Spring Wish List

I am a huge Ann Taylor Loft (ATL) fan.  Their clothes are really well made, fit me great, and are priced perfectly.  I love when a new season comes around and I need a couple new staple items.  They have a really fresh collection for spring.  Here are a few pieces I would love to add.

Gathered and Belted.

Love the ruffle and color

I love patterned shorts, and these are great.

This gray ruffled shirt has faint sequins and
would look great with the shorts to the left.

Another pair of patterned shorts

Zebra patterened shorts in a thicker, nicer fabric.
Good for evenings.

Love the ruffles and the polka dots

Looks so light and airy, and I love the neckline.

Great summer skirt. 

Good work top with a dot pattern.

Love the color and the ruffles...notice a theme?
Love ruffles on tops.

Great skirt..snakeskin print is big enough that it
is actually hard to notice.

Spring Break: Galvaston

Joshua and I went with some friends to Galvaston over spring break and had a GREAT time.  We did a whole lot of nothing..meaning laying by the pool, reading, and enjoying our time away from school and work.  I managed to take little to no pictures, but here are the ones I did capture (mainly of the house).

Drinks on the bar.  This was our outdoor kitchen, which was awesome.

Joshua getting to the grilling.  He's really good at that.

Ryan hanging out by the bar.

Brandon and his AWESOME Spring Break shirt.

Joshua going down our water slide

Brandon has great form on the slide. 

Pool, slide, hot tub....all directly across from the water treatment plant.
They don't tell you about that in the description.  Still really awesome.

Just one of the great signs from around the house.

House with the downstairs bar/kitchen area.

Heading upstairs to see the rest of the house..oh, I mean the rest of paradise.

Upper porch area. 

The great room.  There were A LOT of plants..it was kind of a jungle.

Can I take this kitchen home with me please?
Perfect layout and big enough for a few people to cook.

Like I said, I don't really have any pictures of people..other than the first few.  

Instagram!

My good friend Hawley, who lives with her hubby and adorable daughter in New Haven, CT, shared a great iphone app with me today.  She had taken some really cool pictures and I simply inquired how she did it.  Well, the answer is: instagram.  One great thing about this app: it's free!  But, it has some really cool filters that you can apply to the picture...and pretty quickly.  It doesn't take long at all, which is also great.  AND..you can directly post to facebook if your heart so desires.  Here are some pictures I've taken today:

Last view of the ocean on our way out of town.
 (Nashville filter..hehe, love that!)

Sam Houston Statue in Hunstville, TX.
Took this from our moving car on the way back from Galveston.
(Hefe filter)

My new frames! Picked 'em up before our little vacation.
(Walden filter..I think)

So, as you can see..many different effects to be created...which is awesome.  Also, you can follow other intagramographers (I totally just made that word up..aaannd, I like it.)  If you want to follow me..please feel free to do so.  my username is mevincent.  I like the idea of being connected to friends and families via photographs.  Great idea iphone app world and thank you HAWLEY for sharing this with me.

Lack of Posting

So sorry for the lack of posts.  I have found myself deeply wrapped up with work.  If I'm not working..I'm relaxing and don't want anything to do with a computer.  (Gasp!) I know..I desire a technology free time when I'm away from work.  Granted, Joshua and I tend to spend our evenings watching a movie or tv..but I rarely get on a computer anymore.  I've tried blogging from my iphone but need a new app for that..the one I have just isn't that awesome.  Soo..if you have any suggestions, please send them my way!

Yes, I have been working my booty off..generally not leaving work until the sun has long gone.  Thankfully, that sun is staying around longer and I'm getting to see a little more of it each evening.  I've also been very diligent in my work outs lately.  Making sure to get in at least 3 during the week...aiming for 4 though.  Joshua and I have also been trying to get more fitness in on the weekends.  We'll head over to White Rock Lake from time to time to take a stroll around the lake..which is so nice!  We love spending time together outdoors.

I've been trying to train for a 1/2 marathon (Nashville at the end of April)..but am having a little bit of a struggle these days.  I kind of plateaued at 6 miles.  I just need to get some more time in my life to dedicate to running.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE to run.  It's freeing to me, it's something I think I'm pretty good at, and I feel so good at the end.  I just need to find more hills..because if you didn't know...Dallas is very flat (in comparison to GA and TN).  So..I will continue to push on in the hopes of getting to that 13.1 by April 30th.

