February Frenzy!

Can the Spring get here any sooner?!

It seems like my life has been whirling around in a thousand directions, I haven't had even a second to stop and fill you guys in! Believe it or not, we're in the home stretch now before Spring break (YIKES!) which also happens to mean that this Friday there will be only a short 11 weeks until I graduate (d o u b l e YIKES!) 

In the meantime, *note the change in subject* here's a quick glimpse in pictures of whats been going on lately! 

1) Saturday after what was one of the longest morning workouts of my life (an indoor triathlon myself and my teammates and I competed in) my parents picked my up for a much needed weekend at home! We started off the weekend at the Back Deck Boston restaurant located at the corner of West and Washington. We had a delicious lunch, and ended the meal sharing the most decadent chocolate cake with raspberry sauce and a....get this- homemade cinnamon graham cracker, peanut butter marshmallow, chocolate s'more......literally to d i e for! Oh! & I had a delicious old fashioned root beer! To say I was treating myself after the mornings triathlon, is an understatement ;)

2) We meandered downtown a bit before heading back to the car, and stumbled on this cute outdoor bookstore called Brattle Book Shop which happens to be the oldest and largest antique bookstore- established in 1825!!! Crazy! I just loved that it was a snowy, cold afternoon but this alleyway was packed with people browsing the outdoor book shelves! 

3) This next one is probably the best news we've had all month....THE CHARLES RIVER IS FINALLY THAWING! My team has been vigorously training indoors for the past two months preparing for our Spring racing season. With our first race the 15th annual Jesuit Invitational just 18 days away we are SO excited that we can finally start getting some much needed time on the water! 

4) Lastly I woke up at home Monday morning to a white blanket of fresh snow covering my driveway, my dog waiting patiently at the door for my dad to come in from clearing the snow. Yes, we live just minutes outside Boston and my dad has a John Deer tractor... gotta love him :) really- and really there is nothing like home. The weekend at home was just what I needed to refresh and prep for this last week of midterms, papers and projects before Spring break. 

What have you all been up to lately?!

Happy Birthday to this Gorgeous Girl!

I love you! 

10 years and going strong girly <3 a sister forever

Can't believe how much you've grown up, I couldn't be more proud of you!

Have an INCREDIBLE birthday!!

xoxo, 

 Jenn

Remembering Someone Incredible

Andrew Rhodes Bourland

(1955-2009)

When I was a junior in high school I met two of the most important people in my life. They are my best friends, they are my sisters, they are family. 

Catherine {Cate} Hathaway Hannum (heres her blog!) 

&

 Elinor {Nora} Walker Hannum (and here's hers!)

We were fast friends and before we could even blink, we had become very large parts of each others' families. When I met Cate and Nora I was lucky enough not only to gain two remarkable best friends, but the relationships that I had with their family members-their sister Charlotte, and especially with their Mother-Mrs. B were unexpected and unparalleled.  

The three of us, Cate, Nora and I experienced, and went through many difficult times together over the years. Experiencing things that most 17, 18, 19 year olds haven't typically been faced with experiencing. 

This time of year, in 2009 the girls were dealing with an incredibly difficult reality, their step-father whom they adored and who was an incredibly influential, loving, and supportive figure in their lives- was battling a devastating illness. An illness that he had been dealing with for years; cardiomyopathy. He was an incredible man, and one who I am lucky enough to say I was able to meet and get to know, but most importantly I take joy in remembering the way he continually put smiles on everyones faces, and in particular adding an air of happiness and light to Cate and Nora's lives each and every day. 

Today, on February 16, 2013, as I do every February 16th I am thinking of my best friends, their mother Jeanne, younger sister Charlotte, and step-siblings as today marks the anniversary of Andy's passing. As hard as it is to believe, it was 4 years ago today when we first said our goodbyes. Where has the time gone?

