Reflecting...

Today I'm just reflecting on the things I'm thankful for: my health, my wonderful friends, my supportive family, and for Ross.

When someone you know suffers the loss of a friend, it inevitably causes you to think of all of the loved ones you have in this world, and what it may mean to lose them suddenly.

No one wants to think about the harsh realities of life and how unfair it may be, so this is why it is so important to do the best that you can: let your friends and family know how much you care about them, make wise choices, be safe, try to be thankful and happy each day you are here, and appreciate all that you have.

xo,
L

Gettin Pretty

While my weekend in Seattle has been wonderful thus far, it has been a little rainy. And what better way to spend the time when it's dreary outdoors than shopping indoors.

Today's shopping adventure took us to Bellevue Square where Colette and I stocked up on Sephora goodies.

My picks: Benefit's Big Beautiful Eyes palette and NARS lipstick in Roman holiday. I love picking up new pretty, everyday essentials to spruce up my standard repertoire.

The perfect pink: not too bubblegum or too Barbie.

This combo is perfect for workday or date night.

Have a splendid Saturday evening everyone!

xo,

L

Stellar Stella (& Dot)

Raise your hand if you love jewelry. Keep it raised if you love bold, statement pieces, as well as delicate, feminine pieces. Now, keep it raised if you like spending your whole paycheck on aforementioned jewelry.

My thought is not so many of you would still have your hand raised. Why is it so difficult to find amazing baubles at affordable prices? Cough, cough..Forever 21 doesn't count.
If you're like me, you want to have your proverbial cake and eat it too! In this instance, cake=cocktail ring and eat=wear.

Luckily, the hip trendsetting online boutique of Stella & Dot has made it oh-so-simple for us regular gals: half of their line is less than $50 and the other half is worth the extra dough.
One of my dearest friends, Lauren (Chase!) Brady is an independent stylist for Stella & Dot, so I have been able to witness firsthand the beauty of their line. Everything from the trendy wrap bracelets, to the daring bib necklaces are to be found at their shop at StellaDot.com.  There's also a new little girls line, so you can get your favorite niece a little something special as well. And guys, I know you're reading this too: Valentine's Day is only a couple weeks away- let Stella & Dot make it easy for you! If you need suggestions for that special someone, email me.

If you do head over to her site between January 26- February 9, please just let her know at checkout you were referred by Hill (pretty please!). That way, I can get that Camilla ring down there on the house! :)

Thanks for looking gals, and don't forget to browse around Stella & Dot's wonderful Spring/Summer collection online.

Here are a few of my favorite things:

Marakeech Bib Necklace: Goes perfect with that black tank or LBD- so hot for a night on the town.

Bamboleo necklace: A little pricey, but for the right occasion (i.e. a pals wedding) it's a must.

Stella Vintage LinkBracelet: So simple, yet such an attention grabber.

Camilla ring: Completely. Obsessed.

Pack of 3 charms: I adore all three of these charms. Put on a long gold chain, and voila!, you're outfit is complete. P.S. They're on sale too!

Nugget wrap braceletes (silver/gold): Wrap bracelets=this season's go-to accessory.They go with anything, and you can wear them dressed up or down.

Happy Shopping!

xo,

L

Going into combat

Am I the only one who feels that a strong throwback to the Kurt Cobain, grunge, heroin-chic 1990's is strongly in effect right now? The boots that are all the rage right now are eerily familiar to boots that were all the rage when I was in 5th grade: Doc Martens.

Googled my old boots for the '95-'96 school year.

I want to be more of a fashion risk-taker, especially when it comes to quirkier pieces. I'm tired of thinking "I can't wear that", and "that's not me." If it looks so hot on everyone else, or at least the girls who pull it off (ie. models and 18 year olds), then why can't I? I used to wear nothing but flannel shirts, leggings, and lace up boots and I rocked it. If I could do it then, I can now! And so can you. In fact, you probably already do.

*Note: If you do, let me know/send me a picture/send me a smoke signal!

These lovely lace up cognac boots will be my first attempt at channeling Fiona Apple. I'll let you know how it goes.  I've seen you around, you sly dog. I don't know if you're too wild for me, but I'm gonna make you mine...

A little Victorian, a little grunge...

Happy Tuesday!

L

Next up: Seattle!

