Bet Dorothy would love a pair of these. We’re not in Kansas anymore…

Shoes by Christian Louboutin {available at Neimans}

I’ve had the biggest craving for my toes in the sand and a nice breeze. I actually love going to the beach when it’s cooler {by floridian standards that means under 90 degrees} in the morning or late afternoon. No beachbag or towel; just a dress and maybe a bikini, although these trips are often spontaneous, so there might not be a bikini. Don’t get me wrong, I love the days when I get there early with a picnic, music, books, a blanket, bikini and sunscreen, ready to spend the entire day on the sand. There’s just something so relaxing about doing it the other way, too.

There’s a dog beach about an hour north of where I live. It’s so peaceful and the people are great. Crossing my fingers for good weather this weekend, so Lola can have her first beach experience. {I’m a tad scared that she’ll get washed away by a wave.}

So, what’s your favorite beach experience? Feel free to share in the comments. I’m curious to know.

Photo by Rosie Hardy

You don’t need to go on a trip to some foreign land to be an explorer or to have an adventure. You need to just be present, in your surroundings, wherever you may be. If you could take the list above out into the world with you and do these things, instead of just hurrying to the next step or the next place you need to be, you’d be an explorer of your world. Now that’s a beautiful idea… an everyday beautiful idea, perhaps?

image {via} Gala

Well, because my internet took a crap and everything I wanted to post is in a document on my laptop at home, today is sort of a BS day. Speaking of B & S, I love Gossip Girl. I also love my best friend, so lets talk about those two subjects, shall we?

It’s all her fault. My best friend, Francesca, got me into Gossip Girl. Well, her and Fashionista that is. It’s such a guilty pleasure. Wouldn’t you know that one of my favorite things about GG is the dynamic between Serena and Blair. It reminds me of Cesca and I. She is the Serena to my Blair. {Except that I’m not as evil and controlling as Blair.}

She’s got the legs and I’ve got the big brown doe eyes. I’m in no way a push over. Stepping on my toes is the wrong thing to do, but I’m a big softie on the inside, like Blair. Although everyone pegs Cesca as the sweet one, she’s capable of pulling the bitchness out of the bag.

We’re not carbon copies of Serena & Blair style, but we each sympathize with our girls. We complement one another. I’m the brunette and she’s the blonde. She, like Serena, is into high hemlines and tighter dresses. She loves blazers, jeans, and over the knee boots. If I hadn’t known her for this long, I’d think she was copying Serena. I go for A-line dresses and skirts, rarely ever wearing jeans. I’m a sucker for a punch of color, well tailored classics, and all things elegantly femme and romantic. Sometimes we switch it up, but it’s almost guaranteed that if I’m wearing ruffles she’ll be in leather, or vice-versa. We even own the same car in different colors {hers is silver and mine is black}, not intentionally. It’s a sort of ying-yang thing.

I’m not going to lie, we’ve had our fair share of drama in our lives, but never over each other. We’ve never really fought. She’s the type of friend that fits into any situation. It doesn’t matter what you’re doing, it just matters that she’s there. We don’t need to know every secret that the other keeps, and we don’t have to be doing anything at all.

We met in high school and we actually hated one another at first. Who would’ve known that by the end of Senior year, she’d be my partner in crime?

Yes, we play up the blond-brunette best friend factor and love to mess with people. Don’t put it past us to pull a Rolling Stone. Could I ask for a cooler bestie? Have you taken time to appreciate your best friend lately?

Ok, so that’s not Blake & Leighton {aka Serena & Blair}, but I couldn’t resist slipping in this cheeky Ellen von Unwerth picture.

And because this is my blog and I can do whatever I want within the law, here is an awesome balloon post. Yay! Balloons!

Photos from FabSugar, Flickr, Ellen von Unwerth, and Rolling Stone.

Sorry for the delay in posting. My internet decided to take a crap last night, so none of the posts scheduled. I found this in the comment section of a blog. Moving on… Don Shapiro is writing a book titled “Life Is A Fork In The Road.” He offered this advice about finding direction in our career choices, and I decided to share it with you here:

No one else can tell you what you should be doing with your life. You are the expert on you. The trick is getting beyond all the logic and analysis which needs to be done so you can finally hear your inner voice. You will know when your choice just feels right at all levels.

Great career choices come down to doing what you are passionate about and have a talent for. The passion drives you and the talent insures you can do it well.

Here are some simple steps that can help you wade through your options and give your inner wisdom the information it needs to guide you.

1. Passion. What would you do even if you weren’t paid to do it? Make a list of all those things. Sometimes, it isn’t any one thing on the list but the pattern of seeing many things on the list that can open your eyes.

2. Talent. List all the things you are really, really good at. As a mom, you have to be great at many task. Almost all of them translate into task that can be used to make money. You already have a Phd. in making things work in the real world! It’s important that you choose something you have a lot of talent at. Otherwise you could pick something you love but you might not be very good at it.

3. What are you bad at or hate doing? Yes, you need to make this list too. No career is perfect. You are going to have to do some things you are not good at and some things you dislike. Make sure those represent less than 20% of all the task and time involved in your career choice. Try to get it down to 10%. Otherwise you are likely to lose motivation over time and not accomplish as much as you wanted to.

Ultimately, the best choice for you won’t come from your analysis of these list. They start your mental and spiritual juices flowing. The real answer will be worked out behind the scenes in your unconscious (and from above).

Don’t rush this. Don’t force it. Be patient and wait for a sign, an inner voice or a feeling that suddenly feels right at a very deep level. Confusion, frustration, cloudiness, uncertainty, anxiety and all the rest will just vanish to be replaced by a calm, peaceful, radiant knowing. You will feel it down to the core of your being. Now go for it!

Shapiro is collecting stories for his book “Life Is A Fork In The Road.” His book asks the question: Did you ever followed an inner voice, feeling or sign to make a choice with surprising results? Did you ever do that when you didn’t have all the facts? If you are interested, you can email him at donshapiro@lifeisaforkintheroad.com.

Photo {via} ffffound

Oh, heaven is a place on earth.

Candace Meyer {via} Cupcakes & Cashmere