in photos:: our wedding day

I've been meaning to post these for a while but just didn't get around to it. So now I have. These photos were taken by the super sweet and very talented Amanda Young of Swoon Over It. I highly recommend her, especially if you're into more artsy, less staged-looking photography. She's amazing!

So here we go- a peek into our special day:*






Outfit details:
Dress: Tracy Reese Nougat Classic Lace Frock (also know as Anthropologie Spinning Lace Dress)
Cardigan: LOFT
Coat: Anthropologie Cassonade Coat
Earrings: J. Crew Outlet
Barrette: Vintage brooch turned hair decoration
Bracelet: Vintage (likely from Watt & Shand, an old downtown Lancaster landmark)
Scarf: Target
Tights: Spanx
Boots: can't remember
Heels (shown in "a stop in the square" photo): Nine West

A few other shout outs for downtown Lancaster:
Bouquet from Flowers by Paulette
Hair and makeup by Lauren from Trim Salon
Rings from J.A. Sharp Custom Jewelers

*Just in case you didn't already know, we just went to the Justice of the Peace and then had a fun little photo session downtown followed by dinner with family and drinks with friends. For us, it was perfect!

PS- Also, on a randomly narcissistic note, I would like to point out that I've lost 15 pounds since then! Go me! All of this exercising and eating right is finally paying off for me.

tgif:: backyards and weekends

So glad it's Friday! To get into the weekend spirit, I wanted to share a some pictures I took a few weekends ago in our backyard. Sometimes that's all the farther you need to go to find some good photo opps (and some cute beagles).

outfitted:: country blue

Yesterday was an exciting day, you guys. The weather was finally warm enough for me to venture outside in my backyard to take pictures. And it appears this nice weather thing is planning on sticking around for a season or two. So now when I come from work and let the Wild Things out, I can kill two birds with one stone and let them run around like the crazies they are while I snap away with the camera. It also means that they may be making a cameo or two in my photos (this one features Lucy Belle).

So now I just need to figure out how to keep them from tearing down the walkway and knocking over the tripod. Suggestions welcome.

this past weekend:: easter

I hope you all had a fantastic Easter weekend! Ours was fairly low-key, but it still went too fast! I got some work done for grad school on Saturday and we ran a bunch of unexciting errands. Then on Sunday, we just spent some time at my mom's house with a very non-traditional Easter dinner of a shrimp and rice casserole and asparagus. So tasty and a beautiful day, too! A few pics of our casual meal on her deck:





(Excuse the water bottles in the pictures- people were getting impatient with my picture snapping and plopped their bottles down!)

And a few cute dog pictures. These are my mom's dogs, Lily (top) and Violet (bottom). Violet is a recent puppy mill rescue and is quite shy. It was hard to get her to even look at the camera and she spent most of her time sitting in her kennel.So sad!


What about you? How was your Easter weekend?

peep!

fashion beauty friend friday:: inspiration

Wow! It's been a while since I participated in a Fashion Beauty Friend Friday, but I'm back this week. And these questions are a very special set of questions- FBFF just celebrated its one-year anniversary and these are the very first set of questions posted for the event. So, here we go!

1. Which celebrity (celebrities) do you look to for fashion inspiration?
I'll admit, I'm a little bit of a junkie when it comes to celeb style. I love People StyleWatch for that very reason. A few of my favorite celebs right now are Olivia Palermo, Lauren Conrad, Kate Hudson, Rachel Bilson, Evangeline Lilly, Jessica Alba, and Zooey Daschanel.

2. When it comes to your own personal style, what inspires you?
Color and texture! But really, so many things. I read magazines and fashion blogs, watch fashion shows, shop my own closet, peruse the internet and just generally look around me for inspiration. It can come from anywhere.

3. How do you hope to inspire your readers?
I don't know that I've gotten that far with my blog's mission yet. I think I just want people to be themselves and be real. I try to do that on my blog- ridiculousness, imperfections, and all.

4. Outside the realm of fashion who/what inspires you?
Art and photography are hugely inspiring to me. As is nature. Nature probably wins for top inspiration, especially anywhere by the beach. Something about the air there just makes me feel like I can do anything. Did I just admit that salty, beachy air makes me high? I think I just did. I find cities inspiring as well. They just have an energy and culture about them that you just don't find in suburbia or rural areas. Plus the people watching is pretty fun, too.

