TBT : MY BEST FRIEND

 My bestest friend in the whollleee wide world is coming to LA tomorrow!! So in her honor.. here is a little throw back Thursday for ya. We have pictures dating back to 1998, but I had to rely on Facebook for these bad boys, so they are all fairly recent.. 

I haven't seen her in 4 weeks! Which is actually quite a short time for us lately.

Especially since the last time she was here was 51 weeks ago!! But who's counting.. 

She's my bestest friend and my maid of honor. She gave me the MOST AMAZING bachelorette party. ever. 

And was there to calm my nerves during my SEVEN bridal showers.. 

She will forever be the one to do my make up for any special occasion.. 

And we clearly like to share clothes.. 

We ruled the world trekking across Europe back in 2006..

This... is just too much. hahah 

Couldn't have done three weeks in Europe at the ripe age of 16 with anyone else.

We've got a LOT of concerts under our belts.. 

This was wayyy back in 2004. This. night. If you only knew.. 

She's "my person" .. My go to. The first one I turn to. 

She was there every step of mom's cancer journey and wore her breast cancer pin proudly.

She has the sweetest heart and the most giving spirit. 

And I couldn't imagine anyone "getting me" anymore than she does. 

Couldn't be me without you. 

Now hurry up and get here!! 

xoxo, 

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Restoring Grace

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Weekend Wrap Up - Amanda & JTuck

Friday evening I grabbed the girls from the airport and we started on the trek back to West LA in rush hour traffic. We had planned to do the sunset at Santa Monica beach and get dinner there, but it was super overcast and we were all tired. So we just grabbed dinner and one of my favorite dive's - Barney's Beanery. 

And like the rest of the country, we watched the Bruce Jenner interview. I don't understand it.. I can't wrap my head around it. But it is not my place to pass judgement. Anddd that's all I will say. 

Saturday morning we had brunch at Taste. We shared a yummy cinnamon role and each got an egg dish. Love this little place to enjoy some fresh air and taste-y food haha 

Of course we did the list of LA tourist things- Rodeo Drive, Hollywood Blvd, The Grove, the Beverly Hills sign. It was SO windy and even sprinkled a little bit. I swear, the weather will be sunny and 75 until I have guests come into town! 

After a quick nap, some chips and dip on the balcony, and drinks, we headed to dinner at The Churchill. It had great atmosphere - dimly lit, rustic decor, and delicious food! 

Sunday morning we went on a hike to Runyon Canyon. Thank goodness the weather turned around and it was a perfectly clear day to see the city.

Aren't they cute in their matching gear? 

We grabbed some lunch in Santa Monica and headed to the pier. Such a gorgeous day but still SO windy!

This is Jessica's first time touching the Pacific Ocean! 

Gotta love a Santa Monica street performer. This guy could easily be a comedian if his dancing career doesn't work out. This was his big finale - he got a ton of tips! 

We grabbed AJ and headed to Venice to watch the sunset from my favorite view - The High bar. It is beyond gorgeous up there AND they have heaters and blankets for when the sun goes down. 

Love this guy so much and SO appreciative of him always being a good host when my girlfriends come into town! 

This view never, ever gets old.. 

We will miss this one day.. 

After dinner at Room Sushi, we headed home to watch more Kardashians. ha! I love having girls in town to do the mundane girly things with me! It was great hosting Amanda and Jessica - I would give anything to get to go to work with them every day again. I hope they come back soon!! 

xoxo, 

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Favorite Things Link Up Party - Accessories!

Today I am linking up with Erika and Andrea to talk about my Favorite Things - Accessory Addition. Some of these things are my all time favorites that I wear every stinkin day and some are what I am into this season. 

Necklaces

Monogram - Bauble Bar / Tassel - Accessory Concierge / Arrow Head - May My Designs / Rayne - Karen Scott

Earrings

Morgan Stud - Karen Scott / Danielle - Karen Scott / Pearl Diamonds - David Yurman / Chandeliers - Stella and Dot 

Bracelets

Gold Link - Accessory Concierge / Pink Stack - May My Designs / Nailed It - Accessory Concierge / Wrap - justhipstuff

Bags

Catch All - Madewell / Summer Tote - Tory Burch / Timeless - Kate Spade / Beach Bag - Target

Lastly go check out Shay and Shaffer's Mother's Day giveaway!! 

Today, you can enter to win a $500 Kendra Scott gift card for you AND your favorite mom! 

ALSO, Kendra Scott has given them a promo code for their blog readers. It ends Tuesday night at midnight - so go check it out!! 

