cherry blossoms.

i never realized how many cherry trees there are where i live. in fact, i didn't realize there are more than one kind. i'm 99.9% sure my neighbors have what is referred to as a yoshino cherry tree. it's sooo beautiful with its cluster of white blossoms. no wonder i like them (note: i'm obsessed with white, in case you didn't know).

well, tomorrow i'm off to the big apple for the business and design conference...and also for the special tour of martha stewart living omnimedia. so much to do, so little time. but i'm so excited! i'll be sure to share my experiences with you all when i return.

porch party.

i love porch parties! to celebrate the warm weather, a few girlfriends of mine came over to my place and we officially opened up the porch. it's such a great place to gather and enjoy each other's company. thanks to my dear neighbor (and good friend), we now have beautiful paper lantern lights hanging from all three sides.

i'm looking forward to spending many more nights out there in the coming months...

vermont.

gorgeous weather, but more importantly a need for some sisterly love, is what brought me to vermont this past weekend.

this is the view of stowe mountain. so serene! i attempted to go on a hike with my sister and one of her friends, but half way up the trail we were faced with 2 1/2 feet of snow! not suitable for two women, one of which was in sandals!! but regardless, it was so refreshing to see such beautiful views.

on saturday night, my sister's friend, lucas, cooked the most amazing bbq. pork, lamb, chicken, corn on the cob, and mango salad. yummy!


vermont = kitties. i got to see izzy and gerty. the two dearest, sweetest cats of all. look at gerty. soaking in the soon to be summer sun. she blends in so well with the dirt. maybe that's why we call her "dirty gerty." ha!


check out the old volkswagon bug. orange (i love that color lately). this vintage car sits in my sister's backyard. it's a decoration of sorts. i love how she and her roommates pile the wood next to the car.

martha.

martha, martha, martha. oh, wait. that's marsha, marsha, marsha. ha! well, regardless, i have martha on the mind. want to know why? because i just received confirmation today that i will be one of fourteen peeps to have a private tour of martha stewart living omnimedia by the chief creative officer, gael towey, at the end of this month. yup! i'm going to see the behind the scenes of martha's empire. how cool!!!! you may be wondering how this opportunity came to be. well, i will tell you. you see, i have a very cool boss who suggested that i attend this business and design conference in new york city in a few weeks. so i registered for it a few months ago. but not knowing that this special tour would be offered to a select group of registrants. it's so exciting! this will be a great networking opportunity for me. i promise to provide an update post-conference. i wonder if i will get to meet her...

oh, i should also mention that my sister's godfather works for the martha stewart show. so i'm planning to meet up with him as well. and just yesterday i received the latest issue of her magazine, which i just adore. life works out in mysterious ways...

wicked.

this is a shout out to my cousin, erica, for being the hottest wicked witch of the west. she is starring in the wizard of oz this coming weekend at her college out in colorado. and i wish i could be there to see her perform. she gets to fly and melt...all on stage. i'm so proud of her.

happy spring.

there's nothing better than the change in seasons. i just absolutely love it. i can always find a reason to embrace winter, spring, summer, and fall.

saturday was a gorgeous spring day here. so sunny and warm. i woke up and headed off to meet a friend for breakfast before we began our morning's worth of tag sale hunting. boy did we score some good finds. below are two necklaces i got for $3 each. they've already been tagged as favorites. :-)

another great find were these vintage aprons. i bought three for $5. what a deal!


(the pink one above is reversible!)



i really want to learn how to make my own, but i need to learn how to sew first. my aunt gave me a sewing machine and taught me how to thread it, but i need to put it to use once and for all.

in addition, to the necklaces and aprons, i also acquired a spinning scrabble board ($5) and a cast iron pan, already seasoned ($1). so all in all, it was a successful day of tag sale hopping.

when i got home, i took one look around my apartment and decided it was time for some change...and major spring cleaning. so i spent most of my sunday afternoon rearranging furniture, scrubbing floors, and doing laundry. tonight, i've tasked myself with putting my winter clothes away. no more turtlenecks. ah....spring really is here...