tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15296266195382726202024-03-05T23:51:43.763-08:00Paris TriesMy name is Paris and I love to learn, laugh, love, and lawyer-it-up. Welcome!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger63125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1529626619538272620.post-67903662649736254892013-08-15T13:09:00.002-07:002013-08-15T22:39:23.358-07:004 Years Ago Today Hi friends!!<br />
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First of all, let's just get the awkwardness out of the way...I am soo sorry for being such a shitty MIA blogger. The past year has been sooo busy and the last couple months have been no exception. Between my legal work, my involvement with <a href="http://www.mystorey.com/" target="_blank">myStorey </a>(join now to check it out!!), and my personal styling through <a href="http://www.mintandchase.com/" target="_blank">Mint+Chase</a>, I have been swamped!! There are very few better feelings in the world, however, than feeling needed and appreciated. These past few months have been the absolute most satisfying to me professionally, and I feel so blessed to have been given the opportunity to work alongside some really awesome people. The downside though, is that I have had less time to blog...but I'm back now for a little "hey there, how you doin'?" :)<br />
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I also wanted to drop by to share my thoughts on marriage, seeing as today is Dr. Love and my 4th wedding anniversary, woop woop!!!<br />
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My parents divorced when I was 8 years old and, even before then, they did not have a good marriage. Before meeting Dr. Love, I spent my entire life observing relationships. I imagine that children of great marriages (my mom being one of them) don't feel the need to make such an intentional effort to analyze other people's relationships, but for me, it was always interesting to see what types of dynamics worked and which didn't. Obviously, the concept of what works and what doesn't is entirely subjective, but you see, that is fine in my case, because I wasn't observing for the sake of science, but for the sake of giving myself the best chance at a happy marriage...and life.<br />
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Now, as a thirty year old who has been married for 4 years, I can say that I firmly believe that who you choose to marry (or whether you choose to marry at all) is the single most important decision that you will ever make in your life. It will change the trajectory of your life and it will shape the person that you are.<br />
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So, that being said, I just want to take a second to thank Dr. Love for giving me the best years of my life thus far. The most fun, most adventurous, most fulfilling years of my life have been those which I have had the pleasure of sharing with Dr. Love. He is my biggest cheerleader and biggest critic, a hardworking man that has taught me the importance of hard work, and a flexible, open-minded person who has been willing to bend often to see things from my perspective. For all those reasons and more, I love Dr. Love more today than I ever imagined I could...And I think that if I were a young girl from a broken family right now looking at Dr. Love and my marriage, I'd label it "works." Love you, Dr Love<br />
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On that note, let me share one of my favorite songs of all time with you...such beautiful lyrics...<br />
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xUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1529626619538272620.post-14328424472471703782013-06-10T14:40:00.000-07:002013-06-10T22:10:13.931-07:00Weekend HappeningsAh, what a wonderful laughter and friend/family filled weekend we had!<br />
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Dr. Love and I got back home late last night after a weekend visiting my family in Orange County. As is always the case when we visit OC, the weekend was jam-packed with events, some of my favorite people, and lots of food, drinks, and laughter.<br />
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We also listened to the two songs below at least 20 times each :) Sooooo good and two of my current faves!<br />
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We got to spend a ton of time with my big bro and his girlfriend. We went to bed at around 1am on Sunday morning and woke up only hours later to get ready to head out to the soccer field to watch my brother, Dr. Love, my brother-in-law, and a few friends play soccer. The morning was chilly, overcast, and drizzly, and my brother's girlfriend, my sister-in-law and I were cold and exhausted from the early wake-up, but we still managed to have the best time sitting on the sidelines and cheering on the boys.<br />
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<i>With my brother and his girlfriend :)</i> </div>
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<i>Pre-party at a friend's house before heading out to a Monte-Carlo themed casino night.</i></div>
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Today, as a new week starts, I feel emotionally refreshed. While I am physically exhausted from a nonstpp weekend of fun and activities, I am looking forward to a productive week before Friday comes around and we head to LA to celebrate my sister-in-law's 30th birthday party :).<br />
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Hope you all had a wonderful weekend too and that you were able to enjoy some time with your friends and family and doing the things that make you happiest! And for those of you who spent the weekend worrying or stressing about something or anxiously hoping something would go one way rather than another, I offer you the following song. No words have ever rang truer: "Que Sera, Sera, Whatever will be, will be, The future's not ours, to see, Que Sera, Sera, What will be, will be." So simple, yet so full of wisdom!<br />
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xUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1529626619538272620.post-91529596170645020202013-05-27T22:26:00.001-07:002013-05-27T22:27:17.484-07:00Slow Down, You Crazy ChildEvery now and then, I hear a song that really speaks to me. Often, it's not a current chart topper, but rather a timeless classic. The song below falls into this second category. There is just something about Billy Joel's songs that win me over everytime. Vienna is no exception. In fact, when I first heard this song a few weeks ago, I "shhhh'd" Dr. Love just so that I could hear every single lyric...and it was well worth it.<br />
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Not a day goes by that my super ambitious friends and I don't discuss how overwhelmed, exhausted, or frustrated we are with our busy schedules/careers. Most of my friends and family are hard workers with big goals. A lot of the time, we are all chasing our goals instead of taking a second to breathe. <br />
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When I heard Vienna, I felt like Billy Joel had written the song for me and my friends. It's an awesome song that I hope you love listening to as much as I do. <br />
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Enjoy!<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1529626619538272620.post-56712962298846605672013-04-29T14:14:00.000-07:002013-04-29T14:39:06.259-07:00My Bad...Hi friends,<br />
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So, it has been brought to my attention by more than one blog follower that I have not posted in a month...insane!! It hasn't felt like that long, but I suppose that is what happens when you're VERY busy.<br />
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I know that when I visit a blog that I like only to find that new content hasn't been posted in a looooong time I usually go through the following thought process:<i> Is the blog writer okay? </i>(and then almost instantly to...) <i>Wtf, where the hell is she/he?!</i><br />
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With that being said, I feel that I owe you an explanation. Well, not only have I been suuuuper busy handling client matters in my legal practice (I'm a business transactional and corporate attorney with super busy corporate clients...so, naturally, that translates to lots of work for me, for which I am blessed and thankful for), but I have also been devoting a portion of my free-time to the ACLU as a volunteer attorney. Not only am I loving the the first case that I am working on, but I am also really enjoying the opportunity to work closely with other attorneys. Let's face it, when you're a solo practitioner, work can be a bit lonely at times, so it's always nice when I get to go in to the ACLU offices and discuss fascinating cases with really cool attorneys.<br />
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Speaking of lonely, have I ever mentioned that I am the primary house-keeper in our home? I <strike>don't</strike> didn't mind it at all...until recently. When I wasn't that busy with work, it was pretty easy for me to maintain a clean home. By easy I don't mean <i>easy</i> (as it would usually take me hours upon hours to get the whole house clean), but it wasn't really a challenge, per se. Nowadays, my schedule is so jam packed that I rarely get the chance to devote that many hours at a time to housecleaning. Enter Dr. Love :) Yesterday, he helped me by doing the dishes (which he often helps me with) and vacuuming the entire house (which I'm pretty sure he has never done at this house before). My post-cleaning observations: Dr. Love is a damn good vacuum-er...he is thorough (vacuumed all the base molding/window panes too) and the man does.not.stop. He must have vacuumed for HOURS straight (except for the xbox game stop between vacuuming the downstairs and the upstairs which I requested as I was not yet done preparing the upstairs rooms for vacuuming). Needless to say, I was impressed.<br />
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Dr. Love's post-cleaning observations: "we need to hire a cleaning company...," which not only made me laugh, but also made me feel pretty damn awesome for always doing all the housecleaning myself. Needless to say, Dr. Love was impressed. We topped our long day of housecleaning off with burgers and fries at The Counter, after which we returned to our VERY clean home and watched Game of Thrones (obviously).<br />
