Currently: April 2019

experiencing: increasingly long training runs.  I'm really in the thick of training for my first 1/2 marathon.  That means that I'm running farther than I ever thought I was capable.  Preparing for this race has been harder than I expected - I've just really had trouble getting into the running groove and improvement has been a challenge every step of the way.  But last weekend I ran eight miles.  That feels pretty darn good!

appreciating: intentional outings.  Justin and I have really tightened-up our budget lately (it turns out that wedding and honeymoon planning can be expensive, who know?).  Instead of being bummed by fewer evenings out, it's given me a deeper appreciation for the dates we do have planned.  I find myself looking forward to and savoring them more.  I'm really looking forward to trying the restaurant, New Hotel Mertens, with a group of friends this month.

wishlisting: lots and lots of stuff for the house.  This past weekend, Justin and I purchased new dressers and nightstands (we had been using mismatched pieces from our single days).  While we recoup funds, I'm anxious to purchase a new bed (we're considering something like this) to complete the furniture update.  And we've registered for new bedding that will refresh the entire room!

posting: wardrobe remixes.  That tight budget I mentioned earlier means that I don't get to buy as much clothes as I would like lately.  But you know what, I started this blog to hold myself accountable to wardrobe remixing and I think I need to get back to my roots.  Expect to see some new outfits featuring older pieces around here soon.

considering: bridal shower dress choices.  My wedding shower isn't until July, but that doesn't mean I can't start thinking about which dress to wear!  I know I want to wear a white sundress so I have been scouring all of my favorite retailers as spring dresses start popping-up!

Spring Bucket List 2019

Hey there, friends!  I don't know about you, but I'm so glad that spring is in the air.  Winter is my favorite season, but this one really wreaked havoc on so many of us.  But the rising temperatures, the sound of the birds in the morning and the sunshine are giving me a new pep in my step!

This re-found energy has me ready to tackle another seasonal bucket list!  But before we get to my spring list, let's take a look at what I accomplished this fall (because I never got around to writing or completing a winter list this year).

1.  Go wedding dress shopping.  I did!  And I bought a wedding dress!  For my first wedding gown try-on, my mom and I went to BHLDN in Chicago.  It was the perfect first experience.  My consultant made me feel like a princess, the private try-on suite was beautiful, the rosé was delicious and I loved trying-on so many beautiful dresses.  Ultimately, though, I didn't find the one.  In January I went shopping with my mom and my best friend, Nicole.  We had a marathon dress day spanning three different stores in two different cities.  But I found it!  The dress of my dreams!  I can't wait to show it to you...but not until the wedding.

2.  Send-in some clothes to ThredUp.  Nope, I flat-out didn't do this and only out of laziness.  I still have an empty ThredUp bag to fill!

3.  Go for one outdoor run (I usually run at the gym).  Check!  Justin and I trained for our Turkey Trot 8k (photographic evidence above) at our local White Pine Trail.  I've been loving this spot more and more this spring as I can start training outside again.

4.  Watch all of the Halloween movie franchise in preparation for the new movie coming-out.  Yes!  This was actually kind of hard to accomplish.  Taking time out of weekday evenings to squeeze eight-or-so movies into one month had us scrambling.  But we did it and we enjoyed the new movie at the theater!

5.  Purchase some gear to wear to a local high school's football game.  Just call me a Northview Wildcat!  Is it weird that I'm already looking forward to football season again?  I love a good hometown game as well as my Spartans!

6.  Do 30 days of at-home yoga.  Want to know how many days of at-home yoga I did?  One.  Yep, only one.  Major fail!

7.  Attend Art Prize (a big-time art festival in Grand Rapids).  Justin and I had a really fun date night at Art Prize and a new-to-us Grand Rapids restaurant.  It's always exciting to see what these creative artists come-up with every year.  The piece above features clothing pinned to lines, each item has a snippet of conversation the artist has overheard.  Really interesting!

8.  Make something pumpkin flavored.  Another nope.  But I did cook a lot this fall so I'm not too upset about it.

9.  Try a new top ten Grand Rapids restaurant each month (a continuation).  Justin and I completed our top ten Grand Rapids restaurant list in 2018.  You can read about our experience here.

10.  Taste each of Sweetland's (a local coffee joint) special fall drinks.  You know, I don't think I completed this.  But I did try all of the ones I was interested in.  So I think I'm going to count this as a win.

7ish outta 10 ain't bad!  And here's what I plan to do this season:

1.  Pick a wedding rehearsal dinner venue.
2.  Run (and I mean run -- no walking) my first 1/2 marathon.
3.  Continue trying one new Michigan breakfast place each month.
4.  Clear-out our house clutter with a garage sale.
5.  Use only gift cards and store credit for spring clothes shopping.
6.  Frame a few engagement photos to hang.
7.  Take an inaugural 2019 bike ride.
8.  Stock-up on produce at the Rockford Farmer's Market.
9.  Buy fresh flowers for the house.
10.  Have an old-school rental movie night complete with candy and pizza.

