st. augustine.

Happy Tuesday, everyone! I hope it's going wonderfully for you. On Saturday Jeffrey and I decided to go to St. Augustine for the day. We needed to get away from our college town for awhile, so this was just the thing. We walked around and marveled over all the beautiful, old houses, ate lunch at Scarlett O'Hara's (pictures of her everywhere!), and got the most divine Gelato I have ever tasted. St. Augustine is rather small (and much more tourist-y than it used to be) and a little tacky, to be honest, but sometimes it's fun to immerse yourself in the tourism of your own state.

1 & 2. I think the fort would be such a lovely place to take wedding photos. I can just imagine a bride's white gown popping in front of those gray, stone walls.
3. The only picture Jeffrey and I got together required expert use of the self-timer. We were on the ground, and there was a family above us in the fort, and I'm pretty sure they got a big kick out of Jeffrey and I sprinting from the camera to the wall.
4. Fruits of the Forest & Chocolate. The Gelato man was the cutest. He just kept randomly offering spoonfuls of Gelato to the crowd of people before him. And when he found out Jeffrey and I were sharing he said something like, "This is much too good to share!" He was the most perfect Gelato man ever.
5. The ceiling of Flagler's dormitories is absolutely outrageous. Can you imagine living in a place where your ceiling looked like that?! It must also be incredibly weird to have tourists coming in and out of your living quarters all day, but it's probably worth it just to stare at the ceiling every morning. I know I would never get tired of it.

I hope you all had a beautiful weekend! xo, R.

the part where i remember to breathe.

Oh hi, stress acne, so great to see you again. Not.

After my twenty minute freak out on Saturday, I resolved to calm down and screw my head on a little tighter. Not always easy, but always worth it. Things have been looking up since then. Not really because anything changed but because I changed. I started living with the idea that things will just be pretty crazy for awhile, and I can totally rock that.

The stress acne, however, I do not feel like rockin'. Hopefully it will soon get the message that things are looking a-okay on the home front, and it can go back to wherever it came from as long as it doesn't bother anyone else on the way home.

Tomorrow, if I have the time or energy (I do have a 7:25 class in the morning. Please help me.) I'll write up a little post on the lovely day Jeffrey and I spent in St. Augustine. Until then, I hope you have a fabulous week!

XO,
R.

the life i'm living (aka unnecessary freaking out).

Thanks for all your love on my last post. You really are the best readers ever, and I'm thankful for each and every one of you. Today I'm stuck in my house (my house is really an apartment that I always call a house) with work up to my ears. I got really freaked out yesterday when I discovered that the rest of my college career will probably be mostly work and not a lot of play. I guess the result is pretty worth it, but in the midst of it all it gets a little stressful.

I'm trying to be optimistic about it all. And by optimistic I mean not breaking down in tears every time I think about the next 2.5 years that will be my life. I know I'm completely capable of everything that's ahead of me, but in the moment things just feel impossible. I'm sure we've all had moments like that — everything seems like it's cycloning around my head and there is nothing for me to do but sit here and watch the show. People always tell you that college will be the time of your life, but I guess they leave out the part about working your butt off and feeling like nothing is ever truly accomplished.

I know that things will start to work themselves out, and soon enough I'll see that everything is fine, and that I can totally do this, but right now I think I just need .5 seconds to panic, freak out, exclaim that I can't do this anymore, and make absurd threats about dropping out.

And once I'm done with all that, I'll let you know how I'm doing.

(What do you do to relieve stress? Really. I need tips asap.)

Oh, and to be clear: I still am totally in love with my major and everything it represents, but everyone's entitled to a breakdown now and then, right?

Have a wonderful Sunday!
xo, R.

P.S. My sister's blog is no longer private, which means you should totally check it out. But be forewarned, you will fall in love with her life.

question for you.

Hello, all! I hope you're having a lovely Wednesday! I have a favor to ask all of you: how do you increase readership on your blog? This is something I've wanted to ask everyone for quite some time now, but I wasn't exactly sure how to approach it. I write my blog because I like to, and I want that to be known far and wide. However, I would enjoy having a few more readers (not that I don't value that ones who have been here since the beginning. I love you all, even if the majority of you are family). When I first started blogging, it was an outlet for me. I love to write (always have) and it was just kind of natural for me to end up here. After I started reading more blogs, I discovered the wonderful friendships that could come from them. Suddenly, I wanted to be a part of that. It reminded me of pen pals, but in a 21st-Century-kind-of-way. Well, here I am months later with not much readership to show for (once again, cannot express just how grateful I am for the ones that have come and stayed).

