A million miles a minute.

Memorial Day weekend was one of those weekends when I felt like I was moving a million miles a minute. We had event after event, plan after plan, errand after errand, picnic after picnic, friend after friend. And they were all really lovely little moments. So many good friends, new and old, always make for a blessed weekend, but then it just felt like girlfriend needed a rest.

But now that I’m cozied up on the couch with a bag of popcorn and the season finale of Revenge, I’m thinking about what a happy weekend it was. Happy hour at Mad Mex, awesome tickets at the Pirates game, fireworks, cocktails, animals at the zoo (check out the pictures below!), fireworks, worship, picnics and finally a movie curled up in bed. Even though I spent a good portion of Monday night moaning about how tired I was even though I we were closing out a long weekend, I’m so glad that I got to spend the weekend with so many of the most important people in my life. As often as I wish for a vacation day or a morning on the couch watching daytime TV or a spa day or just a moment alone, I am so blessed to have a life so full of beautiful friends and opportunities to see them frequently and enjoy them wholly.

If nothing else, this weekend is absolutely flying by. After driving back to DC Tuesday morning, I went right into preparations for a work event that evening. Today was a day full of catch-up, and tomorrow is already Thursday! This weekend my sweet cousins are coming to visit, and I absolutely cannot wait to see them. These two ladies are the sisters I never had, and I love how we lift each other up and always spend the whole weekend celebrating something or other. And now that the youngest is 21, we can really celebrate!!

Wishing all of you a happy, happy weekend!

To long weekends with lots of joy,

Lia

Reading update.

So I just looked back at my entries over the past few months, and I realized I haven’t done a reading list update since January! Definitely time to fill all of you in on what’s been downloaded on my Kindle. If you recall, January was a great reading month for me…I finished seven books! I haven’t been quite as aggressive these past few months, but I’ve read a couple of wonderful books that I’d love to suggest to you!

“Songs Without Words” by Ann Packer: So let me start by saying that “The Dive From Clausen’s Pier” is absolutely one of my favorite books of all time. Heart-wrenching and real…and it was made into a Lifetime movie. What says fine fiction like a made-for-TV movie, right?? All kidding aside, I loved it. However, I was not so in love with Ann’s newest. The concept is pretty depressing (which I usually like), but it didn’t seem to have enough depth or emotion for me to really feel for the characters.

“Left Neglected” by Lisa Genova: My momma recommended this one because she knew that I used to like reading Jodi Picoult novels. Don’t get me wrong, I still do, but I think I’ve read everything she’s written, and she can’t seem to write new novels at my reading pace. ;-) So I gave it a shot, and I actually really liked it. It’s about a woman who gets this mysterious disease called Left Neglect where you literally don’t recognize the left side of your body as being present. It stems from a right brain injury, and the story is about this woman dealing with being a working mother while recovering from this injury.

“The Language of Flowers” by Vanessa Diffenbaugh: This one I absolutely loved. You need to read this. So beautiful and sad and hopeful. It’s the story of the foster system in the Bay Area, and this ever-changing story about the human condition and what we are capable of at our very weakest is outstanding. It’s definitely the best book I’ve read so far this year.

“The Blue Bistro” by Elin Hilderbrand: Ya’ll know I love Elin, and this one didn’t disappoint. In fact, I think it’s my favorite Elin thus far. Shauna Niequist (my absolute favorite) blogged that this was her favorite Elin book, so for that reason alone I picked it up. And it’s absolutely true.

“The Virgin Suicides” by Jeffrey Eugenides: Honestly, I didn’t love it. Which is strange because I really liked “The Marriage Plot” and I loved “Middlesex.” But this one just didn’t do it for me. The narrator is extremely detached from the story, and even though it’s about the suicides of sisters, I didn’t cry once. Not normal. But, I’ve heard that the movie is excellent, so I’m definitely going to check that out.

