Santa Barbara

So my application to the University of California, Santa Barbara is officially complete. I'm shipping it off next week after tying up a few loose ends.

Oooh, well hello pretty!

(photo via ucsb.edu)

I'm doin this!

My sweetheart of a gal pal Rachael sent this over last night, how precious is this? I wanna make one just like it and post it all over!

Thanks, Rach! xo

PhD Applications

(photo via flickr.com)

Let me just tell you...

PhD Applications are no picnic. You need GRE scores, and GRE subject scores, and letters of recommendation, and transcripts, and MONEY, lots and lots of money.  It's depressing. And scary.

Wish me luck. Applications are due the second week of December.

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! 

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.

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.

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. 

Mary Poppins!

(photo via wunderbloc.com)

AmyJane and I saw Mary Poppins on Broadway last week. Two major thumbs up for student rush tickets!! It was sort of a Sunday afternoon impulse, but it worked out so splendidly! The show was down-right magical. It reminded me how smitten I am with being a child at heart. At the end of the show, I thought to myself, "I could reallyyyy go for a Mary Poppins carpet bag!" A few days later, I stumbled across this little photograph online. My inner fashionista is screaminggg!

Pure Imagination, Maroon 5

(photo via designchampagne.wordpress.com)

There's a new commercial out right now. I couldn't tell you what the product was, for the life of me. But, I'm uber smitten with the song - Pure Imagination. It's the song the *original* Willy Wonka sings at the end of the movie. Naturally, I "iTuned" it. Turns out, Maroon 5 does a beautiful little rendition. (Note: There's a little bit of political banter in the middle. Kind of bogeys up the song, but it's pretty sweet, nonetheless.)

Check it out! I downloaded it, obvi. 

Jim's Pancakes

Jim, I don't know you, but I like you!

Jim's Pancakes is a website dedicated to the manifestation of creative flapjacks for his daughter Allison! How sweet is that? So sweet! Don't these make you just LOVE breakfast even more?? (If that was possible!)

Business Cards

(photo via themandatepress.com)

Mm, perhaps it's just a bit too soon to be considering my own business cards (still several weeks until graduation, and this young lady doesn't even have a job yet!), but I cannot cannot cannot resist these fancy cards by The Mandate Press. I'm not sure if it's the style, or maybe because they use an Original Heidelberg for printing - but the idea of having my name printed on a card all professional-like gets me very giddy and excited!

Note to self: Get a job, an awesome one... So the position title will look cooler on the business cards.

Boat Shoes!

(photo via sperrytopsider.com)

Are these doll-ish, or what?? Now that summer has arrived, I have this insane urge to sit on a boat in the Hamptons or Martha's Vineyard and soak up some Vitamin-D. I think these Sperry Topsiders would help me accomplish this... If not, I could always pair them with some spicy shorts and a white tank top while galavanting around this concrete jungle. What summer-must are you itching for??

A Couch for Talking

I want this couch. I want to sit on it and chat on it! I want to buy a few ivory pillows to toss on it. Wouldn't this couch be absolutely lovely in an office... Say... a psychologist's office... I've got some time to think about it, obviously...

Ahh, I want this couch!

(photo via urbanoutfitters.com)

I want her hair. Really bad.

(photo via ffffound.com) 

How lovely would it be to have long hair and pull off something like this? I feel like it would be appropriate for a day in the park if you paired it with a pair of shorts and a tank, or even for a night on the town with a sexy mini skirt and a satin blouse. I've got a longer version of Victoria Beckham's haircut right now (in desperate need of a haircut to return me to my legit Lady Beckham days!), but this makes me wanna grow my hair out and create something magical! Which do you prefer? Short and chic or long and lavish? Both are oh-so tempting!