Remembering Andy brings happiness to my day. Thinking of the afternoons spent in their kitchen chatting away and laughing together as Andy sat reading the paper, but out of anything, I will always be thankful to Andy for the brightness he brought to my friends' lives. Two absolutely wonderful girls, who I am lucky to have in my life.

Thinking of you Andy! 

Happy Valentines Day!

Do you have a special Valentine!?

I'm A Lucky Girl :) Happy Valentines day to my valentine <3

Will you be mine?

I love you Sean!

I just LOVE this Valentine shot in Boston!

{VIA}

Giddy with Excitement!

Such exciting news! I have recently been lucky enough to have had the opportunity to interview my absolute favorite entrepreneur/ blog writer, and finally today I will share the wonderfully clever, incredibly inspiring, and fantastically fun information I learned through my interview!

 Ashley Brooke, of Ashley Brooke Designs has been my all time favorite blogger for a very long time now. I am constantly amazed not only by the creativity her business exudes, but the fun loving and positive energy I feel when reading her daily blog posts. Seeing the always marvelous product she displays in her online store and her new and trendy illustrations always has me thinking about what exactly it is I love about design, and more importantly... where the heck do I want to go with it! Her savvy business sense, cheery personality and tastefully classic style are a few of the things which I just utterly love about ABD, and as you will see throughout this interview... really what's not to love! 

So dive in to learn some fun facts about Ashley Brooke that you might not have known, get a glimpse into where her love of stationary began, and hear some terrific insight on how to find your way to success :) 

Enjoy & make sure to stop by her shop when you're through reading!

Dollface Coffee Mug | To My...Valentine | Mixer Enclosure Cards

Quote of the Day!

Happy Friday!

Check out this adorable V-Day gift guide my best friend Cate put together! 

How absolutely delicious does this recipe look! I can't wait to try it!

Stay warm and keep track of the historic blizzard Nemo!

I love this, I have the best boyfriend <3

I typically am not a fan of scary movies- but this one has SUCH a great cast I might just have to see it!

5 Things I Love about being Snowed In!

With the impending blizzard named Nemo making it's way to the east coast here are some things I LOVE about being snowed it!

BAKING! Being stuck inside is the perfect excuse to have some fun and get creative in the kitchen! I love to bake most all of the time, but when your snowed in it's especially fun to bake up some sweet snacks for the snow day!

COMFY CLOTHES! Theres nothing better than staying in your pajamas all day, It's so comfortable to throw on a big cozy oversized sweater and some sweatpants for your day wandering about the house :)

MOVIE MARATHON! In my house when we're stuck inside, for blizzards or really any reason- there's always a different movie playing on the TV either in the background throughout the day or to cozy up on the couch and watch!

ORGANIZE! This one is totally just a me thing, but if I'm stuck inside I like to re-organize and de-clutter my space! Without having any reason to leave, its easy to start and finish the somewhat overwhelming project of reorganizing your space!

SNACKS! What's not to love about some hot chocolate and popcorn?! These two tasty treats easily tag along with all of your snow day activities :)

Pop of Pink!

Valentine's Day is right around the corner, and whether you've got a fun date planned with that special someone, or a girls night out here are a few hot pink accessories to add that festive pop of color to your valentines day ensemble! 

I happen to love everything about the newly trending "snood" scarf- and this light pink version is inexpensive and adorable! 

We all know I have an obsession with Essie, here is a cute pink color "Mod Squad"

These J.Crew Venus Flytrap Crystal Earrings have just the right amount of sparkle for any occasion!

You can't go wrong with hot pink Kate Spade flats! Keep an eye out- they run awesome sales all the time!

Lastly, I just LOVE this pink cross body bag from C Wonder, a store I have recently been introduced to- and it's incredible!

What kind of Valentine's plans do you have?! 

Any super cute outfits your planning to dawn for the occasion?

Making Moves

Today my younger brother Drew will sign his National Letter of Intent to play Division 1 Collegiate Soccer for the UMass Amherst Minutemen, and I cannot contain the pride I feel and excitement I have about this!

