anything to make you smile

concert attire...

it’s official, the best way to kick off the week is with a loud, amazing concert.  preferably one to which you scored tickets that put you within touching range of the stage.  especially if these incredible seats are located in something called “the golden circle”.

ready.

what's in there?

add to that glorious weather, a couple glasses of chardonnay and a tall, easygoing partner in crime and it doesn’t get much better.

oh, wait top all of that off with a night of rolling thunderstorms and rain to sleep to.  that.is.perfect.

just a much needed reprieve from a whole lot of intensity.

in summary: band of horses are amazing in concert.  i wore my glasses as my distance vision is pitiful…turns out i had no need for specs!  we were oh, so close.  i wore my new favorite vintage cotton gauze dress (a nod as per usual to mrs. roper).  brilliant idea: packing a pair of flats for the walk home.

view from our seats.

good.night.

xo, anne

yes, yes and yes.

big plans for a monday night…me and ev, up close for this magic:

could.not.be.more.excited.

xo,anne

baby, come back.

oh, hi.  lets time travel, shall we?  i will blame the need to do so on our internet.  always wonky, now completely uncooperative.  it’s on a long list of things to tackle once i’ve climbed out from under my mass of work.  this internet situation presents both good and bad situations…bad: 6am trips to starbucks to begin my work day, emailing as i chug a clover brewed coffee.  that is, until a jittery, questionably smelling man crackhead sits next to me.  good: re-visiting paige’s trip to savannah.  she’s been gone almost two weeks (though it feels much longer) and i’m just now getting around to this post.  i could use a little reminder of how lovely and magical and carefree things were mere weeks ago…

howard girls in green. with prosecco.

there was the day filled with green, silly people in the streets and more prosecco than you could shake a stick at.

our little friend joined us for cocktails and people watching.

there were hours of sitting in the sun. jackets became unnecessary as the weather was perfection.

sidenote: this is roughly every piece of green i own.

there might be nothing better than sitting on the steps with your sister in the sun.

there were pansies galore.

there was a favorite spot to sit and watch the party people pass by.

not pictured: there was a day of wedding dress shopping.  as much as i would love to plaster this little nook of the internet with images of the dresses not bought and the one that is currently hanging waiting patiently in my closet….i just cannot.  the woman at the dress store gave me very strict instructions.  but the dress, she is gorgeous.

there was an al fresco italian feast,

at a table for two.

there was a day on the open water.

there was the discovery of an insanely large tooth that surely belonged to a megalodon

there was a slow afternoon spent overlooking the marsh

there was the.super.moon. spied over the ocean.

there was some documentation of our toothy finds.

there was an afternoon of shopping, macarons and giggles.

there were hours spent in the grass, at the park assembling mood boards for the wedding.

there was frankly not enough time with my sister.  that’s the way it always is with my family though…it’s all so wonderful and perfect and in the blink of an eye it’s over.  i may have campaigned for here to move her.  my fingers are firmly crossed that it will happen.

that’s all, for now.

xo, anne

anne + evan sitting in a tree.

that's us!

hi!

so if we’re friends on the book of face or my other favorite internet place, the twitter, then i’ve probably already hit you up for some support.  but in the off chance that i missed you, i would love it and be forever grateful if you would take a moment to vote for me and evan to win a $100,000 wedding from crate and barrel.  just click here.

xoxo, anne

one and only.

 

my girl.

 

i’m a bit out of sorts this week.  it’s wednesday and i still have yet to do our grocery shopping / menu planning for the week.  ooops.

last weekend was slow and gray and perfect that way.  we celebrated a friend’s birthday and had a cozy dinner on tybee island.  nothing to account for how groggy and underwater i feel.

but!  i’m pushing through…thanks to bikram classes and the immense excitement of my one and only sister arriving in savannah a week from today!

 

sisters.

 

we like clownishly big glasses in this family.

 

 

she’s amazing and adorable and so much fun.

 

hey, cutie. come visit.

love.her.

 

i’m working out the logistics of our itinerary…it will look something like this: cuddle on the couch, sip prosecco, giggle, eat something yummy, sleep.  wake up, repeat.  add in some wedding dress shopping and some shark tooth hunting (first foray in the boat for 2011!!!) and you’ve got about 5 magical days.

back to counting down the minutes til she arrives…

xo, anne

 

sunny days.

 

palm lined sidewalks.

 

it was another gorgeous weekend in savannah, friends.  the weather was perfect with the window flung open, i celebrated with friends, evan and i chatted about what the wedding will look like and we fielded some incredibly nice well wishes.  i continue to grin from ear to ear…

 

spanish moss with sunshine.

 

we spent two whole afternoons draped on a blanket in the park.  me: reading back issues of martha stewart weddings aka my personal heaven, evan: reading books on history.  both of us getting some much needed sun.

 

there was the obligatory manicure to go with my new piece of sparkle (with accompanying pedi, naturally).

 

vermillionaire by essie on my toes.

knockout pout by essie on my fingers.

 

we toasted with evan’s parents over a steaming pot of low country boil.  there was the most insane blanket of fog on tybee, as soon as we drove onto the island it was as if it had been bathed in smoke.

sunday morning we were back downtown for more sun in the park.

 

printed dress...my ode to mrs roper. sure to be worn to shreds by september.

friends. not shown: one hyper, happy shiba inu, off camera chewing grass.

 

i am actively trying not to panic about all of the planning and details and am focusing on how thrilled i am to invite our friends and family to savannah (hopefully) for a big party.  first goal: set a date.  yikes.

xo, anne

a resounding yes.

 

off to dinner.

 

this past thursday evan and i celebrated our four year meet-a-versary.  the weather cooperated, we dined outside, cava was sipped, the food was amazing.

