Tail Feather

(photo via vintagelifenetwork.net)

Today is National Dance Day! Woot!

Yogi Bear

Seriously. Check it out. I'm... Sort of... Excited. (Weird?) Cutie patooties Tom Cavanagh and Justin Timberlake? Yes please!

Online Dating

(photo via ffffound.com) 

Crazy, exciting, or crazy exciting? 

Crossing the Street

(photo via concierge.com) 

Welcome back to Phoenix, Lauren. You're not in New York; you're on Mill Avenue. Follow the rules. Stay on the sidewalk until the pedestrian sign lights up. You simply cannot wait in the intersection. Otherwise, you may get killed.

Where is Matt??

My dear friend AmyJane sent this over to me this afternoon! I just love it!! This guy Matt traveled all over the world and created a record of his destinations, in a very sweet and creative way. Check it out!



*Update!! Visit his website: wherethehellismatt.com and sign up to be in one of his videos! (I totes did!) So cool! :)

Love Wardrobe

Bless Megan's heart. She's got me on a shopping frenzy, now!

My dear friend Megan is visiting Las Vegas with her beau this weekend. While perusing through Forever 21 on the strip, she came across this sweet little top. She sent me a photo, knowing I would simply love it!

(all photos via forever21.com)

Oooh, and I do!! Per my dear friend Hayley's suggestion (Hayley and Megan are sisters, btw!), I got online immeds to order it. Yeah, I fell in love with a few others... 

This one... 

And this one... 

And this one... 

Yes, this one, too... 

Indeed, my shopping cart filled up pretty quickly. So what's the story, Lauren?? Why on Earth are you recently soo smitten with graphic tees encouraging the historical craft of affection? To tell you the truth, I'm unsure where all this giddy glee has originated from. I've been feeling very romantic lately. Odd. ;)

Happy Monday! 

Box Canyon

I went hiking with some pals yesterday! We took a drive up to Box Canyon, just north of Payson. So gorgeous. The canyon was so beautiful, and green! (Oh yes, we have some greenery in the desert!) More photos to come! :)

Mug Collection

(my first Quotables mug!)

My dear friend Jen surprised me with a lovely graduation gift! She gave me a Quotables mug. (This one.) I'm obsessed! I have a few other Quotables mugs, and I think it would be the coolest darn mug collection EVER. Ideally, I'd like a set of 8, as a standard for place settings... So I plan to keep shopping for them. Visit the website, it will make you smile.

Ain't that the truth?

(photo via ffffound.com)

10K

(photo via insidesocial.com)

I'm running in the Lost Dutchman Marathon 10K race on February 20th, 2011. My dear Sister suggested it, so we're going to do it together. And recently, my mom jumped on board. It's going to be a lovely bonding experience for us! So, I'm registered for the 10K starting at 8a.

Here's the dish, I'm not much of a runner. But, I want to be. So, I've officially started "training." While living in New York, I was motivated by my dear friend Amy to run along the West Side Highway. When I returned to Phoenix, I decided to run on the treadmill instead (running in 110 degrees, not happening). So, come the last week of September, I'll start running outside again.

So then, consider this my official commitment.

You get in the bowl!

This made me laugh today. Thought I might share. :) Enjoy! 

A Lesson Learned Today

(photo via thingsweforget.com)

I have a very strong belief... That those close to you in life are there for a reason. They're there to teach you something, show you something about themselves that in turn will reflect a piece of you. Perhaps some people fade in and out of your world because they are meant to teach you things at different stages in your life. I sometimes forget this when I become upset with my parents, irritated with my friends, or just simply angry over the way things seem to be going. 

While perusing through my favorite blogs today, I stopped for a moment at my dear friend Kristin's most recent post... She blogged about signs and how she characteristically struggles with change. As a result, she asks God for signs, loud and clear, so there is simply no question about what is right. I wouldn't consider myself a highly religious person, but I certainly feel spiritually connected. I felt connected to what she had to say. I want to have faith in the decisions I make. The next few months will present dozens of new challenges, and I want to feel the warmth of confidence with each new challenge I face. Thanks, Kristin, for enlightening me. :) 

Well, if you weren't sure...

