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Snapshots from this week:
1 // I conquered my fear of heights to walk across the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge, number four on my New Mexico bucket list.
2 // Coffee & chai from World Cup Taos; it's strange to finally visit places I've heard about for two years.
3 // Indian taco from Michael's Kitchen. I will never tire of Mexican food.
4 // Afternoon drinks at Evangelo's in Santa Fe. I couldn't help but laugh at this sign.


Favorite posts this week: 
Staying Motivated to Blog - Delightfully Tacky
My Girl - Kelli Murray
Where the Wild Things Go - Valentina Duracinsky
puppies on film - Deer Circus
Bloggers You Don’t Want to Be, Part 1 - Katelyn Brooke



This week I'm...

Planning my blogging calendar for the month of April! Right now, I am planning to start two new features. One will highlight books that I have read and my opinion of them. The second will be a series of posts on gluten free eating - not only recipes but lifestyle and shopping tips, explanations and features on my favorite products. Are there any topics you would like to see covered in April? More photos? More recipes? Leave a comment and let me know!

Catching up on photo editing and disk making. Can you believe I just now put these photos from September onto a disk for Steph? Worst. Friend. Ever.

Looking for the perfect maxi skirt. Long. Black. Cotton? Jersey? Help a girl out.

Nervous about starting a new job this week! On Friday I accepted a position with a Santa Fe animal hospital. As you know, that is completely out of my scope of knowledge. I've spent the weekend learning medical terminology and emergency call procedures.

Loving New Mexico! Really. I didn't think I could love a place so quickly but I now understood why everyone kept saying "welcome home". I can't wait to share our new little house and home with you, I think you're going to love it. Check back later this week for photos of yesterday's trip to Taos!

Four Things with Valentina

Today marks the last post in this little series! I sincerely hope you enjoyed getting to know a few lovely ladies from across the blogosphere. Perhaps you were even able to add a few new items to your own Spring wishlist, I know I have. 

Today's guest blogger is Valentina, who you may recognize from my sidebar this month. This pretty lady is a musican, song-writer, traveler and a great blogger that you should you know. You can find her on her blog and on Facebook. When I asked Valentina to tell us a little bit about herself, this is what she had to say:

I'm Valentina Duracinsky. I write songs. I play instruments. I'm sarcastic. A bit crazy. I wish I was Irish. I travel. It's all good.

These are the four items on her Spring wish list:

1 // One thing I want is an accordion.

2 // One thing I need is to sign a deal with an independent record label.

3 // One thing to wear would be this Leah Goren cat dress.

4 // One thing to read would be Tales of the Jazz Age by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

So tell me, can you play any instruments? Which ones? I've always wished for musical talent but it has always escaped me. I tried the flute in elementary school with no success, and then picked up the guitar for a few  years in high school.

Four Things with Hannah

You might recognize today's guest blogger, Hannah, from the giveaway that I recently hosted. Hannah is an alumni of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Though now a graduate, Hannah still lives in Greensboro where she works as a marketing assistant by day. At night, Hannah is an artist and blogger. Her blog is full of inspiration and stories of her cat, Einstein. You can find out more at Hannah's blog, Thirsty World Designs. 

When I asked Hannah to share her four things for Spring, these items made her list: 

1 // One thing I want is this organic mint lip balm. Yum!

2 // One thing I need is Lavendar Sage Tea from Teavana.

3 // One thing to wear would be a long maxi skirt, like this gray one from Nordstrom.

4 // One thing to read would be Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park.

So tell me, are you planning to wear maxi skirts this Spring and Summer? I'm looking for the perfect cotton or jersey black maxi skirt. Any suggestions?

Four Things with Megan

Today's post is coming from a new blog friend, Megan, who writes at Semi-Charmed Kind of Life - a blog that appeals to my book-reading, travel-loving heart. I stumbled upon Megan's blog while looking for New Mexican bloggers through the Better Blogger Network and immediately fell in love. My favorite thing about Megan is that, like us, she is a bit nomadic! She's lived in the south, the Midwest, the Southwest and on both the East and West Coasts. On top of that, she is always traveling for her job as a leadership consultant for her sorority, a job which entails visiting universities across the U.S. and Canada to work with the sorority's collegiate chapters. Are you jealous yet?

