Goodbye, 2012

Goodbye, 2012.  This has been the most challenging year of my life, for a number of reasons, and while I'm feeling grateful for the emotional growth it has provided, I couldn't be happier to move forward.  

This year will forever be remembered as the year I married my best friend in front of so many loved ones.  It was the year that I learned just how loving and generous our family and friends could be.  It was the year I became a tenured teacher and the year that Erik and I travelled alone together for the first time.  It was the year of job changes, and the year my parents said goodbye to my childhood home.  It was the year that we gained family, and lost family.

And so despite some hardships and losses that have been faced this year, I'm putting my best foot forward into 2013.  I'm resolving to commit myself much more to running this blog.  I'm committing to being excited to turn 30 in 2013.  And I'm committing to move my relationships forward even more, because so many moments throughout this past year have shown me more than ever that life is about the incredible people who surround us each day.  So goodbye, 2012, and hello new year.  You're going to be the best one yet, I'm sure of it.

 Sweatshirt: Loft

Hat, Leggings: Gap

Boots: Anne Klein 

In Honor of Browny

Dear Friends,

In honor of my sweet Browny, I am working to raise money for a local animal shelter.  This shelter introduced me to a best friend over 7 years ago.  My life, and so many other lives, changed for the better by having Browny in it.  Losing him last week has left me devastated and heartbroken.  He was the most loyal and committed dog I've ever known, and he filled our lives with so much love and happiness.

If you, too, have experienced the incredible, beyond-words type of love that an animal can give, then please consider helping me raise the money I need to help the Animal Rescue Force.  It would help to heal my broken heart, and mean the world to me to help them out this holiday season!

xoxo
Renee

Please Click Here to Make a Donation!

Juice Time

Well, I did it, I jumped on the juicing bandwagon.  This increasingly popular form of veggie-consumption has been something I've been wanting to try for a while, and so I finally caved and made my way to the Macy's basement to pick up a Breville over the weekend.

For me, I'm not interested in replacing meals or fasting.. (truth be told, I don't have the will-power to fast).  I just knew that Erik and I were letting our eating habits slide throughout the past few months, and I wanted to put ourselves in the right direction, especially before the holidays arrive!

Years ago, through most of college, I ate a strictly vegan diet.  And the truth is, I was never healthier.  I felt so much better than I do now, and while I'm not quite prepared to return to that restrictive of a diet, I do want to focus on consuming more amazing veggies..particularly ones that I don't eat regularly (ie. kale, beets..etc.)

So if there are any juicing-pros out there, send me your recipes--please!!  Here are 2 that I tried this weekend and have really enjoyed:

In photo 1: 

1 beet, 2 stalks of celery, 1 large carrot, 2 apples, 1/2" ginger

In photo 2:

5 leaves of kale, 1 handful of spinach, 1 handful of broccoli, 

2 apples, 1 pear, 1/2 lemon, 1/2 lime, 1 handful of grapes, 1 handful of mint

(inspired by Sydney's recipe here)

The Skies are Clearing

T-shirt and Leggings: Gap

Poncho Sweater & Scarf: H&M

Rain boots: Steve Madden

Halloween: Mary Poppins and Bert

Rather than attending a Halloween party this year, we attended a super important wedding...Erik's sister got married on Saturday!  And so we didn't do any costumes this year, but last year was one of my all-time favorites... Mary Poppins and chimney sweep Bert.  It couldn't have been easier--we already owned all of the items that we used, with the exception of some black face paint for Erik.  Other than that, it was warm and comfy, yet easily recognizable, which is something that I consider to be important in any costume choice.

Happy Halloween, everyone!

Punkin' Pickin'

Last week, one of my 1st graders was constantly talking about how excited he was to do some "punkin' pickin."  I guess I couldn't get that out of my head, because I had a major itch to pick some pumpkins as well!  With a bit of sunshine and warmth in the air, we hopped onto our (super amazing) new Genuine Buddy, and found a great little place in our area.  

One little pumpkin, too many nachos, and some alpaca-petting later, we rode home with the wind in our faces.  A perfect Sunday...

Sunglasses: Loft

Broach: Flea Market

T-shirt, Bag, Scarf & Flats: Gap 

Angle Zip Legging Jeans: Gap

Button Down: Urban Outfitters

A Warm Autumn Work Day

 On the best Autumn days, it's crisp and sunny, and we've been fortunate to have several of those days this past week.   I pulled this look together last Wednesday for work with a few things in mind: an important meeting, lots of walking, and it was fairly warm outside.  I'm thrilled with the simplicity of this outfit, but love that it feels so "me."

Button-Down and Cropped Pants: Gap

Blazer: Banana Republic

Necklace: J.Crew

Flats: Chinese Laundry

Scooting Around

Over the weekend, Erik and I scooted around town (yes, we got a scooter!!!) and had a blast.  Our errands included a trip to his new office to drop off some books and do a little decorating.  He started working at a new firm at the beginning of September.... and although he didn't move into a new building in Philly, he moved up a few floors and has some fantastic views.

By the way, this outfit is one of my favorites in a long time... which means, I wore it all. weekend. long.

Sweater: J.Crew

Vintage Bag: Coach

Flats: Chinese Laundry

Zipper Jeans & Blouse: Gap

Taking Summer Staples into Fall

I still haven't managed to pull out my fall/winter clothes from storage, so I've been transitioning my summer staples into my September wardrobe.  The truth is, I always love to hang on to the sandal-wearing days as long as possible because once you put on a pair of boots, you know it'll be months and months until your toes see the sunshine again.

