding blog inspiration. I pinned this one, for sure. 

reading  |   I'm not planning a wedding or honeymoon yet, but many friends are. Would you postpone your honeymoon? This article gives some pretty good rationale for why you should wait a year.

watching  |   Everything about this video. Truth: I do not know how to change my tire or sew on a button. But I could probably sew the button if I tried.

eating  |   In the most important news of the week, Chipotle is FINALLY offering a rewards program for this summer. Done and done. 

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I hope everyone had a good week! It was a little quiet around here - a little bit of a rollercoaster week with work. But next week I'll have plenty of fun, new posts ready for you. I'm excited for this weekend - tomorrow morning we are heading down to a friend's houseboat for a day full of sun, lake, and beers! It's supposed to be like 93 degrees and sunny here, so it's a perfect weekend to be on the lake. 

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shopping  |   There are SO MANY good sales going on right now. Shopbop has an extra 25% off sale through midnight tonight! I bought these sandals and love this dress, these heels (perfect transition to fall), and this top). Loft is 40% off everything, Anthropologie has tons of markdowns, and Madewell has an extra 30% off sale.

listening   |    Broadway stars gathered to record "What the World Needs Is Love" as a tribute to the Orlando shooting. I can't stop listening - it seriously gives me chills. Every song purchase on YouTube goes straight to the LGBT community in Orlando.

reading   |   Loved this blog post from Whitney. A good reminder we all need now and then.

voting   |   No, not in the election. But my blogging friend Annie has been nominated for a lifestyle blog award in Charleston. She's pretty amazing, so you all should go vote for her!

Have a great weekend! See you all Monday! 

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It's been a sad week around the world, so let's fill it with a little positivity and happiness, shall we?Guys, I'm so excited for the weekend! I've had a lot of great weekends recently, and this one will be no exception. I'm headed to Nashville (!!!) for no particular reason other than to hang with my sweet friends. I can't believe it's been over a month and a half since I was there last - time seriously flies by! There's not too much on the agenda - cocktails somewhere fun, wandering, the Sounds game, and probably out! Follow along on Instagram (@lovethislifeblog) or Snapchat (@rblack2761) to see where I go!

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shopping  |   I am loving J.Crew's new arrivals. It feels like the old J.Crew again, and that warms my heart and makes me happy. I've rounded up some of my faves below. So much to choose from!

reading  |   Two books, actually. The first is for my bible study - we are doing Annie Down's study Looking For Lovely and I'm loving it so far. Really puts things into perspective, and I highly recommend it! I'm also reading The Light Between Oceans but haven't gotten as far as I'd like. So far so good, though!

loving  |   Man Repeller. I haven't visited the site for a long time (why, I don't know), and there's just so much goodness to it. Particularly, this article on women and how they view success (loved it), how fashion is getting too close to the 2000's (terrifyingly true), feeling inferior around teenagers (seriously WHY are none of them awkward?!). The site is literally a black hole I could have spent hours on. No regrets.

traveling  |   Nashville this weekend, Charleston in two weekends! A Bit Of Charleston put together a nice little travel guide for me, which was awesome! Some great suggestions that included a few things we are already planning on. I'm so excited to get to the city and meet up with Annie!

watching  |   I need to see Me Before You and Finding Dory, ASAP. My friend Kaitlyn saw Me Before You last night and said it was amazing and her face hurt from crying. #allthefeels.

beautifying  |   I'm about out of my Bare Minerals tinted moisturizer which I love, but I'm thinking about switching it up and trying the BeautyCounter tinted moisturizer. I've heard nothing but good things about them and I love the mission behind the company. Any opinions out there?!

Have a great weekend, everyone! 

A WEEKEND IN LEXINGTON

Lexington, KY has become a very familiar place to me over the past 10 months since it's where my boyfriend (and best friend & her husband) lives. Despite the UK obsessed fans (go Hoosiers!), I've definitely grown to like Lexington and always have fun when I spend weekends up there. Until this past weekend, I've always traveled solo, but this time my sweet friend Mary Jeanne came along for the Auburn-UK football game Thursday night!

We had a great time tailgating and cheering on the Tigers/Cats, and the game turned out exactly how Mary Jeanne wanted. Despite cheering for Auburn, we still made it on the jumbo-tron - #celebs!

On Friday we had brunch at my friend Ali and Daniel's new home and then spent the day at Keeneland, betting on horsies and drinking bourbon. The day was gorgeous with no clouds in the sky and perfect temps. My friend Sara Michael came over from Louisville to spend the day & night with us, which was another extra special treat!



The boys decided to be strange and last minute changed into Hawaiian shirts. They looked ridiculous, of course, but it was funny nonetheless. Mary Jeanne was AGAIN the big winner, taking home over $50 from bets! Beginner's luck, I guess... I made $0.60. 

