the sunday currently, volume 32.

Greetings from Shreveport! This morning, I am enjoying eggs & biscuits & java by way of the new Community Coffee K-Cups. It's been a weekend of excitement around here, since my dear friend Jordan traveled over from Dallas with her husband on Friday evening. We have had lots of time to hang out, catch up, & have fun, & I am very grateful for that.

reading theSkimm for my main news source recently. It is one of the first things I read each morning, & I have really grown to love it. So much so, that I get sad when I realize it's the weekend & there's no new Skimm to read. Yes, I'm serious. Yes, it's ridiculous.

writing a freelance piece for a local Wilmington magazine. I'm so excited to be writing for a publication again, even if I only ever have this one assignment. I'll share it here whenever it is published.

listening to the comforting sounds of HGTV. My mom is in the kitchen, finishing up her breakfast & watching Property Brothers. 

thinking that I wish Justin was here in town with me.

smelling Leather, a candle by Circle E. It's one of my all-time favorites, & we have been burning it a lot in my parents' house this week.

wishing I had added creamer to my coffee this morning. Doesn't being in Shreveport call for Vacation Coffee? Maybe in my second cup...

hoping that Jordan & Jim have a safe drive back to Dallas this afternoon. I am so glad that Jordan came in town to visit with me for a weekend while I'm here in Shreveport. We've had a lot of fun together for the past two days. I'm sad to see here go, but hopefully I'll see her again in Dallas before I trek it back to Wilmington.

wearing pajamas, still. Jordan & I got in really late last night, but I forced myself out of bed around 9:30. I slept until noon yesterday. Yikes!

loving my new makeup additions from the drugstore. I got Wet 'n Wild's Coverall Foundation, after seeing it mentioned by a couple beauty gurus on YouTube. I took it for its test run last night, & I think we're going to have a lot of good times together. I also - finally - picked up Rimmel's Stay Matte Powder, after hearing all the hype on YouTube. Once again, I used it for the first time last night, but I think I'm already in love.

wanting to drink coffee out of my camera lens travel mug from Kris every day for the rest of time. It is the cutest thing I've ever seen, & it makes me happy every time I use it.

needing to get some photo posts together. I've been toting my camera all around the house, taking photos of details & objects that I love. I can't wait to share little pieces of my parents' house with everyone.

feeling tired, but happy.

clicking through all the posts linked up for The Sunday Currently this week. With all the hubbub of the past week, I never had the chance to read through & comment the way I like to. Looking forward to changing that this week, & reading up on all of your goings-on! Also clicking? The keyboard & mouse of a brand new desktop computer. Thanks, Dad, for letting me borrow your new toy!

photo: at ernie's last night with Jordan \ iphone

weekender.

This weekend, my dear friend Jordan is driving from Dallas to visit me. I cannot wait to spend some time with her. Other items on the docket include wrapping up a story I'm writing for a local magazine, shopping with my mom, going to church, & just relaxing in general. My time in Shreveport so far has been extra sweet, & I'm really enjoying it.

Now, for a few little tidbits I've been perusing as of late, that I think you may just enjoy.

-- As you may have read here, I'm going to be blogging every day in May. Interested in the deets? Check out Jenni's post. She has come up with post prompts, & I think they will make for some very interesting reading around the blogosphere.

-- I really enjoyed Joelle's Get It Done post, & while I haven't checked out all the websites & apps she mentioned, I have plans to see what they're all about in the near future. I'm ever on the hunt for things to make me more productive, & her post was pure gold in that respect.

-- If you're ever in the Shreveport area, allow me to suggest you take a visit to Twine. Today was one of Justin's best friend's birthdays, & I took him over there for a little lunch date. The food was simple & yummy, & the atmosphere was cozy & delightful.

-- My mom recently introduced me to Essie's Angora Cardi nail polish, & I was finally able to paint a coat on my nails today. I absolutely LOVE the color. I feel like it would work in any season, & right now it's giving me a sophisticated, understated pop of purple for Spring. Plus, it seems to straddle membership in the muddy, grey-infused family, as well as the classic reds. Win-win.

-- New Beauty Guru Alert! This girl is by no means new on the scene, but she is new to me, & I'm really enjoying her videos. It appears that she has a lot of material on drug store beauty products, which I'm excited to watch this weekend.

this week's posts:
neon novice
the sunday currently
around here lately
blogging every day in may

Here's to a relaxing, fun-filled weekend! My blogging rhythm will return to normal on Sunday, with a weekly installment of The Sunday Currently. Be sure to come link up & tell us all what you're up to.

blogging every day in may.

