Let's grow Old together

We always seem so fascinated with the freshness of young love, that we often forget how much more comforting and beautiful old love can be.

{via here}

coffee dates

I've concluded that coffee breaks are the perfect excuse for slipping into a world where time stands still, but without making too much of a scene...

Lunchtime Conversation

I am burning to escape from the grit of office work and life. Baltimore can beautiful at times, but right now I am itching to be somewhere with mountains and sunshine that doesn't get blocked out by smog and buildings; to dip my toes in the salty water and stand facing the ocean. How wonderful would that be right about now? Maybe rent a log cabin for a week and plop myself into the middle of nowhere?

{via here and here and here}

B'Day cravings!

{via cupcakeblog}

Although the weather is a bit dreary, I have vowed to stay particularly positive today since it is my birthday! Thanks to my boyfriend, I had a beautiful surprise dinner party last night with some of my closest friends. (He even managed to convince my friend Juliana to drive up all the way from Virginia for the petite soiree!) My master baker of a friend, Juhee, made the most delicious chocolate torte (aka Queen of Sheeba cake). Best birthday cake by far. All in all, it was truly a special night.

Now, to some things that I have been craving all day...


My sissy gave me this Anthro apron as a housewarming gift before I moved back to Baltimore. Sometimes, I believe I bake just so I can put it on. Kind of wish I was baking right now instead of sitting at my desk at work!

Speaking of Anthropologie... My bathroom is not nearly large enough to fit more than a person and a half inside, let along an entire bookcase...but a girl can dream.

I've recently acquired a french press (a present from Salman) and now nothing else can compare. The good thing is that it saves me from spending all of my cash on coffee each week! Plus, it's eco-friendly since there is no use for paper filters. I also just bought a french roast from Trader Joe's. Highly recommended!

{via bodum}

...And of course, what is a cup of coffee without bread or pastry (or cake?) on the side?? Most beautiful bakery as of yet is Balthazar Bakery in NYC. It's as if the breads and pastries were born from the golden walls of this patisserie.

{via balthazarbakery}

Puppy Love

I've been so desperate to have a dog lately. Although a dog can be expensive, I've taken into consideration the idea of adopting one. We used to have a golden retriever at home, and he was the most playful, easy-going dog I've ever known. Now, as an adult in my own place, I would love to have that again! Now, if I can only convince Salman...

I found these adorable prints online done by photographer, Sharon Montrose. Which would you choose?

Also, out of curiosity, is there anybody out there with a pup who can offer some advice for a doggy owner on a budget?

I'd Do it All Again

Corinne Bailey Rae - I'd Do It All Again



Such a beautiful voice. Cannot help but love her.

Best Things

{via littlebrownpen}

certainly, a motto to live by.

more than a day off

"A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death." (Martin Luther King, Jr., Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?, 1967)

...something to remember.

{via LIFE}

{via LIFE}

{via LIFE}

Books and Books

I have no idea where my sister found/took this photo, but I would die to have one of the rooms in my apartment look like this...just wall-to-wall books. Isn't she lovely?

{via trinketsgalore}

a little inspiration

Hopes for my new office in 2010...minus the typewriter (although it is kind of cute)

{via naturally nina}

Prayer

I thought this photograph to be quite beautiful. The innocence of a child surrounded by a sea of white...

{taken by REUTERS/Sigit Pamungkas via boston.com}

I'm afraid to say that I found this photo amongst some that are not so beautiful, but are provocatively gruesome images of what the past decade has seen. From Iraq to Hurricane Katrina, and Florida to Indonesia, there are images that will make your heart wrench with pain and dispair.

Let's pray for a more beautiful decade ahead, and an end to the brutality that humanity seems to be so quick to inflict on one another.

Out Yonder

This photograph by April Gornik reminded me of my cross-country cycling trip this past summer....so much so, that I've included a couple images from the trip itself. Goes to show that you don't have to spot a pretty dress to know what beauty truly is.

Arches National Park- Utah

Rainstorm outside of Benkleman, Nebraska

...The Rest of your Life

"When Harry Met Sally" is by far, one of my favorite movies of all time. enjoy.

"When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible." (harry)

Cute as a Button

"The Sixteen faces of a Six-Month old"

(by Naturally Nina)

Joanna Goddard's blog is one of my frequent lunchtime blog visits. She has the cutest posts with baby pictures that I couldn't help but borrow this one to share with you all...

Happy (Snowy) New Year

Check out this snowball fight that ensued in Times Square...

...and a Happy (bit belated) New Year!