When I got my first random commenter, I was thrilled. When I got my second, I was thrilled again. I started commenting on their posts and they would comment on mine — it was awesome! Somewhere down the road, however, I noticed that they were only commenting on my blog if I was commenting on theirs. That's fine if some people work that way, I don't. I only comment on blog posts when they resonate with me; when I relate to them, find them breathtakingly beautiful, or they make me smile. I will not comment on your blog post for the sake of getting a comment on mine. That's not what this is about to me. It hurt my feelings when people would leave comments like "So cute!" because I knew they hadn't read a single word I'd written.

So, now I comment on a splattering of blogs that I think are worth commenting on. Maybe some people think the only approach to gaining readership is to mindlessly comment on a slew of blogs, but I refuse to believe that's so. I guess what this whole, long spiel is about is this: how did you gain your readership? Did you do anything specific? This is so hard for me because I fear that when I post this into cyberspace it's going to seem like all I care about is a ginormous readership, but that's not true. I just want to know: is anyone out there?

XO,
R.

list eight: birthday wish list.

Did you know that I'm turning 21 on October 8th? So weird.
It should be mentioned that I already picked a sweater and 2 skirts from Anthropologie for my birthday. Did anyone else know that they have incredible sales? You probably did.
Anyway. I love making lists even though my parents don't really need them for any special occasion since they know me spot on and buy me things that I didn't even know I wanted until they're given to me. And then I couldn't imagine getting anything else. Anyway.

Realistic:

1. Size 7

2. Jonsi, Go

3. Beyond adorable tights.

4. This cozy little hat.

5. These cute shorts.

6. I love to spin my salads.

7. Bubble Up, please.

8. This sweet little bow to wear in my hair when I'm feeling sassy (which is often).


Unrealistic:

1. Camera.

2. Can totally see myself wearing this when I'm a teacher.

3. A trip to Wisconsin to see the Best People Ever.

xo, R.

a happy monday.

Happy Monday! I hope you had a lovely weekend. I ate at the Yearling with my parents on Saturday. We got a slice of Sour Orange Pie, and it was delicious. On Sunday, Jeffrey and I shared a Chipotle picnic for lunch and I worked on school work for most of the day. It was a sweet little weekend and I savored every last minute of it. Today I mentored the most adorable little boy. We discovered that we share a love for reading and pancakes, so I definitely see some pancake-making in our future. So happy to be volunteering again. I missed it a lot.

This week promises to be filled to the brim with all kinds of things to accomplish, but I'm not complaining one bit. I love my major and I really wouldn't change a thing about it. It feels really good to say that.

Elsie's fiance wrote her this super sweet song that I can't get enough of.

This photo makes me feel light and happy inside.

And, I just started reading this book by Nicole Krauss (wife of Jonathan Safran Foer, writer of my favorite book) and it is really good so far. It also has a lovely dedication page, and I love dedication pages.

Have a really great Monday evening, and I hope your Tuesday is even better. xo, R.

weekend wishes.

Jeffrey bought me this Chrysanthemum plant for the apartment. Isn't it the cutest?!

This weekend my darling roommates and I are making a trip to our favorite frozen yogurt shop, and spending the evening in our apartment watching romantic comedies, my parents are coming up for the day on Saturday, and Jeffrey and I have devoted all of Sunday for each other. I'm not sure what we're going to do yet, but it feels like it's been forever since we've gotten to spend an entire day together. If the weather continues to be this beautiful, maybe we'll take a picnic somewhere.

What are your plans for the weekend? Something fun, I hope!

xo, R.

fall, and stress dreams.

The most beautiful sunset, don't you think? Jeffrey and I saw this the night before we left Madison. It was like Wisconsin was begging us to stay. Well, don't worry, Wisconsin, the feeling was more than mutual. We'll be back soon enough! And I promise this is exactly what the sunset looked like — the camera isn't playing any tricks. Beautiful, right?

Just woke up from a nap, and I stress-dreamed the entire time. I think that's a term I made up and it basically means that I dreamt about all the stuff I need to get done, which is really more like a nightmare, to be honest. But, here I am writing a blog post instead of doing said work because my nose has been to the grindstone non-stop for a pretty long time, and I need some air.

