number 107

the weekend is almost here, and i could not be more ready for it! andrew is heading out of town with his grad school buddies, and my mom is coming to visit!!! i'm looking forward to a relaxing weekend, pretty weather, and doing lots of girly stuff with my very first gal pal. here a few more things on the agenda:

1  |  i really love yogurt…with sprinkles. i think it must be a requirement of every sorority girl (past and present) to have an obsession with froyo. i'm no exception. saturday afternoon would be a great time to take a long walk, and go get some yoges from yoforia.

2  |  if my mom and i have anything in common, it’s the love of mexican food. it just always seems to be the default selection – if we can’t decide where to go, “let’s get mexican!!”, and it always pleases. cantina 1511 is one of my favorite spots around charlotte. she’s been here a few times already, but “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!” p.s. their guac is amazing!

3  |  judging by the looks of my ragged fingernails, i think a mani-pedi is in order. i'd love to try out the new zoya blogger collection – featuring one of my favorite blogger’s (kate from the small things blog) color appropriately named “kate” – pictured here in the middle! it’s a great grapefruit-y pink-y red!

4  |  i heard a dirty rumor that the weather is supposed to be nice this weekend. what would be more perfect than sitting on the patio drinking a glass of sangria? this recipe is my favorite (7up instead of carbonated water).

5  |  this week has been super hectic – just a lot of work, mostly. but it also seems that everyone has had a flair for the dramatic. i'm really looking forward to a relaxing weekend…away from the drama.
i'm linking up with alex and lauren today for their own “friday five” and “high five for friday”.

happy weekend!

number 106

hey y’all! it’s tuesday which means i'm hosting a linkup called TAKE ME THERE TUESDAY! the rules are simple, grab my button, below, and tell me about where YOU wanna go – it can be anywhere, a tropical locale, a new restaurant, or even a state of mind! i hope you’ll join us…

<a href="http://andrewandlauraleigh.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i637.photobucket.com/albums/uu98/lauraleigh925/take-me-there-tuesday.jpg" /></a>
just grab the text in the box above and paste into your html source section of your blog post! got it? let’s go!
today is my husband, andrew’s, birthday, so i’ve got 1 thing on the brain – CAKE! hahaha! for a couple of years, on my birthday, my best gal, alex – you may have heard me speak of her before? – would send (or sometimes self-deliver) me cupcakes all the way from DC. there’s a little known company there called georgetown cupcake. let me tell y’all – it’s worth all the hype. the red velvet alone is worth the long….long…long wait in line. (not that i’ve ever had to!)

if i were at georgetown cupcake today. i would bring andrew along. and in my perfect dream world, we could skip to the front of the line – because he’s the birthday boy, duh! and i guess while we’re there, we could see my girlfriends friends too (might as well since we’re there, right?!).
in all honesty, i wouldn’t want to be anywhere today, unless andrew was with me! but hey, this is my link party – i make the rules – and i can bring a friend along if i want to!
most importantly…
i hope you have a wonderful day today! i love you!
so tell me…

where is this tuesday taking you?

number 105

andrew and i had a p.e.r.f.e.c.t. time in asheville this weekend. we had a couple more showers than were planned, but it didn’t slow us down a bit. the weekend was filled to the brim with craft beer, local musicians, a little shopping, and one hilarious comedian.

the scenery in asheville is so gorgeous! it sits right along the blue ridge parkway, and its beauty just speaks volumes. the people there are so nice and carefree [read: hippies] – it was pretty refreshing to feel like i didn’t have to be dressed to the nines wherever we went (not that i ever am, anyway!). overall, it was a fantastic trip - one that we’ve promised ourselves we’ll do more often than once every 2.5 years.

don’t forget…

tomorrow is “take me there tuesday”!

number 105

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number 104

it’s fridayyyy! even though alex isn’t hosting a link party today (or so she says) i'm linking up anyway for her weekly FRIDAY FIVE!

since we’re headed down to asheville for the weekend, i though it appropriate to make mine a weekend getaway theme!

1  |  i love my nora satchel from tory burch. it has a huge detachable strap that makes a perfect cross-body look for walking around all day --- remove it for a trendy top handle look! the leather is actually richer than in the picture above and is super soft!

2  |  i'm definitely looking forward to bar hopping there as well! we learned in our first trip that asheville is the brewing capitol of the southeast – boasting more breweries per capita than any other city in america. pretty impressive! i'm a big fan of craft beers, and i'm really excited to try out some of these local brews.

3  |  for sightseeing and window shopping on saturday, i would love a great striped maxi. something tells me that my plan for this won’t come through seeing that we’re leaving today at 3 = no time for shopping before then.

