refuge.

Last night, my boyfriend's brother took refuge. Refuge is basically a ceremony that one goes through to accept the Buddhist faith. I was so honored to be invited and so very proud of my boyfriend's brother as he sat on the floor on his mat participating in elaborate rituals and customs so that he could officially become a part of something that he is truly passionate about. I adore a lot of people, my boyfriend's brother being one of the people that I adore the most. He is honestly one of the most passionate people I have ever met. I love how determined he is to achieve all of his goals in life, while still focusing on the well-being of others. It was so special to be part of such a memorable night for him. After the ceremony, we went out to a restaurant called Chopstix. We talked all about religion and love and humankind and it was absolutely perfect. I love my boyfriend and I love his brother.

runner's playlist

In 9th grade, I ran cross country. I didn't like it, so I finished out the season and never looked back. Then, I focused my interest in drama and was much happier. Now that I'm older, I could kick myself for not sticking with running. I'm not saying I wanted to stay on the team (or that I shouldn't have done drama), but I wish I could have stuck with the habit. Now I can't ever bring myself to run and I don't know why. I love the energy it gives me and I love the rhythm and constancy it brings. I've always sworn off running partners because I feel obligated to stick with them and, in reality, I would feel much more comfortable going the pace I always want to go and stopping if I need to. I would probably feel like a little sissy if I stopped while running with a partner. It's dumb, but it's a true story. I thought I could handle running with my boyfriend — even if he ridiculed me, it would be sweet and lovingly. But truth be told, he doesn't really want to run and I don't really want to force him into it. See where this puts me?

What about going to the gym? Well, I can't stand the gym. I was pretty good about going last semester, but it just recently hit me that the reason I can't bring myself to go back is because I couldn't stand it. I would so much rather be exercising outside, why would I waste my time inside? And if I lived at home, I could surely power-walk with my mom everyday, but I don't live at home. And if you remember this post, my boyfriend and I planned a resolution together, but we've both been incredibly busy with school. I wish I could say that's an excuse, but it's not. Sometimes I feel like I don't even have the time to breathe.

So where is this long-drawn speech on exercising going?
I thought maybe I could convince myself that running is fun and that I love it (because it is fun and I do love it) by making a new, snazzy playlist. This could be a flop, because who knows if a playlist is really going to give me the kick I need, but it's totally worth a shot. So, without further ado:

THE RUNNER'S PLAYLIST
1. I Gotta Feeling - The Black Eyed Peas
2. Home - Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
3. Hey Soul Sister- Train
4. Chewing Gum -Annie
5. Kick Drum Heart - The Avett Brothers
6. A Hard Day's Night - The Beatles
7. Gotta Get Up - Harry Nilsson
8. Us - Regina Spektor
9. Strawberry Swing - Coldplay
10. You Can Call Me Al - Paul Simon
11. Daylight - Matt & Kim
12. A-Punk - Vampire Weekend
13. Viva La Vida - Coldplay
14. I've Just Seen a Face - The Beatles

* If You click on the songs, I've linked all of them to YouTube so you could check them out. I especially encouarge you to check out Coldplay's Strawberry Swing music video. It's absolutely incredible and you can get an inside look at the making here.

Enjoy! xo

smile notes

Sometimes I'm bad at remembering to be thankful.

Occasionally, I have one of those stressful days. And I just can't seem to shake the feelings that come with it. I find that as I walk to class, I formulate lists in my head — lists of things that make me smile. Except , this time, I'm writing my list down.

1. Highlighters
2. Sunshine
3. Sleeping during a thunderstorm
4. Monograms
5. Perfumes
6. Cookies
7. Necklaces
8. Apples and Peanut Butter
9. Spontaneous dates with my boyfriend
10. Going home for the weekend
11. New nail polish
12. 75º weather
13.Crunching Acorns
14. Reading the dedication page in a brand new book
15. Honey
16. Laughter

Love.

Who can say whether or not love is coincidental or fateful or pre-determined?

All I know is that it really doesn't matter because I found love in an amazing guy and sometimes I wake up in the morning and think to myself, "Oh my God, how did I get so lucky?" My boyfriend is a stand up guy and has done everything in the world for me. I never thought I would meet someone who truly knows me inside-out. Sometimes he even knows me better than I know my own self.

He lets me keep his big, green sweater.
He lets me eat all the ice cream I want.
He gives me kisses on the cheek.
He gives me kisses on the forehead.
He gives me kisses on the nose.
He dances with me in the hallway while no one is watching.
He twirls me around when I ask him to.
He encourages my hopes.
He believes in my dreams.