“Firefly Lane” by Kristin Hannah: I loved this. I know this one was popular like two years ago, but I just got around to it. I’m so surprised that I haven’t read anything by Ms. Hannah before because I really love her writing style. This book reminded me so much of “Summer Sisters,” which is probably my favorite book of all time. (Who doesn’t love Judy Blume?) It’s the story of two women set over their lifetime, and they change and develop so much that you really feel like you’ve known them forever. I think this was especially powerful to me because I’m in such a state of changing friendships that the way we relate to our girlfriends is really apparent to me right now. And I loved watching these two women grow apart and come together.

“Beachcombers” by Nancy Thayer: Nancy is like the second coming of Elin. She also writes about Cape Cod, and I’m so glad I found her because I’ve almost read everything Elin has published. I listened to this one on audiobook, and I loved the story. It kept me intrigued while being a fun and sweet story. Definitely a recommendation for beach reading.

“The Blue Sweater” by Jacqueline Novogratz: This one has been a long time coming. My sweet friend recommended this to me after she read it about a year ago. She thought of me because the main character started her career as a banker. But the story is so much more than that. It’s an incredibly insightful look into the world of philanthropy and giving and making big differences…and it depicts charity as something that’s absolutely part of the corporate world. When I get wrapped up in my job, I think of philanthropy and business as two entirely separate entities, but Jacqueline reminds us that the best philanthropy is sourced from the very groups who benefit from it while being results-driven and sustainable. I’m amazed at how much this woman accomplished by the age of 25. In fact, it made me a little self-conscious about how little I’ve contributed to the world. And aside from motivating me to be a better global citizen, she’s reminded me to be present in my work, no matter what it is, and to persevere.

So that’s what I’ve been reading for the past few months. I’d love to hear what you’re reading, too! Still up on my “to-read” bookshelf on Goodreads (if you’re a reader and not yet on Goodreads, please join and find me!) are the following:

“A Million Miles in a Thousand Years” by Donald Miller

“Lift” by Kelly Corrigan

“Bloom” by Kelle Hampton (but I’ll be getting this one in hardback for the photography!)

“Midwives” by Chris Bohjalian

To summer reading,

Lia

Summer to-dos.

Today really felt like one of the first days of summer. I know the “real” start of summer is still a month away, but so much of DC summers are spent inside blasting the AC because the swampish humidity is just too much to bear. But today was just humid enough that it felt like a beach day, but cooled off delightfully in the evening…enough to make me feel like sitting outside after dark to write this post about my summer to do list.

If you’ve seen my desk at work or my Erin Condren Life Planner, you know that I am a list maker. I have notebooks for lists. I have post-its for lists. I have lists of lists I need to make. I list chores and groceries and errands. I list notes I want to write, books I want to read, songs I want to download and movies I want to watch. So it might be somewhat surprising to know that I’ve never made a summer to do list before. Historically, summer has seemed to be one of those “in between” seasons to me. It’s after the joyousness of springtime when you want to stop and take in every beautiful moment because the winter made you believe that we would never comfortably sit outside again. And the fall is frenzied with back to school and back to work and fall festivals and Halloween and Thanksgiving and apple picking. Fall has a lot of distractions. But somehow summer just sneaks in between these two busy seasons and somehow quickly passes me by without thoughtfully considering how to make the most of the soggy, sweaty months. So this year I’m strategizing and planning so I can make the most of June, July and August (and let’s be real, September feels like summer in DC).

So here it is, my 2012 summer to do list:

