Yesterday morning Logan and I enjoyed a rare morning at the local high school’s track. For once, no one was there but us. It was quiet, save for the sound of Logan galloping through the grass and stream.

It’s simple, but that pure look of being so grateful to be outside, where nothing else matters in that moment except just running full speed, made me smile the rest of the day.

These rooms on Pinterest are satisfying my color urge right now. Still peaceful and in keeping with our current bedding colors, but a totally different feel.

1. We used this picture for our Christmas card at our annual tree chopping. This farm is like heaven for Logan so it is very difficult to get a pose. It’s like heaven for us too. Beautiful day – you can see it wasn’t nearly as cold then as it is now.
2. We both celebrated 30th birthdays! Hard pill for me to swallow, I will admit, but since it’s here now I think I have made my peace with it. The 20s were wonderful but I’m ready for the next chapter. I had a pizza dinner out with friends and a crabcake dinner out with family, went for a hike with the dog, and had chocolate croissants for breakfast. (You know I love food.) I have a spa massage with my name all over it in the next few weeks and Hubby will be taking me to NYC for a day to see Wicked and eat more food.
3. In short, because three months (four?) is a long time to update on, things are going swimmingly and we’re great. Shawn is plugging away at school, one of the hardest things he’s ever done, and I could not be more proud of him. We value our time together, even if it’s spent together on the couch (him studying, me reading/Facebooking/asking for a foot massage) or making a simple meal at home. I wouldn’t wish to be anywhere else.

Hope your new year is off to a great start as well. Happy 2012!

I would like to consider myself a bit of a groupie because we’ve been to three or four of his shows now. At the risk of sounding creepy, he feels like ours. He’s also the kind of artist who performs in smaller venues, standing room only, and so the resulting experience is that you’re super close throughout the show.

That also means that sometimes you get to meet Mat Kearney. Here’s the first time, with our friends Shawn and Ben and the lovely Ingrid Michaelson.

The second time was this past weekend. Here I am camping outside of the tour bus (tell me I have groupie status now!) on that day in October that it decided to snow.

Here’s hubby and I with our BFF Mat. I was so cold I was shaking.

And here is the ultimate prize. Shawn and Ben could not join us, so I solicited Mat for a video congratulating them on their recent engagement.

Amazing! What a fun experience. Have you met any celebrities? Who are you dying to meet?

Using twine, I wrapped a small foam wreath, using the hot glue gun to secure it along the way. Note – get the thickest twine you can, or prepare to catch up on several of your DVR’d shows, because this took almost forever. I also found it helpful to bunch areas of twine together tightly, and then add more twine in the gaps.

I then used the ruffled flower pin tutorial to make a red and orange flower for a fall accent. I made it out of felt, which besides being awkward to cut, worked out well. I had too much glue on my fingers to document, sorry!

Here’s the final product:

And here it is gracing our front door.

I know it’s small, but the crab knocker limits space. I kind of like how little it is though – makes you look harder, and that pop of color puts me right in the mood for fall.

Next up – large wreath for the back door. Happy Halloween, friends!

*Linking up to Bower Power’s and Young House Love‘s Pinterest Challenge!

It is, as Ari wonderfully pointed out, time to pick a new planner for 2012. As a Type A, organizing geek, I love this activity. I’ve been considering just purchasing refills for my current day planner (boring) but then I saw a huge deal for Erin Condren products!

This is the beauty I decided on:

I kept the pool color but made the middle stripe lime. My initials make up the large letters, with the smaller letters being my full name. I’ll be sure to post the finish product when it arrives, AFTER the little date I will have with myself filling the calendar in. If you’re a dork like me you know exactly how excited I am.

If you’re interested go sign up at Plum District for the deal – $25 for $50 at the Erin Condren website, which basically makes your $50 planner half off, plus an extra $5 off for clicking on the link above. The calendars (or more aptly named “life planners”) are drool worthy. You can thank me later. Happy planning!

If you like celebrity culture and can handle tongue-in-cheek sarcasm, you must check it out. It’s written from the point of little Suri Cruise and she is quite the mean girl. Perfect for the end of the day when I don’t feel like thinking or when I just want to laugh.

1. I’ve been all over. Every weekend, I head up to Philly or Shawn schleps back home. Shawn’s parents live right in South Philly on a busy street and it’s been fun to walk to sweet little cafes for breakfast. I lived in downtown Baltimore for a year with best friends from high school and I really miss city life sometimes. (Although I do not miss the search for parking.)

This weekend we explored New Hope with the Logan.

2. In the midst of all this back and forth, I managed to squeeze in a quick jaunt to Tennessee to see my delicious niece. She is talking up a storm and we have hilarious conversations.

3. When I’m in Bmore, most of my time is spent at work. Work has been great but strenuous. Just trying to slowly chip away at that to-do list, but I’m blessed to really love my job.

4. Fall TV. Let’s talk about that. Now that I can’t have back-to-school week, I have season premiere week. I’ve added Revenge, Up All Night, and Pan Am to my rotation. How about you?

5. Fall is here, friends! I hate the end of summer but I love the chill, the hot lattes, the boots. Yum.