After a 4 month traveler's high, the words "back to reality" start to have a much deeper meaning. Luckily, I've had a lot of time to get acclimated at home in San Diego before the real job search starts (i.e. this week). Even though I'll be starting a new job in the upcoming months, I have made a deal with myself. The traveling is not finished for this year

One of my goals of 2011 is to spend more time traveling within my own country's borders. For someone who has traveled throughout Asia and Europe, it's a little disappointing to me that the only other state I've spent a decent chunk of time in is Las Vegas Nevada.

In addition, I:

• have only spent 24 hours in NYC
• have never been to the Grand Canyon
• haven't line danced in Nashville
• haven't hit up the big cities of Chicago, Boston
• am fiending for the culture of New Orleans and Charleston

Basically, I want to go everywhere! One place I finally get to cross off my travel bucket list is Seattle! This coming weekend, one of my favorite girls in the world [Colette] is taking me to her hometown and showing me around the Emerald City.

According to Travel + Leisure's "America's Favorite Cities 2010", Seattle ranks high in intelligent & athletic residents, is one of the most environmentally conscious cities around, and has a great beer and live music scene. Sounds like a city I should be spending some time in. And we all know Seattle is known for (a lot of) rain, so keep your fingers crossed we won't get showered on!

xo,
L

Love Story

We would all like to believe that there is one perfect person out there for us, someone who can complete us...our soulmate. Some of us feel like we have found them already, and others may never know. Most are just happy finding someone to love and share their life with along the way.

Over the weekend, my friend Kate and I got to talking about marriage and divorce rates. Coming from divorced families ourselves, we feel like we know first hand on how to avoid to Big D down the road. Many other girls I've spoken to feel the same way. But, it brings us back to the main question: is our generation wising up to what really makes love last or are we just naive?

This article from Yahoo & Match.com: Crucial Characteristics of Lasting Love breaks down 7 key ingredients to making a union last for the long haul. It is an insightful article that should make some couples open their eyes to trouble areas and really get to the heart of their relationship. For other couples, it's a great checklist to make sure you're still on the same page emotionally, financially, and mentally.

At the end of the day who doesn't want to grow old with the right one? We only have a short number of years here, so make them count and enjoy them with someone who gives you butterflies til you're 90.

xo,

Linds

grow old along with me, the best is yet to be!

Oh hey weekend!

So happy to be celebrating the reunion of all 11 of us college gal pals. What a great feeling knowing you'll be friends for life with certain people...Luckily, everyone is coming to our lovely hometown of San Diego for the whole weekend! What are your favorite places to go downtown?

Ya, they're pretty cool.

Lookout, Gaslamp...

Knot your average friendship bracelet

Wandering into one of my all time favorite places, cough cough, Target, this morning, I was bombarded by red baskets, pink heart doilies, and a million Valentine's Day chotzkies. Truth be told, with so much on my brain these past couple of weeks I hadn't really given a thought to cupid's holiday. It got me thinking about what I could do for the one I love (yes, Ross, we are still going skating) and also what I could do for some of my friends, who mean so much to me.

Usually, when it comes to giving friends Valentines, the buck stops in 5th grade. You know the old drill: your mom buys you 5 packs of Valentines with Strawberry Shortcake on them, you sign your name on all 30 of them, and hand out to your entire class. But, from the time boyfriends were invented circa 6th grade, V-day has always been about you+him=love. Now that we are getting older, I think it's time to show our friends how much we adore and appreciate them just as much as we tell our guys.

I saw this cute idea on Martha Stewart's site. She has a slew of creative, fun V-day DIY gifts that any mom, friend, daughter, and sister would adore (ie. candy jewels, seed planters, lavender satchels). One of my personal favorites was this friendship bracelet that is pretty for all ages (not just the under 5 crew). After spending 4 months in Asia, I came home with my wrist adorned with 6 beaded or woven bracelets. I received tons of compliments and all my friends wished I had brought home extras for them. These kind of tie on bracelets are always unique and add a little something extra, especially when made personally for a loved one.

To get really sassy, try a gold charm or heart in place of the mother-of-pearl fasteners. Pretty!

Have fun and get to knotting--Valentine's day is only a few weeks away!

L

The 'It' Girls

In my first post on my new blogging experiment, I spoke of certain blogging aficionados- women who just seem to have it all going right. Their writing is clean, their design style is impeccable, they always look stunning, and overall they just have addicting sites!

