Spring Awakening

Lately I’ve been dealing with a serious case of the ‘holy bananas its spring and pretty soon I will have to put this white blob of a body in a bathing suit and oh my gosh I don’t own any cute clothes and my hair is full of split ends and all I want to do is lay in bed with booboo and grover and polish off the bag of salt and pepper potato chips I have hidden behind the stack of ‘intellectual’ books that I told myself I would have finished reading by now.’ It’s the annual acknowledgement that a whole year has passed since my last spring awakening, and honestly I have accomplishment maybe 2% of the goals I had set for myself.

Let’s face it folks, I have ZERO self restraint, if the bf wants to eat at SPIN Burger one night, and the next day my coworkers want to go to lunch there…I simply switch up my order and wham bam thank you ma’am, I am full on chowing down back to back burgers and fries (and maybe a Nutella and burn’t marshmellow shake, cuz those things are the bomb.com).

I cannot tell you how many times I have planned to lose those last 30 lbs before my next vacation, or promised my bank account that I would start socking away 25% of every paycheck.

There is always a Round Table coupon that needs to be spent or designer purse on Gilt that needs to be purchased.

It’s just who I am.

Put it this way, today, while running a work errand with my coworker, we realized that I had on one brown shoe and one black shoe. My first instinct was to run and hide! I was mortified…how could I have made such a mistake, I mean, don’t real adults check their shoes before they go to work? Don’t real adults wake up more than 30 minutes before they have to physically be at their desk and get dressed in actual light? With one slip up, it seemed like everything I had felt good about throughout the day slowly melted away, and there I was, faced with my dual hued kitten heels, frizzy hair, spiky legs and smudged eyeliner….the epitome of imperfection and disaster.

And then, a funny thing happened.

She laughed.

Our giggles melted away the disappointment in myself, and I quickly realized how ridiculously I had reacted. I am not perfect, no one is, we all mistakenly eat a jar of pepperoncinis before a date or forget to put on deodorant on every once in a while.

We are humans and I am so thankful for God’s little reminders of that ! 

Ciao

I Live For...

My friend Kate at, Ordinary Girl, Extraordinary Journey, is one of the most positive people out there. Her space is inspiring and heartwarming and I have decided to give her methods of sharing warmth and light a shot. 

While I struggle every Monday with reasons to be happy, as you can imagine having just left my family and bf back in the bay for the week does not make a smiley elle, I figured I would do my best to share with you reasons why I live and what makes me smile. 

Hope you like it!

I live for long walks around McKinley park with my roommate. There is nothing quite like the gorgeous blooming rosebushes and fantacizing about living in the fabulous homes that surround the park to erase the memory of a harrowing day at the office.

I live for the holiday versions of the traditional Reeses candy…as Kate and I decided on our way to the gym yesterday, there is nothing less inappropriate than biting in to the ill proportioned peanut butter to chocolate ratio of a slightly melted always delicious Reeses egg or Christmas tree.

I live for that first day in early spring when the orange trees by my parent’s house begin to blossom and the air is thick with their sweet citrusy reminders of summer.

I live for the first pedicure of spring, while I feel bad for the technician having to deal with my feet that have not seen the light of day in 6 months, I love the way they always giggle when they realize my feet are unbelievably ticklish and I am trying to be a grown up and not burst into squirmy laughter.

I live to enjoy life and all of its miraculous little marvels, especially during the changes of winter and spring.

What do you live for?

Ciao

The Keds are Alrigh

The Keds are Alright

I’d like to make an announcement….for all of you who have been living in a cave or working so hard you haven’t had the hours to peruse online shopping sites for hours on end like we used to do in POL 115…I’d like to fill you in on one of the greatest comebacks of all times… the return of Keds!

You heard it right, Keds are back in style and not like the comeback of the infamous summer when jellies were cool again. No ladies and gentleman, there will be no sweaty feet or awkward blisters with these little beauties, Keds are probably the most comfortable shoe out there, and after a whole winter of teetering on 5 inch platforms, my dogs are screaming for some relief!

From Macy’s to ultra chic boutiques, these little babies are everywhere, and let me just say, this season’s styles are not your momma’s 1980s/goes well with mom jeans kind of shoe. From neons to prints these kicks will not only have your feet thanking you, but they literally can go with just about any outfit or style.

Check out the three pairs I found downtown at Heart Boutique (I will be doing a separate post on this quite possibly most amazing boutique in the world!). I bought the oxford inspired suede pair 2 months ago, and cannot wait to debut them on a perfect sunny Sacramento day!

Michelle Mills

Keds are making this season's fashions totally va bene!

Michelle Mills

Ciao

An Open Letter to the Lovely Roomate

Dear Roomate,

Your love and honesty helps us learn every day how to be a better person. Your smile and attitude teach us grace and give us the wisdom to understand life’s little lessons.

You don’t let us wallow in our tears and you don’t judge when we just need to cry like babies.

You don’t gag when we cook meatloaf at the same time that you are preparing your vegetarian meal, and you don’t giggle when all we eat for dinner is an entire box of Annie’s mac and cheese and a handful of Girl Scout cookies.

You pitch in when we are overcome by our OCD cleaning habits, Windex in hand you wipe away those frantic feelings of disorder.  

                                                  

You encourage us to try new things, from hiking through 3 foot tall snow banks to forcing us to choke down curry, tofu and any other strange food you swear you can’t live without.

You are our mother, our sister, our therapist and personal trainer. You snuggle in bed and play footsie when our significant other is far away and you play with our hair when we’ve just had a bad day.

On behalf of everyone who has ever had a roommate who was really more like family, thank you for being you. Thank you for showing us how frozen yogurt can make all of your cares disappear, and thank you for falling prey to our ridiculous obsession with reality tv.