He makes me the best version of myself.
I am in love with the most incredible guy and I love it.
xo

anniversary flowers.

My boyfriend bought me flowers for our 2 and 1/2 year anniversary.

I love flowers.
And I love my boyfriend.

This morning when I woke up my flowers were wilting. I finally had to get rid of them.
Their company was much appreciated.

They still looked cute even in their wilty-ness. It's probably impossible for daisies not to look cute.
xo

Devil's Food Cake

I have a horrible habit of expecting every single thing I make to turn out perfectly.

This weekend, my dad celebrated his Birthday and my mom and I wanted to make something special. I'm not going to lie, my family is a huge supporter of the box cake. Cringe if you will, but the box cake is delicious. And easy. And, honestly, who doesn't love that? But because we're bakers at heart, we wanted to make something from scratch.
Enter Devil's Food Cupcakes. A recipe from the Martha Stewart Cupcakes book, these cupcakes promised to be moist, tangy, and decadent. And with few difficult procedures, they seemed like a win-win.
Now, to be fair, these cupcakes weren't horrible. They weren't even bad. They were actually very, very tasty. Let's just say my mom and I were expecting something different. I would suggest filling each individual cupcake with more batter than recommended (this made them moister), and I would also suggest allowing ample time for the Ganache frosting to set. Ample meaning 1-2 hours. And, guess what? You don't actually need to stir every five minutes. The Ganache sets just fine all on its own.
Usually I would say that baked goods are at their best when they come right out of the oven, but I actually preferred these cupcakes the next day. I would certainly make these cupcakes again with my [new and improved] adaptations in mind.

xo

Decadence.

I'm not really sure how you would define a popover. I'm trying to decide if I want to call it bread, or if I want to call it a pastry. For now I think I'll call it a Brastry or maybe even Pead. I don't know, but it doesn't really matter what it's called, because when I made Popovers on Saturday morning, I'm pretty sure no one was thinking of what to categorize them as.

About 10 years ago, my family took a trip. It was a wonderful trip, like most trips are. But you wanna know what was extra special about this trip? Eating popovers on a grassy lawn. Yeah, I said it. We were so enchanted by those pastries (or that puff of bread) that we went and bought ourselves a Popover pan, because they actually require their own pan. That's how special they are.
10 years later, that Popover pan was still sitting in our cabinet, unused. That was, until I found an exquisite Popover recipe that my taste buds will never forget. I found the recipe at Cupcakes & Cashmere, who got it from Orangette, who adapted it from The Bread Bible. (I guess it is considered bread!)

Anyway, the popovers were incredible and extremely easy to make. The only pain is that you have to have a certain pan to make them, but I would suggest buying one — they're that good.
xo

Coconut Lovin'

I love coconut.

I think it has a wonderful, fresh taste and it reminds me of summer.
Since the weather has been uncharacteristically cold here, I've been trying to find ways to retreat back into my summer mindset. I will gladly admit that I am a warm weather lover. So, although I try to embrace cold weather and think of all of its benefits, (good hair days is all I'm coming up with right now...)I needed some kind of reminder of my beloved summertime weather.

Enter coconut.

I am a creature of habit, plainly said. When I find something I like, I put it on repeat until it gets old. This is true with a lot of aspects of my life: songs, food, clothing, etc., etc. When I went grocery shopping last week I picked up a can of Coconut milk and a bag of Coconut flakes and I have been using them ever since.

My favorite thing to do with Coconut milk is throw it into my daily smoothies. Although it doesn't boast too much flavor on its own, it offers a delightful coconut hint in ANY smoothie I've thrown it in so far.
My favorite concoction so far is:
- Frozen Raspberries
- Frozen Blueberries
- Cranberry-Pomegranate juice
- Coconut Milk
And that's it. Throw the ingredients into your blender, hit blend and you will be transported to the summer oasis of your choice. I tend to use more raspberries than blueberries because I love their tart flavor. And as far as Coconut milk goes, you really don't need that much. Its thickness it ideal for the right smoothie texture, but you really only need a dash. I use enough to just barely graze the tip of my blender blade. In other words, the sharp little pieces still poke out of the milk. The Cranberry-Pomegranate Juice just sweetens it up a bit, so you should really taste the smoothie and then adjust accordingly.

