Closet, Wedding, & Bachelorette Party Confessions

Hello friends, long time no talk! As always this post will begin with an apology about the extended period of radio silence that this blog has endured. Life has been busy in the best kind of ways and we are loving every minute of it. Finally settling into the new house has made all the difference in our mental health. 

First and foremost, I bought some amazing things on ASOS.com today that need to be shared. The ASOS Collection items are so wonderful and I honestly can say that they are relatively high quality for such affordable prices (as compared to Zara or H&M). PS - Have you heard that H&M is online now? Of course you have. Any-who  I am loving these two blouses for work or going out. Buy them here and here right now and in every color. I also bought two bikinis for ladies with a lot going on up top. These will be absolutely fab on our honeymoon. I am really excited that we changed from Santa Fe to Miami. Neither one of us has ever been there and we thought what the heck? let's try it. Hurricane-shmurricane... Gladly out hotels and flights are refundable, just in case. Has anyone been to South Beach or stayed at the Shore Club? It seemed to have the best reviews online. Please send me any and all recs ASAP. Thx. Buy the bikinis here and here.

Life has been really going in a really great way lately. We welcomed friends into our garage apartment while they renovate their home down the street, we planted lots of flowers, we sodded our yard (ourselves! so.much.work.), we installed a new dining room light fixture (much better - thanks CB2!) and lots more. 

Most notably is the fact that all wedding invites are out and people are audibly excited. It feels SO REAL. For months it has seems so far in the distant future and now it is HERE. We are thrilled to get the celebrations underway. I have a mountain of thank you notes to write and tons of practical new kitchen gadgets to find a home for. I also have been working out really hard because at 90 days out and now at less than 60 days out I realized how serious it is for me to get my skinny hat on. I have been doing the Advocare 24 day challenge and it has been ok. It is very supplement and mystery powder heavy (ever see someone drink a Spark? that is this company). I like it overall, but at day 10 I am kinda sick of it. In my head I alternate between slow chanting "10 MORE POUNDS" and "CUPCAKES. FRENCH FRIES. RED WINE." So, as you can imagine it's going ok.

Wedding wise all we have to do is pick the songs for the band, the Salamanders. And fill out our preacher paperwork. And order gifts for our wedding party. And order party favors. And schedule bridal portraits. And finalize the menu... WOW, we have a lot more to do.

Last but not least my older sister, Brooke, threw the most amazing bachelorette party EVER for me in NOLA last month. We had so much ridiculous fun. There was a horse head, strip clubs, Cajun foods, palm readers, revolting hangovers, Canadian bachelor parties, pool party time, lingerie time, nipple tassels, shopping, naps, love in da club, late night pizza, a trash shark, custom t-shirts... The list really goes on! I loved every single minute. Lets just say the ladies at the Penthouse off of Bourbon are like naked Cirque de Soleil acrobats that smell like sunshine or the car wash and make several dollars a second. It was insanity. K, bye for now.

PPS. Houston people, don't forget about Restaurant Month!

Link + Picture + Product Love: What's Happening NOW

 

image via NYCMag

In the article, ‘Picasso Baby’ Live: Jerry Saltz Goes Face-to-Face With Jay-Z by art critique Jerry Saltz, you get to really glimpse art world culture and bravado. I've always been smitten with the seen, but never brave enough to commit. This well written expose' on the six hour show by Jay-Z brought tears to my eyes. Why you ask? Someone from our musical generation is doing greater than great things. Pushing the envelope. Mixing cultures. Questioning norms. It is so refreshing and so much more intense and dumbfounding coming from a Hip Hop artist. Bravo, Jay-Z. Here's my favorite part of the article:

Maybe best of all was Marina Abramovic herself. When she arrived at 3:15 the crowd went silent for the first time. (Gotta hand it to her.) As the notes began, she walked toward him, taking off her belt and shoes. ("Oh God!," I fretted. "She's going to get naked again.") Then she stood with her hands at her side and her palms open, facing him. She climbed over the bench and stood that way for a moment — then, holding the pose, moved closer to him, then closer still. Until she placed her forehead on his. It was as if she was saying, "I gave you permission to steal my act; now I am taking it back." Astonishing. 

image here

Gus Petro, a Swiss photographer, traveled to both NYC and the Grand Canyon. He was struck by one's density and the other's emptiness. He then combined the photos of both locations into a chilling series called "Merge." 

After enduring a seven day trek down the Grand Canyon in 2010, I can speak from experience when I say it is amazingly vast and startlingly empty. We were one of several vessels on the water and saw only a few others. Being a mile down from sea level is the weirdest experience. We were literally combing through Earth's layers. 

"Merge" is a crazy juxtoposition of two vastly different, but totally American landmarks. Love it.  

buy it here

buy it here

buy it here

The creator of the namesake, new jewelry line Lele Sadoughi, cut her teeth at JCrew where she spearheaded the creation of their now amazing jewelry line in 2006. As an avid bobble collector, I can honestly say her creations for JCrew re-sparked my interest in their work. I didn't even know who the genius behind the overhaul was! 

Of course when I came across the above pieces in an Elle magazine story on her new line I instantly fell in love. The quasi-affordable, semi-precious stone filled line of jewelry is both trendy and classic. I love the colors and the hardware. Such a great mix of masculine and feminine. I ordered mine yesterday!!! 

Pinterest Finds - Follow me here for more of the goods.   

Everything about this image captivates me. The opulence! That cleavage! Who's that creepy guy in the back? Was this really a Chanel ad? Do you think MJ and Madge used the same plastic surgeon?
SO. MANY. QUESTIONS.
RIP MJ. 

