You've Got Mail

I love getting mail and packages.  I love sending them, too.  I'm just a big fan of the postal service in general.
Wednesday, Thursday, and today I received stellar packages right on my doorstep, and, even though I knew they were coming, they put big smiles on my face.  
Wednesday, Barnes & Noble delivered these gems to my door:

Do y'all know about these?  I didn't until about a week ago when my mom mentioned them to me.  She had heard someone talking about them and thought they sounded like something I'd like.
She was so right.
These books are full of six-word memoirs people of all ages and backgrounds have written about their lives.  The whole idea stems from Ernest Hemingway's alleged six word story reading "For Sale:  Baby shoes, never worn."  Kind of eerily chilling, huh?  These six-word memoirs will make you laugh, catch your breath, wince, think, and touch your heart.  I love them.  I've already devoured the first book, and I'm itching to dive into another one.  Good find, mom.
Here are a few favorites I've already discovered...

Unrequited love is just another addiction.

Overly romantic soul, born wrong era.

Everyone's crazy except you and me.

May I have the last dance?

I find them to be especially amazing because they can be interpreted differently by everyone, and something that means nothing to you could mean everything to me.  It's unbelievable how much six short words can really say.  If you're wondering, no I haven't written one for myself.  I'm working on it, though I think it might change a little everyday.  What would your six-word memoir say?
Thursday, this little beauty arrived in my mailbox:

This gorgeous piece of jewelry came from the new spring collection of a very talented friend of mine.  I have known Catherine Bozeman Thoms for what seems like forever, as we are from the same home town, went all the way through school together, went to college together, and were even in the same sorority.  She is one of the most talented people I know, and I knew I had to have this unique treasure the moment I saw it.  Check out more of her beautiful jewelry here.  Is her stuff not fabulous??  If you're like me, you'll want to buy every last item.

Finally, today on my doorstep arrived some precious new address labels from my favorite online emporium of all things stationary/invitations/address labels/bookplates, etc.  Seriously, PolkaDotDesign is my obsession; I wish I had occasion to order every invitation they offer.  I am almost out of address labels, so I thought it the perfect time to order these lighthearted returns:

Are these perfect for spring/summer or what??  (Yes, I like that my address labels coordinate with the seasons... leave me be.)

I hope everyone has a great weekend planned.  I know my mailman (a jolly fellow who I have really come to enjoy) has certainly helped get mine off to a great start!!  

Just Buy It

Okay, confession time.

I have been on a bit of spending spree for the last, say, 48 hours.

I think it all started earlier in the week when my teacher told me I had to buy this:

I know it may look like just a book, nonthreatening and uninteresting at that. However, this tome way worse than it looks. First of all, it's over 1000 pages long, and it weighs somewhere in the neighborhood of 15 lbs.

Seriously.

And I can't even bear to type what it cost, for my gag reflex kicks in just thinking about it. (As if I didn't already spend hundreds of dollars on books this semester...)

Oh, grad school, how I loathe you.

Anyway, so after adding this future doorstop to my cart, you know I wasn't going to leave the Barnes & Noble website without getting myself a little something. So, I bought a few more of these (because I have so much spare time for pleasure-reading, you know):

And just like that, it's like I just couldn't stop.

The next thing I fixated on was new boots, for fall is swiftly approaching, and I refuse to be caught unaware. So, after spending a whole day at work scouring the internet, I settled on these:

They are presently en route to my humble abode, and I'm ready and waiting for them.

Then, Zappos being the magnetic force that it is, I became entranced with these little beauties:

I wouldn't rest until they were on their way to my house, too!

Let me take this moment to give some major kudos to Zappos, for I ordered these last night about 6:30, and they arrived on my doorstep today at 12:00 o'clock on the nose. AND, they upgraded my shipping and my priority at no extra charge. Dear Zappos,
I loved you from the start, but in me you now have a neverendingly faithful customer. Forever.

All my love,

Spring.