Next week Joshua and I are headed to Galveston with some friends for the LAST spring break...and my FIRST.  I never went anywhere crazy for Spring Break in college.  I generally went home or to Memphis to see Joshua.  So, this will be one for the books.

That's all I have for now.  I'm on my lunch break and just wanted to get a little update in.

Fun things from around the web

I love searching design sites...and I love finding out what inspires others.  One of my favorite little blogs is A Cup of Jo. Some of her links from the last post were great and I wanted to share.

Kim McCarty does some BEAUTIFUL watercolors.  I love the plant life...but the nudes are pretty spectacular too.  All of her works are so light and crisp.

Michigan Mittens!  A piece of my heart lies in Michigan.
That's where I was born and where all of my extended family lives.
So I like these little guys a lot.

That is all for now...I started this post over a week ago and am just now coming back to it.  I'll have more fun things from around the web another day!

Cleaning House

I must admit, one of my favorite weekend activities is cleaning our house.  I love to light a few candles, turn the music up and clean.  To me, there is just something rejuvenating about cleaning the house.  When the weather is nice, I love to open the windows and let some fresh air in too.  Not sure how that's going to work now that we have little Pierre...he would definitely try to escape.

There are a few other things I would like to add to my weekend list.  I got an awesome art easel for Christmas and I would love to get the creative juices flowing and start to use it.  I have prepped a canvas for my rooster painting that I have been planning..but just haven;t gotten the time to paint yet.  I also bought 4 small canvases this weekend to do a series..or one big piece split onto 4 canvases.

Joshua and I are also wanting to get a lot of exercise in on the weekends.  Today we went for a nice long walk.  I really enjoy this time outside because we talk about anything and everything and it's just so nice to be with my best friend..picking each others brains, sharing our hopes and dreams and life goals.  We do a lot of decision making on those walks.

My final goal:  to not let the laundry sit on our small couch all week.  I want to get them folded and put away.  The only problem with this is that I do laundry all week long..so there is usually some laundry on the couch.  Maybe I should condense everything into one day..hmm, ideas.

So..all in all, I love house chores.  I know that seems crazy..but I love our space and I love that we keep it pretty inviting most of the time.  So here's to taking joy in simple things.

The Cats

We took Pierre home with us over Christmas break and I got some great pictures of him...as well as the other cats of the house.  Mickey and DoodleBug belong to Joshua's parents but they all had a great time playing together.  Here are just a few of the pictures I captured.

Handsome Pierre.

Mickey, curled up on the cat climber.

Pierre and Mickey playing.

DoodleBug..love her.

Cleaning.

Playing hide-and-go-seek with Mickey on the cat tower.

DoodleBug knocking off the flamingo.  She doesn't like it sitting up.

bahaha..happy kitty.

tired kitty about to pass out with one leg hanging off the ledge.

Cats have so much personality..glad I was able to capture a little bit of each of them.

The New Year thus far

I have been busy busy busy since returning to Dallas after our wonderful holiday break in Tennessee. Work has been pretty busy, still feel like I am playing catch up...slowly feeling like I'm getting back to normal. January is a big month for the Y, with everyone looking for a gym to support their New Year's resolutions of losing weight. But the Y is more than a gym. We are a non-profit working to strengthen the foundation of our community. So, every January we kick off our annual Partner's Campaign. The money raised goes right back into supporting our community. So, in addition to the normal work day, we work extra hard to raise money for the families, children, and seniors we serve. No one is turned away from the Y due to financial constraints.

Like all of those individuals coming into the Y to start leading a healthier lifestyle, I have some resolutions of my own. I have a pretty good handle on the workout aspect of a healthy lifestyle...it's more the dietary portion I struggle with. My goal is to cook at home more and to cook wholesome foods with more veggies. I have also committed myself to running the Nashville 1/2 marathon in April. I am currently running about 5 miles consistently so I'm well on my way.

I have two more things that I want to accomplish in 2011. I got an art easel for Christmas and I would like to be more creative and create one piece of art a month. I think that's pretty do-able.

And lastly, I want to remain more positive. Like the saying goes, "don't sweat the small stuff." I am aiming to let the little things go and focus on all the things that make me happy (Joshua, friends, family, art, running, cooking, etc).

So here is to a wonderful year. What are your goals to making the most of 2011?

-Milli