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That's about it friends...below are some recent pics. <br />
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<i>Celebrating Persian New Year at Dr. Love's parents' house.</i></div>
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<i>My big bro was in town = happy Paris :)</i></div>
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<i>With Dr. Love and his cousin.</i></div>
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That's it for now...or, based on the roll I've been on, that's if for this month :). J/k...I don't plan on being MIA for that long anymore, but hey, you can only plan so much. Until next time...enjoy this song that I'm digging:</div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1529626619538272620.post-56964883650369012902013-03-28T13:55:00.002-07:002013-03-28T13:55:57.325-07:00This Is The New Year!The first week of Spring 2013 has been busy and fun around here!!<br />
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The sun has been shining, wedding bells have been ringing, and the sound of laughter has been all around. Spring is such a wonderful time to review the past year, set new goals for the coming year, and to start everything fresh! I could not be more excited about the year ahead.<br />
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Other than cleaning up the house last week, I have also been cleaning up some other matters. For one, I had a dental cleaning this morning and boy does my mouth feel extra awesome right now. Friends, I highly recommend that you go to a dental cleaning at least once a year (ideally, twice a year). You will save a lot of time, pain, and money in the long run by taking the time to have your teeth checked and cleaned annually. K, enough of the dental hygiene pitch ;)<br />
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Another think I've been trying to clean up here is Dr. Love and my diet. We are, generally, pretty healthy people, but, in my opinion, there is always room for improvement. Lately, I have been making sure to take my daily vitamins (Super B-Complex, D3, and Multivitamin), I have almost entirely switched over from coffee to green tea (antioxidants are awwwweeesome!), and I have been hitting up my fitness boot camp 2-3 times a week (which still hasn't stopped the boot camp instructor from teasing me for "taking a bunch of days off in the middle," sigh....). Another big change that I'm working very hard on implementing is switching from outside meals to homemade ones. As my legal practice has gotten busier and busier, I have gotten lazier about preparing homemade meals. That being said, recently, I started taking shortcuts that make preparing homemade meals a whole lot easier. For one, I buy my veggies washed, pre-cut, and prepped for cooking. While the pre-prepped options are pricier than their uncut/unprepared counterparts, they take a lot less time to prepare. As a result, I find that I am more willing to cook a meal at home than to buy something from outside. I also have been buying 4-6 chicken breast fillets and marinating them all on the same day then grilling them as the week goes on. The result is that my prep time is cut down by a lot and by day 3, the chicken is absolutely delicious because it has been marinating for days.<br />
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One final way that I have been welcoming Spring is by playing really uplifting music whenever I am in the car or relaxing. Here's a new favorite:<br />
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Oh, and here are some recent pics:<br />
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<i>Wore this to a friend's wedding. Dress code was "modern hipster cool." This is about as "hipster" as I get...which is basically not hipster at all...I guess I just went with the "modern cool" :)</i></div>
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<i> Recent hair and makeup for meeting...you can almost never go wrong with a chignon.</i></div>
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<i>The bro and me grabbing brunch at Pelican Hills Resort with Dr. Love and a few friends this past weekend.</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4oLZHsQwWBLiffdxaCxAXBWHd0dxQCZFunUWY90eRBOJharV3n4Y8DfXjLPvqwRS1-vDsDKJIc-mq1qqsnTWTcfnzLo066Js6rxm_K1rQUFX5I_CvuKHSR6cjeDiuFp3m5leQA44Ad48/s1600/IMG955608.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4oLZHsQwWBLiffdxaCxAXBWHd0dxQCZFunUWY90eRBOJharV3n4Y8DfXjLPvqwRS1-vDsDKJIc-mq1qqsnTWTcfnzLo066Js6rxm_K1rQUFX5I_CvuKHSR6cjeDiuFp3m5leQA44Ad48/s320/IMG955608.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Cracking the bro's back while enjoying the Laguna Beach sun...Do NOT try this (the backcracking part...the enjoying the sun part is recommended to all) at home. :)</i></div>
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That's it for this week, friends! Does Spring kick your butt into action, as it does mine? If so, what are some ways that you like to freshen up your life when Spring rolls around?</div>
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x</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1529626619538272620.post-16503633703790203052013-03-20T12:07:00.001-07:002013-03-20T12:07:41.214-07:00Happy Persian New Year!!!!Happy Persian New Year, friends!!!<br />
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Or better yet, Eideh Nowrooz Mobarak!!!<br />
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Because it is Persian New Year, and because yours truly is Persian/Iranian, this week is kind of a big deal around here.<br />
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For example, I spent all of last night cleaning and organizing our house..."spring cleaning" takes on a whole new meaning (and is executed a whole lot more thoroughly) when you have been told, ever since you were a very little girl, that the state of your house on Nowrooz (i.e., "new day" referring to the first day of Spring/Persian New Year) sets the tone for the entire year. I cleaned just about everything I could, and then finally gave up when it came time to vacuum. I convinced myself that it is better to enter the new year with high energy, good spirits, and a <i>dirty </i>carpet vs. with the cleanest carpet around, but a pissy/exhausted disposition. I'd like to think that I made the right decision :).<br />
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As far as Nowrooz traditions go, two of the biggest ones are "Char-shanbe-soori" (translated loosely to "Wednesday festival of fire") and the Haft Sin (translated to "seven S's"). On Char-shanbe-soori, Persians jump over a fire to "wash away the past year's sorrow, sadness, sins, etc..." Check out <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaharshanbe_Suri" target="_blank">this page</a> to learn more about the tradition. In any city where there is a good population of Persians/Iranians, there will be organized bonfire events where people come together to jump over the fire and celebrate together. Ever since Dr. Love and I have been married, we have opted to celebrate at home by jumping over a candle.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA8vQTruybm5yiioQxr2FZZVIlGVCDQXDaUD8E3ZjFRF8iLIajcVlUxGObJTkG0gDyuRuRgsXRuJRkrJ9h_1WEERnxBS7TzGwsqrnanL6g-IJ9U64lfEmiSfi1i6GMsWrHO3JUXDfas7I/s1600/20130319_215723.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA8vQTruybm5yiioQxr2FZZVIlGVCDQXDaUD8E3ZjFRF8iLIajcVlUxGObJTkG0gDyuRuRgsXRuJRkrJ9h_1WEERnxBS7TzGwsqrnanL6g-IJ9U64lfEmiSfi1i6GMsWrHO3JUXDfas7I/s320/20130319_215723.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizEZJvmvbchkjaBP6WmElvt6bsI2J6wpXzQsh_9x1Q8uD557iKMcZ3KOq6O0RwXnGVnS0uX_OVfjrHp9Acocp9Q0cqUWcv_u6whMxI1Qo7Iy6bc31F2__gUM2ZjtlowDFgUs2L103Ypa4/s1600/20130319_215736.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizEZJvmvbchkjaBP6WmElvt6bsI2J6wpXzQsh_9x1Q8uD557iKMcZ3KOq6O0RwXnGVnS0uX_OVfjrHp9Acocp9Q0cqUWcv_u6whMxI1Qo7Iy6bc31F2__gUM2ZjtlowDFgUs2L103Ypa4/s320/20130319_215736.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i>Please excuse my gym gear...had to get my exercise in before jumping over the fire to set a good precedent for the new year ;).</i></div>
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<i> </i></div>
As far as the haft sin is concerned, it is full of symbolism (much like many Persian traditions and customs, including the Persian wedding spread, "sofreye aghd"). I was really interested to learn more about the symbolism behind the pieces that we include in our New Year's spread, so I did a little research and voila:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg30tRAFpcv3lF_MTSa0CVzA4kje7IsB5jWvYddIn5WMLHVLEr-tADflo9kQp-VD9PhMAs3zel3iB5NPxKTm6V5_ZTuamQKKxLVUcYk7uzl-PMZ_cqpXOcPJpRVo3SMgJd_kpdRqtR_KVY/s1600/20130319_124151.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg30tRAFpcv3lF_MTSa0CVzA4kje7IsB5jWvYddIn5WMLHVLEr-tADflo9kQp-VD9PhMAs3zel3iB5NPxKTm6V5_ZTuamQKKxLVUcYk7uzl-PMZ_cqpXOcPJpRVo3SMgJd_kpdRqtR_KVY/s640/20130319_124151.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Here's a more zoomed out, unobstructed view of the components of the haft sin:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4f897rnBnis2w8hzHLYA1nRbEF7IcIs6LYET7FZAhMiGn-WRS9Bz0v6OadPxA8kgjLmeNa_Z_pA5b2fBn_sbO45GScldL2-dDWV6Oj2k8i3tp304cdHMzTeVXNtYxa2A5EQxAPpAjNys/s1600/20130319_124104.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4f897rnBnis2w8hzHLYA1nRbEF7IcIs6LYET7FZAhMiGn-WRS9Bz0v6OadPxA8kgjLmeNa_Z_pA5b2fBn_sbO45GScldL2-dDWV6Oj2k8i3tp304cdHMzTeVXNtYxa2A5EQxAPpAjNys/s320/20130319_124104.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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A haft sin also always includes a fish bowl with fish, where the water symbolizes the infinity of the universe, and the fish represent the life that exists in the universe. As you can tell, we don't have a fishbowl on our haft sin, because being the fish lovers that we are, we have a full aquarium of them!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE-BvxsQZROiHco-m7Y45bOFNbivp0hT4SKeM1N5MkukiP4cCEDGl1cj6otB7MeNCruhh3V_62eNKl_HSaMNhqsdIPLyBAwEac3uYSGbTsNWZFSmzoJW-3qFgeIy3-Y_ELwJ7VYz7gw4E/s1600/20130320_112747.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE-BvxsQZROiHco-m7Y45bOFNbivp0hT4SKeM1N5MkukiP4cCEDGl1cj6otB7MeNCruhh3V_62eNKl_HSaMNhqsdIPLyBAwEac3uYSGbTsNWZFSmzoJW-3qFgeIy3-Y_ELwJ7VYz7gw4E/s320/20130320_112747.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Two of our goldfish, William and Sebastian, are actually fish that we purchased for Persian New Year 2010 (our first as a married couple). They survived living in a fishbowl through Persian New Year, so we decided to buy them a more permanent home in the form of small aquarium. Three years later, they have many additional friends and a much bigger home :). "To infinity and beyond!!!"<br />