I've been struggling with my blog lately: what direction to take it in, what to write about, how to write about the things I decide to write about, how often to write, how much to write... the list could go on & on. I really do think that anyone who blogs can relate to this sentiment every once in a while. No matter how much you adore blogging... no matter how much you wake up & wish for the keyboard... now matter how much you tote around your DSLR & capture moments from day-to-day life, you are more than likely going to struggle at some point with your voice, with your content, with practically anything & everything blogging related. 

A friend recently asked me, in regard to blogging, 

Do you ever run out of things to write about?

And no, not really. That's not really the problem at all. Because there is always life happening, there are always events happening... the world is always spinning, so there is always something I could write about. The problem I run into is asking myself if it's the right thing or the cool thing or the interesting thing to write about. 

In that same conversation, I shared with my friends my desire to get back to the root of blogging - back to the basics. And we all know what that really means: the writing. I told them about my old blogs, the ones where I'd write things like the following: Today I picked Laura up in my new car. We went to get ice cream, eat Mexican food, visit our friends, see a movie, & then we fell asleep watching Friends on the couch. And while I don't want to go back to being quite that basic, I do want to write more about my life, my feelings, & my experiences. It's so easy to just slap photos up on my blog. It's so easy to put together a Polyvore outfit or makeup board & share a wish list. And don't get me wrong, here: I love all of those things. And I'll continue to do all of those things. But the thing I'm missing in my blogging experience as of late is the simple act of really writing. Of infusing little bits of myself into the words I type onto this page. Of actually feeling when I re-read my posts. Of thinking, Oh yeah, that's how that moment felt. 

And it's time to get that back, folks. And I'm ready. 

So, you can imagine my excitement when I ran across Jenni's post this morning. I plan to blog every day in May, & I've already written all of her prompts into my Editorial Calendar Planner. Of course, you'll still be seeing photo posts on Wednesdays, Friday's Fancies posts on Fridays, & The Sunday Currently posts on Sundays. But I will be attempting to infuse her post ideas into each & every one of my entries for the month. And there will be something - anything - going up on this blog every single day in May. And I couldn't be more thrilled about it. 

Here's to getting back into the writing part of blogging. Here's to getting back to the basics. Here's to remembering why we all started doing this in the first place.

photo: this week's beautiful view from my parents' porch \ instagram

around here lately.

What is it about being in a different place, that completely throws my blogging rhythm - & well, really all of my routines - off kilter? Is it simply the excitement of being in a new place, with different things to occupy my time during the day? Or perhaps it's because this new place I'm in is actually my hometown, & I feel overwhelmed by all the people & places I want to visit while I'm here. Either way, I am missing blogging. When something is such a large part of your daily life, you definitely feel the void when it's missing.

Luckily today, I found my way over to Barnes & Noble, & I'm sat in a corner at a very small table with a strawberries & cream cupcake & a cup of piping hot coffee in my camera lens travel mug. And I'm feeling like now is the time to bust out a couple of posts.

My last Around Here Lately post came to you from Pinehurst, North Carolina. It's only fitting that this one will come to you from another vacation spot - my hometown of Shreveport, Louisiana. So, this installment will feature two heres that are 1,020 miles apart: the aforementioned Shreveport, & of course, the beloved Wilmington, North Carolina.

favorite book shop in wilmington | golf tournament in shreveport

blue skies after church | starbucks sunday

repaired engagement ring | flowers at harris teeter

dinner at elijah's | muscadine toast

 

 lunch with justin | 1,020 miles to shreveport

 

mom's flowers from kara | starbucks date with lindsey & katie

 

out with anna claire & ward | visiting friends at bass pro

 

photos: instagram



the sunday currently, volume 31.

Hello from Shreveport! I got in town on Friday around one, & I've been going non-stop ever since.

reading Little Women, still. And it's the funniest thing, because my mom & dad actually got me that book for Christmas many, many years ago, and I always felt bad for never having read it. I thought it was one of my Mom's favorite books. Well, the other night, I was telling her how it was taking me forever to get through the book, & she confessed to me that she had begun it many times, but had never finished it, despite enjoying it. Maybe this not-being-able-to-finish-Little-Women phenomenon runs in our family?

writing this blog post via my mom's iPad. And I like it. 

listening to Mollie Jean snoring. 

thinking about everything I need to do while I'm here. 

smelling that 'home' smell. 

wishing Justin was here in town with me. 

hoping that by tomorrow I'll have overcome my 'auto lag.' Driving 1,020 miles makes you feel weird. 