5. And since Idol is ending… Which songs inspire you?
Soooooo many songs inspire me. I could go on forever really, but here are a few recent ones:

• Marie Digby, Beauty in Walking Away
• Belinda Carlisle, The Story (or the Sara Ramirez version from Grey's Anatomy)
• Midnight Hour, Running Away (from Ghost Whisperer episode Curse of the Ninth)

I could keep going but I have things to do today that don't involve camping out in front of my computer!

Photo by me.

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Fashion Beauty Friend Friday (FBFF) is the brainchild of Katy over at Modly Chic. Every week, she creates a set of questions and FBFF participants answer them on our blogs. On Friday. See, that's why it's called Fashion Beauty Friend Friday. Visit her blog to find out more or join the fun!

what i wore:: summer berry pie

So I tried something new with the outfit post today. Mostly because I had more than one usable photo. Since I'm hoping this trend continues, I took the leap and added more pictures. How brave of me to put so much faith in my self-portrait in artificial lighting skills.

(Side note disclaimer thing: I still have some older outfit of the day posts in waiting so don't expect multiple pictures from them since I did not yet have my ninja self-portrait skillz when I took those pictures, okay?)

In the spirit of full disclosure, this is what I wore yesterday (but by now I'm sure you've figured out that I don't always post the outfit I wore on the day I wore it, right?). Today I am wearing pajamas because I have off work and getting dressed is too much of an effort.

But it's probably a good thing I have off work today because Mr. DU was out of town for work last night and I have issues sleeping when he's not here. Maybe the issues occur because I sleep with all the lights on and the television blaring. But if turn them off, I'm convinced the creepers will come and get me. You would think I'd be fine with two beagles - one of whom is sure it's her job to guard everything - and a scary-ass looking black lab-mix, but no, not so much. So today, I'm a little sleep-deprived.

This is me the whole time he's gone:

And now I'll leave you to ponder that fine piece of art I just posted (which yes, in case you're wondering, I drew using Photoshop in about five minutes) while I go find some berry pie or at least a pastry because this outfit made me hungry.

Have a happy Friday!

recipe:: lazy weekend eggs

Okay, I think it's a bit of a stretch to actually call this one a recipe, but it's still tasty. And perfect for those lazy weekend mornings when you want something other than cereal but you aren't motivated to go out to a restaurant.

So here it is, you guys:

• 2 eggs
• Paprika to taste
• Sea salt and cracked pepper to taste
• A dollop of mayo or Miracle Whip (whichever strikes your fancy)

Scramble eggs, paprika, salt and pepper together in a pan. Top with mayo. And...dunzo! That's it. Tasty and easy. If you want to get fancy, throw in some sweet onions, but you really don't need it because the paprika and mayo add plenty of flavor.

Happy Saturday, everyone!

what i wore:: black and tan

top: charlotte russe, cardigan: h&m, pants: h&m, shoes: aldo, jewelry: fenton/fallon for j.crew, tights: ?

I've always been a fan of this combination (in both clothing and in beer, in case you're wondering). I'm a little behind on outfit posting, so there are a still a few winter-ish outfits lurking about. But yay! The weather finally broke and we seem to be in for temperatures at least in the 60s now. Lots of rain, but that just gives me an excuse to buy some cute new raingear.

Also, check out who got to come to work with me yesterday and today.

Awesome job perk, no? Sad reason, though. Thing 2 here (Lucy) and Thing 1 (Stella, the lab) got into a little tiff over food on Wednesday night and Lucy ended up with some battle wounds. After a 9 p.m. trip to the pet emergency hospital (thank goodness for those!), she's on antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, and pain meds. She's also a little drowsy and can't be trusted to operate moving machinery, but she's doing well otherwise as long as I can keep her calm (she's a beagle, that's a tall order).

But she's been thoroughly enjoying her little jaunts to my office the past two days. And it only took her one day to figure out when it's lunchtime. Today at 11:45, she promptly began banging her water dish and barking at me (which is what she does at home at dinner time). Silly beagle.

52 weeks of downtown lancaster:: week 12

I'm a little behind here. I'll try to get caught up this week. Pinky promise, okay?

So, I like to eat. You may have noticed from other posts about Lancaster since a lot of them revolve around food. And this post isn't getting any points for being original. Yep, more food.