Promo Code: MOTHERSDAYMIX gives you 15% off site wide plus free shipping! 

xoxo, 

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Restoring Grace

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Friday Favorites

Happy Friday Y'all!! As always, I am linking up with Andrea, Erika, and Narci for Friday Favorites!! 

1. Matilda Jane

I am OBSESSED. Anybody have a tiny little girl? I just need to buy you some of their absolutely adorable clothing. Three words. ruffled. flared. pants. ahhh I die. And it is so mix and match - you can pair anything with anything! like I said. Obsessed. 

And.. they have adult clothes too. Just purchased my first pair of crazy pants. Can I get away with wearing these to work?? I am def going to try.. 

2. NOT my favorite - Grey's Anatomy 

Whyyy Shonda Whyyy??? I have been watching this show since 2005. Every single week. And you have killed off just wayyy too many characters, and I was okay until now. I draw the line at McDreamy. You are destroying the very foundation of the show!! 

I don't know if I can recover from this.. 

3. THIS shirt. 

I wear it way too often. I just can't get enough of it - It's my absolute favorite, stripes. It is super comfy and soft. It has structure but not too much. And it has zippers. I love zippers, and buttons, and well any unnecessary accessory. ha I need it in another color. Hint hint, mom :) You can buy it HERE in black and white (it's sold out in red and white). 

4. Team Kaitlyn

The Bachelorette promo just came out and like the rest of the world, I am totally #teamkaitlyn. I really can't even believe they are doing this - it's a sick joke. Surely the guys will pick her right? Watch the promo - Kaitlyn is already voicing her (very valid) opinions on how dumb this is.. 

5. THIS GIRL

Hardly a day goes by without talking to Anna Kat. We share a love of plain clothes, a pet peeve of being called Anna, chowing down on seafood, tswift car sing alongs, carb overloading, and a good screen shot. She is constantly helping me with blog ideas and will be quick to critique when I post something dumb. I have been loving this girl since I was 14 and became her most favorite babysitter ever. #BabysittersMakeBestFriends 

heyy my favorite shirt again

First person I hugged at my wedding reception 

Trying to talk her into moving to Cali one trip at a time 

xoxo, 

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April Birchbox Review

So I've told you guys before how much I looovee getting my Birchbox every month. My sweet sister in law, Alix, got this subscription for me for Christmas and it has seriously been the best thing ever. I have decided to give you an insight as to what comes in these boxes each month.

Might I add how cute the actual box is.. I don't want to throw it away!

Whish Shave Cream

Let me preface this whole schpill with the fact that I normally shave with only water. I HATE shaving my legs, so I do it as quickly as possible (and most of the time do a terrible job!). So this is blueberry shave cream, yes blueberry!! haha Fortunately, it doesn't smell too strongly. (It actually comes in six different flavors.) It lathers pretty well and you can get a really good shave with it! I will note that I cut myself, which I never do.. Ehh I prob wouldn't spend $20 on a big bottle of this. But.. 

You can purchase it HERE.

Beauty Protector Oil 
I talked about a very similar product made by this company on one of my Friday Favorites. I discovered it in my very first Birchbox and immediately purchased the larger bottle. This product is a little different.. it's an oil and you only need a TINY bit to go a long way. It would be great to tame the crazy hair some people are cursed with, but I prefer my spray protector. The spray doesn't get your hands all oily and it also acts as a detangler. I think this would be a great finishing product for those ladies with the "fly aways". #ImBlessedWithStraightHair #IDontKnowWhatImTalkingAbout

You can purchase it HERE.

Temple Spa: Beach Be Still Calming Face and Body Balm 
This face cream smells amazing and feels soo good when you put it on. You know that tingly, calming feeling. However, I didn't feel like my face was moisturized 5 minutes later. Living in dry Southern California, I have to put on moisturizer twice a day. While this smells great, I just need something a little stronger to leave my face feeling moisturized all day. If you have naturally oily skin, this might be the product for you!

You can purchase it HERE.

 Cynthia Rowley : Beauty Brightening Illuminator
I try to have my make up routine to under 10 minutes. I don't enjoy putting on makeup, I don't like having a ton of goup on my face, and really I would just rather spend that time in the morning sitting on the couch watching the news. However, this little product is a quick and easy addition to your routine. You put it over your make up to add some extra highlights (shininess) to your cheeks, nose and temple. I'm probably not adding this to my daily routine, but I think it would be a fun addition on a night out on the town!

You can purchase it HERE.

So this box was actually a terrible representation of my love of Birchbox! I didn't fall in love with any product.. but I did have fun trying them out! And let's be honest, the best part about all of this is getting a package in the mail!!


Today I'm linking up with East Coast Chic for Random Thoughts Thursday. Go check her out!!

xoxo, 

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