wearing lots of chapstick. The whole time I was driving here, I was blasting the air conditioner, which ended up severely chapping my lips. Oops. 

loving being able to see friends from home. Yesterday morning I had a Starbucks date with Lindsey & Katie, & we sat outside talking for so long that I actually got a sunburn. And Anna-Claire came over after she got off work. We went for a run with my dad, she came to eat at Cantina with us, & she & I met Ward out for a couple drinks downtown. 

wanting Strawns butterscotch pie. Soooooooon. 

needing a good night's sleep. 

feeling weird that I'm actually in Shreveport. It kind of feels like I never left, in a way. 

clicking nothing for the past couple days. I've been driving or meeting up & hanging out with people. There hasn't been time for much else. I'm excited to get caught up on all my favorite blogs. 

photo: none today,because i don't currently have access to my photos. back to normal next week!

friday's fancies #67: neon novice.

bag | top | pearls | shoes | blush | skirt

I don't claim to be a neon expert by any means, but as I wrap up the last leg of my road trip to Shreveport this morning, I know I'll daydream of donning this ensemble to my mom's honors society banquet tonight. True, this outfit would be pretty spectacular, but I think I have a perfectly good one up my sleeve for in-real-life, too.

This weekend holds a lot of exciting plans for me. As mentioned above, I'll be attending a banquet for my mom's induction into an honors society tonight, which I couldn't be more thrilled or proud about. On Saturday morning, I'll be joining Lindsey on a wedding errand. I'm so excited to see her! And on Sunday, I'll be attending church with my parents in the morning, hopefully followed up by breakfast at either Strawn's or Another Broken Egg. Happy Weekend!

this week's posts:

back to basics

six months married

the sunday curently

best of youtube beauty lately

for boston

wilmington snapshot: a day at the beach

more about me

link-up: friday's fancies \ {long distance loving}

more about me.

Greetings from the road to Shreveport. Since I'll be driving all day today, I thought I'd leave you with a little post, divulging some facts about me that you may not know. Enjoy! And here's to safe travels & seeing loved ones soon!

After reading Tina's post a while back, I became inspired to share a few little tidbits about myself, that you may not know...

I like sleeping on couches.

I am horrible at reading maps.

I struggle a bit with defining my personal style. I have a big place in my heart for structured, classic clothing, but I also relish wearing an edgy piece or two. I guess my ultimate dream wardrobe identifier would be romantic preppy with an edge.

I struggle with anxiety. I plan to stay off of medication for as long as possible, but I'm fairly certain I'll find it necessary at some point in my life. At this point, I cope by journaling, praying, & meditating. 

I am an Alpha Chi Omega. I was initiated into the Beta Psi chapter at Louisiana Tech University in 2004.

I used to be a competitive gymnast, until an injury inspired me to quit & take part in a normal high school life. I started taking classes at age nine, after watching The Magnificent Seven win gold at the 1996 Olympics. When I quit at age 13, I was training to compete at Level 8. I dislocated my elbow while throwing a new skill - a one-and-a-half twist - on floor. I didn't have to have surgery, but I almost did. Months later, I quit my team, but competed at the high school level for two years, as team captain.

I have never traveled out of the country.

I met my husband as a freshman at his fraternity house. We bumped into each other coming around a corner, & I told him he looked like someone I knew. I have a picture of us from that night.

I later became sweetheart of that very fraternity. 

I love animals. Puppies & kittens make me extremely happy. I show Justin almost every photo of a cute animal that I come across. I call all dogs 'puppies,' regardless of their age.

I enjoy mixing metals as far as jewelry is concerned, the combining of black & navy, as well as the combining of black & brown. I guess this is one of the most rebellious aspects of my nature, because I am a rule-follower at heart.

I am a book nerd, coffee fiend, & perpetually curious about everything.

That's me, folks. I may do more of these every few weeks or so - I think it's interesting to find out little bits about everyone here in the blogging community. Sometimes I get caught up in the photos-&-outfit-boards routine here, & I like to try & infuse more of my personality when I can.

wilmington snapshot: a day at the beach.

When our Dallas family was here, we went to the St. Patrick's Day Parade. We also spent an afternoon at Wrightsville Beach, which Justin & I consider a little slice of Wilmington heaven. There's just something about the simplicity of a rural, pastel-hued beach that leaves me wanting to come back again & again. As it continues to get warmer around here, we look forward to many afternoons spent on this sprawling expanse of solitude.

Want to see more photos from the afternoon? They're all here.