4  |  maybe not with the dress above, but i'm definitely in the market for some new toms. maybe some wedges? i'm loving my original flat pair that i got last fall – and based on my experience with those, i have no doubt that the wedges would be super comfortable. maybe i'll find some this weekend? “maybe” 3 times, really?

5  |  this is one of my faaavorite pairs of earrings. they are pretty heavy, but i don’t mind that. of COURSE i lost one earring last summer when my girlfriends were in town, and i need to break down and buy these online! seriously – they go with everything!

hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! i know i will!

HAPPY FRIDAY!

number 103

today, i'm linking up with neely for it’s her weekly “it’s okay thursday”. i'm having one of those funky weeks where i just need to remind myself that i'm not crazy.

it’s SO okay that…

…before i'lll buy something new, i check to see if it’s on ebay.
…i'm addicted to playing temple run on my phone.
…my hair is in a ponytail today because i wanted to sleep longer.
…i'd rather buy cheaper food than organic/unprocessed food.
…i'd rather have cats than children – right now.
…i'm tempted to give up on the house hunt and just buy a car instead.
…we’ve only had a home-cooked meal once this week.
…i've been scouring craigslist every. single. day. for a campaign dresser.
…at 26, i still love fast food.
…i keep a separate browser open on social media all day (am i the only one?).
…sometimes i just want to link up instead of doing an original post.

what’s okay with you today?

number 102

 
yay! it’s wednesday! which means linking up with jamie for what i'm loving wednesday! can i get a “hallelujah” for the week being halfway over?


1 | i'm hoping to love this recipe. i pinned it here on pinterest and i'm really excited to try it out tonight!

2 | i'm loving white bedding – especially this duvet from west elm. i'm in the market for a duvet cover for our bed – dry cleaning our white comforter every month (damn cat hair) just isn’t cutting it.

3 | i’m loving this hair tutorial from pink lou lou. i've got a LOT of hair, and it’s pretty heavy. this technique holds for me all day! i'm a big fan of loose, beachy waves, and that’s what you get! (sorry for the abominable pic – the lighting is SUPER in my office. this really is me…today!)

4 | i'm loving the weather today. i know – it’s raining…and cold, but it just doesn’t seem like april with out the “april showers” – especially when it’s been 70+ degrees every day. not sure why, but I just needed this today.

hope everyone’s having a great week, and that yours isn’t dragging on like mine!

what are you loving this wednesday?

number 101

it’s tuesday! for the 2nd week in a row – i'm hoping you’ll link up with me for my new series, “take me there tuesday”. here are the “rules” again just in case you missed last week’s: “every week, a new getaway - whether it’s a vacay spot you frequent, a dream trip you’d like to take, or even a new restaurant you want to try”. let’s go!

i'm so excited! if i could fast forward to friday, you bet i would! andrew and i are heading back down to asheville, north carolina for a fun weekend away! you might remember asheville from this post way-back-when.

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this gorgeous town is the location of america’s largest home, the biltmore, but since we’ve seen what there is to see there, we’ll be exploring some other venues this trip. what i'm most excited about is our saturday night activity. we’ve got 2nd row seats to see funny man, aziz ansari. if you haven’t seen his stand up – go now – or, well, later… when you’re at home… and away from the workplace and away from little ears. since i have a really immature since of humor, he makes me laugh out loud every time.

we’ll be staying in downtown asheville, hitting up the local breweries and sidewalk cafes, and maybe if i’m lucky, a little shopping as well! i really can’t wait!

image via

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so, tell me…

where is this tuesday taking you?

number 100

how pertinent that my 100th post would fall on such an important day. today marks the 5 year anniversary of april 16, 2007 – a day that every virginia tech hokie will never forget. even though she says she’s at a loss for words, my sweet friend alex said it so well:

“i cannot believe it has been 5 years since my favorite place on earth was absolutely rocked by a senseless, selfish act of violence that took the precious lives of 32 of my fellow hokies. there isn't a day that goes by that i don't think of that terrible day and all the families who undoubtedly still grieve today. if there is ever a reminder to be thankful for all the blessings in your life and remind the important people in your life just how important they are to you....this is it. you may not get that chance tomorrow.”

picture via

neVer forgeT

04.16.07

number 99

i'm so excited! last night, i ordered a gold monogram necklace from etsy. am i the only southern gal who doesn’t have one of these? i didn’t want to splurge too much – i get nervous that things like this are just a fad, so i won’t invest too much money in something until i know it’ll be around for a while. for example, i just bought my first nice pair of skinny jeans (the first 2 being from f21) – and even those were from the joe’s jeans outlet! hence my hesitation for purchasing expensive colored denim. i digress…
here’s the link where i purchased my gold-plated monogram necklace (i got the 1.25”) on an 18” chain. happy shopping!

do you dive head first into a new trend?

number 98

 
woo hoo! it’s wednesday! i'm linking up again with jamie for what i'm loving wednesday! first, i'm loving that i have a 3 day workweek (muahahaha). monday, i was off for the Easter holiday, and friday, andrew and i are headed back to danville for this week’s #3 (below). enjoy!

