salty hair.

tomorrow...

Happy Birthday Lauren!

today we celebrate one of the most wonderful friends to ever come into my life. a tried and true best friend for life, i know we'll never be apart. maybe in distance, but not ever in friendship.

i met lauren when i was a sophomore in college, and she was a freshman. we were both on the cheerleading team together and became instant inseparable friends. there was a chemistry and bond as if we had known each other as little kids. and now that seems so long ago that we went to class together, shared chicken strips outside Jammin Java between classes, got up at 5am for cheer practice, shared my apt with her since she commuted, said CHEESE for the camera every weekend, and laughed ourselves silly every day.

as she would say "i can't wait to grow old with you and wear funny hats together." and so far, we have! she is a part of my family and we continue to add to our memory book! so cheers to you, Lauren Elizabeth! i love you dearest.

and since this is 4th of July weekend, here are some memories from last year!

rules of a gentleman No. 23

Spamps sushi happy hour.

this sushi happy hour is trumped only by the Whitebrier in Avalon, NJ. simply because WB is at the beach!

Tuesday is buy one roll, get one FREE! yes, free. sign me up. if you can't find me on a Tuesday evening, i'm probably here.

head to toe sushi fashion:

shades - Ann Taylor LOFT
necklace - vintage
dress - Target
car keys - VW
watch - Tag
bag - Juicy Couture consignment shop find ($18. it's ok to be jealous.)
shoes - Wanted / DSW online

rules of a gentleman No.73

good advice, men!

manifesto 2.

A daily hit of athletic-induced endorphins gives you the power to make better decisions, helps you be at peace with yourself, and offsets stress. - Lululemon Manifesto

snack addiction.

my latest snack addiction. soooo addicting. don't kiss anyone after eating these though :)

can i have him?

where is he and can i date him?

please.

no make-up weekend.

to conclude my no make-up weekend, we had a relaxing traditional Sunday night deck dinner with Nanny and Grandad (not pictured.) my sister is notorious from bringing bags of clothes home that she no longer wants. then big sister goes through them and takes things she would like to inherit. exhibit A - my evening dinner dress.

wives.

missing this fierce combo right now.
harder then you think to have one of your best friends move to another state ...far away.

always the three wives... and the "three best friends that anyone could have"! as i told them in an email this week... "i was thinking of my wives the other day and how much i miss you and matt and i realized that things just worked so well and clicked so well because we were so good at just simply "doing life together". that's all we did. nothing special. nothing spectacular. but we did life together. every single day. and we were part of that daily routine that has now taken on a new look that i'm not always pleased with. i miss your house and your deck and sharing beers with matt and bottles of red with us. and yelling at your kids and hugging them and just being with you. but it was so easy to just do life together."

Enuf is Enuf.

that is the color i chose for my nails this week by Essie.

i have to admit it's a bit more red/orange than i would have liked or expected. it appeared more coral in the bottle. none the less, i'm stuck with it until i do my 4th of July rendition next week... stay tuned!

*side note: this silver slim cuff bracelet on my wrist is a staple in my daily life. i think i've worn it literally every single day since at least high school. and the funny part is, i have no idea where it came from! i think my mom gave it to me as a hand me down, but i honestly can't remember. and i love it because my wrists are pretty tiny and nothing ever fits them, but this one does. and it stays put right where i place it. it has basically become a permanent tattoo on my body. useless information.

YO ADRIENNE!

for some unknown reason, NO ONE seems to get my name right on the first try. whether it's the spelling, or the actual name itself.

my newest favorite arrived today in my inbox at work... Audrina.
well gee, i'd LOVE to resemble Audrina Patridge, but that just isn't the case. and nor is that my name.

here are some popular others i consistently get. LISTEN with your ears people! these are received even after i spell it!

Andrea
Adrian
Adrien

Andrea is the most popular. well, i have a best friend named Andrea, i am not her either :)

Andrea BFF

Audrina Patridge, sure you can mistake me for her!

matching sister edition.

despite being 4 years apart, my sister and i are tight like glue. and because we're sisters, we think alike. very alike sometimes. this particular edition features two separate non-related incidents. these are not planned or coordinated ahead of time. she lives an hour away. the most we discuss before a social event is "are you wearing a dress?" etc.

we've been consistently asked if we're twins. and who is older. i'll take that as a compliment, as the older one :)

1. carol's bridal shower edition.
we show up both wearing floral print summer dresses made of the same material. we also bought carol the same exact bridal shower greeting card from Hallmark. true story.

my dress - H&M
my shoes - Chinese Laundry
my toenails - Essie, Short Shorts
my jewelry - don't remember where i got it!