Sweater: H&M

Pants: Gap

Sandals: Loft Outlet

A Favorite Photo

Our wedding photos will be here soon, and I can't wait to share a few more with you!  This one is my absolute favorite.

Back to Work

Finally getting back on track!  Today marks the 1 month anniversary of our wedding, and I figure that it's finally time to jump back onto the blogging wagon.  Over the past month, we said our vows in front of all of our loved ones, took our very first vacation as a couple, I had the honor of being a bridesmaid in a dear friend's wedding, and then I dove right in to a new (and busy) school year.  It feels like we've been going non-stop, but it's finally time that we return to a normal routine.  I'm ready to hibernate in our house for a while and just enjoy married life.

Soon I'll have some wedding and honeymoon photos to share, I promise!  Oh, and maybe a few fun pics of our cute new scooter!

Sweater: Talbots

Sheath Dress: Gap

Sandals: Steve Madden

Watch: Michael Kors

We're Back!

Erik and I just returned from an incredible honeymoon in Bermuda.  While we unpack, grocery shop, and prepare to return to reality (work tomorrow!), here's a glimpse of the pink sand we've been enjoying for the past week.

And once I manage to pull myself back together, I'm looking forward to sharing some wedding details!

How Falling in Love is Like Owning a Dog

How Falling in Love is like Owning a Dog

by Taylor Mali

First of all, it’s a big responsibility,
especially in a city like New York.
So think long and hard before deciding on love.
On the other hand, love gives you a sense of security:
when you’re walking down the street late at night
and you have a leash on love
ain’t no one going to mess with you.
Because crooks and muggers think love is unpredictable.
Who knows what love could do in its own defense?

On cold winter nights, love is warm.
It lies between you and lives and breathes
and makes funny noises.
Love wakes you up all hours of the night with its needs.
It needs to be fed so it will grow and stay healthy.

Love doesn’t like being left alone for long.
But come home and love is always happy to see you.
It may break a few things accidentally in its passion for life,
but you can never be mad at love for long.

Is love good all the time? No! No!
Love can be bad. Bad, love, bad! Very bad love.

Love makes messes.
Love leaves you little surprises here and there.
Love needs lots of cleaning up after.
Somethimes you just want to get love fixed.
Sometimes you want to roll up a piece of newspaper
and swat love on the nose,
not so much to cause pain,
just to let love know Don’t you ever do that again!

Sometimes love just wants to go out for a nice long walk.
Because love loves exercise. It will run you around the block
and leave you panting, breathless. Pull you in different directions
at once, or wind itself around and around you
until you’re all wound up and you cannot move.

But love makes you meet people wherever you go.
People who have nothing in common but love
stop and talk to each other on the street.

Throw things away and love will bring them back,
again, and again, and again.
But most of all, love needs love, lots of it.
And in return, love loves you and never stops.

Taylor Mali

More Casual

I bought this dress a few months ago, and wear it frequently.  My problem with it is that I often want it to look more casual, and it's a little on the fancy side with the beautiful detailed pattern.  So to make it look a bit more relaxed, I added this neon yellow belt, and I love the strange color combo!

Dress: Talbots

Belt: Loft

Wedges: Gap

Watch: Michael Kors

Wedding Planning: 9 Days to Go

Life hasn't been well-documented lately, unless you consider all of my wedding-related iphone photos.  Here's what I've been up to...

Guestbook from Etsy vendor Totally Salinda

Wedding Planning: 2 Weeks to Go

The past few months have been a total whirlwind for me.  I have been on vacation from work since June 30th, but somehow I've done very little "vacationing."  How do people seriously put together a wedding and work full time?   I can't even manage to photograph an outfit for this blog!

The truth is, I brought this upon myself.  I took on the responsibility of planning this wedding allllmost entirely on my own.  But before I complain too much, I should first give credit where credit is due.  Erik has been the wedding contracts attorney and chief negotiator among vendors...and basically the best assistant to me that I could possibly ask for.  My mother and sister have dealt with far too many phone calls and text messages about ridiculously insignifant details, and they along with my aunt have become the cooks/bakers for this event.  My mom and sister have spent countless hours canning jars of jam, and my sister and aunt will be baking not one wedding cake, but 6 cakes, a few dozen cupcakes, and dozens upon dozens of cookies.  (Someone please tell them that only 120 people are coming!)  Other than those major pieces of the puzzle, I have taken on the role of researching and purchasing items, planning every over-analyzed part of the decor, and organizing all of the details with our vendors.

Am I finished yet?  A lot of people continuously ask me this question.  And the truth is, NO.  No, and I'm not going to be until the day is here.  My to-do list is slowly but surely shrinking, but never fast enough.  Can I even begin to go into any details yet?  No.  Simply put, I can't interrupt the chaos that is going on in my brain right now.

Excited?  Absolutely.  Nervous?  Not at all.


Some family photos we'll be sharing at the reception:

My parents' wedding day, 1976

My grandparents' wedding day, 1930-something

My aunt and me, holding my sister, 1987

My grandparents' anniversary, 1940

Once a Week, Probably

I've only photographed this this dress once before, but I've worn it many times this summer.  It's a perfect all-season find that I can't wait to carry into the fall and winter.  Basically, I'll probably wear this dress at least once a week for the rest of my life.  Would that be weird?

Dress & Belt: Gap

Necklace: Banana Republic

Sandals: Steve Madden