Today is my birthday!

And I'm loving the e-card I just got from my roommate, Carissa. Amen!

Something for the "Never Gonna Happen" Category...

I believe that every girl should have one great pair of black leather boots (even though the animal-loving half of me wrestled with the fashion-loving half on that one), and recently stumbled upon what could quite possibly be the most beautiful (and unaffordable) black boots I’ve ever seen. These Ferragamo OTK boots are sexy but still classy, and I think I may very well be in love.

Salvatore Ferragamo Limpid Over-The-Knee Boots
Original: $1600.00
Now: $720.00

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Indulgences...

The GoodAcai Bowls
So good that I've actually had them while it's snowing. For those of you who have never had one, an acai bowl is a smoothie made with acai berries and whatever other fruit you choose to add (I like mine with apple juice and banana) poured in a bowl, topped with granola, fruit and honey. Delicious, healthy, and gives me energy... what more could you ask for?

The Bad
Vino
It might not be the healthiest of beverage choices, but supposedly a glass a day has its redeeming health benefits... then again, you also have to have some self restraint - something I have yet to acquire. Right now I am liking Australian winemaker Mollydooker. Bold reds with fun labels.

The UglyNachos
The more queso, the better. I could literally eat Mexican food every day and never tire of it, but one of my favorite indulgences has got to be nachos - quite possibly the finest finger food ever made. (The best is from Illegal Pete's who has awesome homemade queso.) Now if only I can figure out how to eat these on a daily basis without gaining 100 pounds...

Letting Loose

I've always been a fan of tea, but it wasn't until recently that I realized how much I love loose leaf tea in particular. Sure, when in a hurry, teabags will suffice, but when I have the time, I love to brew loose leaf tea. Here in Boulder, there are so many specialty tea shops that I figured it was time that I gave it a go.

Specifically, I am currently enjoying flavored green teas in the afternoon for an extra boost of energy to help get me through the (often long) days.

Current recommendations:

Blue Eyes Green Tea ~ green tea with papaya and mango by Pekoe

Great both hot and iced. Ironically, I am not particularly a fan of mango nor papaya, yet I find this tea to be, well, lovely.


Jasmine Pearl Tea ~ I buy mine from specialty tea shop, KaChu


Smells wonderful, and the pearls open as the tea brews, which is fairly entertaining - talk about your cheap thrills.

My apologies for two beverage posts in a row.

Un Bicchiere Di...

Before going to live in Italy, I expected to fall in love with many things - good wine, beautiful scenery, the morning espresso, architecture, perhaps even a nice Italian man (which, for the record, never happened)... but the one thing I didn't expect to fall in love with was something that I had everyday of my life - water. To my surprise, the country was able to fine tune my taste buds to appreciate something far simpler than a glass of Chianti. It was in Florence that I fell in love with water.


While overseas, I became accustomed to hearing "con gas o naturale?" [Translation: "sparkling or still?"] Sure, when you order water at a restaurant in America you can specifically ask for a bottle of sparkling water, but unless specified, you can expect to receive the same tap water they use to water plants. In Italy, it's just the opposite - no tap water unless requested. There's something far more elegant and appealing about receiving water from a glass bottle.


My favorite sparkling option: San Pellegrino
My favorite still option: Acqua Panna

Look Ma, No Hands

Lately, I've discovered the beauty that is the cross-body bag. There's a lot to be said for something that holds all of your goodies and simultaneously allows you to go about your day without worrying about your bag (and more importantly, your bag's contents) slipping from your shoulder.

The newest love I would like to add to my wish list is the Kelsey Lambskin Crossbody Bag by Marc Jacobs. It comes in lots of fun colors, but I [shockingly] prefer cream to my usual statement making hues. It's the perfect goes-with-everything functional purse. And it comes in a mini size for night time outings. Lovely.

The Beginning.

Considering my appreciation for lovely things, I thought it was time I created a space to document them. Hopefully you will find them lovely too, and perhaps even become inspired.