Daydreaming

Today I'm dreaming I'm in my favorite city, Paris...

Opening the window to get that fresh Parisian air...

Eating my way through several plates of escargot...

Discovering hidden citrus "groves" in the middle of the city...

Adding a lock with my lover's name to the fence on Pont de l'Archeveche...

Imagining what's inside all those charming shops...

Strolling through Luxembourg Gardens...

Shopping the sidewalk artists near Notre Dame...

Gazing upon the world's masterpieces at the Louvre...

Staring straight up at the city's stunning architecture...

All ending with a midnight light show + bottle of wine at the Eiffel Tower.

(all photos original to Life, Love, Lilly)

Inspiration Replication

I'm always looking for new ways to do my hair. My current favorites are the top knot and the sock bun. These two lovely ladies are serving as my inspiration:

Kourtney Kardashian's top knot

My top knot (hers is a bit too tight, I made mine looser.)

Lauren Conrad's sock bun

My sock bun (LC has A LOT more hair than I do, but the concept is there.)

Truly Texas

Reflecting on this weekend, one thing has become clear: I really do love Dallas.

J and I moved here in April 2010. I knew only two people: a friend in Austin, and a family friend in Houston. J had an old friend in Ft. Worth, but that was it.

It was a daunting thought to make friends. To be honest, I didn't think I'd ever have friends like I did in Colorado or North Carolina. I felt pressure to find something to occupy my days. I volunteered at the Arboretum, and tried to get involved as much as possible, but that was hard as well.

You see, Dallas is a very small big city. As an outsider it can be very intimidating. In May of 2010, in an effort to get myself out there, I went to a Dallas Blogger Meetup. I was nervous of course, but there I met several bloggers, three of who have become close friends. I also found a job and connected with co-workers.

And slowly but surely,

I found my way.

I started understanding the Texas jokes. I had my restaurants. I started to be able to navigate the city without GPS (still a struggle sometimes!). I started recognizing people when I'd go out. I started lunching at Neimans every Saturday and joining clubs/groups. I found an amazing group of girlfriends. My calendar filled up again.

(These things may seem silly and trivial, but when you are worried that you may never feel at home, they are a big deal.)

So in April, when our 2 year anniversary in the Big D comes around, I will greet it with open arms. Dallas has been good to me so far, and I have a feeling it's only getting better.

(photo: one of KappaPrep's birthday party printables)

Revenge: Fire & Ice

I cannot say this enough: I LOVE REVENGE.

(If you've yet to watch Revenge and plan to, or if you haven't seen last night's episode yet, STOP READING HERE.)

So, in last night's episode "Chaos", we discovered that the person on the beach was not Daniel. Tricky, tricky Revenge writers!

Here are my theories:

Who is the killer?

Daniel, either in self defense or because Tyler revealed to who Emily really is, and Daniel wants to keep that information to himself (Probably too obvious. But he did have blood on his tux...)

Amanda, because she realized Emily had her back the whole time and didn't want Tyler to ruin Emily (Also, probably too obvious.)

Tyler shot himself to get his own Revenge on Daniel/Emily (But wasn't he shot in the back?)

Mr. Takeda shot Tyler to get Emily back on track (but why would he stick around and pick up Amanda?).

Did Emily hire someone we haven't even met yet to kill Tyler?

Or it's possibly someone totally off the wall. Because what we do know for sure with Revenge, is to expect the unexpected.

What's next for our favorite scheming Hamptonites?

Scenes from next week make us think Daniel is going on trial for Tyler's murder. I'm positive Victoria will never let anything happen to her Daniel and Conrad would never let the Grayson name be tarnished.

Will Daniel still be head over heels for Emily after Tyler told him what she's up to? Will Emily tell Daniel the truth and try to convince him to join her, or will she tell him Tyler was a crazy liar (believable).

Why did Nolan give his iPad back to his head of security before seeing Jack actually set sail? And why did he rewind the tapes? Is Nolan still on Emily's side?

And what about Amanda. She knows everything, and she's getting closer and closer to Jack. Where does she have Mr. Takeda take her? And will she EVER actually leave town?

What's next for Charlotte? Seems both her and Daniel are unhappy being Graysons at the moment, but will she ever get to know that Emily is her sister? And can Emily really marry her half-sister's half-brother?

Was the killer the same person that snatched Emily's photograph of the 1993 Grayson Global Retreat?

Side Note: One of my favorite moments was when Jack dropped off Sammy at Emily's house and Nolan grabbed her and told her to go with Jack and "make little volunteer babies." I really do love Nolan. And please, let's see more of the WhaleCam.

(photo: ew.com)

Grammy Awards Worst Dressed

Worst Dressed is always more fun than Best Dressed.

There was most certainly not a shortage of contenders.

Of course, one of our Worst Dressed staples: Nicki Minaj (who managed to look worse than Lady Gaga).

My worst dressed "normal" pick: Fergie.

Runner-up: Katy Perry.

Second Runner-Up: Rihanna. (Didn't your Mother ever teach you to only show *one* part of your body at a time? And the hair...ICK.)

(photos: people.com)

Grammy Awards Best Dressed

I was less than impressed with last night's Grammy Awards.

The Grammy's are billed as "Music's Biggest Night", and I thought that was pretty evident, as there were several performances and very little actual awards ceremony.

So, without further ado, my Best Dressed:

Hands down, Carrie Underwood.

A view of the back cutouts:

Runner-up, Adele.

While I would love to see Adele take a break from wearing black, I think she looks seriously glamorous.

photos: people.com

No. 1 Jenny Packham for Debenhams

This may be a total DUH announcement, but I'm pretty obsessed with The Duchess of Cambridge.

Everything she does is perfect! And the hair...*sigh*

Kate's closet also sparks some serious envy in me. One designer she has worn on a few occasions is Jenny Packham. (She wore Jenny twice in North America last summer!)

Sadly, Jenny Packham designs are not the most economical. But fear not! UK Retailer Debenhams (the British equivalent of Macy's or Dillard's) is going to do a collaboration called "No. 1 Jenny Packham". This is just ULTRA EXCITING for me, and I will for sure snap up some Duchess inspired frocks!

This is the only picture I've found so far from the collection, and I think this dress is just stunning!

Save the date! The collection comes out in April and will feature clothing and accessories!

photo: dailymail.co.uk