You can find out more about Megan and her adventures here.

When I asked Megan if she would participate in this series, she was not only happy to play along but even made her own fantastic collage. These are the items that made her Spring wishlist:

One thing I want is a new bracelet from Alex & Ani. Since I started traveling on the east coast, all I want to buy is Alex & Ani bangles! I already have the "M" and Alpha Delta Pi bangles, but I'd love to add this Claddagh bracelet or four-leaf clover to my arm.

One thing I need is a new bag! I'm currently planning a six-week backpacking trip in Europe for this summer, and I really need a decent-sized crossbody bag to carry my wallet, Kindle, some snacks and a notebook during our long walking days.

One thing to wear would be this skirt from Francesca's. Currently, I travel with a few pencil skirts, and though I do love them, I really want to build up my wardrobe with some flowy, more comfortable skirts to wear as the weather improves. This chiffon skirt would be a great addition to my suitcase!

One thing to read would be The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. It was so hard to pick just one book to read this spring, but The Fault in Our Stars is definitely at the top of my list. I have heard nothing but good things about this novel.

So tell me, would you love or hate a job with lots of travel? I am definitely jealous of Megan's unique and seemingly adventurous job! I would love to see the country, and even the world, through work but only if I didn't have to leave Trevor and Buddy behind. A girl can dream, I suppose.

Four Things with Marisa

Today's post comes from a long-time friend and one of my favorite bloggers, Marisa. I've written a guest post or two for her and I'm so glad to get to feature her here on Live Beautifully! If you didn't already know, Marisa is a food blogger at The College Cuisiner. Our whole lives, she has been quite the cook - I owe my love of chinese food, Edy's Strawberry Fruit Bars, and perhaps my whole passion for the culinary world to this girl. I was basically dying over her wish list because she has the best taste, and not just in food. When I asked Marisa to play along with this little series, this is what she said: 

This isn't my first collaboration with Jenn. In fact, she was fantastic when I was away from my blog in July of 2012. Jenn will be the first to tell you how i introduced her to some of her favorite food items but Jenn has helped me with just as much! Her contributions to me over the years include some seriously good looking Xanga profiles and personal gifts. She's so thoughtful as you can tell from this week's guest posts!

My four things include some practical things that I need/love but also some fun things for a beautiful, bright Spring!

Here's what made the list:

1 // One thing I want is this Kitchen Aid mixer in Tangerine for all of my baking needs. It is even has a pasta-maker attachment! Totally practical and already on my bridal registry. I love the bright color, because it is just more fun to use!

2 // One thing I need is a new heavy-duty performance camera like this Canon T3 12.2MP Digital SLR with Double Zoom Lens Kit. I’ve had my eye on a new camera for a long time for better in depth recipe-shooting. But it is more likely someone will buy me that mixer first!

3 // One thing to wear is this popover from J. Crew! I know, how revolutionary, white for Spring. But, hey, it’s all over the Spring 2013 runways, and nothing looks more crisp and fashion forward than a popover like this color-flecked one from J.Crew with a white or navy pencil skirt. I love this look for my Bridal Shower coming up in May—classy, but still modern.

4 // One thing to read is A Good Year by Peter Mayle. One of my favorite novels, it takes place in France with an English lead character. So of course I love it! A very good movie adaption was made a few years back with Russell Crow but I love this book whenever I want to take a vacation to the French countryside without paying for the plane ticket! Warning: This book makes you hungry and want to drink French wine.

So tell me, what color Kitchen Aid mixer is on your wish list? Or do you already have one in a fun color? I love this tangerine one! I keep telling Trevor that we simply have to get married so someone will buy it for me! Trevor being the logical one points out that buying a mixer for myself would be a lot cheaper than a wedding. Oh, my sensible other half.