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So, there you have it, friends! Your own little Persian New Year 101 course!!<br />
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If you celebrate Persian New Year, Eideh Shoma Mobarak!!! If you don't, I hope that today's post has been interesting to you and that you have a wonderful first day of Spring!<br />
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xUnknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1529626619538272620.post-34188161965155815082013-02-28T13:34:00.001-08:002013-02-28T13:34:28.074-08:00A Winter's TaleSo, friends, I am sick...again!<br />
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Winter sucks. Cold weather sucks. And most of all, colds SUCK!<br />
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I have been super busy with legal work (yay!!!), but have also made a little time for fun. Here's a peek at what I've been up to:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR0m4XpqcoVbYQlI8R6BHjKs_iCnpziOVzZnr_nybgdtxRNbbz8JyW1kE-Zf_Jv2lO19dn3aJoZ9SS3Y3uK5pBC1UWa9mYa1pt1v83QznX_n94lWMgokJjycAk5201Z-SsKfX4NSJJqJk/s1600/20130205_121351(0).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR0m4XpqcoVbYQlI8R6BHjKs_iCnpziOVzZnr_nybgdtxRNbbz8JyW1kE-Zf_Jv2lO19dn3aJoZ9SS3Y3uK5pBC1UWa9mYa1pt1v83QznX_n94lWMgokJjycAk5201Z-SsKfX4NSJJqJk/s320/20130205_121351(0).jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i>Recent work outfit (sorry about the crappy, no-flash quality)</i> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5pLc_a0yCbqv5RuHomYlEoo0gcf2CB7lesGPCBHPrPQic174FUWoklJs8BjkSiA9JACMr3TEITDaioRWH-uI6cUl-yjohN13w1GmZHxei1XnIrQXImEQ89quvHZbj_btGgrNeLcEEGhE/s1600/20130207_141522.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5pLc_a0yCbqv5RuHomYlEoo0gcf2CB7lesGPCBHPrPQic174FUWoklJs8BjkSiA9JACMr3TEITDaioRWH-uI6cUl-yjohN13w1GmZHxei1XnIrQXImEQ89quvHZbj_btGgrNeLcEEGhE/s320/20130207_141522.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>New lazy day hairstyle.</i> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5TbnC9Eag_CaGJn07rNMg6kFProjtnDRxVktHGnK1MkGQsBcLeW9jIyHgusCbrTlcgxcsBC2Ob11xU6z0TgqCrXzEZbtFU2riS7pK5yvtbZCK9PfeKap9vZr0ZlbZ2v7XKNw_eGKLl7s/s1600/20130208_124948.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5TbnC9Eag_CaGJn07rNMg6kFProjtnDRxVktHGnK1MkGQsBcLeW9jIyHgusCbrTlcgxcsBC2Ob11xU6z0TgqCrXzEZbtFU2riS7pK5yvtbZCK9PfeKap9vZr0ZlbZ2v7XKNw_eGKLl7s/s320/20130208_124948.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Love my sunglasses' collection, but thinking about investing in a new cat eye pair...any suggestions?</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnPD-BaRqsC66Gg_N54yDCZPlmefHSBo0I8AdpaxUv9v_ZDHYkabmPKbIpB0vczFZEZfEtCtuqm_6jmaqHKHA2XpE2YtzoDErvE44UUBxqf4L9NMHUkW8i1KfUQQyiNo2vk6LwOmtu0lE/s1600/20130222_122742.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnPD-BaRqsC66Gg_N54yDCZPlmefHSBo0I8AdpaxUv9v_ZDHYkabmPKbIpB0vczFZEZfEtCtuqm_6jmaqHKHA2XpE2YtzoDErvE44UUBxqf4L9NMHUkW8i1KfUQQyiNo2vk6LwOmtu0lE/s320/20130222_122742.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i>Love vanilla candles</i> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5lPm2vMmLGmK7672pLcflnDbG73GQjtumoWRStvX6tRDdodnuPc3Oym0sNelHLSUG-8a533Pjcr2TVG5DoEtphAJCGtx13uc-e45-UKysHA_2XxUSm4SxitA33EB5AwRk0HKOC8tdgG8/s1600/20130223_195354.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5lPm2vMmLGmK7672pLcflnDbG73GQjtumoWRStvX6tRDdodnuPc3Oym0sNelHLSUG-8a533Pjcr2TVG5DoEtphAJCGtx13uc-e45-UKysHA_2XxUSm4SxitA33EB5AwRk0HKOC8tdgG8/s320/20130223_195354.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Cheese plate with fruit, dates, jam c/o father-in-law, and port for Dr. Love and I.</i> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXYrJJus9GRC_fVn38BedYJrN3Ebak5m-1K8rxzuv8RA9bDidYY3lwgPPogS8_cNCDvJgtdeQ-kzAauXqQaTSk9yBiYr7KFSFdHlfqEnvkaguZEb7tyNvrL3WGlBTPlsAP1LBoaH1nwiM/s1600/20130224_161050.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXYrJJus9GRC_fVn38BedYJrN3Ebak5m-1K8rxzuv8RA9bDidYY3lwgPPogS8_cNCDvJgtdeQ-kzAauXqQaTSk9yBiYr7KFSFdHlfqEnvkaguZEb7tyNvrL3WGlBTPlsAP1LBoaH1nwiM/s320/20130224_161050.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i>Dr. Love's sweater paired with gold accessories and red lips for girls' night Oscar's viewing party (btw, love J Law...pretend bff all the way)</i> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYt1mRzTKc4CrQiUd0vPvWMGLsYRUh4yVUZl4CgsLxsoCYyqsd4t4o7xOj36lm8TMTc_4FRnlpBvE89ef9-BaLeOBi_NLocNUtaVS3Z43tIeX6_65J5X8TkBMQWzlhkBAmxuoUoz5v_mM/s1600/20130224_190919.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYt1mRzTKc4CrQiUd0vPvWMGLsYRUh4yVUZl4CgsLxsoCYyqsd4t4o7xOj36lm8TMTc_4FRnlpBvE89ef9-BaLeOBi_NLocNUtaVS3Z43tIeX6_65J5X8TkBMQWzlhkBAmxuoUoz5v_mM/s320/20130224_190919.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Oscars fun</i> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnUqqlVlz1NcpvsyQKRTya7Up68y8tUCzNNv6ikn9MXWRbAh8Or55TvkQrOtmVbhUjPXe8hPgC4FO7NQ0Uwsp9-N-wp5zce_MV4YB3bMrIWn6qh0dY2ceZjtXJlUg5oC9v4HoKm6f2bZg/s1600/20130227_163722.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnUqqlVlz1NcpvsyQKRTya7Up68y8tUCzNNv6ikn9MXWRbAh8Or55TvkQrOtmVbhUjPXe8hPgC4FO7NQ0Uwsp9-N-wp5zce_MV4YB3bMrIWn6qh0dY2ceZjtXJlUg5oC9v4HoKm6f2bZg/s320/20130227_163722.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Just plain sick now :( (and you're welcome that I stopped at the tissue shot; those that know me well know that I would usually give them a little courtesy boogie</i> <i>shot too :) After all friends, it's important to always check to see what color your boogie is when you're sick ;) )</i></div>
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So that's about it for this week...here's to hoping that my cold is gone by tomorrow morning so that I can enjoy the BEAUTIFUL weather (80 degrees tomorrow!!!) with Dr. Love and friends. </div>
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Have a great rest of your week and an even better weekend!</div>
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x</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1529626619538272620.post-45268329292297432452013-02-19T15:30:00.003-08:002013-02-19T18:36:34.062-08:00Silver LiningsVery recently, a dear family member of mine (who I often greeted with a "hello angel!" and who often responded with an even more cheerful, "hello angel!!!") passed away. She was a lovely lady with the loudest, most genuine laugh ever. She was sick and had been for a very long time, nearly two decades. Her passing was deeply painful for all of those who loved her, but it is comforting to know that her pain is, at last, over...a silver lining, I suppose. I, along with everyone else that knew her, will miss her beautiful soul and laughter forever...<br />
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Another silver lining of loss, one that I became familiar with almost a decade ago when my mom passed away, is that losing someone you love reminds you to hold your living loved ones a little bit closer and to love them a little bit louder. I am often comforted by the countless memories I have of telling my mom how much I loved her, how proud of her I was, and how lucky I was to have her as my mom. Knowing that I communicated my love for her often and openly has helped me heal.<br />
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Today, I love even louder then I did back then...I remind myself to tell those that I love just how much I love them and to thank those that I'm thankful for as much as possible. I also laugh louder and allow myself to experience uninterrupted/unbridled happiness in those moments when I am blessed with its presence. After all, it is the collection of those moments of joy that make for a lifetime of happiness. <br />
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These dear loved ones who leave us do truly become angels...they are angels whose deaths teach us how to truly live.<br />
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I will miss you, angel. x<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1529626619538272620.post-1506760788258979012013-01-30T16:52:00.000-08:002013-01-30T16:52:19.039-08:00Hump Day Happenings...Good afternoon, friends!!<br />
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I don't have anything particularly exciting for today's post, but I do have some pics. If you guys are anything like me, you won't mind a picture dump versus a verbal dumb today. :)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEy5bbQERzB3xMBrWk7riCtvedTt78wGUGytQkwpZRFjrmTBV51Dpt60wZOj7DB1daoslWhjlU6tU2NdS3k_g5IGpsAq35aRNa7o0GzxkiF_Ei-UTLijJYyeFHPa97usOs7KCB9tdu2b4/s1600/everyday+outfit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEy5bbQERzB3xMBrWk7riCtvedTt78wGUGytQkwpZRFjrmTBV51Dpt60wZOj7DB1daoslWhjlU6tU2NdS3k_g5IGpsAq35aRNa7o0GzxkiF_Ei-UTLijJYyeFHPa97usOs7KCB9tdu2b4/s320/everyday+outfit.jpg" width="112" /></a></div>
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<i>My go-to casual outfit...white button down shirt, leopard belt, dark blue skinny jeans, gold watch/bracelets.</i> <i>(sorry about the crappy pic quality...)</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWHc-lnDyf3gxjVuS08nVRY_igDyebwe_TvpOe88k_7Xt0CfVWil2o68KkNZm8fuwPh5w5WhjDhERvUfUJUAypIOpSGospq9nk9ahY-W55K4QRFdrez2HauupCWB2Vl9LIm6dOXgkzKfk/s1600/20130111_001103.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWHc-lnDyf3gxjVuS08nVRY_igDyebwe_TvpOe88k_7Xt0CfVWil2o68KkNZm8fuwPh5w5WhjDhERvUfUJUAypIOpSGospq9nk9ahY-W55K4QRFdrez2HauupCWB2Vl9LIm6dOXgkzKfk/s320/20130111_001103.jpg" width="270" /></a></div>