On Saturday we relaxed, made taco soup, played rummy and watched lots of football - so many crazy games! It was the perfect recovery day. 

Until next time, Lex!

WEEKEND REVIEW

Picked up Georgia peaches from The Peach Truck on Saturday morning.

Celebrated our sweet co-worker Erica and her engagement! #DoTheHussle 

Brunch at BurgerUp - one of my favorite Nashville restaurants. 

And like that, we're at Monday already. I hope everyone had a great weekend. I was in Nashville for the THIRD weekend in a row - I think this might be record setting! I love, love, love traveling, but it is so nice to be home for an extended period of time. Now it's time to make it through the work week before heading out of town for Memorial Day!!! We can do it, yall!  

WEEKEND REVIEW

Happy Tuesday/Monday for those of you who had yesterday off! My office was open on President's Day, but we had a major snow/ice/sleet storm here in Nashville, so I decided not to risk the roads. It probably wasn't that major compared to what people in the northeast get, but I don't like to mess around with ice. Today the roads are supposed to be worse, but the sun's out, so we'll see how it goes. Right now I'm planning to work from my pj's! 

It's been awhile since I have done a weekend review, but this was a really fun one so it's worth sharing. On Friday night I met family friends out for drinks at Pinewood Social, which was a great kick off to the weekend. Pinewood Social isn't my favorite for dinner, but it's an awesome place to take out of town guests because it's such a unique space and concept. 

On Saturday I spent my Valentine's Day indoor rock climbing at Climb Nashville. For anyone who lives in Nashville - I highly recommend this as a weekend activity. We got the day pass, so we could rock climb all day and switch between the East and West locations. We started at East, which was great because it's much smaller and less hectic than the West location - good for beginners. 

After our first round of rock climbing (your hands really start to hurt!) I was starving so the solution was tacos. Is there ever a time tacos aren't a solution?! I took advantage of the fact we were in East Nashville (don't get over there as much as I would like) and went to Mas Tacos for the FIRST TIME. Y'all, how have I lived in Nashville for over two years and NEVER BEEN HERE? I think there's something wrong with me. The tacos were amazing and that grilled corn. Oh em gee. Unreal. 

After Mas Tacos, we went to the Climb Nashville West location where I climbed a 60ft+ wall. After I rewarded myself with queso and a margarita (more Mexican, obviously). The night was spent relaxing at home and drooling over these Kendra Scott earring beauties. I'm envisioning so many outfits with them!

Hope you all had a great weekend as well! How was your Valentine's Day and long weekend spent?

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WEEKEND

Whew! This week went surprisingly quick and I am HAPPY about that! Last night I went to a wine tasting and had a little too much wine, so things are a little slow and I don't have much for you today other than these pretty images. I added Tumblr to my iPad (I love having an iPad, by the way. Life changing) so it's been super easy to pin new stuff!  Follow me for continued prettiness!

In other big(ish) news, I started an Instagram account exclusively for my blog! The handle is @lovethislifeblog, so hopefully really easy to remember. I'm excited about it and would love your following! Check it out - lots of Nashville spots, new clothes, recipes, and quotes coming to your feed!!!

Hope everyone has an amazing weekend - I'm going to City House tonight for the belly ham pizza with a cracked egg (salivating right now) and some drinks and HIKING tomorrow because it's going to be in the 50s!!!!!! Let's all do a happy dance for that! And Sunday - GO PACK GO!

Peace out, sweet friends! Thank you for your continued support of my blog :)

AH, WEEKEND

Who is happy to see the weekend here? I'm not going to lie, the second half of this week wasn't as bad as I expected. But I am SO GLAD that Friday is here because my family gets in town today! And not just my mom and dad or my brother but EVERYONE. Mom, Dad, Jane, Peter AND David. It just makes me so happy that my favorite people are going to be in one place and experiencing Nashville together. Peter turns 21 on Saturday, so we can thank him for this excursion. I'm so, so happy and excited about it. Keep up with all the fun on instagram. I'm sure I'll be posting a lot :)

Not to be like everyone else, but here are a few things I'm loving this week. If you haven't seen these links, enjoy! If you have, well, enjoy again! Have a great weekend!

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Nicole Kidman and Jimmy Fallon // I can't get over how funny this is.

Free Chipotle Burrito // Who doesn't love that? Worth trying sofritas, if you ask me.

Madewell New Arrivals // I want so many things. UGH. Where are you warm weather?

She Reads Truth // I'm doing the Bible in 365 Days Challenge. It's pretty cool.

Kings of Leon + Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition // Nashville is killing it, per usual. I want to go.