What exciting things do you have on the docket for the next few months?  And thanks, Leslie, for hosting this seasonal link-up, even though I'm late to the party.

Wedding Planning: Color Inspiration

For as long as I can remember, I've pictured my dream winter wedding in shades of blush pink and champagne.  But then something kinda funny happened.  When I started planning a real wedding with Justin, the colors of my single girl dream wedding didn't quite fit.  Those colors are very me but not very us.  Don't get me wrong, Justin would have happily gone with the color scheme of my choice, but I wanted to pick a pallet together -- something that reflected us as a couple.

Original Pin

For our sparkling winter wedding, we've chosen a color pallet of cranberry, navy, blush pink and gold.  We think that these colors will create the elegant, warm and cozy winter vibe with a touch of shimmer that we're hoping for.  Plus, blue is Justin's favorite color and pink is mine, so both are being incorporated into the evening.

Original Pin

Original Pin

I'm excited to continue to share little details of our wedding planning process with you.  Coming in the next couple of months are flower inspiration and a bridal shower dress try-on.  Are there any other topics you are interested in reading about?

J'adore 3.1.19

Welcome to J'adore, my weekly space for sharing what makes me happy lately.

1.  Manifest.  Justin and I rarely binge-watch shows, but oh my gosh, we cannot stop watching Manifest.  Within the first ten minutes of Episode 1, you learn about a group of passengers who step-off Flight 828 to learn that their plane has been missing for five years -- but they feel like they've only been gone a few hours!  The plot is so compelling, the characters are interesting, and you really empathize with the complexity of emotions that each of them feel.  You can watch Manifest on Monday nights on NBC (although Justin and I stream it).

2.  Blue Diamond Habanero BBQ Almonds.  I may or may not be eating this delicious snack as I type!  My co-worker got me addicted to these almonds and now I've passed-on my obsession to Justin and my dad.  They are a little sweet and a little spicy (but definitely not too spicy like the name implies).  So good!

3.  The Ariana Grande Playlist on Pandora.  Normally Meghan Trainor is my go-to playlist for running but I've gotten really into Ariana Grande lately (I know, late to the party).  Her new stuff, like this song, is  so catchy and sassy.  And did anyone else catch the 'NSync song that she sampled in this song (I'm pretty proud of myself for pulling that discovery out from the recesses of my middle school brain).  This tune is perfect running motivation!

Throwback Thursday: Teal Skirt

Happy Throwback Thursday!  Today I'm participating in my friend, Shelly's, new monthly link-up all about blasts from the past!  February's prompt is an easy one -- share an old blog post!  So here we are, a post from August of 2015 in which I feature my favorite, often-worn teal skirt purchased circa 2006.  And you know what, I just wore this skirt on Wednesday!  I still love it and I still think it's super versatile.  It's kinda fun to see how my style (clothes and hair) have evolved over the years.  Which look is your favorite!

When Bri announced that this month's Third Thursday Threads theme is "Skirt Two (or more) Ways," I became curious as to the many ways that I've worn skirts during the past few years.  As I scrolled through the days, months and years' worth of posts, I noticed something.  I noticed that I wear my teal skirt tons!  This skirt starred in my second-ever blog post and has appeared as recently as April.  In fact, it has made nine blog appearances (not to mention the dozens of times I've worn it without photographing my outfit)!  Based-on statistical data, I do believe that this is my favorite skirt!

Original Posts: 1     2     3     4     5     6     7     8     9

While I'll admit to a love of shopping, when I find a piece that works, I wear it!  I've owned this skirt for oh, maybe eight years.  It's funny because this skirt kind of flies under the radar in that I don't realize how frequently I wear it.  When I think of it, though, it makes sense as a closet staple!  One of the reasons that I love this skirt so much is that it is comfortable.  I never pull at it or worry that it's too short.  I also reach for this skirt often because it's versatile.  As you can see above, it goes with patterns, a varied color palette, neutrals, so many accessories and lots of completer pieces.  The options feel endless!  In fact, I just might wear this skirt tomorrow!

Which look is your favorite and why?  Do you have an item of clothing that has stood the test of time?

And just in case you need a teal skirt in your closet, here are a few I've found (I personally think the one on the bottom right is perfect):

The Year of the Grand Rapids Restaurants

About a year ago, Justin and I decided that we wanted to add some variety to our local dining experiences.  I had only lived in Grand Rapids for six months and we found ourselves only frequenting Justin's favorite restaurants from before we met.

