snapshots.

adam and i visited charleston for the first time this past weekend. we fell in love with the historical charm, the abundant spanish moss and the ocean views. here are a few snapshots from the vacation.

oh, hey.

by the way...

I'M ENGAGED!

guess i can cross that off the 30 before 30 list, too ;)

blueprint juice cleanse.

i have always wanted to do a juice cleanse. not just for the health benefits, but also because, as someone with IBS, i wanted to know if it helped with symptoms.

there are several different types of juice cleanses out there, but during all the research, i found i felt most comfortable with blueprint cleanse. i appreciated the fact that their first level cleanse includes five different kinds of juices - not just one type of juice that you're drinking all day [aka super unhealthy]. and each juice contains a ton of different vitamins and nutrients. the green juice [which you drank twice a day] contains 6 pounds of leafy goodness - so that means fiber... and lots of it. their pineapple/apple juice gives you a boost of energy and antioxidants. the fourth juice, spicy lemonade, speeds up your metabolism. the beet juice contains lots of iron, and the cashew vanilla is a great source of magnesium and copper. i read that the nutrients from the juices go directly into your blood stream & get to your cells within ten to fifteen minutes - so your body doesn't have to digest anything. that's crazy!

when i decided to order from blueprint, i knew i could really only do a two day cleanse. there was no way i was going to try to do it at work, so i had to plan to do it on a weekend that i had off. and let's be real,  two days without food is enough. the three days before and after the cleanse are suppose to be diet-restricted, too. on day three you cut out meat; day two you cut out grains & dairy; day one you only eat fruits and vegetables - and vice-versa. 'day one' before and after the cleanse were the hardest for me. every single thing sounded and smelled delicious. my biggest cravings? cheese. and cinnamon raisin french toast. weird.

the juice cleanse itself:
the green juice was... interesting. it was really hard for me to drink the whole bottle, let alone two a day. but, it worked. it got a lot of crap out of my system [sorry, tmi]. the second juice [pineapple] was deeelish and gave me tons of energy. the fourth was strange. cayenne pepper? yikes. but i got used to it and didn't mind it after awhile. the fifth juice was AWFUL. to me, beets taste like dirt. something strange happened in between the fourth and fifth juices - i got extremely nauseous. both days, actually. i felt so bad the first day that i decided to email blueprint just to see if i was having a bad reaction. they never emailed me back, but about an 30/40 minutes later i started feeling better. adam thought that the spiciness and acidity affected me poorly, but we weren't positive. the last juice, cashew vanilla, was great. because it was the last bottle, it felt like dessert.

the after-effects:
on monday morning i felt great. clean, refreshed, but empty. i needed food. i stuck to my juice, fruit & veges, but cheated that night and had some brown rice. the beginning of that week i ate really well and kept drinking a ton of naked juice - not just because it's what i should have done, but because i actually wanted it. and that cheese craving? gone! but then friday & saturday came, and my diet went on the back burner. i had burgers, nachos, beer & an ice cream soda. not good. i definitely felt the repercussions today.

but the juice cleanse? totally worth it. i learned a lot about my body and started to think of food more as fuel. i now drink naked juice two or three times a day and have been making pineapple smoothies every morning before work. i also decided to budget in a blueprint cleanse every quarter in order to stay on track and consistent with my healthy regimen.

thinking of doing a juice cleanse? have any questions? email me! :)

toasting to spring.

last month i had the opportunity to shoot a story for twin stripe, a seasonal, online magazine. co-founder katie williamsen,  who currently lives in greensboro, and i met through blogbrunch and decided to do a collaboration. it was so fun! i spent the morning in her lovely home photographing beautiful displays of wine & pairings, and spent the afternoon walking the streets of greensboro. katie and her husband chad were gracious, funny & genuine. 

view pages 14-16 to read the informative story & to see my photos :)

to learn more about katie, alison & twin stripe, visit their blog!

life.

hello, my dears.

this post has been a long time coming - and for that, i am sorry. i took a couple weeks off from blogging because work was getting so hectic, and in all honesty, i needed a break. not just from blogging, but from the internet in general. 

adam and i have made a goal to spend more time doing quality things, together and apart. we want to read more. exercise more. go out more. try new things. and ultimately, spend less time with electronics. scary, right? i love my twitter, facebook, instagram, tumblr, pinterest & blog, but i just can't keep up with all of it consistently anymore. therefore, i will be taking a couple steps back from everything. i'll still be connected, but you will be seeing much less from me. 

so, until next time <3 

wishlist.

