fires

the lovely list. part nine.

{photo credit: me}

farm fresh eggs. 

{photo credit: me}

my first set of cards using my new birthday letterpress. 

{photo credit: me}

birthday pressies from anthro! i actually bought these for someone else and not myself. shocking, i know.

{photo credit: me}

red chanel nail polish borrowed from my sweet mum. 

{photo credit: me}

statement necklace.

{photo credit: me}

letterpress supplies.

what's lovely, ya'll?

i run for fro yo

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i run for fro yo (and pizza and cupcakes and bacon and brownies). i run to stay fit. i run to good music. i run up hills and down. i run on trails. i run on busy roads. i run in cold weather. i run in the hot hot heat. i run when it's the last thing i want to do. i don't run when i know i should. i sweat a lot when i run. a lot. 

i recently signed up for my second half marathon. i did the same race with some friends a couple of years ago, and it was such a fun time. (when i say fun i don't mean the kind of fun you have when you go see a hilarious movie with your friends. i'm talking about the kind of fun that happens when you cross the finish line after 13.1 miles and your legs feel like dead tree trunks, sweat is stinging your eyes, and you're on the verge of feeling like you might need to puke. somuchfun!)

my friend liz is doing the race, too, and we have been racking up the mileage together. i've never really had a running buddy before. i'm used to running solo, but it's nice to have a friend next to me on my route. sometimes we gab. sometimes i'm too busy huffing and puffing to pay any attention to what's going on around me. 

i realize this post makes me sound like i'm a running fanatic. let it be known that i don't run when it's 100+ degrees out. i don't have bird legs. i don't have 2% body fat. i'm not one of those girls who run around in short shorts and a neon sports bra. sometimes i get butterflies before a run, but that's only if i have new music on my ipod. i wouldn't say i love running. i would say i like it just fine.

i would also say that one of the main reasons i sign up for/train for races is for the t-shirts. chyeeeahh. 

feeling groovy

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it's technically thursday, but it's my friday, and i've got that feel-good, happy, fuzzy, excited, groovy feeling. today is also my friend liz's birthday, and we're going out for fancy dinner at the melting pot.

{photo credit: me}

i'm THIS excited, and not just because it means we're wearing heels and eating until our stomachs are fat and happy but because i love celebrating my dear friend's birthday!

when i first met liz, she was this fast talking, sassy, hilarious, northern girl. she was sooooo cooooool. now, she's one of my good friends, and i can't believe i used to be intimidated by her. she quotes disney movies, people. in conversation. on a regular basis. 

despite her nerdiness (or perhaps because of it), i love her much much, and i'm thankful for her in my life. happy birthday, lizzie!

strawberry swing

birthday recap

{photo credit: me}

i'm here! i'm here! ooops. didn't mean to go MIA on you for over a week. guess that's what happens when you turn another year older and start forgetting things. actually, i didn't forget you at all. i was just having too much fun to sit still for more than five minutes and write a bloggy post. 

this past birthday was one of the best birthdays i've had in my whole 27 years of sparkly life. from the moment i woke up till late evening, i felt extremely loved.

{photo credit: me}

my roommate woke me up in the wee hours of the morning by coming into my room and singing and dancing around. she had made us a delicious breakfast of turkey bacon, eggs, starbucks coffee, and, my favorite, a pink mini birthday doughnut.

{photo credit: amy}

as if breakfast wasn't enough, she then hands me a huuuge birthday pressie. whatisit? whatisit? i rip it open to find this letterpress. ya'll. a letterpress. i've been wanting this exact one for years. no joke. i asked santa for it a few christmases ago, but his elves couldn't produce it fast enough, and it was backordered for months. i eventually decided to cancel my reservation, but i've mentioned it to amy in passing a few times. never in a million years did i think she would get it for me. she really loves me.

{photo credit: emily}

when i got to work, my co-workers had decorated my desk in ribbons and banners and a handmade heart garland. my keyboard and mouse were wrapped up in ribbon, and my friend emily had a few treats from starbucks waiting for me. red velvet whoopie pie, what? during lunch we all ate together in the break room and had cupcake brownies, ice cream, and toppings galore. is there anything better?

{photo credit: kelsey}

after work, amy and our friends liz and kelly had plans to have a birthday dinner at a restaurant in downtown raleigh. we headed over to lizzy's to pick her up, but when i opened the door to her apartment, the room was completely dark. and then i heard it: SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

are you kidding? a surprise party? who is the luckiest girl in the world?! meeeeeee!

{photo credit: liz}

amy and liz had been planning this for about two weeks or so and had invited a ton of my friends. my family even drove an hour and a half from southern pines to make it. there were margaritas, tons of desserts, homemade mexican food, a tinkerbell piñata, pressies, cards, balloons, and "lacey" spelled out in pink tape on the wall. i'm not sure who thought of that, but i want it on my birthday from here on out.

{photo credit: amy} 

i still can't believe how great the whole day was. i can't believe how much work and time and effort my rooms put into making me feel like a birthday queen. i think about it and get fuzzy.

surprisingly, my birthday celebrating is still not over! i'm going home this weekend to celebrate with my family, and my friend chelsea is coming into town to hang in so. pines and par-tay!

dear 27th birthday, thank you for being the greatest. you made me feel loved and so very special. you made me totally forget that i'm now one year closer to being 30.

sweet 27

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it's my birthday. i feel very loved. 

heart heart heart.

march birthday mix!

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it's my birthday, and i'll make a music playlist if i want to. happy birthday month to ME! this year i will be turning the big 2-7 so in celebration of all things cake and pressies and balloons and birthday party hats, i have made the longest-to-date blog playlist. 27 songs for 27 years. dang.

this playlist include songs that make me happy. that was the only criteria. some of them have been featured on my blog before, but they're so good that you'll want to listen to them again. 

omg. 27? really? why do i still feel like i'm 22? 

*march birthday mix*

birthday : kings of leon

we turn it up : oh land

we are young : fun.

turning page : sleeping at last

zebra : beach house

my body : young the giant

pray : justin bieber

i'm his girl : friends

atlas hands : benjamin francis leftwich

tongue tied : grouplove

gathering stories : jonsi

the only one : the black keys

midnight city : m83

be with you : michael castro (help this kid out on kickstarter!)

difficult : uffie

lost and found : katie herzig

keep breathing : ingrid michaelson

i belong in your arms : chairlift

run the heart : sleigh bells

and then you : greg laswell

pull my heart away : jack penate

can you tell : ra ra riot

amsterdam : griffin house

draw me a map : dierks bentley

strawberry swing : coldplay

sexy and i know it : lmfao

i have a dream (it feels like home) : the city harmonic


happy listening!

yours truly,
the birthday queen