I have watched my brother grow up with a soccer ball at his feet. In the beginning just tagging along at my soccer practices when I was younger (coached by our Dad), to starting on his own path to success. It's been 15 years of watching my brothers' soccer games, traveling here and there to see him play. As the years have gone by, we watched him grow into the confident, tenacious, talented athlete and leader that he is today. 

I can't help but watch him hit the field now, and see the little kid in the bottom left of this picture- and smile knowing just how hard he has worked to get where he is today. The dedication and commitment my brother has made to this sport and the respect he has shown for his own goals of playing beyond high school is matched by none. Through the highs and lows, injuries or lulls in teams, frustrations and aggravation, he's never stopped working to be better. There was never a moment when I had any doubt my brother wouldn't continue to play soccer after graduating high school- and I couldn't be more proud of him today as he finally will see that dream materialize before his eyes. 

My brother is modest, quiet, and somewhat reserved when it comes to his success. He will never be the first to tell you about something excellent he has achieved, instead he would rather keep it to himself. So much so, that when asked if he would take part in the signing ceremony at his high school, he had to stop and question whether or not all the fuss was really necessary.

 No newspaper articles, no fluff... just soccer. 

He's worked hard for this, and he has become more than just an incredibly skilled athlete, he has become a great leader-something that at times, I'm not sure he thought would happen. Captain of both the varsity soccer team at his high school, and his nationally ranked club team, he has most certainly become an incredible teammate, one that the UMass Minutemen will be lucky to have. 

While I still can't really believe that he's going to college next year, I can't wait to watch him take to the field for the next 4 years. 

Congrats Buddy, I love you!

Quote of the Day!

Color Palette: 03

Living Vicariously!

A peak into life in Madrid!

Jenna, (the gorgeous blonde pictured above) is one of my newest, and closest friends. We met in a somewhat unorthodox way- I transferred to Boston College my junior year, and quickly became close friends with all of my boyfriend Sean's (the guy in the tie) friends at BC- one of whom (the other guy in the suit jacket) was Blake- Jenna's boyfriend! So as you might be guessing, Jenna and I became friends through the boys' friendship. 

However, it's somewhat of a long-distance friendship as she and Blake are from Minnesota, and she attends Miami University in Ohio! Junior year, we were lucky enough to have her visit for a weekend (I say we, but in all actuality her visit was really for Blake ;)) We had a blast that weekend, realized how similar we were and since then we have only gotten closer!

Lately communication has been slightly more challenging though- as she is spending the semester 3407 miles away across the Atlantic Ocean in MADRID the capital & largest city of Spain!

Talk about jealousy! Naturally, as Jenna está viviendo la vida española (I knew there was a reason I took 8 years of Spanish) I am living vicariously through her glamorous weekend excursions all over Europe, and wishing I was there too!

She writes about her travels and her experience studying abroad on her blog Un Semestre en el Extranjéro. It is so fabulous to read about all of the fun she is having navigating her way through Spain (and any/all surrounding countries)!

If you're looking to escape the dreary, cold, winter months here in the good old USA- then you should definitely head over to her blog and take a minute to indulge in her pictures and hilarious commentary on her travels. 

Seriously...the pictures are gorgeous and she is super fun- I promise it will be worth your while!

Happy February!

Just a few things I'm loving lately...

1) I have been having a BLAST creating new and fun things for my blog with the Wacom Bamboo Tablet my brother Drew gave me for Christmas!

2) I thought this February Ombre Heart DIY calendar was so simple, and just adorable!

3) These Valentines Day themed Washi Tapes are perfect to seal your valentines, wrap special treats, or add an accent to your daily planner for some extra special notes!

4) I was recently introduced to the Le Pen style pens, and I must say I LOVE them. You can buy them separately, or reduce the price by adding more colors!

5) Last but most certainly not least, I am totally falling for the PBS hit Masters Classics television show Downton Abbey!

What are you loving lately?! 

Quote of the Day!