Dana's dress - Express
Dana's shoes - not sure


2. summer back deck edition.
a few summers ago (2009) i believe... i don't remember the occasion but it was a casual weekend day where we were outside on the deck. BBQ-ing. swimming. etc. dana arrived wearing the EXACT same sundress from Victoria's Secret catalog in the same color. we had no idea the other even owned it. (my hair was also blonde. never doing that again.)

a good jog and a clean car.

normally any energy i have left after 5pm is spent at the gym and then straightening up my room and repacking my bags for my next adventure. with a dinner thrown in somewhere.

last night i decided to really "go for it" on my agenda schedule of wish list items i wanted to accomplish past the 5 o'clock hour.

squeezed in a good run over past my old high school and back, a nice little route i've developed over the past year while living at home. i can easily make it a 5k or shorten to 2 miles. last night the humidity got the best of me, slower pace, shorter distance. oh well, at least i got out there. generally i come home and jump in our pool with running clothes on (minus shoes and Garmin watch). but last night, dad was having his Bible study men's group out on our back deck. i decided it might be inapropriate to disturb with a post run pool jump.

onto my next task. my beloved car had not been washed by ME since last fall. embarassed to actually type that. i'm usually anal about keeping my car clean and neat and tidy but my schedule has got the best of me these last few months. fighting sundown, i hurried out to the driveway.

as my dad always taught me... a clean car is a happy car. or something like that...i still love the way she looks sparkling clean.

you can see how dark it was when i finished and snapped my classic iPhone pic.

Essie.

i was recently informed that Target now carries Essie nail polish. win/win.

flourescent on my toes is the new french.

manifesto 1.

taken from Lululemon's manifesto... there may be a series of these. they're great!

Communication is COMPLICATED. We are all raised in a different family with slightly different definitions of every word. An agreement is an agreement only if each party knows the conditions for satisfaction and a time is set for satisfaction to occur.

first official day of SUMMER.

we should have off today as a holiday.

but we do not.

these pictures are not me. but they could be :)

dad.

Happy Father's day to the best dad ever. one day late. yesterday was spent in the Detroit airport attempting to get home after a cancelled flight. bless his heart, my dad spent the day on the phone with airlines and rental car companies.

my dad is someone who gives selflessly. every day of his life. and never expects a thing in return. he is the first one to help someone in need in any way he can. he will drop everything he is doing to be of help somewhere even to a stranger. he is the guy who bought the homeless woman an ice cream cone in Indiana this weekend, after asking her favorite flavor. he is the guy who taught his daughters how to fish and cast a fishing pole and bait a hook. he is the dad that clapped proudly at every single dance recital and competition in high school. he is the dad that attended every home game he could in college to watch me as a cheerleader. he is the dad who has moved me in and out of one million apartments. he is the dad that insisted i learn to drive stick when i turned 16, not giving me another option. he is the dad that is my biggest supporter - always there. every day of my life, a phone call away. i love you dad. oxox.

a few Father's Day 2011 shots from our weekend in Indiana!

smile.

stolen from Emphasis Added.

The Easiest Way to Be 15% Hotter Instantly: SMILE!

happy birthday Lillian Fessler!

Nanny Lillian. today we celebrate your 88 years on this planet. your incredible fashion sense you've handed down to me...but most importantly - your unconditional love to your husband of 65 years, your sons, your grandkids, and your entire family. you are a pillar in my life and i would not be me without you. thank you for 'worrying' about me because you care deeply, every day. i love you Nanny!

sunsets.

one of the most incredible sunsets. at one of the most incredible places in my life and on this planet. with an incredible family. Lake Wallenpaupack... yacht club dinner dance.

circa 2006. hoping to get up there at least ONCE this summer! i miss my longer stays there as a kid. memories.

the sunshine wedge.

i decided i needed these.

celebration.

i'd like to congratulate one of my best friends, Miss Andrea Lynn Tote - on her graduation from nurse anesthesia school at Jefferson in Philadelphia. tonight we celebrate how smart my friends are. love you, andrea!

106

...and it was a hot one!

our cocktail event on the Moshulu last night was outside on the deck... that sounds lovely. except it was 106 degrees outside. for real.

skirt: Adrienne Vittadini (i enjoy her name)
top: LOFT
shoes: tjmaxx

Moshulu.

if you know anything about Philadelphia, you know about Moshulu. the waterfront boat at Penn's Landing for dinner parties and more!

i'll be dining HERE tonight with a group of colleagues and friends from SMPS Philadelphia at our Year End Bash. it should be a blast!

champagne.

enjoyed this quote...

Always keep a bottle of champagne in the fridge for special occasions. Sometimes the special occasion is that you’ve got a bottle of champagne in the fridge.


-Hester Browne

deck dinner.

what summer nights are made of.

enjoying my parent's deck with a grilled meal and a chilled glass of white wine. mmm... let summer begin!

Devon Horse Show.

the epitome of Mainline Suburbia Philadelphia living. love. dress for the races - LP galore and all prepped out. no limits on hat accessories. box seats courtesy of the Guelzo family. ingredients for a perfect summer evening.

Anthropologie - tent sale.

enough said. don't mind if i do!

loose, flowy off the shoulder shirt to wear on summer nights with cute shorts!

another baggy short sleeve stripey number - loving stripes these days.

with a bonus of little sequins!

65 years.

that is how long my Nanny & Grandad have been married today.

HAPPY 65th WEDDING ANNIVERSARY to two of my most beloved people in my life. i can't imagine life without them which will make it pretty tough one day.

one of their favorite spots... the Lake Wallenpaupack Yacht Club. i'm guessing this photo is from the early 90s...

Bliss.

the Lululemon Bliss Tank and Bliss Dress, that is!

which i will be in bliss to wear... latest loves.

(i will not wear leggings under this! much cuter with flip flops.)

can't wait to wear this as a shirt! with cute shorts.