against the tide.

Alright, girls. In an effort to continue the bizarro overshare of personal information during the weekend, here's where I just put it all out on the line: I'm a size large. I'm also white (not just the race...the visually blinding color).Today I went swimsuit shopping. You do the math.

(bonjour, JCrew beauty)

I haven't worn a suit in over two years, but needless to say, I'm a one-piece kind of girl. But I have a theory that due to my short stature, my chest sits much higher than what the average suit allows for, making it near impossible to find a suit in which my upper body is not either vulgarly displayed for all to see, or flattened so tightly that it looks likes two Saran-wrapped pancakes fighting for air (bad visuals? so sorry...). Does anyone else suffer from this problem, or am I totally kooky?

(hello, more JCrew gorgeousness)

Oh, JCrew, why must you be 90 miles away and a tad over budget? All I'm asking for is a tasteful neckline, a classic solid and a smidge of support! Can't a girl get a little swimsuit love?

purely sweet.

(photo via saint cupcake)

Typically, I'm your average hit-or-miss individual when it comes to luck. But today? Today is most definitely my lucky day. It started off with winning this tasty cupcake giveaway (!!!) over at Miss Jane, and later progressed to snagging these oh-so-adorable personalized invites over at umama! If you haven't checked out these blogs, add them to your daily reads. They are fab-u-lous.

Consider this girl overwhelmed by the kindness of others! Aren't bloggers the sweetest people on the planet? I want to hug them all. (Is that creepy? Probably.)

b-day wishes

Today my sis, Dana, turns twenty four!

I always forget how uncommon it is to have a sibling so close in age-we're just a smidge over a year apart. Since we're close in age and somewhat opposite in interests, personality and style, the fact that we're sisters has often gone undetected by those we didn't grow up with. When we were preschool age, my mom was stopped in a grocery store by a (completely obnoxious) shopper and asked if we were both her daughters...and if so, we were both from the same father? (Yes, my mother politely informed her, they are.)

So, I raise a little web-toast to a gal who through the years has been my arch-nemesis, an absolute sanity-saver, my biggest pet peeve and one of my best pals. I wish you the happiest of happy 24th birthdays. :)

wonder.

Today we capitalized on spring's arrival with a celebratory jaunt over to Minneapolis and a trip to the zoo. The weather was pure perfection...blue skies and sunshine; the ideal flip-flop and t-shirt day. The animals had emerged from wherever the little guys head to in sub-zero temps, families were out in force and I do believe I spotted a few patches of green grass. 

(this little guy was absolutely enamored with the fish tank.)

Gabe and I are quite sure we were the only childless couple in the entire zoo today. Situations like this always leave Gabe wildly uncomfortable (which I find hilarious), since I have an incredibly honed baby radar. If there's an adorable child under the age of five anywhere within a 20 foot radius, I know. And trust me, I will smile, wink, wave or peek-a-boo for as long as that adorable child remains in my sight, or I swear to you I will spontaneously combust. I CANNOT HELP IT. Children are my kryptonite (in the most innocent of ways). 

Adding to Gabe's discomfort, a sound byte of me at the zoo could quite possibly be mistaken for a four year old child...since my conversation is reduced mainly to, "AWWW! BABY SEAL!!!" and "OHMYGOSH, GOAT EATIN' FOOD!!". 

(just a friendly reminder from the MN Zoo that YOU WEIGH MORE THAN A SEAL.)

Anyway, by the time we returned home we found our own little zoo. Our kitten, Ned, had taken it upon himself to throw up five times in Gabe's apartment. No worries, though...nothing serious!

Um, well that's it for this weekend's bizarre-o installment of "More Information Than You Ever Bargained For". 

Happy weekending :)

a bit of earth.

My new favorite plant. And my new favorite gardening gloves.

Gabe and I decided that this was the weekend to do some spring planting, since I'm slowly working on transforming my itty-bitty porch into a thing of beauty. It was the perfect Saturday undertaking. I'm a little worried, though, since I'm not a greenthumb...infact, I've probably offed enough potted plants to fill a small country. Specifically, one love fern which Gabe sent to me during long-distance dating days. Yes. He seriously sent me a love fern. And I seriously killed it, without even trying.

So...any advice for a novice greenthumber?

next to my pillow.

Again...is it just me, or is everyone sick? Today marks my second sick day within the last three weeks. Thankfully, I'm allotted a generous number of sick days a year and my co-workers are ever-so-understanding when it comes to being under the weather. But even with a temp of 101 degrees and smashing headache, I felt so guilty for missing another day.

After spending the day cuddled up in bed, life is looking considerably more sunny...even though I'm still trying to shake the cough of an eighty year-old chain smoker...

dear mother nature...

Tonight, while wearing a t-shirt that proudly proclaimed "PROTECT NATURE" in giant blue and green type across my chest, I dropped by the grocery store. I bought a giant flat of bottled water and had my groceries bagged in plastic. 

Talk about bad juju. I'm quite positive that I will wake up tomorrow morning to find everything I know and love reduced to ashes after a freak late-night lightening storm.

So, Mother Nature/god of the jujuness, I offer up this peace offering. A few photos I took today. OF NATURE. I do love nature, I do! However, I also love having 30 icy bottles of water in my fridge...and, well, the paper bag handles always break on my way up the stairs...

so close i can taste it...

(Above: Some of the incredible produce that was selflessly shared with me this week!)

Can we just talk about how excited I am that spring is right around the corner? Sure, it snowed this morning, but in Wisconsin that means nothing...and I refuse to waste any energy loathing a few harmless flakes. I cannot wait another minute for the freshness of open windows, blue skies and green grass.

Speaking of spring, I've officially completed my two annual spring projects: cleaning and shopping. When it comes to clothes shopping, I'd consider myself a bi-annual shopper. Each spring and fall I make a trip out for the essentials. I wish these cheery pumps and this cardigan had somehow magically found their way into my budget and onto my essentials list...but this spring essentials list only called for a new pair of flip flops, one pair of jeans, several camis and new perfume. 

Check, check, check and check. Is it just me, or can the perfect bottle of new perfume change your life? Alright, alright, maybe not your life...but perhaps your entire season?