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<i>One of my favorite bday gifts (and one of many from Dr. Love...thank you boo!)...my Jacquie</i> <i>Aiche ear cuff. So delicate and pretty, yet edgy. Will need to take a better quality picture of it soon...</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPXblL46Fq39VbOqex40r_Wk1Mi7YlgbCHvWyOla0lUxoLXaApwiHIUkvLpyhm4iXkel6Plw6d5BozHR9UGkxWn6wRKb2LycX_lxyHAEjwSpphGh3lqtaqhdbjjdEtLfnXCp72fWIK9XU/s1600/20130109_153634.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPXblL46Fq39VbOqex40r_Wk1Mi7YlgbCHvWyOla0lUxoLXaApwiHIUkvLpyhm4iXkel6Plw6d5BozHR9UGkxWn6wRKb2LycX_lxyHAEjwSpphGh3lqtaqhdbjjdEtLfnXCp72fWIK9XU/s320/20130109_153634.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i>Love this picture of Dr. Love so much...I'm not sure if it's because he looks so natural and in his element, or his cute smirk, or his hand on his stomach. I don't really know. I just know I love it & him.</i></div>
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<i>Now, a picture of me in my element...pre-going out curlers + no makeup...poor Dr. Love!</i> </div>
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<i>Gold polish (Tom Ford)+ gold glitter (Forever 21) = girly manicure to the extremely awesome degree. </i></div>
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<i>I don't think I'll ever grow out of my love for glitter...</i> </div>
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<i>A birthday pic with my bday twin, Dr. Love's cousin Justin who turned 30 on the same day as me!</i> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkD2BqRy6hles8UcE_zotDny3JAybQVuhPByEtc8IHQ1FIteEPvkV4ucZoqMZEUktlOZ3-gqk-56Lwfl9Upj2bnWL97NGsJWUrdxFrRrMzmrlQmxEVA_6BhhOab177LTQtcdteu3ZdSLA/s1600/20130121_133211.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkD2BqRy6hles8UcE_zotDny3JAybQVuhPByEtc8IHQ1FIteEPvkV4ucZoqMZEUktlOZ3-gqk-56Lwfl9Upj2bnWL97NGsJWUrdxFrRrMzmrlQmxEVA_6BhhOab177LTQtcdteu3ZdSLA/s320/20130121_133211.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i>Seriously, how cute is my Google Nexus tablet (courtesy of my awesome in-laws)? My mother-in-law, knowing that her daughter-in-law loves all things pink and girly, also gifted me a pink stylus pen. I did myself (and my tablet) a favor and bought a pink case to match. </i></div>
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All this talk about jewelry, glitter, and pink reminds me again of how much I love being a girl. I mean, I get it, boys have it good too in their own way. But, holy moly do we have it better. It's pretty funny that this tomboy who still loves sports and running outside so much, also has grown to love the color pink (blue/green are close tie for second) and glitter so much. The jewelry obsession? Well, you can ask any one of my good friends and they'll tell you that that has been with me forever ;). </div>
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Have a great week! I'll be busy doing work for my legal clients and, hopefully, catching up with some girlfriends tomorrow night. </div>
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In the meantime, have a great rest of your hump day and enjoy this awesome girl power song by none other than the great Alicia Keys...</div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1529626619538272620.post-33218851313048807932013-01-18T17:55:00.000-08:002013-01-18T17:55:34.793-08:00A Birthday to RememberHi Friends!!<br />
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How was your weekend/week?!<br />
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Sorry, that I've been MIA. My birthday weekend/birthday were amazing and exhausting! But before I get into all of the details, let me start by saying that my 30th birthday has been one of the very best birthdays of my life. I was NOT looking forward to turning 30 for a number of reason: (1) my mom passed away when I was 20 and I had dreaded my 30th birthday ever since because I knew that when I turned 30, it would mean that I had lived almost a whole decade without my mom, (2) 30 simply felt old and I feared that all of a sudden I'd turn into some old fart with no youthful sass (little secret, I'm still youthfully sassy as ever), and (3) my past few birthday have been not so good and I was not looking forward to another not so good birthday. <br />
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Well, I couldn't have been more wrong about turning 30. It was simply amazing!!<br />
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First of all, Dr. Love, my brother, my aunt, and my mother-in-law planned a really wonderful surprise party for me that went down last Friday night. I can't say that I was <i>totally</i> surprised when everyone yelled "Surprise!!," because I had some "clues." For one, Dr. Love told me early last month that he'd plan something and that I needn't bother with planning anything myself, but he never followed up with a fake plan, leaving me to believe that either nothing was going on (impossible) or something awesome was being planned behind the scenes. Second hint, and this is a big one, my brother accidentally sent me an invite on Facebook to my own surprise party. Yes, I'm serious. My technologically super-star bro made a tech booboo. I did not dare open the invitation, but the title already gave me enough information to know something was up. And if that was not enough, my aunt essentially avoided me the entire weekend I was home a couple of weeks ago. Our conversations consisted of hellos, can you believe this weather, and useless commentary about a Lifetime movie we watched together. It was awkward, and out of character, to say the least.<br />
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So, when I got to the restaurant/lounge where my surprise party was at, I can't say I wasn't expecting a little shindig. But I can honestly say that I had no idea that so many people that I love would be there, that the ambiance would be so perfect, and that my heart would be filled with such happiness and excitement. It was, in one word, perfection.<br />
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As I walked into the room full of my loved ones wearing their brightest smiles and cutest threads, I couldn't help but shed a tear. It was truly awesome. And overwhelming. I was literally shaking with joy for hours. As if that wasn't enough awesomeness, my best friend of 27 years had also flown in from Chicago to help me celebrate.<br />
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I couldn't help but feel so so special and to acknowledge what a special night it was. I could feel my mom's presence. She must have been there, for the love in that room was absolutely divine. I was reminded of how many times my mom told my brother and I to choose our friends very carefully and to choose them on the basis of their loyalty, honesty, and kindness. On my 30th birthday, surrounded by my friends and family, I felt my mom's spirit beaming with pride from the knowledge that I had indeed chosen the very best of friends. <br />
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And these wonderful friends and family did not disappoint. I was not only showered with AMAZING gifts, but also a whole weekend of love and laughter. It was a birthday that I will never forget. A birthday to remember...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0-Pbzp9SKJnJHgwhaQLqkk2HsU47A_sGt97mDEIXks5g-KWuVwbXz593lbt77BMD41OY6xXJtcBaouk-Ax9eY8steFpK-8IzXaq0QMEiwjGUFwrpYfgwMHag6H6C3N69PTEXiQSyyZzI/s1600/DSC09788.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0-Pbzp9SKJnJHgwhaQLqkk2HsU47A_sGt97mDEIXks5g-KWuVwbXz593lbt77BMD41OY6xXJtcBaouk-Ax9eY8steFpK-8IzXaq0QMEiwjGUFwrpYfgwMHag6H6C3N69PTEXiQSyyZzI/s320/DSC09788.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i>(w/ step-dad)</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaBChJm0I9tZRYa4sJhorUym9IQQgup0A3Hyx9xqFyOJDFE8aOzq1CZdaG7r6v1-DgizxSB1AN5360y2n4xmAkbid0yRgPM1L7sSr39oZ2FPllNobyP3iao9Acd2RkUk4DJI8bijXAfxw/s1600/DSC09793.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaBChJm0I9tZRYa4sJhorUym9IQQgup0A3Hyx9xqFyOJDFE8aOzq1CZdaG7r6v1-DgizxSB1AN5360y2n4xmAkbid0yRgPM1L7sSr39oZ2FPllNobyP3iao9Acd2RkUk4DJI8bijXAfxw/s320/DSC09793.JPG" width="176" /></a> </div>
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<i>(w/ Dr. Love)</i></div>
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<i>(bro and Dr. Love)</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNvHJlpmvIeLUdH6gVIqdXmpxGQH28ntvJ58Nleh_1RXhateLAaTmVjkFWSvENUtiJbab2Ukg7HSu0AOyRHOeQJaFvUFAUlsLKOtaZ-Eb81ZsmAN07uNU4R5mgQyYaZNvXzD8km03f6qU/s1600/photo6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNvHJlpmvIeLUdH6gVIqdXmpxGQH28ntvJ58Nleh_1RXhateLAaTmVjkFWSvENUtiJbab2Ukg7HSu0AOyRHOeQJaFvUFAUlsLKOtaZ-Eb81ZsmAN07uNU4R5mgQyYaZNvXzD8km03f6qU/s320/photo6.jpg" width="272" /></a></div>
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<i>(w/ my bestie)</i></div>
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<i>(with my birthday twins)</i></div>
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<i>(w/ Yuli)</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTSBwY-ipSMrRfCNPEk1CP09eK4S53_-z3knkg6xmunBLo9l8lalzfcBWKP6kP7NISnr864e2-9eBfLMLMIZY4anF3MItcd1Qf0XbqXEIXdVXUVC9PY6Ib2WiUVGiVKNIJ0PlfgYt7MCE/s1600/DSC09806.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTSBwY-ipSMrRfCNPEk1CP09eK4S53_-z3knkg6xmunBLo9l8lalzfcBWKP6kP7NISnr864e2-9eBfLMLMIZY4anF3MItcd1Qf0XbqXEIXdVXUVC9PY6Ib2WiUVGiVKNIJ0PlfgYt7MCE/s320/DSC09806.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>(w/ friends and fam)</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGSqHjf9qncRsN4nGziUQv2r-GVTNVJ6pPI9GCwSKt28XAWC1ZDqOs142dURslEkPGB0NXbLvGT-CcRVHpFnyrRdAEjoPjy_wNeBklWv7XOrF0S8cdZ_8MGHhJfrf3Bd1lCzVX02KrHpc/s1600/DSC09811.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGSqHjf9qncRsN4nGziUQv2r-GVTNVJ6pPI9GCwSKt28XAWC1ZDqOs142dURslEkPGB0NXbLvGT-CcRVHpFnyrRdAEjoPjy_wNeBklWv7XOrF0S8cdZ_8MGHhJfrf3Bd1lCzVX02KrHpc/s320/DSC09811.JPG" width="201" /></a></div>
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<i>(w/ my step-bro)</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEjl7FSK_SlMAX6B1TmoybqF5ImQ4N36IXE1T0jj_1t0JpedU2aJNFSYzaawLmkOWWbtViaCnyNMFDPyheTW2CLTpTTPUJ6e5hXI_3JIz5QHwnOYgYJpVdrLjdxHWz5D3p5LJrpuIsCmY/s1600/photo3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEjl7FSK_SlMAX6B1TmoybqF5ImQ4N36IXE1T0jj_1t0JpedU2aJNFSYzaawLmkOWWbtViaCnyNMFDPyheTW2CLTpTTPUJ6e5hXI_3JIz5QHwnOYgYJpVdrLjdxHWz5D3p5LJrpuIsCmY/s320/photo3.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>(w/ fam and friends)</i></div>
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A birthday to remember, indeed!</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1529626619538272620.post-88164891327775537362013-01-06T14:46:00.000-08:002013-01-07T12:06:03.076-08:00Hello 2013!!!Happy New Year friends!<br />