This flow chart seems to help you figure it out... I think it would be kind of fun to frame and stick above your bathroom sink.

(photo via swiss-miss.com)

Tandem

I've sort of been obsessing over the idea of owning a tandem bike with my sweetie... Sweetie not included, obvi...

(photo via lillywarner.com)

I might then buy this shirt... 

(photo via joannagoddard.blogspot.com)

But until then, I think this yellow beach cruiser will fill the void in my heart... 

(photo via thesartorialist.blogspot.com)

P.S. Are you getting her red pixie haircut? How fantastic is she?? And those aviators. Killer. 

Jenny & Johnny

(photo via dailycandy.com)

DailyCandy is giving away a free download of the new single, "Big Wave" by Jenny Lewis and Johnny Rice. I simply love their sound. Visit their site at jennyandjohnnymusic.com. I'm pretty sure you'll love!

Photo Sesh

Jeff Ambrose is so stinkin' talented! Check out the photos from my graduation photo session... Thanks, Jeff! :)

See more of his work, and more of me (duh!), at jsambrose.com. 

Gems

(Taken from atop my Hell's Kitchen apartment, May 2010)

How lucky am I? I returned to Phoenix to be greeted by warm friends and family. Many thanks to all my relatives and close pals for making my homecoming so special. I'm thrilled to be back. Adulthood has officially started, and I'm a little creeped out by it, but everybody has made my transition fun and exciting! My sister threw a fantastic party for my on Saturday; I got the chance to mingle with all my favorite people in one place. I am truly very spoiled!

The Move

Moving across the country is quite a task. A rather exhausting one. It took weeks and weeks of planning and anxiety. I decided to sell all my furniture, ship a couple of dozen boxes back to Phoenix, and finally - migrate west by plane. The shenanigans of organizing this were absolutely ridiculous, including the movement of *heavy* boxes out of the city and into the cargo center at JFK, the sale of all of my furniture (yep, all of it!), and the tying of loose ends with my lovely shoebox apartment. And I must say, I simply could not have done it without the assistance of my dear mother. Bless her heart for putting up with my stress attacks and anxious remarks. She drove the cargo van in and out of the city with grace.

(My dear mother, helping me ship a few bigger pieces to Phoenix.)

Everything arrived in one piece at Phoenix Sky Harbor (for the most part), and we were able to get everything home in one trip with the cargo van. While driving my boxes to the cargo center in Queens, NY, I remember thinking, "I want today and tomorrow to be over." Now, it is... And, it's weird. 

Sperries

Dear me. I've had my peepers open for a cute pair of Sperry Top Siders for MONTHS now. Really. As a struggling graduate student, I wasn't feeling so comfortable with the idea of dropping a hundred bones on a pair.

Welp, I think the shopping gods were looking out for me. Late last week, I made a visit to Last Chance with my dear aunts from Seattle. It's an off-shoot of Nordstrom, selling their designer products at a "last chance" price. They're brand new, and they set me back $28.00. Amazing!

Gosh! Don't they just scream oceanside/seaside/poolside/boatside/happyside??

My Return to Phoenix...

(photo via fffound.com)

Has been really lovely. I know I've been MIA - lots of stories to share. (Not gonna lie, it made my heart tinker when I started hearing from you, inquiries of my whereabouts!) Plus, Cue is gonna get a re-vamp. It's time for a change... Since New York City isn't my venue anymore. (Sigh.)

I miss it, as expected. I miss my independence. My own apartment. My own walk to work. My own Starbucks across the street. I made the right choice migrating west. But, I still miss it. 

"Life is a hell of a thing to happen to a person..." - Rossi

Plenty more to come.