1. Sit on the balcony. Even if it’s really hot. My balcony spends enough months alone in the winter, and I spent good money on patio furniture. There’s nothing like fresh air on a summer night. Possibly while eating ice cream.
2. Go to the pool in my building. Would you believe that I didn’t go once last year?
3. Sangria. Lots of sangria.
4. Visit the Eastern Shore. So many beautiful areas along the Chesapeake, and I live far too close to have any excuse not to enjoy.
5. Guilty reads. I’m filling my Kindle with Elin Hilderbrand and Jennifer Weiner and Emily Giffin. And I’m not feeling guilty about abandoning contemporary fiction for these few months.
6. Cape Cod. I absolutely cannot wait.
7. Eat a snow cone. I haven’t had a snow cone in years. Probably since I’ve visited farmers markets with my mom. I think down here they might call them ice balls or something like that, but regardless, I need to find one.
8. Grow herbs. I’ve been meaning to do this for months, but summer seems like a logical time to start. I’ll make a windowbox of herbs to hang over my balcony. Plenty of sunlight, but also easy transportation.
9. Visit rooftop bars. I don’t drink a lot, so when I do, I want to make sure it’s outside. Being back at Penn State reminded me that there’s nothing quite like outdoor margaritas and a big bowl of salty chips and guac.
10. Cook with summer ingredients. Corn is my absolute favorite vegetable, and nothing beats the real thing right off the cob.
11. Speaking of cooking, there’s nothing like good old fashioned summer barbeque. I’ll be making turkey burgers and pasta salad and fruit salad and cole slaw. Kettle cooked chips and oatmeal raisin cookies and seven-layer taco dip. Yummm.
12. Run outside. Usually, I run as infrequently as possible and always on the treadmill in the gym with the AC blasting. But running outside in the summer reminds me of two really happy times in my life: the summer after I graduated college and the summer I interned in Baltimore. I didn't belong to a gym either year and sweaty runs outside just remind of me how content those summers were.
13. Eat lunch on the roof. We have a beautiful rooftop deck at work with tables set up for eating lunch. So many days I eat at my desk and forget to take advantage of the Vitamin D only nine floors up. So this summer, I'm making a better effort.

So that’s it folks, my wish list for summer 2012. What are ya’ll doing?

To hot days and humid nights,

Lia

Birchbox and favorite beauty products.

Do any of you ladies get Birchbox? It's been one of my favorite new obsessions. A little box of sample-sized beauty treasures delivered to my door each month. I'm one of those people who doesn't necessarily like trying new things because I don't like the financial commitment of buying full size products if I'm not sure that I'm going to like it. I have way too many bottles of hair smoother with two doses used and are currently crusting up in my medicine cabinet.

But, since I've become a faithful Birchbox customer, I've been introduced to several great products that I've happily purchased their full-size sisters, and I'd love to share with you!

1. Lumene Vitamin C+

So, I didn't actually find this product through Birchbox. I discovered this little pot of joy at CVS, believe it or not. I have weird combination skin, and this daily face lotion moisturizes without being the least bit greasy. Plus it contains SPF 15, which is always an added bonus!

2. Smashbox Eyelid Primer

I had never heard of eyelid primer six months ago, but I really believe that my eye make-up hasn't been the same ever since. I have fairly deep set eyes, and the liner and shadow always glob up in my crease...very unattractive by 5pm. With this thick primer, make-up stays put and looks freshly applied all day.

3. Zoya Nail Polish

I got a little sample of this polish in my latest box, and I had never heard of it. I am a strict follower of OPI polishes, so I was more than just a little bit skeptical. However, my DIY manicure lasted more than a week without chipping, and my nails felt stronger than ever...no breaking! The color was also perfect for work--matched every outfit and was tame enough for bank meetings. I'll definitely be picking up a few of these to take with me to the nail salon.

4. Neutrogena Make Up Remover Cleansing Towelettes

Alright, so these weren't a Birchbox find either. But, I've become addicted to these little clothes since they now combine make-up removing power with a gentle face cleanser. I always have a pack of these in my bag to use at the gym or after a shower to get off that little extra smudge of mascara. I use them in the morning, at night and when I just need to start over on my make-up. Plus, they smell great. :-)

5. Sugar Rose Fresh

This little guy might be my favorite. I've been eyeing this lip balm up at Sephora for approximately four months. However, it's $25, and that seemed a little pricey for something I could buy for $2 at a drug store. So imagine my delight when I popped open my Birchbox last week and a sample tube of Sugar Rose was rolling around in the bottom. I'm hooked. Not only does this little baby provide long-lasting smoothness and moisture, but it has a lovely pink tint and smells delightful. I will definitely be investing in the full-size once my trial runs out.

So those are my top 5 right now. Let me know what beauty products you've been trying...I'm always looking for good recommendations!

If you're interested in signing up for Birchbox, you can do so here: https://www.birchbox.com

M--If you read through this whole thing, I'm equally sorry and impressed. :-)

To beauty obsessions,

Lia

Penn State forever...