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<i>Sibling love...love my big bro sooooooooooo much.</i></div>
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<i>So much fun spending time with childhood friends</i></div>
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<i>Happy times with good friends (my bestie of 27 years at the far right</i> :) )</div>
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<i>Christmas dinner with Dr. Love</i> </div>
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<i>The perfect striped top (Banana Republic) thanks to my Aunt Seps.</i> </div>
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<i>Cousin pic...can't believe that my youngest cousin will be half my age come January 14th...eeeeek!!!</i> </div>
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<i>Loved this open-back dress, but had no idea where on earth I could wear it (btw, check out my sexy sports socks...yeah baby!)</i> </div>
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<i>Wearing my engagement/wedding rings, a couple of my right hand rings, my sister-in-law's engagement/wedding rings, and a dear friend's engagement ring. The shine didn't carry over to the pic, but holy moly was I in sparkle heaven!!</i></div>
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First of all, my apologies for going MIA on you for almost a month. December-today has been crazy busy with holidays, family events, vacas, work, and life...<br />
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I just got home after being in Los Angeles with my in-laws for over a week. Dr. Love and I had such a great time with his parents, grandparents, bro/sister-in-law, and other relatives. Dr. Love's vaca ended early, as he left for a business trip on Friday. Mine continued on with a few days at my fam's home in Orange County. I had SUCH a wonderful past couple of weeks, but am also really happy to be back at home. There's nothing like snuggling up on your comfy sofa under a warm throw and watching some intelligence killing reality tv...yes, I'm talking about you, Real Housewives!<br />
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Back to reality = a TON of house cleaning, LOTS of legal work, lots of blog writing over at <a href="http://www.mintandchase.com/" target="_blank">Mint + Chase</a>, work on a new exciting addition to the Mint + Chase team (eeeek!! so excited to share this news!), and lots of alone time with Dr. Love once he gets back on Wednesday.<br />
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2013 is bound to be a big year! First of all, yours truly turns the BIG 30 on January 14th! I have so many emotions about turning 30 that I'll have to share them with you in a separate post. Let it suffice to say for now that there is a bitter-sweetness to this birthday.<br />
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Other than the big bday, I also have been getting more legal work (yay!!!!) and am amping up my ad/promotion efforts over at Mint + Chase. My poor baby has been on the back-burner for the past month, but I'm finally ready to give it the love (and new updates) that it so majorly deserves.<br />
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I'll write to you again this week (and promise that there will be more pics), but I'd also love to hear some feedback about what it is you would all like to see more of on my blog. I know that there are many of you visiting the blog (you make a girl blush), but I'm not sure what you like to read/see most. So, please leave a comment and help me make this blog that I love so much a place for you to love as well!<br />
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x<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1529626619538272620.post-52146840918974170672012-12-12T15:42:00.006-08:002012-12-12T18:13:10.645-08:00Facebook 101 (AKA How to Stay Sane While Staying Connected)Hi Friends!<br />
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Warning: Today's post is pretty whiney, but I felt compelled to "speak" up about something that has left me peeved...and despite what the title may suggest, I'm not going to be teaching you anything, but am rather hoping you can share your wisdom with me.<br />
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Lately, I've become more and more aware of how much of a love hate relationship I have with Facebook. On the one hand, I want to stay connected with what is going on in the world, in my friend's/family's lives, and in popular culture. So, I login to FB at least a dozen times a day to see what's up...you know, check out pics, status updates, etc...<br />
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I have noticed, however, that lately I roll my eyes a lot more then I used to when I'm browsing through FB. I'm not sure if it's because I'm annoyed at how acceptable it has become to over share (I know I sound sort of hypocritical talking about over sharing in my blog that is about my day-to-day life), or if it's because I dislike how disingenuous some of the comments/updates feel, but I am seriously rolling my eyes a lot (or saying "lame" out loud, which is fine, because I work from home, so my only "office mate" is a little bird that stops by our window every couple of hours). <br />
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Despite all of this, I have not (and doubt I will anytime in the near future) deactivated my account. Why you ask? Probably for the same reason FB has become so popular...I'm curious, like the ability to connect to a gazillion people with the click of my keyboard, and like looking at pictures.<br />
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Recently...very, very recently, someone who I had de-friended on FB, re-friended me. I didn't have the heart to ignore or reject their friend request (mostly because they are family). Big mistake. I initially de-friended them because I didn't like their lack of understanding of how to use FB appropriately (i.e., don't tag yourself in my pics when you're clearly not in them, don't share all of my pics on your page, and please please please do not fill my timeline/wall with political spam). So now, I find that I am again "friends" with this person, and again trying to stay calm while this person breaks all of the unspoken rules of FB.<br />
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Any advice on how to handle the situation? Mind you, I have addressed as many of the technical privacy issues as I could using FB Help, but am now in need of some sage non-technical advice about how to stay calm and regain control over my social content (yeah, I know how ridiculous "control over my social content" sounds...but you know what I mean...). Friends, I need some advice on how to kindly, nicely, and effectively put an end to annoying FB behavior by a FB friend and real life relative. <br />
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Oh and here's a pics from Dr. Love's bday this weekend...<br />
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x Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1529626619538272620.post-81108825223548800982012-12-06T13:25:00.000-08:002012-12-06T13:25:21.401-08:00Happy Birthday, Dr. Love!!!!!!Happy happy happy birthday to my Dr. Love!!!!!<br />
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I love you so much and love every single minute that I spend with you (even when we're arguing ;) ). Simply put, you are the bomb-diggity booboo and I could not be more proud to be your Mrs. <br />
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x Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1529626619538272620.post-2726096975940271742012-11-29T11:25:00.001-08:002012-12-14T09:15:05.555-08:00My Home Office and myStoreyHi Friends!!<br />
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I hope that you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with yummy grub and a lot of love!<br />
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Dr. Love and I had a wonderful Thanksgiving break which kicked off with three days of family time with Dr. Love's family followed by a couple days with my family and friends. All-in-all, it was a great holiday week/weekend! Only downfall is that all the activities and fun left this girl sick with, what is now, a week-long cold :(. My cold isn't <i>that</i> bad, but the jaw soreness and pain is a new symptom that I haven't felt before and that I can't seem to get rid of...will let you know how that's going next week ;).<br />
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So, as promised, below are some pics of our home office. A couple noteworthy facts: (1) the office is not 100% done yet, as we still have some shelves and photos to put up (hint hint, Dr. Love!),and (2) almost every single thing in the office is from Ikea...and boy are we happy we decided to go the Ikea route for the office. It was soooo much cheaper then other office furniture that I was eye-ing (i.e., Pottery Barn, Z Gallerie), the items were delivered the day after purchase, and for a couple hundred dollars more, the delivery men assembled all of the pieces for us. Totes worth it!<br />
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What was once an empty room with a purple wall, is now one of my favorite rooms in the house...there is such a calm in that room...love it!<br />
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Now, on to another recent "favorite" of mine. Have you guys heard of <a href="http://www.mystorey.com/" target="_blank">myStorey</a>?!?! If you haven't, I highly recommend that you check it out...it is AWESOME! It's what I think the lovechild of a three-way between Facebook, Pinterest, and Amazon would look like. Don't worry, friends. I am well aware that it only takes two lovers to make one baby; however, this is not just any baby, it's a super baby!!! Why super? Well, you can create a profile, upload your pics from FB, then tag (wait for it....wait for it....) all of the lust worthy items you're wearing and your myStorey friends can then shop your look...and visa versa. What a freaking great idea!! And, to make things even better, myStorey doesn't just provide you with multiple sources for the item (with competitive pricing), but product reviews too. Do you see why I call it an all-in-one super baby?!?!?!?! Check out the site and if you like what you see request an invite to join, then stop by <a href="http://tech.co/who-is-los-angeles-hottest-showcasing-startup-2012-11">http://tech.co/who-is-los-angeles-hottest-showcasing-startup-2012-11</a> to vote for myStorey for Los Angeles' Hottest Showcasing Startup.<br />