WEEKEND RECAP: BLOOMINGTON, IN

This past weekend I met up with 7 of my sorority sisters in Bloomington for the weekend. After a long work week, seeing great friends was the perfect remedy and we just had the best time together. I got into Bloomington late Friday night and met my Nashville roommate out for a quick drink while I waited for Claire and Ashley to get in from Cincinnati. They picked me up and we went to Theta, where we were staying, and just laid in the rec room and chatted for way, way longer than planned.

In the morning the rest of the girls drove down from Indianapolis and by 8:30, we were headed to Kilroys for early morning drinks. The rest of the day was spent stopping by tailgates, chatting at Theta, playing Sink the Biz for hours at Nicks, making up our own mini bar crawl, and ending the night with Qdoba burritos. I swear, there are days that I feel like it was just yesterday I was in college, and then your friend gets pelted with a beer can and you're home by 11:00 and it seems like a long, long time ago. 

I'm so, so glad that we made the random trip back to Bloomington. It had been so long since a group of us had been together back in Bloomington and I think we can all agree that it needs to happen much more often. I love living in Nashville, but there are definitely times that I'm jealous of all my friends in Indianapolis and how often they see each other. Luckily we have a few weddings in 2015, so we should be seeing each other much more often, which makes me feel very happy.

Have a great Monday!

HILTON HEAD WEDDING WEEKEND

As I mentioned yesterday, I spent Wednesday-Sunday on Hilton Head Island for my best friend's wedding. Besides being a much needed vacation, it was the most perfect wedding trip ever and I'd be lying if I said I didn't have a little post-vacation/wedding depression. All of our best friends and family friends were in one place and the majority of our time was spent on the beach.

 

On Thursday morning, Ali's grandpa took the wedding party out on his boat for 3 hours. It was the perfect way to kick off the wedding weekend and we had so much fun chatting and soaking in the sun. 

 

On Friday morning, one of our family friends taught us a Zumba class on the beach. I felt really uncoordinated, and we definitely got a lot of stares, but we had such a blast! One woman riding her bike even stopped and joined in on the fun.

The rest of the day was spent on the beach with friends and family. There literally wasn't a cloud in the sky. We played tons of Kan-Jam and Kadima, went out on paddleboards and kayaks, and basked in the sun. So perfect.

Saturday we got ready at the house, which was really relaxing, and took pictures early afternoon. I can't wait to see how the professional photos turn out.

 

Ali was the most stunning bride. She was absolutely radiant and shining with so much happiness and love. I definitely teared up seeing her walk down the aisle.

 

The father of the groom performed the ceremony. It was such a beautiful and sweet ceremony and you could feel God's love everywhere. Especially sweet was the siblings of the bride and groom singing Multiplied by Needtobreathe.

 The rest of the night was spent as any other wedding would go - and it was absolutely perfect. The toasts were funny but sentimental, the first dance made me cry, the food was incredible, and the band ROCKED. I think we would have been dancing until 3 am if we had the choice!

Congratulations and cheers to Ali and Daniel! I feel so lucky and blessed to have been part of your day and surrounded by so much love and happiness. Love you both so very much!

WEEKEND RECAP: #BEATBAMA

 

 

Is it really Monday already?! I feel like it was just Friday and I was all antsy to get to Ole Miss for the weekend. 

Ummmmm y'all. This weekend was unreal and Ole Miss was on point in every possible way. On Saturday morning we got to the Grove around 8:30. My coworker and I were lucky enough to score some VIP Gameday passes (Thanks ESPN!) so we had a behind the scenes look at everything going on. At one point we thought we were going to be on TV but then the camera guy decided to film the cheerleaders instead... can't understand why???! 

After a fun morning and Katy Perry picking OLE MISS to win, I met up with my crew and had plenty of vodka lemonade drinks. The Grove was packed and so much fun. There was a ton of excitement around the game and so naturally I began to have #FOMO that I wasn't going into the game. I tried to find scalpers at the beginning of the game but there were literally none. After about 30 minutes of feeling sorry for myself and making friends with some random people at a tent, I decided to just try and get in with my own luck and charm. AND IT WORKED. Before I knew it I was sitting with my friends and Ole Miss was winning and intercepting in Bama's end zone and fans were rushing the field and goal posts were coming down. It was so crazy and I'm so happy for Ole Miss. Katy Perry seemed to have a good time too. Now onto Texas A&M - it never stops when you're in the SEC.

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Friday, I thought you would never get here. The week started out a little crazy with nonstop work meetings and that kind of threw my whole week off. But it's all good because I'm heading to OXFORD, MISSISSIPPI FOR GAMEDAY!!!!!!!!!!

