atlas hands

moving schmoving

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my roommate and i are moving this coming weekend. i'm THIS excited to be moving to a new place, but THIS not excited to pack and carry heavy boxes and make endless trips to the car and carry clothes by the armload down three flights of stairs. it's a good thing we have help. i've recruited my brother, my roommate's boyfrand, and several of my friends who drive big trucks/jeeps. we're paying them in pizza.

that being said, i'll probably be MIA this week (as i was much of last week). i'll be up to my ears in packing boxes and craziness. we've had a good run in this little apartment of ours. it's been a nice, cozy home for the last year and a half. 

we've had two christmases with pint sized trees.

we've had movie dates, pajama parties, late nights, and early mornings.

many wine glasses have been filled and emptied.

we've gotten dolled up for dates.

after i had my wisdom teeth taken out, my mom visited and nursed me back to health.

our neighbor's car caught on fire. 

i sent amy on a scavenger hunt all over the apartment for her christmas present.

we've celebrated our birthdays and decorated the apartment accordingly.

our community pool was my home away from home during the long, unemployed summer months. this is when i got my first real tan. this is very special. 

i've left my set of keys outside in the door all night (twice). 

amy's car rolled out of her parking space and hit another car.

we've received a written noise violation and proudly displayed the letter on our fridge.

our overnight guests have all slept on our bright orange craigslist couches.

our dining room table has been covered in glitter, glue, fondant, card stock, birthday cakes, and art projects.

during snow days, we've bundled up in our favorite pink bathrobes.

in the dead of summer, we've cranked up the ac and whined about north carolina humidity.

we've laughed, cried, danced, vented, commiserated, squealed with joy, killed bugs, hosted guests, cooked dinners, texted each other from one room away.

it's been real, little apartment. you will be missed.

next to me

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oh, our futures were written with crayons in coloring books

it was misspelled and outside the lines and we loved how it looked

like the crooked hem of your favorite childhood dress

and the holes in my jeans from years of carelessness
i know since we've grown, we ache for those memories

honestly, nothing's even compared to you next to me, next to me

when the words came to you for the first time, 
you knew you were hooked

and the pride that you felt at the last page of your first book

and the bravery i forced when i sang to an audience of three

well, it took a million wrong notes just to find a single melody and key
i know since we've grown we plea for clarity

honestly, nothing's ever made sense til you were next to me, 
next to me

if time is money, then i'll spend it all for you
i will buy you flowers with the minutes we outgrew

i'll turn hours into gardens, planted just for us to take

i'll be reckless with my days, building castles in your name
since we've grown, we long for concrete things

honestly, nothing's felt so sure than when you were next to me, 
next to me

so lets cut down the red tape and gather up the pieces of our youth

cause there's nothing in this world we can't fix 
with some scissors and glue.


-next to me by sleeping at last

curls

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i don't curl my hair very often, and when i do it usually looks like a disaster. on saturday, i had a little extra time to kill before i was leaving my apartment, so i gave the ole curling iron a whirl. miraculously, it didn't look like a family of birds flew through it.

curls! i have curls! why can't this ever work when i want it to? i guarantee you if i try this on a morning when i actually want it to look good, it won't. it's the theory of crap hair days when it matters most. look it up. it's in the thing. 

but just so you don't think i am a complete egomaniac, here's what it looked like when i got up the next morning. 

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feeling better about yourself already? 

the lovely list. part eight.

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valentine's day! 

baking two batches of cookies for my co-workers. they love me/hate me. 

getting checks in the mail. this money is burning a hole in my wallet. must. go. shopping. NOW. 

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my sweet friend and co-worker emily surprised me at work one morning with my favorite sbux drink. americano, straight black. and these heart cups? please. i can't handle this cuteness. 

a very long and very hilly run with liz. at one point i considered rolling myself down one of the hills to save some energy. 

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going on a cleaning rampage and loading up four bags full of stuff to give away. any takers? you haul. 

a staff meeting with catered lunch and dessert from foster's market.

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book/magazine/catalogue envelopes. lots of em. 

a fun fro yo date with my small group girls. 

this video. bahahaha. oh, dave. 

finding lots of new, free muzak online.

dinner/movie date with my roommate and channing tatum. the boy can't act, but he can sure look good. he looks good really well.

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a sweet little birthday card from anthropologie with a 15% coupon inside. maybe i'll be able to afford one bobby pin with a cute bauble on it?

what's lovely, ya'll?

linking up here! holler. 

mexico

i sing in the shower, and our neighbors start packing their boxes to move. these girls sing, and people pay money to watch them. go to the staves website and download two of their beautiful songs. 

happy heart day

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i carry your heart with me (i carry it in my heart) -e. e. cummings

i love valentine's day. it makes me so happy and giddy and lovey dovey. like a dream. it makes me want to curl my hair and wear pink and red and smile at cute boys.

i love watching people get surprise bouquets. i really love watching men stand, somewhat cluelessly, in front of the flower selection at grocery stores. they look so precious holding up different flower stems and inspecting the petals. i just want to squeeze them.