[clockwise]

one, two, three, four, five, six, seven

wait, it's december 13th? i'm waaay behind.

time to:

christmas shop. find my winter coat. plan NYE. get thicker socks. decorate the tree. send out christmas packages. find my snow brush. make a gift guide/wishlist.

oh right, that's what this is. check! well, here are a couple things that any girl would love - especially me ;) what's on your wishlist this year?

sometimes...

you just want a lil' snow.

reminder!

tomorrow's the big day!

still need to get your christmas shopping done? come visit me & 50 other vendors at the vintage charlotte holiday market! i will be selling my prints & some cute vintage knickknacks, but you'll also find local, handmade & vintage housewares, clothing, and more :]

hope to see you there! <3  

cyber monday special!

i am so pleased to announce that my etsy shop has been updated! 

you'll find lower prices and more photos, in addition to a cyber monday special - 25% off your entire purchase! so head on over to my shop to stock up on unique christmas gifts [and a goodie for yourself], and if you need a different size, don't hesitate to contact me :)

recap friday.

hello, friends.

although today is friday, it's like a monday for me - the start of another crazy week of seven full days at the store, and lots of side-work in between. adam and i were lucky enough to get away for a couple days, though, before the madness started. we visited the biltmore & grandfather mountain's mile-high bridge. have you ever been? it was lovely, but very scary since it was extremely windy that day.

anyway, here are a couple photos from the past couple weeks. hope you enjoy <3

yes we did.

happiness, relief, hope.

an explanation.

many of you may have noticed that my social media platforms have been a bit quiet for the past couple weeks. though i have been trying to limit my time on the interwebz, this isn't the only reason for my silence.

i got a new job.

when adam and i found out we were moving to the south, we only had two weeks to find an apartment & get everything packed up. so, i just decided to transfer with starbucks because a] it was easy and b] it ensures a paycheck. although i love free coffee [who doesn't?], my heart wasn't in the job & i couldn't see myself wanting to move up in the company. so after a month of getting settled here, i started thinking about what i am good at, what i love & what i would want to dedicate myself to.

i love photography, but it takes a long time to get established in a new location. and though i hate to admit it, i was having some serious doubts about my photographs and my abilities.
i love event planning, but i didn't want to be an intern anymore. i would love to start my own company, but i feel i don't have enough experience or overhead yet. and though i had an amazing time planning this event freelance, i was looking for something more stable.

then i found the job. merchandising team lead at urban outfitters.

i love clothes. i have loads of experience in retail. i love visual displays and design. and, i'm detail-oriented.
it was perfect.
and it is perfect.
i've been at UO for almost a month and i am loving every second of it <3

so there's my explanation.
i still need time to balance everything out, but, i'm here and i'm not going anywhere :)

steady.

'steady.' by tttbelll

Dream Catcher - Purple ... perpetumobile $42.00	Geometric Brass Diamond... CSfootprints $40.00	Cabin in the rain - A4 ... LucyDriscoll $24.00	Cat Drawing - Simple Bl... LittleShopofEl... $14.50
Tiny Silver Pyramid Sta... senesense $63.00	Set of 8 Silver Ombre R... alivingspace $35.00	lounge kitty, square co... themicromental... $9.00	Geometric Necklace - Pr... iluxo $26.99
Ombre Whatever - Funny... hairbrainedsch... $15.00	Childrens Wall Art Prin... holli $20.00	SALE 33% OFF - Chalcedo... littlebrightst... $20.00	Today is going to be am... makenziandmadi... $35.00
Vintage 1970's Pola... CocoAndBear $70.00	ONE Dark Arrow Earring ... maryandjane $14.00	Chalkboard Coasters Bla... chalkology $15.00	Bird Photography - Floc... LupenGrainne $21.00

Treasury tool supported by the dog house

lately, blogging has felt more like a chore than a pleasure. i have found so many inspiring things [like the beautiful etsy treasury i put together above], but i just cannot seem to bring myself to write about them. 

so bare with me while i find my words.

sometimes...

via

i hiked in my tom's.

when i put this list together back in may, i really had no idea what hiking entailed. in my head, it basically involved ugly hiking boots, sweating, bugs and wheezing - all of which i hated. but, i figured that a lot of people loved doing it, so i should experience it.

so on thursday, a. and i packed our bags and headed two and half hours northwest to asheville. our first stop? chimney rock state park.

chimney rock [where the flag is] is approximately 2,280 feet high. no, we didn't climb that.. we took the elevator up and then climbed to exclamation point - a .7 mile/150 foot uphill hike. pretty difficult, but well worth it.

after our hike, we spent the afternoon in chimney rock, and the evening and following morning in asheville. on our way back home, we stopped at dupont state forest.

i have never seen waterfalls up close [except niagara falls, if you can count that], so i was super excited to see triple falls. the clincher, though? parts of the hunger games was filmed there! yes, i am a geek. 

the hike was about a mile round trip - and then we decided to climb some of the rocks. can you find me? :)

so yes, there was some sweating and some bugs - but no wheezing and no ugly hiking boots. i did it all in my tom's! and you know what? i loved it. i am already trying to persuade a. to go hiking with me once a week :)

autumn.

autumn, to me, is harry potter.

<3 

fall favorites.

one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine

fall is my favorite time of year. crisp apples, autumn colors, pumpkin flavoring, layers upon layers... it's just heavenly. although it's still in the 70's in my neck of the woods, my trip to michigan got me in the cold weather mindset. this season i am loving deep colors [oxblood and hunter green], long sweaters and patterned tights. also on my fall wishlist? emily's new book cupcakes and cashmere that's based on her lovely blog.

what are some of your fall favorites?

recap friday.

happy friday, friends!

the past seven days have been wonderful - work, friends, family, travelling back to michigan... but it all went by too quickly.

i know it's crazy, but i am already missing grand rapids.

1. i got bangs!

2. i found some super cute/super inexpensive moccasins at target.

3. obligatory plane ride photo.

4. monsterous t-rex at artprize.

5. some amazing tapas at san chez bistro.

6. mama and me time.