Just thought I'd sing my praises to a few of my favorites:

Cupcakes and Cashmere
A Cup of Jo
9 to 5 Chic
Could I Have That? *fun fact: we both worked at Santa Barbara Magazine a few years ago
With Style & Grace

I'll post more when I stumble across them, and if you know of any other lifestyle blogs of note, email me!

xo,
L

Down-home Southern Cooking

My boyfriend has had the fortunate life of growing up not only in a big, Italian family, but also one headed by one of my favorite Southern belles: Angel Anthony. Angel is a whiz on the dance floor, playing board games, and of course, in the kitchen.

When thinking about what to make for dinner tonight, I thought of her wonderful Chicken Crescents. They are the perfect go-to dish when you don't have much time, but don't want to sacrifice on deliciousness. The ingredients are most likely things that have been lying around in your cupboards and fridges for ages, so bust them out tonight! If not, I think the total money spent is less than $10 bucks. Cheesy, chickeny, creamy goodness!

(These aren't my crescents, but they could be! Thanks entertaininglife.com)

CHICKEN CRESCENTS:

Ingredients:

Chicken breast tenders (boil until tender)

Cresents (in the refrigerated section with the biscuits)

Cream of Mushroom Soup

Grated Cheddar Cheese

Instructions:

• Spray Casserole dish
• Roll 1-2 Tenders in Crescent
• Place in Pan
• Mix Soup with 1/2 can of milk
• Pour over Crescents
• Top with Cheese

Bake according to canned crescent directions until brown, approximately 20 min.

Enjoy! 

L

3rd Corner- Encinitas

I went on a much needed catch up date to 3rd Corner (@Coast Hwy & H St.) a couple weeks ago with my friend Cecily. She had recommended it due to the yummy apps (in particular their baked brie), warm ambiance, and most importantly, their cheap vino.

We arrived around 7 on a Wednesday night, and were seated promptly. As I glanced around, I felt that the place was effusing a familiar air...a uniquely San Francisco air. Not many times have I ventured out in San Diego and felt that way. The specific air I'm speaking of is one reminiscent of San Francisco's Marina district, where I had resided for the past 2 years. You can practically smell the hipness walking those hills. But, the difference is, in SF it's overdone. Here, it's almost refreshing.

Our waiter was witty without being obnoxious. Even better, he didn't come over 7 times to ask if we were ready. Once he took our order, we ventured over to their wine section after leaving our purses on the chairs at the table. I hesitated at first, but Cecily kindly had to remind me I wasn't in Asia anymore. Any place that has a whole room devoted to wine in any price range is my kind of hangout. We opted for a $17 Cab Sav and had our man open it up for us. (Only gripe, $5 corkage fee...wasn't expecting that since it is their

wine...Just sayin'.)

Their Wine Vault- via TLS Images

We quickly decided we were going to be real calorie counters that night: baked brie with toast to start, followed by their delicious Butter Lettuce Salad:  apples, grapes, blue cheese, candied pecans, apple cider vinaigrette (Note: We ordered this crisp summery salad because even though it's winter in the rest of the US, in San Diego it's still 70 degrees), and finished up with the Truffle Risotto with parmesan. Decadent and good for leftovers too. All in all the meal and experience was a solid 9 stars.

Upon finishing [almost] the entire bottle of wine, we rubbed our full bellies and vowed another date night was in order soon. A lovely place for good friends who like good (& cheap) treats.

Cheers!
L

Let's see if this really happens...

More times than I'd care to admit, I've felt that refreshing optimism and clicked "Create A New Blog" button on Blogger. After my travels through Asia ceased in December- see Postcards from Lindsay- my online presence ceased with it (save Facebook). Maybe it's for a vain reason to want something out there that is just mine, my own creative space, my own place to showcase whatever the hell I want to. Or maybe, there's a part of me that just wants to be like them.

You know who I'm talking about. Those girls. The ones with the pristine layouts, crisp fonts & photos, 1000+ followers, with their glossy long hair, model bodies, and designer everything. Their content is what every 20-40 year old wants to see: pretty outfits, lovely how-to's, and even some Martha Stewart baked goods...and all the photos are taken with their own brand new Nikon or Canon! Nothing but original, beautiful art that makes me give a large sigh and keep dreaming.

So I ponder...why couldn't I be more like that? If that's what I admire, what I seek to be, then I could do that. But, I think it boils down to one thing: I'm too lazy for that.

I'll keep this piece of blogging real estate, post what I want (jewelry findings, recipe testings, the occasional French bulldog puppy, etc.) and try and be happy with that. Because who needs oodles of followers and no "real job" besides blogging? Pshhh, not me...For now.

xo,
L