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Also, don't forget to stop by the <a href="http://mintandchase.com/#!/blog" target="_blank">Mint + Chase blog</a> all this week and next week to get some great holiday gift ideas!!<br />
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Enjoy the rest of your Thursday, have a great Friday and weekend, and speak to you all next week!!<br />
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xUnknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1529626619538272620.post-81176933630038848352012-11-21T13:20:00.002-08:002012-11-21T13:20:44.908-08:00Happy Thanksgiving<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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An early Happy Thanksgiving friends!!! I, hopefully, won't be at my computer tomorrow, so I just wanted to stop by and wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving! <br />
<br />Also, our home office design project is finally done and I can't wait to show you the final product. Let's just say, it's my new favorite room in the house.<br />
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I'll have plenty of pics for you next week, but in the meantime, enjoy the following sneak-peak: <br />
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Again, Happy Thanksgiving and "see" you guys next week!!!<br />
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xUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1529626619538272620.post-46095291721045088452012-11-15T21:19:00.002-08:002012-11-16T10:17:02.206-08:00Doin' It and Doin' It and Doin' It...YourselfHi friends!!<br />
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I hope that you all had a lovely week thus far and that your Friday is going great!<br />
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Despite what today's post title might suggest, we are not going to talk about sex <strike>today</strike> ever<strike></strike>. I know, I know...disappointing. <br />
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I actually wanted to share a recent DIY project with you guys. Now, before I get into the project details, I just want to say that this project was time consuming, but SUPER easy. I generally shy away from DIY projects because I have no patience...and I love to shop. So, when there's an affordable and high-quality option out in the stores, there's no way you're going to see me trying to make one from scratch. Well, in this case, after searching for weeks for a nicely framed dry-erase board, I finally gave up and gave in to the idea of making one from scratch. <br />
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<strike>Dr. Love and</strike> I have finally started on decorating our home office. Can you believe it? The room has pretty much been empty, except for some books and office supplies, for the past year and 3 months. I know, how embarrassing. In our defense, it was kind of nice to have the room empty, because we could use it as a second guest bedroom. Anyway, times have changed...my law practice is picking up, and Mint + Chase has generated quite a bit of paperwork that needs to be filed away. So, I started phase one of decorating the office, which included, among other things, coming up with the general feel that we wanted for the space and drawing out our furniture placement. Once I got started with that, I got into super time-to-be-organized mode and decided that we desperately needed a <i>home office </i>dry-erase board. I emphasize "home office" because that was specifically why I had such a difficult time finding an already made one. Most of the ones I found were either super "I'm in high school and need to keep track of all of my extra-curricular activities" or "welcome to the meeting, please take your seat-ish." I couldn't find any affordable, but stylish options.<br />
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So, like any respectable modern-day woman, I turned to Pinterest and the blogsphere, where I found great DIY ideas. After weeks, I finally went out today and bought all of the necessary materials: frame, uncut matte board, Sharpie marker, dry-erase markers, a ruler (yeah, I had to go buy one...no clue where our ruler was), and some gorgeous stationary. I bought my frame from my absolute favorite frame store, Aaron Brothers, and the stationary from Paper Source.<br />
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Below are the results of my DIY:<br />
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<i>Yes, this picture was taken in the bathroom...I thought the lighting would be better in there...wrong.</i></div>
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All I did was measure out my lines and then I drew them on the matte board using the Sharpie. The only other items I wrote directly on the matte board with the Sharpie were the days and "Notes." I later wrote month/year and numbers on the glass with a dry-erase marker. The project was super easy, but took some time (I did some math...crazy, I know...to make sure that my lines were evenly spaced). I can't remember the exact amount of $ I spent on everything, but I estimate that the entire project cost under $30. If you're looking for a <i>home office</i> dry-erase board, I HIGHLY recommend making one for yourself. You can customize it and it costs less then most similar options out there. </div>
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Finally, I want to leave you with a few pics from our Election Day party last week. It was a great time with a great ending :)</div>
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<i>Em's homemade Obama 2012 election cookies...they were obviously a big hit...look at them!!</i></div>
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<i>My famous guac to start the party...within the hour, the table was packed with everyone's election night edible contributions...from salads, to tarts, to sausage & cheese, to pizza. Yum!!!</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzR1C1Hxqv6WQxLP1mWKPwQIdXC-80y7B3h2A-7nO26iMxBSgGI2XkbOdHF5LoFyJMQlZM4BXD_wfTsUuDVSlkYHypEbvJNK1-s3SjcMVo3z5x7VTBs7ihcx5NoFXTXpwLGUTsxGIGHnI/s1600/IMG_2530.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzR1C1Hxqv6WQxLP1mWKPwQIdXC-80y7B3h2A-7nO26iMxBSgGI2XkbOdHF5LoFyJMQlZM4BXD_wfTsUuDVSlkYHypEbvJNK1-s3SjcMVo3z5x7VTBs7ihcx5NoFXTXpwLGUTsxGIGHnI/s320/IMG_2530.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Caught Em in the act...this pretty girl is not only a great cookie baker/designer, but also a brain (neoroscientist to be specific)...and as of this week, she is also ENGAGED!!!! Yay!!! Congrats to Em and Pete!!</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwUnk4IEJlVQxR2j9HMLNphrOKSiuuua-waqGhSPQKXQRrgBhzvKtkVf-_gdhv0tokXPKCUKHwfxZA_33LtkOOmwtiZBuIl4oKbHDiiEVqwUxEtPSfWaXp0Laq5t3MA9vO6yJ21lhPqyI/s1600/IMG_2531.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwUnk4IEJlVQxR2j9HMLNphrOKSiuuua-waqGhSPQKXQRrgBhzvKtkVf-_gdhv0tokXPKCUKHwfxZA_33LtkOOmwtiZBuIl4oKbHDiiEVqwUxEtPSfWaXp0Laq5t3MA9vO6yJ21lhPqyI/s320/IMG_2531.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Shaikes...not only is the girl super cute, she's also a top-notch pastry chef...so guess what she brought? The MOST delicious apple caramel crumble in jars (everyone got one) which was later topped with vanilla ice cream. I am seriously salivating just typing this description out...so so so good.</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwjKmUmDEuXTSnRKEGfXkhjGan57zLmomVr5AYDP8R6fptfmVtDfcx5mPSPAje8sOqQCEzc3Fo2wyyUZ83mg6tVkDIpBrVfjy2JcleTHKUrngq-hkeBt2El4gH6m7nM-1VAW2Aj5rL86s/s1600/IMG_2532.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwjKmUmDEuXTSnRKEGfXkhjGan57zLmomVr5AYDP8R6fptfmVtDfcx5mPSPAje8sOqQCEzc3Fo2wyyUZ83mg6tVkDIpBrVfjy2JcleTHKUrngq-hkeBt2El4gH6m7nM-1VAW2Aj5rL86s/s320/IMG_2532.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
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<i>Oh, did I mention that Shaikes is super stylish too? Check out that Chambray shirt and those lace shorts!</i></div>
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Unfortunately, I was so wrapped up in election results coverage that I forgot to get pics of the other 7/8 people at the party. Basically, it was more of the above...beautiful girls with yummy creations (+ Dr. Love and his friend Nima-nimers). </div>
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Well that's all for this week's post. Remember to stop by the <a href="http://mintandchase.com/#!/blog" target="_blank">Mint + Chase site</a> to check out what we're blogging about there. </div>
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Have a great weekend!!!</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1529626619538272620.post-28841730503206949062012-11-06T11:19:00.001-08:002012-11-06T11:19:30.493-08:00Election Day!!Hi Friends,<br />
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Today is one of my favorite days...Election Day in the beautiful U.S.A.!!! <br />
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I don't like to get political on my blog, but I just feel compelled to remind everyone that this election, like all elections, is a big deal. There are many important issues to be decided. Most importantly, who you want to lead this country for the next four years.<br />
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When making your decision, please keep in mind everything that is at stake. Don't just think about your life in 2012 and what issues matter to you now, but all the issues that will ever be important to you. Why do I say that? This election will affect the trajectory that this country takes, and the people we place in positions of leadership will have the ability to change the moral and political fiber of this country.<br />
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I voted for President Barack Obama again this year as I did four years ago and I stand behind him, his policies, his platform, and his morals. Here's to four more years in office for the candidate that, as my dear friend/cousin-in-law Meegs put it, "<span class="userContent">respects human dignity, health care, gay
marriage, women’s rights, science, education, alternative energy, the
global economy, global security, opportunity (not just for the
privileged), democracy and the judiciary. No one puts me in a binder.
