the rest of the trip

here's a quick rundown of my utah trip.

first stop: sweet potato fries and waldorf salad at guru's. of course.

crazy huge party at my sisters'- lots of cute boys that were way too young, scary games in the dark, guests staying well past 1:00.

french toast breakfast at guru's

shopping and running into this lovely lady.

finding these gems at target. super comfortable and easy to walk in.





dinner at pizzeria 712. marinated feta cheese and hummus. asparagus and endive salad with green goddess dressing, scallion, goat cheese and sundried tomato pizza, and chocolate cheesecake. plus an adorably quirky waiter.

rewatching of easy A, still a favorite.

delicious homemade dinner of tomato mozzarella paninis, and pea pesto.

justin bieber's never say never. a cinematic triumph.

overpriced crepes at roll-up crepes.

superfancy lunch at la jolla groves. felt like eating in a lemon grove. kinda cool but also overpriced. this is a college town, people!

visiting dearly missed friends.
>
les madeleines bakery in slc. tried the signature pastry, kouing-aman and valrhona hot chocolate. marvelous.


kouing-aman from les-madeleines.com

>tulie bakery in slc. enormous grilled cheese and a pain au chocolat for the plane.


photo from tuliebakery.com

successfully navigating our way to the slc library. whoa. didn't have much time to explore, but it was awesome.

can't wait to go back!

weekly 10: utah edition

7 things that made me happy this week . . .

one: surprising my sister with a weekend trip to utah. i called her right before i got to her house and she totally didn't believe me. she even called home to double-check and my sisters played it so well. it was so fun to see the look on her face when i walked in. priceless.

two: the adorable shoes i found at the Nordstrom Half-Yearly Sale. they're a little out there, but i love them. there is a downside, though. see below.


three: eating at one of my favorite provo/orem restaurants, pizzeria 712. i am always blown away by the amazing food and great service. it is a must every time i visit. that and guru's sweet potato fries. can't be missed. we're trying some new restaurants this weekend and i can't wait.

four: finally watching Tangled. loved it. it was one of those movies that while you're watching it, it feels like everything is right in the world. and zach levi was hilarious. it's now my go-to happy movie.



five: discovering new blogs, like bleubirdvintage.

six: this outfit from kendieveryday. i love dresses, but i usually wear them with cardigans. i love the idea of a blazer instead. now i have to find one.



seven: the two-hour nap i took today after going to 9 AM church with my sister. there is something magical about sunday afternoon naps, i tell you.

. . and 3 that didn't

one: i wore the previously mentioned shoes to the airport. brand new shoes. lots of walking. let me just say, i limped onto the plane kicking myself for thinking that the airport was a good place to break in shoes.

two: getting to the airport at 11:30 for my 1:10 flight and finding out it was delayed until 3:00. huge bummer. luckily i had snacks and reading material.

three: leaving oregon in the pouring rain and coming to utah and it's raining. yay. definitely not a trip to get tan. but a great trip nonetheless.

i should have been doing something productive on my lunch break, but instead . . .

i made the mistake of browsing around j. crew yesterday and found these two dresses. i promptly fell in love and then couldn't find them in my size. of course. now i need to go find the cheaper alternative at target. probably not possible.

help me out

all right. i'm seriously considering upgrading from a point-and-shoot to a dslr. i don't have aspirations to be a photographer; i just want a better camera that will let me take better pictures. all of you awesome photographers out there, what do you think?

i'm looking at the rebel xs





or the rebel t3








or the rebel xsi.





also, once i buy one of these, how do i learn how to use it?

just because i love you . . .

it's that time of year again, GAP Give and Get. What is that, you say? Well, let me explain. GapCard members get 30% off at Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy and get to share that discount with all of their friends. And, Gap will donate 5% of your total to a nonprofit of your choosing. I chose FEED America this year and I'm excited to see how much money is raised. Yay for making shopaholics feel good about themselves!

Would you like the discount? Just leave a comment with your email and I'll forward it along to you!

All I want for Christmas . . .

a cozy scarf like this one from secret pocket.




clogged boots like these from madewell. or the much more expensive swedish hasbeens.



a pretty, delicate gold necklace like this one from elephantine.



i'm in love with this vintage pajama set from j. crew



i checked this cookbook out from the library and while the recipes look delicious, i really want it for all of the food and health explanations.



i'm totally shocked that i'm saying this, but i think i want an eReader. i love the experience of reading a book, but when i have 10 books checked out from the library at one time, the thought of being able to carry them all in one is very appealing. i actually went in and played with some at borders and that helped win me over. i like the amazon kindle the best, although the touch-screen sonys were nice, too.



the 4th season of FNL, so that i can catch up before the 5th season starts




an itunes giftcard so i can buy some new music, like bruno mars, kings of leon, brandon flowers, and florence + the machine


what are you wishing for?

just because i love you

I had an email coupon from Gap for 30% off that ended yesterday, so last night I picked a couple things and by the time I was checking out, it was past midnight and my coupon had expired! I was so bummed that I missed out on that deal, but this morning, I got another coupon for 30% off. Sweet! So, I'm sharing with you just because I'm nice like that. Enter GAPSAVENOW at checkout for 30% off today, 25% off tuesday and wednesday, and 20% off on thursday.

Here's what I bought:


navy striped tee, of course


grey dolman tee.



always skinny black jeans. this is my favorite cut from gap's new jeans line. so flattering and chic.

Can't decide

I have a coupon* for 20% off at Shabby Apple and I'm having a hard time deciding how to use it. I've never bought anything there before but I know a lot of girls really love their dresses. I've narrowed it down to these three, all from the Paris collection:


La Tour Eiffel


L'Artiste


L'Opera

What do you think? Have you bought anything from Shabby Apple before? Did you like it?


*anyone can use it, just enter "summer20" at checkout

one for one

i finally went out and bought some Toms last weekend. i was on the fence about them because i thought they were kinda funny looking yet i wanted to support their cause. the verdict? they're so comfortable i may never wear another pair of shoes again! and they actually look pretty cute.


i went practical and just bought a neutral color, but after browsing the website i now want all the fun patterns. at least this is one shoe purchase i feel really good about.






want to know more about Toms' movement to give shoes to every child in need?
visit their website, toms.com

Saving up for a Rainy Day

i've been struggling this fall with the rain and keeping my toes dry. i've never owned rain boots and wasn't sure i needed to start, but i think my toes have suffered enough. i just ordered these from zappos.com (free shipping both ways!) and am excited to see how they fit. i ordered the "huntress" version because i heard they were more generously cut for those of us blessed with more athletic calves. now i just need to find really tall socks.