 

al fresco.

♡

 

we strolled around downtown, got frozen yogurt, visited the spot where we first kissed.  then we headed home and evan asked me to marry him.  i responded with a resounding yes.

 

new best friend.

 

my left hand now sports a aquamarine and diamond baguette stunner from the 40’s.  it’s perfect and i am just so thrilled to be engaged to such a fantastic evan.  the outpouring of congratulations, excitement and support from our friends and family has been overwhelming and magical.  to say that i’m beaming is an understatement.

xo,

anne

fancy pants.

loudly printed fancy pants courtesy of corey lynn calter, via my love anthro.

i got dressed this morning with the sole intention of wearing a new pair of shoes.  these are some really special shoes as they are a) gold, b) slightly glittery c) kate spade and most importantly d) cost me almost nothing.  but they’re a bit tricky to wear as they are also a) pointy-toed b) delicately heeled and c) gold and shimmery (i have shockingly pale legs right now…).  so i needed to dress around these tricky but magical shoes.  and i did and i loved the look…got lots of shoe compliments too.

a. nother. one.

unfortunately, i have not a single shoe picture for you.  why?  a combination of a) pale legs and b) i was the sole photographer tonight and my powers of capturing this shoe / pant combo were limited.  as evidenced by the amount of tweedle-dee-ish foot images i ended up with.

teeny tiny vintage gold heart. from my mom. with teeny tiny gold feet.

i also wanted to show you my absolute most favorite new brooch.  procured on the same day as the magical kate spades as luck would have it.  and by luck i mean my friend mitchell…as he is clearly not only great fun but also the secret lucky charm for finding the.best.things.   seriously.

gold eyeglasses. like mine! but in brooch form.

there’s a chill in the air today after all of the balmy weather we had this weekend and the beginning of the week…but!  it’s supposed to warm up again tomorrow.  which is perfect timing as it’s evan and my four year meet-a-versary and we’re treating ourselves to dinner out on the town.  hopefully we’ll be able to snag a table outside as this restaurant has a cozy, gorgeous outdoor area.

more soon!

xo,

anne

summertime clothes

valentine's shoes, how nice of you to join us so soon!

this weekend was incredible.  i know all weekends are pretty great inherently but this one whispered to me of summer.  and that, friends is something special.  the weather forecast and its highs in the mid to upper 70’s is what pulled me through an intense as all get out week.  i sat at my desk, pausing between emails, to daydream of a weekend spent on a blanket, bathed in sun at the park.

pattern, stripes, big glasses...we're off!

some might call my determination something close to hellbent.  and in the end it was so worth all the dreaming, the planning, the packing of bags for a day at the park.  there were books to be read, magazines to pore over, perrier’s to be sipped, sandwiches to be nibbled and then i may or may have topped the whole shebang off with some icy cold prosecco.  because that is the icing on the cake in terms of a warm, sunny day at the park.  right?  the whole day had a feel of “i must pinch myself, this is per.fection.”

note the bags in the background. evan remarked that i pack more for an afternoon in the park than most folks do for vacation. he might be correct.

vintage napkins, sparkling libations, sandwiches and an evan foot.

in the late afternoon we left downtown for a jaunt to tybee.  i wish it was just for some time at the beach…but our dryer is broken and the laundry pile was inciting panicky feelings.  which were not welcome on my magical weekend.  we watched the sun set over the marsh and then headed to a cute little restaurant for dinner and maybe one more glass of bubbles while our laundry got to work at evan’s parent’s house.

after dinner we went down to the beach and saw the most amazing moon over the water.  no matter how much we tried to capture the intense light bathing the water, it was a sight best seen in person.

oh, gorgeous nighttime sky.

nighttime reflections.

sunday was a day filled with beachside lunch (though i should note it was quite chilly so you don’t hate me too much), errands, sunshine and preparing for another workweek.

xo,

anne

hearts.

mantlescape of heart day glory. take note of the licorice. it is the.best.ever.

well, friends we made it through another day of hearts.  although i have a cold so brutal i was sure i wouldn’t make it.  thankfully i did and i’m glad we stuck to our guns and holed up in the apartment…no cheesy prix fixe menu or schmaltzy decor.  just us and a self-imposed no tv, no books rule.  which i broke as soon as i realized the westminster dog show was on.  oops.  nothing more romantic than dogs and their poorly dressed handlers parading around madison square garden…am i right?!

there were flowers,

there were rifle paper co cards (from me to evan),

there was also a card from evan…not shown as it may fall more into the schmaltzy arena.  there is nothing cuter than two bulldog puppies cuddled up all wrinkly, right?  right.  i won’t take a picture of the picture on the card.  much as i want to.

there was also dinner.  which i didn’t capture.  because this darn cold rendered me unable to taste anything.  or speak intelligibly for that matter.  for the sake of full disclosure though i did a pepper encrusted filet, caramelized shallot mashed potatoes and roasted brussels sprouts with lemon and bacon.  i’m told it was very tasty.  oh, and we can’t forget the sea-salted brownies.  which.are.incredible.  you don’t even need the ability to taste to know this fact.

but now on to the fun part: presents!  more accurately, new shoes.  behold.

teaser. what could be behind this hot pink tissue?

strappy suede espadrille-soled wedges.

with tasseled zipper pulls? yes, please.

one more.

these are this year’s update to my beloved opals.  lighter color, espadrille sole, suede.  loves.  muchos gracias, free people…and evan, of course.

in the past two days my cold has lessened its death grip on my sinuses and i think this joyous fact warrants a glass of pinot noir and a sea-salted brownie.

xo,

anne