:)" Wise words from a wise lady :). </span><br />
<span class="userContent"><br /></span>
<span class="userContent">P.S. I'm hosting an election party tonight and will make sure to snap some pics of all of our election themed drinks/treats for your viewing pleasure...</span><br />
<span class="userContent"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1529626619538272620.post-23938060537365799882012-10-31T11:15:00.001-07:002012-11-01T21:45:20.610-07:00Happy Halloween!!Hi Friends!<br />
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Let me start out today's post by thanking all of you who have reached out to me in response to last week's post. Thank you so much for all of your kind words, for sharing tales of your own struggles with me, and for making me feel like there are at least ten of you out there that follow this blog. :) You made what would otherwise be a shitty week, a great one. THANK YOU!!<br />
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On a completely different note, I just wanted to stop by today to wish you all a very safe and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!! And I want to wish my beautiful cousin, Shay, a very happy birthday!!!<br />
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For your entertainment, here are a couple pics from last year's Halloween celebrations...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq4ZY8Fu-8HOWk7LR6E3zEezANFME6-AI4Ia_Q5uNKK6a-QkbXt4IMEOyu8mqYvcYT2iQh-3d3Dqhi_LMX49f9re3j0rBWs3_zUVJGA-hZRdwd260NfWPM6B7PHYMP1gs_xhl-7k3dz3k/s1600/Halloween+2011+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq4ZY8Fu-8HOWk7LR6E3zEezANFME6-AI4Ia_Q5uNKK6a-QkbXt4IMEOyu8mqYvcYT2iQh-3d3Dqhi_LMX49f9re3j0rBWs3_zUVJGA-hZRdwd260NfWPM6B7PHYMP1gs_xhl-7k3dz3k/s320/Halloween+2011+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Dr. Love + candy = bad news :)</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaNn_6EY8OjCYUA6FJCy_YTfTyIcd_mT5tt-lNPmgg0gmFlH4cjc_ltFPK86vCuwOiMqIJBv62-7bHt_07MFdoE2XbEu7n1VRQOu92DGksG3EfY1gSn9XWusrgX5ODQ1-LMelBwabdjtc/s1600/Halloween+2011+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaNn_6EY8OjCYUA6FJCy_YTfTyIcd_mT5tt-lNPmgg0gmFlH4cjc_ltFPK86vCuwOiMqIJBv62-7bHt_07MFdoE2XbEu7n1VRQOu92DGksG3EfY1gSn9XWusrgX5ODQ1-LMelBwabdjtc/s320/Halloween+2011+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Later today, <strike>Dr. Love and</strike> I will be prepping for all of our trick-or-treaters this year. Last year was a bust, with only three kids coming by. We attribute this to the fact that we had just moved in a couple months before Halloween 2011, so the neighborhood kids didn't know us. Nowadays, they practically live on our lawn, wave at us every time we drive by, and even stop by for a hello or a quick chat. All that taken into account, I'm feeling pretty good about this year's turnout...like at least 5 kids will come by ;).<br />
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On a related, cranky-old woman note, I feel like Halloween is lame-o for kids these days. Remember back in the day when you'd go through neighborhoods for hours and even go through people's haunted houses...in their house! Those days are long gone friends. Now, our neighborhood shopping center has trick-or-treating hours, presumably for safety purposes, so a lot of the kids go there instead of around the neighborhood. Can you say lame? I mean, we freaking live in a nice neighborhood, in a safe city. Psh...kids these days...<br />
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x<br />
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UPDATE: The first itty bitty kid that rang the doorbell was with his grandparents and looked absolutely and utterly overwhelmed by the whole process of trick-or-treating. Took one piece of candy and checked-out. Next came a set of three seemingly too-old-to-trick-or-treat girls who were very polite, and thus treated kindly despite their age. Then came a loooong period of silence...no kids...nothing. And just when I was about to hang my hat (please refer to picture above) and call it a day, the doorbell rang...and rang...and rang. Like a lot and loudly. As soon as I got to the door, I understood why. There must have been 25 kids pushing to get to the front of the line to stick their chubby fists in my candy bowl (okay, that sounds beyond inappropriate, but it's a true story). They were pushing, shoving, and taking wayyy too many pieces each. They were like a mob of candy-addicted psychos...kind of cute, to be honest. They were pretty ridiculous, but their parents took the cake by standing back and watching their kids, while laughing and taking pics. No "don't push Charlie," or "only a few pieces, Susie." Nope, just laughter...and admiration...and flashes...weirdos :). All-in-all, it was a great night and Dr. Love and I had a good laugh over our neighborhood mob of kids. Good bunch...good bunch indeed. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1529626619538272620.post-46743711600248681802012-10-17T12:59:00.001-07:002012-10-17T13:25:23.549-07:00Love, Loss, and What RemainsFear sucks, friends.<br />
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It can debilitate, it can handicap, and it can seriously suck the joy out of life.<br />
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When my mom was killed in a car accident while on her way to work on November 4th, 2003, my life changed in every single way possible. I lost my best friend, my confidante, my advisor. My heart shattered into a million pieces and I felt every single minute of it. I felt it deep, I felt it hard, and to this day, while I have healed greatly, there is still a gaping hole in my heart that aches for her.<br />
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My mom's death didn't just leave me with an immense amount of heartache, it also left me with a debilitating fear of mortality. I became aware of how fleeting life is for the first time in my life. Of how one second someone can be here with us and the next they are gone. That they could be taken away in such a stupid, accidental, and unnecessary way.<br />
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For some, the loss of a loved one comes as a wake-up call...a reminder that life is short and that every minute should be used to explore, take chances, and really <i>live</i>.<br />
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That was not the case for me. My mom's death left me absolutely terrified. I felt lonely, angry, and cheated out of happiness. I felt like I had been robbed. After the shock, the denial, the anger, and the acceptance, came pure, unrelenting fear. The fear that the most innocent activity can be the end of me, or even worse, the end of the ones I love. The fear that if I let go and relax (as I did so purely and wholly when I was studying abroad in London before learning of my mom's death), that something bad would happen again. The fear that if I'm having too much fun, if I'm too happy, life will punch me in the stomach again. I had decided that in order to protect my heart and my life from the cruel reality of fate, I would not take too many chances. I would play it safe. And most importantly, I would not let myself be so happy or love so deeply again. <br />
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My fears were not only a part of me, but they were becoming me. Day in and day out, I felt like I was just waiting for something horrible to happen. I was always on edge, and always ready to break down. I met Dr. Love during this time. He was like a breath of fresh air. Very logical, very relaxed. My trust in him and his words allowed me to lighten up a little, and I fell deeply and madly in love with him in no time. I laughed with him and I <i>lived</i> with him...became more adventurous and spent less time thinking about what I had lost and more time thanking God for what I had.<br />
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That doesn't mean that my fears disappeared though, and eventually, they would rear their ugly head again. The deeper I fell in love with Dr. Love, the more I feared losing him. My fear made me angry, and my anger made me snappy and stressed out, which made me anxious, which made me angry..... It was a vicious cycle and one that was only exacerbated and magnified during "significant" times in my life (such as my mom's birthdays, the anniversaries of her death, my birthday, and every other holiday). Essentially, every special moment was stained by my sadness over losing my mom and by my fear of losing someone important to me again.<br />
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I finally decided to see a therapist after I was laid off from my job and left with far too much free time to sit around and be sad, angry, depressed, and afraid. I hadn't seen a therapist since the first few months after my mom's passing. That first encounter with a therapist had been short-lived, but had helped me rid myself of the panic attacks that had me holed up in my room for weeks. Knowing the real and effective impact that my visits had had on me years ago served as motivation for me to once again seek out professional help. For the past few months, I have been seeing a new therapist. I go, I talk, I cry, she listens, she talks, she teaches. I have been working through every single thing I can think of, anxiety/stress/fear/anger/pain, and I have never ever ever felt better. Not because my therapist has "cured" me, but because she has helped me accept a lot of things. To accept why I feel the way I feel, to accept that I'd like to not be so anxious, and to accept that, with hard work and commitment, I can slowly take back the reigns from fear.<br />
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Why did I decide to share all of this with you all here today? Well, simply because, with the nine year anniversary of my mom's passing quickly approaching, I have taken a few minutes to reflect on the past 9 years, and particularly the past few months, and I can see how much better I feel and how much freer my heart and mind are. I flew across the country not just free of anxiety, but actually relaxed..I actually <i>enjoyed </i>flying for the first time since losing my mom. I went on a roller-coaster and actually had fun. With November 4th around the corner, I recently felt a sudden rise in my anxiety level, and for the first time, I didn't run away from what I was feeling. I let myself feel it, I talked it out, I accepted it, and I understood it...Today, I am the most relaxed that I have ever been on an October 17th since my mom passed away. I am also thankful...I am not only thankful for my therapist and for the tools that therapy has armed me with, but I am especially thankful for having had a mom who was so open-minded and encouraging and a direct cause of my openness (and resulting success) with therapy.<br />
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Friends, if you believe you can feel better, you can. You will need help, support, and patience. You will need honesty, strength, and persistence. Most importantly, you will need self acceptance. My mom is gone and I miss her always. There is nothing wrong with missing her and there is no reason why I should not let myself feel that sense of loss and sadness. However, I also have learned to accept the flip-side of the coin of acceptance. While, it is not fair that she is gone, it was also not fair that I had such a pure, kind, encouraging, loving mother while so many other people don't. I have learned to accept that truth as well and to remind myself of it often.<br />