Did anyone watch the Gossip Girl season premiere? I always forget that that show really stresses me out. The season premiere did not disappoint since I wanted to pull my hair out the entire time I was watching. Not sure why I continue to put myself through that, but I'll let you know if I ever decide to stop (probably not). Where's the non-stressful television? Oh yeah, they canceled it all. I miss Ugly Betty and I just finished Pushing Daisies, and I really miss that. Thank goodness Glee and The Office are coming back soon.

Jeffrey and I enjoyed an outdoor lunch today, which makes me smile from ear-to-ear. The weather was so lovely — very uncharacteristic for this time of year — and it was even breezy! I think we're going to make a weekend trip to St. Augustine sometime soon if we can manage to remove ourselves from the pile of books we're currently hiding under. Hopefully I'll remember to snap a few pictures, but hey, I'm not making any promises.

I'm so excited Fall is here. I love summer, and everything it represents, but I'm ready for a change and Fall is just the thing! I love that Nie and her family go on a Fall color tour every Sunday. If only color change happened around here. But, that's okay!

Any fall rituals you and your loved ones always participate in?

Have a lovely Tuesday!

xo, R.

The Versatile Blogger: Seven Things

Hello, all.
I hope you are having a beyond beautiful week.
Mine has been go, go, go, but now I'm finally getting a chance to relax. I must say, it feels really nice. Christina honored me with the title of Versatile Blogger (along with a few other splendid people), and since I've been busier than busy, I haven't had the opportunity to sit down and do anything with that yet. But here's my opportunity, and I might not get another one for a long while, so without further ado, here's seven things about yours truly:

1. I love flowers. Of all kinds. If I wasn't going to school to become a teacher, I would love to own a flower shop. A small, quaint one that had a small, quaint bakery attached to it.

2. I'm still trying to grow my hair out. I calculated it — don't ask how because I'm not really sure — and it's going to take about a year to be as long as I want it to be. My hairdresser also told me that scientists have recently discovered that hair length is genetic. So, if it's not in the cards for me to have long hair, it will just eventually stop growing. Let's hope it's in the cards, shall we?

3. I get way too attached to movie and television characters. It's absolutely ridiculous how attached I get, actually.

4. I love clothes. I can't help it, I just love them. Some people express themselves by drawing, or singing, or playing piano. I like to express myself by wearing exciting clothing.

5. I just made a stellar combination discovery: Swedish Fish + chocolate chips. If you love Swedish Fish and chocolate, I think you'll love this. Am I the first to discover the magnificence of this combo? I'd like to think so.

6. Elephants are my favorite animal of all time. I love their long eyelashes and sweet brown eyes.

7. I just started watching Pushing Daisies on Netflix, and it is So. Good. I can't believe that show was canceled after only two seasons. It makes me feel sad that so many quality TV shows are canceled while some really crummy ones continue to play. (And, I admit it, I watch some of them.) But, if you decide to watch Pushing Daisies, I promise you'll love it. And I promise you will want Chuck's wardrobe in its entirety(Chuck stands for Charlotte, by the way.).

And now it's my turn to pick three Versatile Bloggers — who may or may not complete this challenge — regardless, you should check their blogs out!

• Sarah at Clarity
• Bridget at tales of me and the husband
• Olivia at everyday musings

I strongly encourage you to check these out!
I hope you have a marvelous weekend. Do something fun!

xo, R.

3!

I should have posted this a long time ago.
About one month ago, to be exact.
More than one month ago, actually.

Jeffrey and I celebrated 3 years together on July 15th. We kept it simple, and went to our favorite Thai food restaurant. As a treat, we each got our own Thai Iced Tea. We usually get one water and one tea to cut down on cost, but obviously we went all out this time! We exchanged small gifts. He gave me an old set of baking jars that are extremely lovely, and I gave him some cologne that his Papa used to wear. He said it's the only kind he would ever wear, so I thought it would be special to give him a bottle.

I am so smitten with that boy, it's incredible. I feel so lucky to have spent three years with him. Some days it feels like we've been together much longer than that, and other days I can hardly believe we've already been together for three years! I guess that's what love does to you.

It was a fabulous night filled with laughter and hand holding. Plus, the waitress knows our order by heart, which I've always wanted to happen.

xo, R.

P.S. Maybe you'd like to make a little treat on this beautiful Thursday evening?