Vineyards and a Bachlorette

My friends Shannon and Doyle are getting married later this month in Santa Barbara, and  our girlfriends celebrated Shannon by hosting a bachelorette party in her honor. I have quite a few friends who are recently engaged, and it's a great to excuse to plan a party or host a trip to the nearby Virginia vineyards. 

We spent the day tasting lots of wine (some good, some not so good!) and just generally having a great time. We were blessed with sunshine and warm weather, although we did encounter a downpour on our way to dinner. 

Augusta Wedding Weekend

Last month, my dear friends were married in Augusta, Georgia. I love a good excuse to head south to God's country, and I'd never been to Augusta, home of the Masters.

Owing to direct flights and close-ish proximity, a good number of our D.C. area friends were able to attend the wedding. 

via Tim Will Photography

It was a great weekend for catching up with friends and taking a break from the city. We stayed at the historic Partridge Inn, wandered around downtown and the River Walk, and ate some delicious Southern-inspired seafood (if you're ever in Augusta, you must head to Sheehan's Irish Pub).

Spring and Picnics

D.C. has its fair share of weird weather patterns--the derecho of 2012, snow on Halloween, random flooding, a tornado here, a hurricane there--and this spring has been no exception. In February we had days with highs of 70, and in April we were still bundling up with highs of 40 and 50. However, spring is finally here, and with it come baseball games, rooftop parties and picnics. 


Per usual, Kate Spade has all the inspiration you need to start planning your own picnic!

via

Kate Spade champagne box

Kate Spade picnic blanket

Kate Spade picnic basket

Kate Spade Saturday

I adore almost all things Kate Spade, from purses to jewelry to my hot pink day planner, so I was excited to learn about Kate Spade Saturday, a new brand set to launch in Spring 2013. 

"In a perfect world, every day would be Saturday." That's the motto behind the casual lifestyle line that is supposed to mirror Madewell (which I like) and C. Wonder (which I love) in price and aesthetic. This is not a diffusion line but a vertical brand that should capture current Kate Spade lovers and as well as attract new fans.

I received an email this morning about signing up for updates, so I did a little Internet research to see what else I could find out. And I found this from Style Bistro...

And I thought to myself, "Editorial mistake. Must have accidentally linked to American Apparel. Kate would never try to sell Minnie Mouse shoes." However, similar Google searches returned similar results. I'm holding out hope that more sneak-peeks of the collection come out soon. 

For now, Racked.com has six things you should know about Saturday.

A Wedding and Chicago

I'm really looking forward to this weekend and next week.  This Saturday, I'll be just outside of Baltimore celebrating the marriage of a friend before heading off to Chicago all next week for work.  I've never been to Chicago, so I'm adding a couple of days at the end of my work trip to explore the city.  I'm planning several touristy excursions, like a trip to the Art Institute and Millennium Park, a boat cruise, and if I'm feeling a brave, a step out onto the Willis Tower Skydeck. I hope to squeeze as much in as I can AND to remember to take some pictures along the way!

Cloud Gate in Millennium Park

Voluntarism

For our March volunteer event, The Tenfold Forty volunteered at the Girard Children's Community Garden in Northwest DC.  I'll be honest, I'm not what you would call "outdoorsy."  It's not so much that I mind being out-of-doors, it's more that I mind getting my hands dirty, literally and figuratively.  However, I had a really great time planting radishes, weeding, pruning, and generally cleaning up the garden.  

Girard Children's Community Garden

Girard Children's Community Garden

Girard Children's Community Garden

In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I was inspired to clean up our front yard at home.  What I neglected to consider is that since I don't do much gardening, I had no idea that yard work uses muscles that I didn't even know that I had.  My back and legs were sore for days afterward, but I really enjoyed playing in the dirt.  I'm not saying that my black thumb has turned green, but I'm making progress.

front walkway before

front walkway three hours, four trashbags, and one rat sighting later

Alabama On My Mind

Today is the one-year anniversary of the day that tornadoes ripped through the city of Tuscaloosa, home of my alma mater, the University of Alabama.  I posted about this tragedy the day after, and there's not much I can say that hasn't already been said.  At work today, I read this poignant and sad article from the Crimson White, UA's student newspaper.  Natural disasters can often occur without warning, and it's a good to remember not only to have an emergency plan, but also to tell your loved ones that you love them.

Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley and his wife Dianne walk past some 253 state flags, one for each victim, placed on the grounds of the Capitol during a memorial service for tornado victims on the steps of the Alabama Capitol in Montgomery Friday. Sixty two tornadoes left 253 people dead in Alabama a year ago.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge

Sweet Home Alabama

Y'all, I'm a Southern gal, born and raised.  Mississippi is my home, but Alabama was my home-away-from-home for four years while attending the University of Alabama.  The city of Tuscaloosa will always have a piece of my heart; within its city limits I made friends and lost friends, met the first boy that I loved and first had my heart broken, failed my first class, saw my first "ghost," drank more margaritas than anyone has a right to, cheered for the Crimson Tide even though we were terrible at the time, and most importantly, spent some of the most memorable times of my life.

If you haven't heard, an F5 tornado ripped through the city yesterday leaving much of the campus unharmed, but literally leveling much of the surrounding city.  I am still shocked and saddened by the pictures and videos that keep coming from Tuscaloosa and nearby cities and communities; not only were cars and homes destroyed, but livelihoods and lives were lost as well. 

taken from University Downs parking lot, located on 15th Street in Tuscaloosa

my CVS at the corner of McFarland and 15th Street

15th Street, Tuscaloosa

a friend's [former] house

this is why you don't wait out a tornado inside your car

15th Street, Tuscaloosa

the front page of today's Tuscaloosa News

Videos of the tornado can be found here.

Please keep the victims of these deadly storms, and their loved ones, in your thoughts and prayers.  If you're in the DC area and happen to be reading this, some friends and I have organized a fundraiser for this Saturday evening at Gin & Tonic in the Glover Park neighborhood.  You can also donate online via the West Alabama Red Cross.

Lilly Pulitzer Home

I hope everyone had a happy and fun Easter weekend!  (Since you asked, mine was lovely--church, brunch, and Jesus Christ Superstar. It was on TCM, I was on the couch; it just made sense at the time.)

I might be behind the times, but apparently Lilly Pulitzer is coming out with a line of home furnishings.  I have mixed feelings about Lilly Putlizer, the brand, but I liked several of the Lilly Putlizer Home pieces (here and here).  In particular, I love the ottoman below (also featured in this month's Real Simple); however, it seems like someone crafty (I'm looking at you, Mary Grace and Design*Sponge-rs) could probably pull this off on her own, without paying $599+.