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Mom, I love you so much and thank God every single day of my life that I am your daughter, that I had the privilege to learn so much from you, and that Zub and I have the honor of carrying on your legacy.<br />
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x<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1529626619538272620.post-65467403307834616322012-10-11T14:08:00.001-07:002012-10-11T14:11:00.692-07:00Occupied in October Hi friends!<br />
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It feels like it has been forever since I last wrote to you...my sincere apologies. I have been super busy working on my <a href="http://www.mintandchase.com/" target="_blank">Mint + Chase website</a> & <a href="http://mintandchase.com/#!/blog" target="_blank">blog</a>.<br />
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Also, I got my very first (and now, second!!!) client for Mint + Chase, so I have been occupied putting together the perfect looks for her. I could not be more excited about getting my site and business going, but let me tell you, when it's your own business, it always feels like you could be doing more and it seems like there is always an endless list of things that need to be done. I am also busy researching new/better ways to get exposure for Mint + Chase, including search engine optimization, web marketing, and good ol' back-in-the-day social networking...you know, the type where you have to get up off the couch, put something nice on, head out of your house, and mingle with real life people...I know, I know, I forget what that's like sometimes too. If you guys have any networking/marketing tips for me, please please please leave a comment...I'm like an eager sponge right now, soaking it all in. And let me tell you, my saturation point is HIGH!<br />
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In the past few weeks, when I haven't been busy with Mint + Chase, I have been cooking, getting the house ready for fall, getting my nails ready for fall, traveling, overcoming some anxieties (i.e., flying and roller-coasters...more on this next week!), and of course, snapping pics along the way.<br />
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Enjoy!<br />
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<i>Fingernail bling & arm candy</i></div>
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<i>Beef and vegetable kebabs with corn</i></div>
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<i>Fall pumpkin/squash decor DIY </i></div>
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<i>Quick trip to Philly to attend Dr. Love's childhood best friend's wedding</i></div>
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And I leave you now with the two songs that I could not stop singing when we were in Philly (much to Dr. Love's dismay and chagrin...yeah, so maybe I sang them out loud...in public spaces...in <i>very</i> crowded public spaces....hehe, my baaad!)...both classics, both loved by this girl. :)<i> </i></div>
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<i>God, I love Boys II Men </i></div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1529626619538272620.post-92173018112008828402012-09-24T13:11:00.000-07:002012-09-24T13:16:30.755-07:00Style For MilesHi guys!<br />
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I cannot tell you how long I have had a girl crush on Gwyneth Paltrow for...let's just say, it's been over a decade.<br />
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While there was a brief moment in 2003 when I hated her (I believe that she refers to that moment as her wedding day...to my #1 crush at that time, Coldplay front man, Chris Martin), in the end, I could not help but fall in love with her all over again. Let's face it, the girl is cool, confident, fit, chic, can cook, and her style is to die for. What is there not to love?<br />
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Check out <a href="http://mintandchase.com/2012/09/style-profile_gwyneth-paltrow/#!/" target="_blank">Mint + Chase's Style Profile_Gwyneth Paltrow</a> and see some of her best looks.<br />
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I, for one, cannot wait for Fall to feel more like Fall here so I can try out some of her layered daytime looks...LOVE!<br />
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x<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1529626619538272620.post-81706946572042905092012-09-20T14:09:00.002-07:002012-09-20T14:10:25.281-07:00Caught in the Web of the WWW Hi guys!<br />
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Holy moly has it been busy over here! I have been buried deep in books, networking events, reading and writing e-mails, and working on my new website. Extremely busy, but all a good kind of busy.<br />
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I have a little bit of bad news, and a little bit of good news...the bad news is that I'm going to be a bit MIA on this blog for a while (i.e., down to about one post per week) for a few weeks while I get my website and company going. The good news is that I have a blog on my website (<a href="http://www.mintandchase.com/">www.mintandchase.com</a>) in which I will be talking all things fashion and beauty. Whenever you need your fix of Paris, feel free to stop by the site and check out our newest posts.<br />
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Until next week, this girl will be busy busy busy...<br />
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Reading this 900 page monstrosity of a book:<br />
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What can I say, I like to know everything about every part of my new business. It is an exhausting obsession, but well worth it. Knowledge, my friends, is power ;).<br />
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x <br />
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P.S. Where the heck is fall...this 80 degree weather is really starting to piss me (and my fall wardrobe) off, pshh!<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1529626619538272620.post-6945695849248826652012-09-12T13:35:00.000-07:002012-09-12T13:35:50.936-07:00Introducing Mint + Chase!!!Hi friends! <br />
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I told you that I'd have some BIG work related news this week....well here it is!!!!!!!<br />
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I am very excited to announce the launch of my new personal styling and shopping company, Mint + Chase!!!<br />
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I am so happy to <i>finally</i> be able to share this big news with all of you! I started Mint + Chase after deciding that I didn't want a career in a big law firm and that the smaller law firms in my geographic area were either not hiring or not paying enough relative to all the hard work and stress these jobs required and created. I brainstormed about my options and decided that it was the perfect time to pursue my second passion, fashion!<br />
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At Mint + Chase, we specialize in styling women for every part of their day, including their work day. I will be calling upon my own law firm experience to help me with finding the right balance for each client between personal, fashionable style and professional, appropriate work attire. Who says you can't look and feel good while doing your job?!<br />
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I am thrilled to be able to help women feel great about themselves and how they look, but worry not. I will continue to practice law on a part-time/contract basis, as that is a love of mine too. <br />
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Please stop by the Mint + Chase Facebook page and "Like" it and visit <a href="http://www.mintandchase.com/">www.mintandchase.com</a> to learn more about what we do.<br />
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x Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1529626619538272620.post-198206794622692832012-09-10T22:31:00.001-07:002012-09-10T22:31:55.105-07:00Singing To My SoulBonus post today...first time ever that I've posted twice in one day, but I just had to share this song.<br />
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I just got done watching The Lucky One...the movie was okay...typical Nicholas Sparks, but not nearly as good as The Notebook.<br />
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Anyway, when the credits started running, the song below started...and I have to say, it was probably my favorite part of the entire movie. Great song, enjoy...<br />
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xUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1529626619538272620.post-51854675803140934182012-09-10T13:08:00.000-07:002012-09-10T14:41:20.978-07:00A B$#&h Named CancerCancer sucks, friends.<br />
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We all know somebody who has been diagnosed with the disease, and, at a minimum, <i>about</i> somebody who has passed away from it. <br />
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Everyday, oncologists and cancer researchers work tirelessly and passionately to find cures, design targeted medicines, and save people's lives from this awful disease.<br />
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This past Friday, the Stand Up To Cancer team of doctors, scientists, philanthropists, and celebrities came together to raise money for cancer research. It was a great day!<br />
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As I mentioned in my previous post, Dr. Love is one of the members of the SUTC Dream Team and was, therefore, invited to attend the live taping of the annual telethon and post-event parties. I was his date (duh), and we had a great time. More importantly, I was beaming with pride that my hubs, the man I get to be married to, is such an integral part of such an honorable cause. I don't want to embarrass the modest hubs too much, but let it suffice to say, he is amazing and I am honored to be his lifetime lady love.<br />
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Dr. Love is also the hottest (and by my estimates, the youngest) dream team member...woot woot!!<br />
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To Dr. Love and the rest of the SUTC Dream Team and everyone else who is working so hard to eradicate this awful disease...keep on truckin' and know that I, for one, am very very proud of you!<br />
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x<br />
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<b>UPDATE: In case you missed the SUTC telecast on Friday, below is the video of the entire program.</b><br />
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<b> </b>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0