Goood morning! Today I’m serenading you with the song I’ve had stuck in my head all week: ‘Next in Line’ by Walk the Moon. I discovered it in a playlist made for running because I’m back to training for a 5K in April. I was on the treadmill when I heard it and immediately decided it was my jam. Mostly because I drive a stick shift 😉

 This Weeks’ Top 5:

1. Discovering awesome dive bars. We discovered the coolest dive bar downtown that was tucked away and fairly unknown. The bartenders were extremely knowledgeable and the spirits were delicious.

2. Catching up. I was able to catch up on some assigments, which is a huge relief, and I reorganized my home office so that I can continue to be productive. Wish me luck!

3. Surviving snow driving. Nick and I got stuck driving in a snow storm. That’s a scary thing in NC where we aren’t exactly prepared for winter weather. With my good driving skills, Nick’s awesome wisdom (he guided me the entire time) and a little luck, we made it home safely and only within in hour. I felt so bad for other drivers who got stuck on the interstates for hours.

4. Getting snowed in. After we made it home safely, we were snowed in for a few days.  It was the good kind of snowed in because we didn’t lose power, we had plenty of food, and had no where we had to be. The dogs were miserable though, and wouldn’t go for their walks because they’re big divas.

5.  Ice cream dates. We kept Valentine’s Day very low-key and went out for pad thai, some wine, and finished off with ice cream from our favorite place, The Parlour. They make their ice cream by hand, use local ingredients whenever possible, and rotate seasonal flavors. Photos below!

Photo(s) of the Week:

I took this photo on our ice cream date. Yummy ice cream, sexy husband. Doesn’t get much better. Below is the photo of the ice cream parlour we love so much.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Since it’s a day for love I wanted to share one of my favorite love poems, dedicated to my Valentine, Nick.

Pausing by Lady Lee Andrews. Illustration by Nicolas Thomassin

Lady Lee Andrews is a Puerto Rican poet and her husband is a French artist named Nicolas Thomassin. They own a few little shops in Old San Juan; one is the cutest little coffee and art shop called The Poet’s Passage and the other is  Mi Pequeño San Juan, where they mold and hand paint replicas of historical buildings and doors in Puerto Rico. (I bought a door for myself as a souvenir; it’s adorable)

Nick and I visited the coffee shop every day when we were on our honeymoon. It was just one of the many reasons I fell in love with Puerto Rico. I bought this illustration and a book of poems by Ms. Andrews at the coffee shop before we left.

When I think of love, I think of sitting on the white, sandy beach in Puerto Rico with my brand new husband, eating mofongo and drinking Don Q (the real Puerto Rican rum). This poem takes me back there and makes me fall in love all over again.

Nick and I don’t make a big deal about Valentine’s Day. We usually get each other a card and maybe a small gift and dinner at Chipotle, but we’re of the mind that we don’t need one day of the year to show our love to each other; we do it every day in little ways. For example, when Nick wakes up first in the morning and makes a pot of coffee for me, even though he hates coffee. That’s love, folks.

BUT, if we were going to make a big deal of Valentines, like a fancy dinner (not at Chipotle) or a show or something else, this is what I’d wear. This outfit reminds me of when I was in middle school and had braces and would always coordinate my colored bands around the holiday – red and white for Valentines, Green for St. Patrick’s Day, etc. However, I’m loving this outfit so much that I plan on wearing it a lot even after Valentine’s is over.

Here’s as close to a fun one as I could get because it was really cold out!

BONUS: Nick is getting in on the action. His button-up is pink-ish.

Linking up with: Walking in Memphis in High Heels // A Journey in Style // Perfectly Coutured // Everyday Fashion and Finance // Penniless Socialite // Simply Lulu Style // Streets of Gold so be sure to head over there and check out the other amazing bloggers!

I wanted a flowy blouse and found this one on sale. It was love at first site in the dressing room! Because I’m so short, I have to be careful wearing flowy tops. I make sure they’re flowy but still the right proportions for my height, which is why I decided to belt this blouse/cardigan combo. I wore this to class last week and my friend told me I looked like a teacher. So, to all you teachers out there, you’re looking good!

This beautiful mint necklace makes me long for spring. And ice cream. I’ve said before that I don’t really like pairing bright or primary colors, and I think this is a good example of how I’d rather wear muted colors. Some folks are comfortable wearing yellow and green together, but I’d rather wear mustard and mint. Also, green and yellow were my high school’s colors so I steer clear.

And here’s the fun one:

BONUS: Nick’s wearing hot, red pants! Look how handsome my husband is with that sexy smile.

On Groundhogs Day, Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, signifying 6 more weeks of winter. BUT I’m not sure North Carolina knows that. We had some cold weather, then some warm weather, then cold and warm again. I took advantage of one of the particularly warm days to wear some spring-like colors and pretend that winter was over. I’m really loving the pink and navy combination, and this bright pink blouse feels very Spring-y to me, especially because it’s sleeveless. Anyway, I wore this outfit to a small gathering to celebrate my friend’s acceptance to law school.

And here’s a fun one: