Where We Ate | Vinaigrette

Sometimes the best dates are the ones unplanned.. like lunches at Vinaigrette on a Monday afternoon.

Life has been busier than ever lately. Over the past month, I've taken on the duties of event planner, photographer, videographer, designer, content creator, project manager, and let's not forget student. After two solid weeks of events (we're talking double digits, people) - I finally enjoyed a day off with Trevor. And, together, we enjoyed a late patio lunch.


As you could likely deduce, Vinaigrette is a salad bistro but is unlike most other salad restaurants. Owner Erin Wade grows the bulk of the produce on her 10-acre farm in Nambe. At the Albuquerque location, tomato vines even line the patio.

Inside, the restaurant is adorned with stylized picnic tables, my favorite bathroom signs (no, really), and orange and green accents. Though this was my first time eating at Vinaigrette, it marked my second visit and I was no less obsessed with the decor this time around. Trevor insists that Erin and I could be best friends (um. when I met Erin, she was wearing overalls and designing the patio to her Albuquerque location? my kind of woman.), so it's no wonder I felt like the restaurant's decor had come out of my own design dreams.

For lunch, we had the Salacho and the Tuna Salad Salad with tuna steak, instead. We may have also had a side of diver scallops. (I know, it was only lunch but our East Coast hearts couldn't resist.

It hasn't even been a week since our lunch but I'm already looking for an excuse to go back.
That Apple Cheddar Chop is calling my name.

Ten on Tuesday | Birthday Wishes

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9 // 10

Where did we leave off? Oh, right, on August 2nd. I know, I know, that was a month ago. A month and one day, really. But don't worry, I'm back with my favorite blog post of the year - my birthday wishlist. (Wishlist posts are so easy, aren't they? And I'll let you in on a little secret, when your proper title is "poor MBA student," they're even easier.)

Despite knowing every word to Taylor Swift's recent hit, I'm not sure that I'm feeling twenty two. I barely feel twenty-one sometimes. Some days I feel twelve, some days I feel thirty five. That being said, I'm ready for a new year and new goals. Twenty one has been filled with glasses and braces, and not nearly enough mojitos. It happens, I guess.

This year's wishlist doesn't feel all that different from the last. (Though, I think I'll be probably okay without a hat and gloves in Albuquerque.) Once again, the items can be split into two camps. This year, my fall wish list includes the necessities -  a new business wardrobe and a few things for our house.

With all of the career workshops I've been attending lately, I can't stop flipping through the online pages of J. Crew and Banana Republic and Madewell and... Well, I've been searching for the perfect blazer for weeks now and I keep coming up short. Quite literally. You know, I didn't mean to match the shoes to the belt.

Our move also left me lusting over home decor. And at the top of my list? Matching bedding, can you imagine it? I almost can't.

I recently restored a vintage Drexel Heritage sideboard (which I'll be showing you soon!) and I've had my eyes on a few different items for the top of it, too. That metal wrapped tray from West Elm? Ugh. It'd be perfect to hold the rum for all those mojitos I haven't made.

So tell me, what's on your Fall wishlist? 

LoboTHON | DMLC 2013

Be Right Back

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I no sooner get back to blogging.. and I'm off again. 

I will be back on Monday with stories and photos to share from a long weekend in Salt Lake City. For now, I am on my way to the International Head Quarters for Children's Miracle Network for the 2013 Dance Marathon Leadership Conference. (You can follow along on Instagram!)

This year I will be serving as graduate advisor to the Lobo Dance Marathon executive committee, helping to prepare a dedicated group of students in hosting their first ever Dance Marathon. And so, we are starting off the year, together, with more than eighty other colleges and universities.

I've never been to Salt Lake City - I'd love your suggestions! Things to do? Places to eat?

Ten on Tuesday | Moorea Seal

For some of you, this may be old news.. but, yesterday, blogger and jewelry maker Moorea Seal opened a new curated online retail store featuring jewelry, accessories, home goods, and art work. While you are able to find some of Moorea's own jewelry (see no. 7), the shop also features the work of  a multitude of other fabulous, talented women. You can read more about each designer here.  While the shop is full of beautiful, beautiful things, my favorite part of the store has to be it's mission -  "Here at Moorea Seal, we believe that with the more that one may gain, the more a person is responsible for doing something good for the world with what they have. This motivation to not only do great as a store but to do good for others at the same time is the essential factor to our business. Something really special about our site is that not only is it full of gorgeous products but there is meaning behind what we do, beyond the beauty and practical needs of the store itself. We care about bringing good into the world and my closer communities. We care about working hard, taking the hardships of life and using them as motivation to do better and be better, to do great things. Our staff and site motto is 'Do Good, Do Great.'"
7% of every purchase is donated to a non-profit organization for children's needs, caring for animals, protecting our planet, health+wellness, or women's causes. The designers were able to choose the cause of their choose and the featured non-profit will rotate, allowing the women to benefit more and more individuals. So, in addition to being able to shop by category or by designer, you can shop by social cause, too. You can shop some of my favorites here:  1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9 // 10