I very admittedly am not from the South, nor did I go to an SEC school, but with two (soon to be 3) siblings attending SEC schools and a boyfriend with a deep love for Ole Miss, I think it's fair for me to jump on the bandwagon. This weekend I am cheering for the REBELS and I cannot wait. Being in the Grove is unlike any other experience and I love it. Oh, and did you know Katy Perry will be there? Casual.

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Anyways, here's what's happening currently. Enjoy your weekend, party people!

WEARING // These heels from Banana Republic are worth owning in several colors. I have the navy and I'm not lying when I say they are so. comfortable. Right now they are 35% off with the code BRSHOP35.

LISTENING // The Dirty Guv'nahs are my jam. I am especially listening to their album Hearts on Fire nonstop. It feels like the perfect soundtrack to a tailgate or fall roadtrip.

READING // I came across Leandra's "The Thought Process of Getting Dressed" and was laughing out loud the entire time. Everything about it is true.

TRAVELING // I already told y'all I'm going to Ole Miss for the weekend, but I'm also working on a fun collaboration with my blog soul sista Annie. Good things coming next week!!!

WATCHING // Gone Girl is out. I read the book in a day and the hype around the movie seems to be pretty legit. Reese Witherspoon's The Good Lie also looks awesome.

WEEKEND

Hello chickadees! Did everyone have a great weekend/Monday? I was home this weekend for my best friend's wedding shower (October 18th is so close!!!) and while it felt like a really quick trip, it was perfect and much needed.

I'm always happy to be at home and spend time with my family and friends from growing up, but this weekend in particular reminded me just how lucky I am to have them in my life. My friends and I don't live in the same city, and we typically only see each other a couple times a year, but when we are together, we pick up right where we left off. Saturday was one of those perfect days, and with the exception of all the summer shandys I drank, it felt like we were back to age 12, jumping off the diving boards and spending all day and all night at the pool. I cherish these friends of mine - we've been together since age 8 or before - and when you have friends for that long, you just get each other.

It's rare, I think, to have friends that are considered family, and family that is considered friends. I feel very blessed to say I have both. :)

A HAPPY WEEKEND

Hello Monday, you have come way too soon once again! 

I had a great weekend and I hope you all did too! I made a very last minute decision on Friday afternoon to drive home. My sister is home before making an official move to NYC (!!!!!!!) and any excuse I have to see her is a good one. Plus my dad and brothers are hiking somewhere in the Appalachian Mountains, so it was a total girls weekend. So perfect! 

We spent Saturday morning at the Farmers Market and got delicious gourmet donuts (blueberry lemon, chocolate crumble, carrot cake, and birthday cake, YUM). My mom stocked up on fresh produce and my sister and I admired the flowers. That afternoon we met a good friend for birthday drinks and the went to see the movie Begin Again. So good y'all!!! I'm listening to the soundtrack nonstop and if you haven't seen it - make it a priority. I think I smiled through the whole thing. Keira Knightley and Mark Ruffalo are charming, and Adam Levine's voice is, well, beautiful.

On Sunday we went to church and then had lunch and got good sunshine at the pool - a typical Sunday when I'm home in the summer. It was so relaxing and fun to be with my mom and sister and now it's so rare that it's ever just us three, so that was an extra special treat! 

What did you all do this weekend? Anything new or exciting?

WEEKEND

Happy 4th of July week and hooray for 4 day weeks!! Those are just the best, and the 4th of July is probably my favorite holiday (so American of me, I know) so it's a great, great week!

Hope you all had a fun weekend. My weekend was pretty fabulous because I got to spend it with my mom, and in my opinion, there's not a ton that is better than that. Aren't moms just the best?! She got here on Thursday night and we had a great time catching up over dinner at Burger Up. On Friday we met for lunch, then went to J.Crew after work and scored some awesome deals, which put us in an even happier mood than we already were! That night we went to Pinewood Social for a drink, and then had a late dinner at Rolf and Daughters, which was fabulous as always. If you are visiting Nashville, these places are musts in my book, and I think my mom agrees!

On Saturday morning we went to downtown Franklin for the weekly Farmers Market which was awesome. I can't believe I've been in Nashville this long and just went for the first time! We got so many fresh goodies, like lemon pepper pasta, yellow squash, zucchini, tomatoes, bread, peaches, a candle... just really fun. My friend Mary Jeanne met us for lunch at Meridee's and we explored the cute shops in Franklin - one of my recommendations when visiting!

Saturday night we relaxed, drank some wine, and went to Martin's BBQ (more great food!) Sunday brought church, errands, relaxing, and Mellow Mushroom take out to cap it off. It was such a perfect weekend and I'm so glad my mom made the trip. Now it's just 4 days until I head home for the 4th and a family friend's wedding! 

Have a great Monday!