1961 black cat audition in Hollywood. How are all these cats SO chill on leashes? My cat, Figaro, will dislocate his shoulder before staying in a leash. Yes, we've tried. What about it?

HOV.
I am so obsessed. Can he be my spirit animal? I mean that with the utmost respect.

Skull. Diamonds. 2 favorites = 1 home run.
Dior Jaillerie Victoire de Castellane Roi D'opalie

Chloe. 100% Girl Crush.

The Wedding Chronicles: Act FOUR "Las Vegas Wedding Invitation Suite + Flowers + Etc. = Amazingness"

Seahorse Bend // Lettering by Amy // Paperless Post // Naakiti Floral

We are getting so close to the wedding that I just had to share some of the details. Less than three months away! That sounds like forever still, but it strangely feels like tomorrow when you've been engaged as long as we have. The invitations are at the calligrapher's and the final deposit has been paid on the flowers. We also have the Rehearsal Dinner invitations in hand and my dress is tucked away upstairs. Mental note: I need to get that thing to the tailor ASAP. 

My lady friends and I are headed to my favorite Southern city for the weekend: NOLA! To celebrate my soon-to-be-ending bachelorette-ness. Fingers crossed they don't haze me to death. No shots please! I want to make it to dinner... 

Here's a few random updates:

Remember that house we bought? Well, here it is in all of it's before and after glory! Read all about our little fixer upper on the awesome, Houston real estate blog SwampLot. It is in the amazing historical subdivision of Westmoreland in Montrose. We LOVE being able to walk every where and especially like having a yard for the dog. We also are excited for our first tenants in the back house starting next week. 

I just bought these bad boys since the kitties (1 or both?) peed all inside my Toms (thanks jerks!). They are really cheap and on trend too. Perfect summer 2013 slip on's. Get them here in an assortment of colors.

Look how big my nephew, Peter Danger Clark, is getting! I just want to SQUEEZE HIM. Yes, you read that right. Danger is his middle name. Literally.

Had to share this hilarious picture of Brad and I that my Fairy God Father snapped two weekends ago at our first wedding shower in Austin. (PS. those necklaces are Chan Luu and I have not taken them off since I got them... I swear I am wearing them now.)

Last but not least: I gave in and made a wedding website. So please, check it out and chuckle behind my back at my expense: www.aftonandbrad.com. 

Life Updates Inspired by Wendy Davis: "The Lebron James of Filibustering"

I was repeatedly moved to tears as I reviewed the coverage of last night's historic SB5 filibuster in the Texas Senate this morning. Plus the ruling of the Supreme Court that crushed DOMA. So amazing! "Reviewed this morning," you ask? Not watched/streamed like the rest of the world? No TV. Still.

Long story short Brad and I moved into our dream home and STILL (3.5 weeks later) do not have TV/Cable/nada. It's been nice, but when it comes to current events I am typically a day behind.

These momentous events in Texas and US history have inspired me to get back on the blog and get it together. All of the above images are from this amazing Buzzfeed coverage. And speak to the extensive internet presence of this filibuster. Sadly, as you will read on Buzzfeed and elsewhere the always-streaming-24-hour-news-channels did not even give it a blip. What's up with that?!

The radio silence that has ensued on this here blog for what it tells me as the last 2-no-3 months (March 27?) is because we did all of the following, kind of on a whim? More on that later...
1) Finalized the wedding details, booked the honeymoon (Santa Fe!) and sent out our Save the Dates

2) Traveled EVERY SINGLE WEEKEND in April & May
3) Turned 27! Old. Old. I define it by saying I really know what I am talking about in meetings, ya'll. 
4) Sold Brad's house 
5) Put multiple offers on our dream house 
6) Bought said dream house after 3rd offer was accepted 

7) Moved into said dream house after selling our previous house out from under us in a frantic effort to duel close our two homes in 30 days. Can you guess which closed first? HINT: not the new one...
8) Leased dream house uncomfortably until we were clear to close. 
9) Learned why people say that buying/selling a house is stressful. Our closing was pushed by 10 days and then was split between 2 days because human error is alive and well.
10) Closed on our house! 
11) Drank so much in New Orleans at my friends' epic wedding that I broke the heel off of my favorite, new shoes. Yes. These. Don't they look like Altazurra, I know, right? They are Nine West, run very big and will give you hella bad lower-back-off-legs blisters. Highly affordable & uncomfortable. (only available in this color here) 
12) The wonderful Shoe Hospital on Shepherd fixed them! Only after poking a little, ahem, a lot of fun at me when I told them how they broke.
12) Got real sick presumably from the partying, but also from what looks like air filters that were never changed. Ever. 

HOWEVER, I am back and ready for business! Sorry to be gone so long. It's been a weird couple of months. The wedding is way underway and the list has swollen to a pretty hefty number by small, destination standards. Let's just say its more than a few people. AND my dress arrived! Plus I love it still. So, that's pretty great. 

I promise to do a wedding-centric post later/next week. Business is booming ya'll! We are literally counting down the days until the big weekend. First we have to get through the parental meet and greet. Only to be surpassed in awkwardness by my divorced parents and there spouses all eating dinner together the night before. They have not seen each other, not spoken, nothing since my college graduation in 2008. Get excited for that!

One last thing, I gave in and did a wedding website: www.aftonandbrad.com for all of those pesky particulars. Until then, I leave you with this image that is keeping me holding on...