As you all know, I spent Saturday and Sunday this weekend celebrating my baby brother’s college graduation. It felt so nice to be back in the place where I spend four wonderfully lovely years. In so many ways, it’s exactly the same. I passed college students inflating a baby pool in front of an apartment building (anyone remember the “cuze” or the slip-n-slide???); we sat at the bar at Mad Mex on Cinco de Mayo; we took our pictures at the JoePa statue; and we had the most delicious dinner at Spats. I sat in my brother’s filthy college apartment with sticky floors and questionable couches and absolutely loved it.

Graduation was this morning, and it felt like such déjà vu, particularly because D also graduated from the College of Business. So many of the same professors, the familiar majors, the blue caps and gowns. In fact, the freshmen that I mentored my senior year were graduating today, so I got to see them walk across the stage. We’ve all really come a long way.

Of course, I’m so proud of my little brother, but I think he was sick of me telling him to soak up every moment. That nothing gets better than the sweet late spring days at PSU. That he should sleep in, be lazy, go to the bar at 2 p.m. and stay up late eating Grillers (even though I think the Health Dept. finally shut it down). And all of that is true, but in reality, my baby brother reminded me that life after college has some perks too. You’re financially independent (or at least mostly independent). You can go on vacations on your own schedule (as long as you have vacation days). You start becoming your real self, instead of your college self (who was probably more wrapped up in grades and tests and social life than discovering who you are as an adult). Post-college is when you really start charting your own life, making your own decisions and building your life. And all of these are wonderful things.

So I’m proud of my brother for bravely looking forward to the next phase of life and reminding me of how important and crucial and life-changing every season of our lives can be. Whether we’re in a place of happiness or struggle or grief or indifference, we’re growing, changing and becoming more of our true selves. And we can’t hate that. In fact, we need to love and embrace where we are at this very moment, no matter how tiny or seemingly insignificant. We’ve been given this lovely moment to stand and love and share.

I’m the biggest offender of forgetting this important philosophy. But I’m trying to be better. Let’s hope we can take on these moments as they come and pray for peace and grace in the pursuit.

To taking in each tiny moment,

Lia

Graduation.

Oh 2009. How often I think about that year. It was the year I was the funnest. It was the year I was the skinniest. It was the year with the best top 40 music (I get it in till the sun rise, goin’ 90 in a 65…). It was also the year I drank the most, studied the hardest, made the best friends, stayed up the latest and loved life to the absolute fullest. As we frequently say, “those were the glory days.”

Now my little baby brother is about to graduate from my fabulous alma mater, and all I can think about is that I hope he’s cherishing and loving these moments as much as I was. In fact, I just texted him and told him that he better be spending these last few glorious days drinking outside at Café and making poor life choices on the dfloor at Indigo. Hopefully he’ll still be in the mood to do Soco and Lime shots with me on Saturday night.

But all I can really think about is how much times have changed. Especially this year. 2012 has been a hard year for me. Harder than 2011…and I thought that was a hard year. I’m sad and lonely and missing my friends and family and hometown. Sometimes I’m so bitterly homesick that it makes me just so angry about everything in this town. Which is a total shame because DC has so many wonderful things to offer. And so does my job. But I’m getting older, and what I want in life has changed so much since those beautiful spring days in 2009. I want to cuddle up on the couch of a house in the suburbs with M and watch movies and make homemade dinners together. I want us to wake up early to walk the dog and run next to each other on side-by-side treadmills at the gym after work. I want us to have dinners with his parents and sit at church on Sunday mornings with mine. And it all seems so unachievable.

I know that people just a few years older than me will tell me to be patient. That there will come a time for all of this suburban-ness, and that I should just embrace the ease of my metro-accessible neighborhood and tiny little apartment. I should love the luxury of living on my own and the freedom to choose the television programming. And I do enjoy these things, but I just can’t stop myself from wanting to speed through this phase of my life and park firmly in the next.

 I know I usually try to end my entries with some positive motivation—calling myself to try harder and pray stronger and wake up earlier and love more fiercely. But tonight I just don’t have the energy. So I’m just hoping for patience and peace until this season is over and lovingly looking forward to the next.

To patience and peace,

Lia