Over the weekend, we went to Alley Kat, which is one of our favorite places to just grab a quick beer and a bite. Plus their pizza is super yummy (and only $6 if you go there on Monday night, which we did not, so...). But anyway. There you go- pizza and sliders for the rest of the party and a salad for me. I have a standing nightly date with P90X. I don't want to cheat on it with grease in my downtime.

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52 Weeks of Downtown Lancaster is my photo project for 2011. It's meant to keep me creative and posting about a consistent topic on a weekly basis. And I'm also pretty hellbent on to getting the word out that there's more to Lancaster, Pa. than Amish buggies, farms and outlet shopping. View the rest of my 52 Weeks of Downtown Lancaster pictures here.

All pictures taken by me, unless otherwise noted.

inspiration board:: living and dining room

{ petal pusher wallpaper by oh joy! for hygge & west, glass link chandelier, west elm, saga credenza, cb2, antoinette fainting sofa, urban outfitters, madeline chair in turquoise, urban outfitters, slipper chair in indigo ikat, urban outfitters, arteriors cooper gold leaf iron floor lamp, layla grayce, pink ikat pillows by ikat & batik, purple ikat pillows by ikat & batik, modern farmhouse table, anthropologie }

Hey, happy Sunday!

After a few months of debating colors and wallpapers and styles, and of staring at huge paint swatches all over our walls, I think I'm finally ready to start decorating the house. First up- the living/dining room area. The whole space is one big area, so everything has to work together.

That awesome gold and white wallpaper was the linchpin that brought the whole design together. After looking at two other wallpapers and being absolutely unable to decide between the two, I decided that neither one was the right one and went out searching for my perfect wallpaper match. I stumbled across this one, thanks to Emily Henderson and Secrets from a Stylist and I have to say, it was love at first site. After I picked the wallpaper, all of the other elements starting falling right into place.

The whole look is a mid-century modern meets bohemian artsy nouveau (a nice little mix of my style and Mr. DU's). I plan to paint the walls a deep robin's egg blue and reupholster one of our couches in charcoal grey. And I want to scout around for some reclaimed and vintage furniture to add into the mix. The main color scheme is shades of blue with metallic accents and pops of pink and purple. Totally not even close to the original idea I had for the room of greens, rusts and teals, but I'm really loving this look. It's completely different from any room I've ever had before and I think it will be a really great living space once we're done with it.

I will, of course, post before and after pics here on the blog. But for now, I'm off to enjoy the precious few hours left of the weekend!

what i wore:: harem pants and Grey's Anatomy

Okay, I didn't really wear Grey's Anatomy. Excuse the ambiguous post title. More on that in a minute.

First- the outfit. I guess these pants are kinda-sorta of harem pants, right? In any case, I love them, but sad news (sort of), everyone- they are starting to get too big! All of my elliptical insanity and rabbit food eatery is finally beginning to pay off. At least I'll have a real excuse to shop for a new wardrobe soon (because "I felt like it" isn't really the best excuse).

And now, back to Grey's. Let's talk about last week's episode, Song Beneath the Song. Normally, I despise when TV shows try to go all Glee-ified, and truthfully, this episode of Grey's was no exception. Until we got to the last few minutes with Callie (Sara Ramirez) singing "The Story." Holy shiznit, you guys, she was awesome. If you missed it, you can download it on iTunes, or better yet, here's the YouTube link to a million videos of it. I'm sure it's all over the place there. Seriously. Check it out. It's good stuff.

So, are there any other Grey's fans out there? How did you all feel about this episode?

what i wore:: saint patrick's day

{ t-shirt: critter jitters, l/s t-shirt: target, jeans: american eagle, boots: dansko, earrings: glitterbug originals }

Yep, you read that right. This is my Saint Patrick's Day outfit. Nearly a month late. But better late than never, right? But enough about my tardiness. Right now I'd like to point out my awesome shirt. It's from a cute little shop on Etsy called Critter Jitters, which just happens to be my new favorite place for t-shirts.

My crazy cupcake earrings (that I think kind of look like little beers if you sort of close one eye and squint through the open one) also came from an Etsy seller- a sparkly, glittery shop called Glitterbug Originals. She makes lots of fun, colorful jewelry with lampwork beads and crystals (and we all know I have an obsession with lampwork beads).

So that's all she wrote today, you guys. Cheers and little Irish beers (or cupcakes, whichever floats your raft).