To add more spice to our dining choices, we looked-up the top twelve (well, thirteen- we started in December of 2017) restaurants in Grand Rapids according to online reviews and decided to try one new restaurant each month.

We had so much fun trying new places together and date night felt a little extra special when planned so intentionally.  We enjoyed this experience so much that we've deemed 2019 the year of the Michigan breakfast!  We are going to try a new-to-us breakfast place once a month.  But before I get too far into 2019, I want to tell you about all of the amazing restaurants we tried last year.

Marie Catrib's: Unfortunately, the top Grand Rapids restaurant on the list, Marie Catrib's, is no longer open!  I'm so happy that I got to try it before they closed their doors, though.  We tried Marie Catrib's for breakfast even though they served delicious food all day.  The restaurant was known for great, locally-sourced food with a Lebanese twist.  Breakfast did not disappoint.

The Green Well: The Green Well is an awesome stop if you're looking for a favorite dish but made with a little twist (and made really well).  It's not too fancy but definitely not a dive.  A perfect restaurant to add to your rotation of favorite stops.

Leo's Restaurant: Leo's is definitely a special occasion ($$$) kind of a place.  Luckily, February was the month to try this seafood restaurant, so Justin and I spent Valentine's Day enjoying lobster and scallops at Leo's.  The food was good, but honestly, neither Justin nor I were terribly impressed given the expense.

San Chez: If you love tapas and a good cocktail, San Chez is the place for you!  I've now had several meals at San Chez and it has been delicious every.single.time.  I like it so much that I planned my office Christmas party there.  It was a hit!

HopCat: HopCat is already one of our favorite restaurants (our first date was at the HopCat location in East Lansing, Michigan).  They serve a fantastic variety of craft beers, many of them from Michigan, and if you haven't tried the Cosmik fries (previously known as crack fries), you MUST!

Founder's Brewing Co.: Founder's is probably the most famous brewery in Grand Rapids.  My favorite beer on tap is the Rubaeus on nitro.  To go with the beer, Founder's serves great, casual food like delicious sandwiches with pasta or potato salad as a side.

Brewery Vivant: Admittedly, Brewery Vivant was already a favorite restaurant of mine before this experiment.  Farmhand is one of my favorite beers and I love the unique menu served at the brewery.  The dining room also has a really cool vibe- almost like you're in an old church!

Grove: Grove was a restaurant I was really looking forward to trying but it fell a little flat for Justin and me.  Don't get me wrong, the food is delicious -- just served in really small portions for kind of a lot of money.  We enjoyed our food at Grove, then had to go to our favorite dive bar to fill-up on quesadillas.

Bistro Bella Vita: This might be our favorite find of the restaurant experiment!  Bistro Bella Vita serves a combination of French and Italian cuisine with delicious wine and cocktail choices.  We lucked-out and hit Bistro Bella Vita during restaurant week so we were able to sample appetizers, main courses and desserts.  We highly recommend this restaurant!

Butcher's Union: Butcher's Union was another great find this year!  The restaurant is known for their variety of whiskeys and quality meat.  The cocktails and steaks that we chose were so well-prepared and the ambiance made us feel like we were on an episode of Mad Men.

I forgot a picture of this one!

Terra: Known for their wood-fired pizzas and locally sourced foods, Terra is another great restaurant to add to your regular rotation.  Casual but with character, the food was delicious!

The Old Goat: Oh man, a bunch of homemade soups that you can sample before choosing?  I'm in!  The soup is delicious but so are their other options!  This will definitely become one of our regular restaurant choices.

Oops!  I was too busy enjoying wine and steak to take a picture of this one.

The Chop House:  Here's another special occasion stop in Grand Rapids.  We brought my parents along for dinner at Chop House as our Christmas celebration together.  The steak and wine were outstanding!  And the servers are so professional that they will make your dining experience one to remember.

J'adore 2.15.19

Welcome to J'adore, my weekly space for sharing what makes me happy lately.

1.  Instagram Account: deservingdogs.  If you're an animal lover, this Instagram account will melt your heart.  Acount owner, Angela, is a self-described "dog healer"and rescues dogs who need a little extra love, like Freddie Mercury.  Oh my heart!  I could watch videos of that little cutie all day!

2.  Nickel and Suede Earrings.  Thanks to Shea, I'm officially addicted to these light-weight leather statement earrings!  I bought two more sets a couple of weeks ago.  I added an animal print and this pretty purple pair to my collection.  

3.  Let the Great World Spin.  I just finished Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann for the book club I joined in November.  It definitely doesn't fall into my typical genre (murder mystery, suspense), but I really enjoyed the book!  It's a series of short stories that are somehow all connected- but not in a cheesy way.  The stories take place in 1970s New York City and show a kind of dirty yet intensely human side of the city.