Leaving on a Jet Plane!

That is right, my friends! By the time you read this email, I will be on a flight heading south to Turks and Caicos for a much needed vacation! I'm meeting my 6 best friends/roommates from college down there for an extended weekend, and then the Mister is flying down to meet me on Monday to stay the week to celebrate an early (November) 5 year wedding anniversary. I feel like it's Christmas Eve I'm so giddy!

My girlfriends from college have gotten together once a year for a reunion of sorts, which usually takes place at someone's hometown and consists of lots of talking and eating (especially Rice Krispy Treats). However, this year we decided we wanted to do something a bit bigger and found an incredible deal on Jetsetter.com (if you haven't been to this site, you must check it out!).

I look forward to these reunions every year as we are scattered all over the country, and catching up usually consists of can occasional phone chat or email. It's just not the same as seeing them in person, and I am not much of a phone person. However, I cherish these relationships because although we are not in each other's day-to-day life, we always pick it up right where we left off when we see one another.

Hanging in Central Park during our NYC reunion in 2009

It's been fun to see how life as unraveled for us all since we all met as freshmen at UNC-Chapel Hill. I may have gone a bit overboard with photos here, but I had too much fun digging up past photos (pre-Facebook days) and reminiscing over all the experiences we've had together. *WARNING - please excuse me in these photos as these were my "Freshman 15" days! It's amazing how much weight you can lose just by graduating college!

We thought we were so cute dressing up in matching pink and doing a "photo shoot" at the Old Well our freshmen year.

We spent many of nights hanging out in our dorms eating Rice Krispy Treats talking about who knows what. That is ol' Greg back there who just got married. Love your chain belt, Heath! Haha.

Beach vacations are not new to us as we took two epic beach trips in college. Our freshmen year we rented an incredible house in Destin, Florida with a larger group of friends, and then our senior year went on an amazing sailing trip down in the Caribbean for a week. So, I guess T&C would be an appropriate choice for us!

Destin, Florida freshmen year - when life was so carefree!

I am SO thankful this picture is dark so you can't see all my jiggly bits from all those Rice Krispy Treats!

Sailing trip our senior year

A lot has happened since we've graduated, and we've experienced weddings togethers, babies, new loves, new jobs, new cities, and the list could go on.

Whitley's wedding to P-diddy Parke!

Heath's wedding!

So you can see how near and dear these women are to me! I'd better scoot and finish packing as my plane leaves at 7 am! I will share photos when I get back in a week and half.

*sorry for all the Rice Krispy Treat references - we seriously ate them a lot whenever we were together.

Good ol' Wayne

It's hot. Temps have soared to 100 degrees here in DC, and the humidity has made it feel even hotter. I feel the heat has crushed my inspiration and motivation this week, and all I can do is sit under the fan and eat ice cream. However, I've been able to catch up on some of my favorite blogs and web sites as I sit and eat, and I came across this beauty from Wayne Pate that I'm lusting over...

I love the black ground and the pops of color. I can't keep my eyes off of it. My birthday is in September, so if you feel so inclined to get me a gift you can find it here. Make sure to peruse his other amazing pieces of art!

Happy Friday. I've got to run out and buy more ice cream and some sweatpants.

Bobbie Medlin

A few Saturdays ago, the Mister and I were in Georgetown, and I stumbled into a fantastic "new" store, Bobbie Medlin. I say "new" because Bobbie has actually had her store for a few years but she had been located in a more obscure store front in Georgetown. Her new location at 2900 M Street, NW is a beautiful space on the corner of M and 29th where she has created a stunning display of her jewelry and antiques that she curates from her travels.

I stopped in and ended up chatting with Bobbie for a good hour and half. She has such a wonderful, warm personality, and it's clear she is passionate about her store. Her passion lies with finding antique accouterments from all over the world and turning them into wearable art. Among many of the items you'll find creatively displayed in her boutique are Indian pendants strung on crystal beads, African ivory bracelets hung on beads made from buffalo horns, and a Tibetan prayer box hung among turquoise beads. It's hard not to ohh and ahh as you rove around her shop as each piece has such a interesting story.

A gorgeous conversation piece!

African trading shells make for a delicate necklace.

Bobbie also keeps her eyes peeled for antique, whimsical treasures as she travels and you can find these items tucked away in lovely vignettes in her store - each one captivating you as you discover them.

That wonderful antique, French wood pail would be the perfect complement hung beside a fire place.

I would LOVE to use this fabulous fixture in a foyer or in a dining room somewhere!

I'm an official Bobbie Medlin fan, and hopefully my frequent stops won't label me as a stalker. My birthday is coming up in September, and I told her I may just have to send my husband in....

Yawn

I'm dragging my wagon a bit this morning, so bear with me. I hope to get a couple of posts up this week. The Mister and I tackled a quick house project this weekend...window boxes! I will post a photo this week once I get a decent picture taken.

Happy Monday!

image via Pink Wallpaper

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July! I'm so glad the weekend is here. What are your 4th of July plans? We are headed to Annapolis this weekend to hang out with friends, take a boat ride or two and eat fresh crab! I'm hoping to come back relaxed with a little sun on my pure white legs! I just hope I don't blind anybody!