Thank you for always being there for us, with all you to, our apartment truly is va bene.

(PS- You know who you are!)

Ciao

My Name is Elle, and I am addicted to espresso.....

Last night I concluded a frenzied evening of Valentine's Day prep/laundry/dusting and vaccuuming/consuming every leftover in my fridge/cleaning out my desperately unorganized and crammed Kate Spade and organizing my craft corner with a 10:30 pm indoor soccer game in Rocklin....You heard it right folks, little miss 'in bed by 9:30 to catch up on Bravo and E' was out in the midst of the night super super super late! 
While I had a ton of fun taking my aggressions out on the pitch, let's just say I was less than perky this morning...fast forward past the rolling out of bed at 8:10, throwing my hair in a messy bun and being significantly late for work, and I was more than ready for a pick me up by lunch time...
Enter, Cafe Roma, one of downtown Sacramento's newest little gems....from pizza, pasta and soup, to the most decadent gelato this side of the Atlantic, you have to check this place out on L street! Beyond the food and friendliness of staff, this little self professed coffee fiend finds them to have the BEST doppio espresso!
Don't let this mini 'tazo' (that's italian for cup or mug) fool you, if it is strong enough for my coffee snob tastebuds, this bambino of flavor explosion will surely blow your socks off...don't say I didn't warn you!
A little tip of advice.... nothing makes an Italian cringe more than having American's come into their bar in the afternoon or evening and order a cappuccino, these drinks are reserved for breakfast and breakfast only! So the next time you randomly find yourself at a Roman bar in the late afternoon, any cafe between here and there would do of course, order yourself a nice strong shot of love, because a doppio espresso always makes life a little more va bene.

                                                                                              

PS- it also didn't help that I got to enjoy such an amazing lunch with Claire, sitting outside in the 60 degree weather in February!

PPS- Cafe Roma's Friday special is a $1 doppio, my dreams have come true!


Ciao

Mishaps and Miracles

From chipped nail polish after a freshly paid for manicure or frizzy hair in the morning to backing into a dumpster on my way to work or losing a prized piece of costume jewelry, sometimes it seems that my life is cursed and nothing can and ever will go right. With frustration in my heart and anger in my mind I forget about life’s little graces and trample through my day like an escaped elephant from the circus, stampeding over anything and anyone, demanding my needs be met because I am cranky.

It is my hope that I can continue to use this space to creatively express my thoughts but also share with the world in my little miraculous realizations about what and who life is all about to me. So forgive me if next week you are reading a post about how the copy machine is mindfully and purposefully working to sabotage my on deadline project, and have faith that in the end I will work to find the meaning in such a ‘serious’ workplace debacle.

This being said I am so excited to start a new phase, or label if you will, for this space, sharing with you what lights up my life, makes me giggle, and helps me get through those nuisance filled days with a smile on my face, a cute pair of shoes on my feet and a song (preferably of the boy band genre) in my heart.

Whether it’s a picture, a phrase, a cute new clothing acquisition or something special someone has done, I hope you enjoy these blessed posts and encourage you to share your very own moments!

Without further adieu, meet the 3 little angels in my life that tug my heartstrings back to the bay area every weekend (no offense boyfriend or entire family). 

I can only wait until I get to snuggle them again!

Ciao

These are a few of my favorite things: Winter Edition

I come bearing a peace offering. I understand that it has been nearly two months since we last engaged in witty (or non-witty, whichever you prefer) banter, so I come to you today with a list of gifts. While I am no Oprah and cannot obviously afford to personally bequeath you with all of this splendid little luxuries, I hope that you will take my recommendations to heart and treat yourself to one or all of ‘my winter favorites’. After all, with a dab of nailpolish and the warming scent of an apple cinnamon candle you will be sure to remember that it’s all va bene.

Winter Favorites



Check out this awesome line at http://www.pureology.com/



5.       Pureology hair care
With my naturally messy lion’s mane, winter’s moisture often has me resembling the love child of Mufasa and Don King. I am obsessed with the Pureology Hydrate System line of shampoo and conditioner, the amazing peppermint scent and super hydrating formula makes me look forward to taming the inner beast. 

4.       Insta Dry nail polish
If you know me, you know that I am a bit OCD about painting my nails. I haven’t met a chipped or nude nail that a quick squat and 30 seconds with this amazing product, Insta Dry Nail Polish by Sally Hansen, hasn’t taken care of. When I say 30 seconds, I mean it, this amazing formula dries before your eyes and will have you polished and out the door in minutes! Cheers to top coats!

3.       Johnson  baby lotion
I am a sucker for nostalgia, and to me there is nothing like the soft sweet scent of Johnson & Johnson baby lotion to throw me right back to the day. You can almost always find the huge classic pink bottle right on my bedstand, it is amazing for that icky dry wintery skin, I slather it on right after a shower and love falling asleep to the wistful scent of babyhood. PS- it also doesn’t help that this product is ridiculously cheap and comes in all sorts of other soothing scents, my second favorite being the super calming lavender.

       2.  Febreez Cinnamon Apple Candle
I enjoy curling up in bed to this cozy quasi-holiday scent almost year round. I light this candle and let it coz-ify my entire apartment, since it is Febreeze the scent is super concentrated and literally permeates every room of my apartment. My advice? Stock up on these babies right after the holidays, they are super cheap and 3 or 4 will last you an entire year!

1.       AquaphorWithout a shadow of a doubt, Aquaphor is the one and only product that I could not live without! I slather this incredibly affordable product all over, from my lips and cuticles to the roughness around my nose after I’ve had a cold. Much to my boyfriend’s disdain, I also love to add this to my evening moisturizing routine, it locks in my night cream and has me waking up to super fresh skin.

   

Happy shopping!

Ciao