Designer Lovin': Jacquie Aiche

I think in a past life I was a jewelry designer, because I have this obsession with finding cool new lines. My latest object of affection is Jacquie Aiche. I first was introduced to the line by one of my BFF's, Meagan, who had just gotten engaged. Her ring was completely unique! A tiny rose gold band with pave diamonds with labradorite as the stone.

Since then, I've been exploring Jacquie Aiche online through ShopBop.com and various other outlets. Her line is super modern, with delicate pieces and a boho vibe. Though she's a little pricey for me currently, I'm looking forward to owning several of her pieces in the future. Here's a few favorites:

You can find Jacquie Aiche at her online store, here. I also love to shop through ShopBop.com.

Good Times and Girlfriends!

This past weekend was my bachelorette party in Santa Barbara. I can't tell you how much fun it was to just relax and have a great time with my closest girlfriends. My maid of honor knew I'd just die if she went the traditional bachelorette route of male strippers or male genitle-shaped paraphernalia, so instead we spent a relaxing weekend wine tasting and dining out at some delicious restaurants. I'm honored to know each and every one of these girls.

Meet my bridesmaids!!

(From left/back: Ashley, Kelli, Amanda, Andi, me and Caiti. Front: Tess)

Ashley: My maid of honor and best friend - we've known each other since sixth grade and roomed together when we went to the UK for our first semester of college. She put this entire thing together and truly gave me the weekend of a lifetime! Ashley's wedding was two months ago, and getting to plan everything together was so much fun! Maybe even more fun than actually getting married.

Kelli: Kelli and I met each other doing competitive swimming when we were about 6 or 7 and have stayed friends ever since. She's the sweetest person I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. We used to dream about being detectives together, and now we're going to be nurses together.

Amanda: Amanda and I met at our alma mater. We had a bunch of classes together since we were both journalism majors and developed a fast friendship. Our senior year we served as the EIC and Managing Editor of our campus newspaper. I can always count on her to make me laugh!

Andi: I met Andi in church when we were both babies. Our parents were friends before we were even born and we spent the majority of our Saturday's growing up eating at fun restaurants and playing in the Huntington Gardens (where I happened to get engaged, and where my fiance employed Andi to take the photos of us). Andi and I are the type of friends who can go weeks or months without a word and pick up right where we left off. She leads a busy life as a sought after photographer in NYC and LA. I've loved getting to watch her career completely take off.

Caiti: Caiti is another friend who I "knew" even before I was born. Our dads went on Heart Team trips together across the world and her mom, Karen, visited my mom in the hospital when I was born. Karen is like a second mother and Caiti like a sister.

Tess: Tess and I met in high school when I happened to sit in front of her on the bus during a school sponsored trip to the beach. She had me in stitches the entire ride down, and I knew from then on out we'd be great friends. I always admire her sense of style - so chic and effortless - and her creative abilities. When I buy my first home, I'm employing her to decorate it.

xx

Favorite Places and Spaces

The Veggie Grill

(Photo credit: http://www.veggiegrill.com/)

Growing up on a vegetarian diet I'd had my fair share of veggie meats, tofu and soy products. Sure, I still ate meat here and there, but was totally comfortable with vegetarian products. Now, I know most carnivores cringe and run when they hear words like "tofu" and "veggie meat" but The Veggie Grill, a restaurant based out of southern California, can make any meat eater a serious veggie lover. I was so excited to see they had expanded to Oregon this last winter! Just looking at the picture above is making me hungry...

Rimsky Koraskoffee

Coffee shops are a dime a dozen in PDX. With that being said, I guarantee you've never had anything like Rimsky Koraskoffee. This place opens at 7pm and stays open late. It's stationed in an old two story house with creeky wood floors (and what I imagine to be a creepy basement underneath) and parlor-like place settings. A pianist plays old music on a tinny piano, and creepy old photographs hang on the walls. Known for their desserts, this place gets packed in the evenings and frequently runs out of the house-favorite, the Raspberry Chocolate Fool - a white chocolate mousse with raspberries and chocolate swirls. Before you leave, head on upstairs to check out the bathroom. I won't ruin it for you, but don't go in if you're at all jumpy. It's cash only, so come prepared.

xx

A rose is a rose is a rose...

Lately I've become more interested in flowers. The perfect arrangement, the names, the best colors to choose and when each flower is in season. I imagine much of this curiosity is stemming from deciding on my own wedding bouquet and centerpieces. Here's a collection of some of my favorite arrangements.

xx

Run For Your Life

(Photo credit: AMCtv.com)

I've never been able to get "into" running. Maybe because my high school PE coach used to tell me I should just roll over and die I was so out of shape - that kind of faith in another human being really motivates. Give me a workout DVD or spin class and I will do the shit out of those - but for some reason I can only handle like five minutes of running.