Anyway, after my purchase from Zappos, I swore I was done. I was laying on my couch, leisurely flipping through InStyle (which, I have realized, is often my downfall), and I spotted Julia Roberts looking tres chic in these fabulous Ray Bans. Pulling up the website on my trusty laptop, I discovered they really weren't very expensive, and before I knew it I was getting a confirmation number and the order was complete.

These little beauties are on their way to my door as we speak:Let me clearly state that I by no means have the money to have bought any or all of these things. I am a poor, struggling student and live on a meager student's income. I eat Hamburger Helper and occasionally I even have to resort to Chef Boyardee. I live in an apartment barely big enough to turn around in, yet I just blew my entire pay check on these online purchases I "just couldn't pass up." I did get really good deals on everything, so that's definitely a plus, but I was like an unstoppable force. I had to have all of them. It was like if I didn't have them I would die; my life would be incomplete. How awful is that?!

And here's the clencher, I have not one ounce of buyer's remorse for anything I've bought (except for the stupid textbook that started this whole frenzy, of course). I love them all, and I can't wait for the rest to arrive!

I'll probably be eating Ramen noodles and SpaghettiOh's for God knows how long, but at least my feet will look good, and I'll be able to keep the sun out of my eyes.

Watch Closely Now

So, upon this the completion of my first year of graduate school, I have decided to reward myself with something I've wanted for awhile now: a nice yet casual watch that I can wear everyday and with pretty much everything. I have narrowed it down to two, but I cannot make the final decision.

I need your help, faithful readers, friends, and even you, strangers.

Look closely, for I know they are similar...

If you don't like either one of them, well that's okay, too. You're entitled.

So, what do you think??

Weekend Pass

I just got back from the beach a little while ago, and good Lord am I exhausted. Sometimes I forget that I am, in fact, 23 years old, and I attempt to act the way I did when I was a sophomore in college; those nights tend to get ugly. I did have a great time though, and I got to catch up with some friends that I don't hang out with all the time, so, overall, the weekend was a huge success.

Friday night we went to a fabulous dinner at Louisiana Lagniappe and afterwards out at Baytown. It was Bailey's 24th birthday, so we definitely made sure to celebrate in style. I'm pretty sure we ordered just about one of everything on the menu at Lagniappe, we kept our waiter constantly running back and forth to the kitchen ("Why is it so hot in here?", more hollandaise!, another glass of pinot noir, "I think we'd like dessert", etc...), and I'm sure he (and the few patrons we hadn't managed to run off) were glad to see us go. We had a fabulous time at Baytown, but the highlight of the night had to be the exciting taxi ride home. Not only was the taxi practically an acid trip on wheels (mosiacs painted on the doors, strings of lights inside, no air conditioning...), but the driver was a character in his own right. I don't think I have ever taken so many pictures in one location as we took on that 20 minute ride home. We danced (and screamed at the top of our lungs) to everything from "Glamorous" to "Love Shack" to "Come on Ride the Train." Our hair blew everywhere. Bailey fell in love with the driver. Kate sat on an awkward chair in between the front and backseat. We laughed A LOT. We were idiots. It was amazing...

Needless to say, we did not feel quite up to par Saturday. In fact, I woke up wishing it would be raining when I opened the curtains so that I would have an excuse to stay in bed all day without feeling guilty. No such luck. Bailey and I (after a lunch of thick, alcohol-soaking break) sat on the beach under an umbrella all afternoon before it was time to get ready for Ian and Lindsay's wedding. The wedding was really pretty, the reception was great (good food... one of my main concerns at all functions) and the company was even better. Bailey and I also managed to make it to one store before it closed and were able to do a little damage to our credit cards. (I, for one, didn't want the credit card company to be alarmed when there hadn't been any activity on my card in, oh, four hours... I'm very considerate, you know.)

Today was spent driving home and packing to leave for my grandmother's house tomorrow. I could not be more worn out, but it was definitely worth it. All in all, a great weekend that I will, undoubtedly, relive for a long, long time (to the annoyance and dismay of anyone who wasn't there and will have no clue as to what I am talking about...). Oh, well...