1  |  lately i'm loving colored denim! it’s all over pinterest and in any department store or boutique you visit. i'm still not sure if i can pull it off…but i'm going to find out soon! maybe paired with a simple white blouse and some gold jewelry? photo via

2  |  opi’s rapidry top coat! this stuff has changed my life! i'm now going on day 5 of an at-home manicure with no chips. that doesn’t happen in real life! and to boot, i don’t wake up with sheet marks on my nails when i get the urge to paint them an hour before bed! …it’s the little things.

3  |  i'm loving that we’re heading back to danville to spend the weekend celebrating one of my best friend’s most special days! my friend lauren, you may remember her from this post, is finally marrying her “lover”, adam, and i could not be happier for them! she was born to be a wife, and i know she’ll be an amazing one for adam! congrats, you lovebirds!

4  |  lastly, i'm in love with these envelopes, every single one of them, from lindsay letters. so much that it makes me want to learn this “calligraphy” technique myself – not to make money, just to send fancy mail, duh. i stumbled on her website a while ago, and forgot all about it until it popped up on pinterest yesterday. oh, how i love pinterest too!

what are you loving this wednesday?

number 97

it’s tuesday, and after a 3.5 day weekend, it might as well be monday. tuesdays have a rough go, in my opinion. at least on wednesday, you’re able to say “the week is halfway over”. sometimes i just need a little pick-me up on the 2nd day of the workweek. this being said, i'd love it if you’d join me for my new series “take me there tuesday”. every week, a new getaway - whether it’s a vacay spot you frequent, a dream trip you’d like to take, or even a new restaurant you want to try. i want to hear about it! here we go!

today my daydreaming mind takes me to destin, florida – my longtime favorite vacation spot! my family has been taking trips here since i was a toddler, and moving to the east coast (and the 12 hour drive) didn’t change that one bit. about 4 out of 5 people i mention this to have been there as well! quite the popular venue! the white sand and clear gulf of mexico has always set a high standard when choosing a family vacation spot and brings us back year after year!

image via

our favorite area to stay in the past few years has been miramar beach. to avoid some of the more crowded beaches in the area, we usually rent a townhouse or a big condo (there are 7 of us) in a low-rise building. (fyi: we always use this site to find awesome rentals). a few of my favorite restaurants to visit are the red bar in grayton beach (their smoked tuna dip is a MUST), harbor docks in destin(great for sushi), acme oyster house in baytowne warf (probably twice a week), and kj’s for late night fun (roshambo, the house band, is awesome)!

even as an adult, my family vacation is something that i look forward to all year (we go later in august to get lower rates and pray for no hurricanes). it’s so nice to take time away from work and spend quality time with those you love the very most!

so, please tell me…

where is this tuesday taking you?

number 96

happy friday! today, i'm linking up with my best gal, alex, for her friday five that she’s bringing back into action just for me! since Easter is this sunday, it’s the feature for my friday five:

1  |  my Easter holiday isn’t complete without cadbury crème eggs. apparently there’s people out there that are weirded out by the egg-ish yellow center? crazies. more for me!

2 | i love these soft pastel hues from OPI. here i've featured barre my soul, go on green, and care to danse? i'm thinking a soft pink on my nails would be perfect for this weekend. let’s be real, i'll probably stay with this color.

3  |  my dress for sunday is an oldie but a goodie! it’s been a while since i've worn this gal, and since bright bold colors are in this spring, i think this will be perfect. jcrew doesn’t sell this style anymore, but you might get lucky at an outlet or ebay if you’re looking!

4  |  the annual Easter egg hunt! i'm SO looking forward to seeing all of our cute nieces and cousins decked out in their Easter sunday best during the egg hunt. it’s my favorite part! and since it’s one of my sweet niece's 4th birthday, cake will be involved – which makes the day’s events that much sweeter!… literally.

5  |  with most sunday holidays comes a 3 day weekend! i'm extending my holiday into monday to spend the day with my brother apartment hunting in charlotte – which then means that we’ll be spending most of our day in uptown (the boys got high standards!)

happy easter!