The coconut flakes have also been put to good use!
You will need:
- Two slices bread (I prefer this specific sandwich with Pumpernickel)
- A generous serving of peanut butter (I use PB&Co's White Chocolate Wonderful. Their products are made with honesty and integrity. Check them out here.)
- 1/2 banana (or an entire one if you're me!)
- A generous sprinkling of coconut flakes
Personally, I spread the peanut butter, cut the bananas into thin slices and put those on top, and then sprinkle my coconut flakes. I usually add a dash of cinnamon for good measure! I tend to eat this sandwich open faced, but I believe smooshed together would be incredibly yummy as well.
This is a truly lovely sandwich. And if you're anything like me, you can drink the smoothie and eat the sandwich together.
In the dead of winter, it's a tasty summertime treat.

xo

A Winter Break In Pictures

To say I had a fantastic winter break would be an understatement. It was full of family, full of food, full of love, and full of relaxation — all the things a winter break should be. And when words don't quite describe the beauty of things, there are always pictures.

{Christmas morning.}
{Christmas dinner at my aunt's house.}
{Homemade Marshmallows.}
{Fentiman's Curiosity Cola.}
{This little guy.}
{This not-so-little guy ... who enjoys chewing his toys to a pulp.}
{These slippers; quite possibly the coziest item I have ever owned.}
{Sandwiches from our favorite Italian Market.}
{And of course we had to make homemade graham crackers to go with our homemade marshmallows. And then of course we had to make S'mores. Recipes here and here. Thank you, Smitten Kitchen!}
{Homemade Pizza.}
{The beach during Winter.}
{Boots.}
{Scrabble.}
{Monogrammed Mug.}
{Nail Painting.}
{Raisinets & Up In The Air.}
{Valentine-making a couple days after the New Year. We're pretty serious.}
{The adorable result.}

xo

Things I'm Into.

1. Pretending to grow my hair out. If you know me then you know my obsession with growing my hair out. You may also know that I have never had long hair before. I have said, countless times, that I'm growing my hair out. Has it ever happened? No. I have always managed to chop my hair into a layered bob just when it's about to graze my shoulders. Well, once again I have claimed that I am growing my hair out. Who knows if it will actually happen this time.

2. Pretending that I will win every contest I enter. I enter contests with the absolute certainty that I will win them. I entered an Urban Outfitters contest to win a $1,000 shopping spree and was so convinced that I was going to win it that I actually started to fill my shopping cart. I also entered a contest to win a Coach bag and I was so sure that I was going to win that I contemplated withdrawing my entry because I thought there was probably someone else in the contest that wanted the bag more than me. Yep. It's true. And here's the best part: I'm not even upset when I lose. So, I guess it's not really a bad thing. And one day maybe I'll actually win.

3. Pretending to online shop. This is one of my favorite things to do. I would actually call it borderline unhealthy. I 'buy' things online by clicking 'Add to Cart.' I don't actually buy anything, I just watch as the price adds up and dream of buying all the things I want. Just a few days ago, I 'spent' $3,000 at Anthropologie. I like to call it 'retail therapy for the empty wallet'. It's quite effective.

4. Pretending I live in an apartment or house. I have lived in a dorm for two years. I don't have any complaints. I think it's been one of the best experiences I've had and I met my core group of friends by living there. When I daydream, though, I always picture myself in an apartment or house. I attribute this to the fact that all the things I want to do would be much more easily accomplished with a bigger space.

xo

Parents

Have I ever bragged about my parents before? No? Okay, well allow me.

My parents are two of the most incredible people I know. They have been two of the biggest influences in my life.

I owe my whimsical childhood to them.
I owe my passion for life and for others to them.
I owe my loving of baking and cooking to them.
My love for reading.
My love for writing.
For Audrey Hepburn.
For Adrien Brody.
For rain and tea.
For lemonade and dancing through sprinklers.
For Wilco.

I owe it all to them. Throughout my life they have always been there for me. They have bought me treats, but taught me the value of a dollar. Have let me make my own decisions, but have been my voice of reason.
Have been my most precious friends.
My most treasured confidants.
My comfort.
My dream makers.
Promise keepers.
They have been all of that for me.
They taught me to eat my veggies and to savor my pie.
They have taught me to help others before myself.
That laughter is the best medicine.
They have taught me to keep my head up when the going gets tough.
To persevere.
To smile in the most trying of times.
To be thankful for every blessing and for every tribulation.


My parents have always served others before themselves.
They have given everything to make my life meaningful and special and memorable.
They have equipped me with faith and trust in humanity.
They have held my hand when I needed it and let go when I needed it.

They have whispered words of inspiration into my ear.
And allowed me to go my own way.
They have allowed me to be my own person. And they have always rooted for that person.
They have given me style and grace and courage.

Needless to say, I love my parents. I thank God everyday for blessing me with two built-in best friends. I didn't have to search beyond my own home to find two kindred spirits.

I hope that someday I can be the kind of parent that my parents have always been.

xo