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i love this day because, in my opinion, it's not just a day to celebrate romantic relationships but friendships as well. i l-o-v-e my friends. my life would be sad and colorless without them. i want them to know i am so very grateful for how they have touched my life. what better way to tell them than with chocolate?

i guess i can understand why some people are bitter about this holiday, but, at the same time, i don't. you SAD (single awareness day) people are annoying. get over yourselves.

aaanyways...

whether you're in a relationship or not, i hope you enjoy this day!

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p.s. ben and jerry's is a legitimate date option.

sweet valentines

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my stepmom is a dermatologist, and she basically saves lives on a daily basis. i'm not kidding. she's one of the best. she started her own practice several years ago, and the wait list to get an appointment with her is about a year long. see what i mean? she's good.

 for valentine's day, she commissioned me to make cards for her staff. armed with some great paper tags from paper*source, here is what i came up with.

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off to be delivered!

heart day treats!

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i'm pretty pumped valentine's day is this coming tuesday. i was talking to one of the doctors in our office, and he didn't have a clue it was next week. he also doesn't have a girlfriend, so i guess he's off the hook.

i love to bake, but baking two dozen cookies is not a good idea if you don't have people to give them out to. i'm so happy that i now work in an office where i can bring baked goods, and i'm guaranteed they will be gone before the day is over. saves me a whole lot of calories. i've been thinking about some different desserts i'm going to make and bring to work on valentine's day. 

here are some ideas that i've found so far. 

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make a pan of brownies and use heart cookie cutters to cut your brownies. use leftover brownie pieces to make "truffle" balls. who is the genius mind behind this idea? i'd like to meet them and give them a solid high five. the kind that makes the really good clap sound. 

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i love these red velvet whoopie pies. i think i would make them the same way i made these cookies. 

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mounds dessert bars. the risk i take here is that some people love coconut and some people hate it. so, there's a chance that i'd have a lot of leftovers. i guess that's not so bad. 

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pink lemonade bars! i'm starting to feel a little giddy and lightheaded. or maybe my sugar levels are just rising from all these delicious pictures. 

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 if you're like me, you run from recipes involving puff pastry or pie crust, but i looked over the recipe and these are easier to make than they appear. and even easier to eat- bite size! aww yeah. 

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i don't have enough patience or time to make this, but it might be my new favorite cake. and possibly my wedding cake if that ever happens.

do you like baking treats for heart day? do you have any easy dessert ideas? go!

outfit envy

this post will not interest boys.

ok that's done.

kendi posted this outfit yesterday, and i want to rip it from her closet. 

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oh this? *giggle* i just threw this on.

except i know she really did. she's just that cool. 

optimism

the lovely list. part seven.

and what a lovely week it was.

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surprise note on my car when i walked out of target. thanks, lori!

new nail polish. 

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date with kelly the great at piebird. all those desserts? free. why? because we're charming and cute. obvs. 

my older brother got a job in raleighwood! my little brother got accepted at two of his college choices! i'm one proud sister.

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5 miler with my friend liz.

awesome saturday service at summit. 

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valentine's day gift from my dad and candace. coffee, chocolate, and wine. how do they know those are three of my favorite things? it's like they have espn or something...

this song is my new current life jam.

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rediscovering this cute clutch. the ladies at swank coffee made it for me one christmas. these girls are craf-tay. 

roommate date to the $2 movie theater to see new year's eve. when did zac efron become a man?

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my dad and candace came up for a visit on sunday. i drove them around the city, and we had a delicious lunch/coffee/carrot cake date at parker and otis.

homemade guacamole. (did you know that if you leave the pit of one of your avocados in your guacamole, it stays green longer? genius! thanks to my friend heidi for the tip).

fro yo from yopop. if your fro yo costs less than $6.00, you're dong something wrong.

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a morning surrounded by crafts and coffee.

sleeping in on friday. yummmmmm.

finding out about this run. can't wait to do it in october.


what's lovely, ya'll?

valentine's box

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the last time i went home, my mom sent me back up to raleigh with a box to open on valentine's day. you know how people always say they have the world's greatest mom? it's because they've never met my mom before. 

i can't wait to open it and see what's inside. 

here's what i'm hoping i'll find.

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here's what i think i'll find. 

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my mom is laughing right now because that's exactly what's in the box. that and a fresh pack of hanes underwear. 

february mix

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it's the love month! here's to pink and red, lace doilies, xoxo's, chocolate covered anything, flower bouquets, candle lit dinners, stuffed gorillas that dance to elvis songs, secret admirers, butterflies in the tummy, candy hearts, glittered valentines, singing grams, dinner dates, and loooove jams.

get in the mood.

*february mix*

you make me feel like dancing : leo sayer

on a night like this : dave barnes

howlin' for you : the black keys

open book : elizabeth & the catapult

just you : amy stroup (free!)

put it in a love song : alicia keys and beyonce

no one's gonna love you : band of horses

i'll be your breeze : andrew belle

a case of you : james blake

just the way you look tonight : michael buble

this sweet love : james  yuill

hold my heart : sara bareilles

make out song : the rosebuds

gotta have you : the weepies

mississippi : train


love. sweet, sappy, cheesy, nauseating love.