In order to try and force myself to start running more, my fiance and I signed up for the Run For Your Life 5K. If you're not a zombie loving freak like everyone seems to be these days, it's a 5K zombie-infested obstacle race. You start the run with three health flags and can pick up hidden health along the way. If you survive all the obstacles, and the walking dead, with at least one flag, you're considered "alive" and your time will count. Don't make it through? Congratulations, you're now infected.

Considering when I get frightened I curl up into the fetal position, I probably won't make it a few feet past the start line, or at least until the first zombie starts chasing me - I'm an easy target. And my loving fiance has already warned me he won't wait for me. In any case, because I'd like to say I beat this challenge like a badass, I'm going to attempt to do some training so I'm not a complete waste.

The race takes place August 4, 2012 in our area. Be sure to check out RunForYourLives.com to see if there's one near you!

Wedding Inspiration

Here's some of my favorite wedding blogs and sites that have given me the greatest inspiration for my own wedding.

Style Me Pretty - a great blog with tons of cool ideas and photos of other real weddings. After a while, all of the posts start to look the same, but it's great for getting started and finding cool ideas to make your own.

Green Wedding Shoes - a similar blog to Style Me Pretty - tons of gorgeous photos and DIY ideas

Wedding Bee - My go-to site for DIY, budget concerns and advice on etiquette and the like.

BHLDN - What girly girl doesn't love the idea of an Anthropologie wedding boutique? This was where I started looking for gowns - I didn't end up getting my gown from them when it all came down to it, but I go on every few days just to drool over things and see what's new. They have a delicious selection of bridesmaids dresses - and I'm happy to say my girls will be wearing dresses from here on my big day!

Tessa Kim - GORGEOUS veils and accessories for the big day.

Project Wedding - a great hub for wedding information, vendors, and decor ideas.

Hope this helps get you through the week! This weekend is my bachelorette party and I can hardly wait until Friday to see all my bridesmaids!


xx

Europe, you are missed...

I've been fortunate enough to have traveled quite a bit. It was important to my parents that my brothers and I were well-educated, well-traveled, and had open minds. They encouraged travel, learning other languages and trying new things on a regular basis. Because of their generosity, I was able to attend my first semester of college in England with an amazing friend, and later return to Europe post-graduation to travel all over with another best friend. Here's a few photos:

Pret-a-Manger was my favorite place in England. It was a quick-stop for sandwiches, sushi, salads and juices to go. Everything we had there was delicious! Anytime Ashley and I ventured into London, we'd always make a stop there.

My best friend Ashley and I having tea on campus. Looking back now, we were quite brave for venturing out at barely 18 and in our first semester of college all the way across the world.

A visit to Ireland over one of our winter holidays. Dublin was an incredible city - full of the nicest people I've ever met (a rarity considering most everyone hates Americans) and incredible food and drink. I'd love to settle in Dublin for a while.

A small village outside of Dublin that we ventured to. It was completely picturesque - small homes, stone walls and rolling green hills. Pretty much the exact picture one gets when they imagine Ireland, right?

Seeing Imogen Heap in December 2005 - just after her second solo album, Speak For Yourself, was released. It was a tiny, intimate show with some great little opening bands and lots of dancing and singing along. Imogen is stunning in person.

This photo's from my later trip to Europe. Florence was an unbelievably romantic city. Every little alleyway and cafe and coffee shop felt like the perfect lover's retreat. I wished I'd had my boyfriend at the time, now my fiance, there with me. It's definitely on our list of things to do as soon as we can afford it!

A lovely shop in Rome, Italy.

The Roman Colosseum - it's frightening to think of what went on in the Colosseum, but it was incredible to get to see it in person. Such a beautiful piece of history still so intact.

The Parthenon in Greece, and one of my roommates throughout the trip - who has ended up becoming an insanely good friend, Meagan.

This is apparently illegal. Haha! Luckily, since we were a group of cute girls, the police didn't bug us much. We had to sidle up next to a shady looking old man and pay him to give us the bird feed. The pigeons went crazy, as you can see from this picture - but it really was a fun experience.

Versailles Palace. We got to tour through Marie Antoinette's stomping grounds. It's such a stunning palace, with everything trimmed in gold. The gardens were equally as gorgeous, though I've been told they are thinking of opening one of the old guest quarters as a hotel.

A cathedral in Prague, my all-time favorite city. I've dreamed of going there before getting to visit in 2009 and the three days I spent there wasn't enough. Full of gothic architecture and windy cobblestone roads, it feels like something out of an Edgar Allan Poe novel, though I suppose Kafka is more fitting.