There comes a time in your life when friends start getting engaged and married. It’s such a happy feeling to see sorority sisters and good friends get hitched and wed the ones who bring sparkles to their eyes and love to their lives.

And this weekend will be particularly special.

This weekend marks the first wedding in my group of friends from high school. It’s a big step in our lives–a pretty big milestone, I think. We’re no longer the high school girls who love to go to Chili’s for dinner on the weekends or get together to watch the newest episode of Sex and the City. We’ve come a long way since those days. We didn’t all go to the same college. We don’t all have the same interests or career paths. We don’t all live in the same city. But we’ve stayed in touch and remained close throughout those many years in which we lived our own adventures.

I truly couldn’t be more thrilled for my friend (the bride) and can’t wait to celebrate with her family and our friends. She also happens to be tying the knot on March 12–which in my book is a pretty happy day considering it’s also the day I was born. I don’t think I could imagine a more fabulous birthday party.

Here’s to friends, family, celebrations, life, love and happily ever after. Cheers!

Yellow roses.

When I was a little girl, I always took notice of my mother and father’s relationship. One of the sweetest memories I have is of the yellow roses my dad would bring home for my mom. Whether it was for Valentine’s Day, her birthday or just because, when my dad came home from work with a beautiful bouquet of yellow roses for my mother, it was the most magical romance you could find.

They were my mother’s favorite flower. They lit up the house with the brightest of color and the sweetest of scent, and to this day, whenever I see a yellow rose–I’m instantly reminded of her.

Sleeping bags.

For 11 summers of my childhood, I went to summer camp. It was my favorite month of the year–good friends, great fun, lots of activities, memories and more.

One night every summer, the girls went on a camp out. We grabbed our sleeping bags, slept under the stars in the humid Texas heat, cooked our own dinner and made s’mores over the fire. It was something we all dreaded (we weren’t the most outdoorsy of gals).

Nevertheless, I’m reminded of those camp outs every time I see a tent, sleeping bag or a bag of marshmallows. It takes me back to the time when I was just a 10-year-old little girl lying under the stars. My camp friends are still a huge part of my life and these are memories I hold very near and dear to my heart.

What else?

- Frozen pancakes.
- The changing of the seasons.
- Rice Krispies with banana slices.
- Volvo station wagons.
- My grandfather’s cologne.
- Jean overalls.
- Chrysler minivans with wood paneling.
- Breakfast for dinner.
- The roller skating rink.
- Wendy’s chocolate frosty.
- Whitney Houston cassette tapes.

You see, I get nostalgic about lots of things. It’s these memories and experiences that shape us into the people we are today and who we will become tomorrow. They bring us back to a place we may have forgotten–a place of happiness, sunshine and strength. For me, I’m reminded of how the simplest of experiences can turn into the warmest of memories.

Do you get nostalgic? What brings you back?

- L

Hello my dearest readers!

First of all, I must apologize for not posting last week’s Mid-week Mumbles. Due to work overload in Georgia, lack of sleep and a crazy mess of an apartment upon my return (I’ll spare you the details), I didn’t have a chance to breathe, let alone create last week’s issue in time. Trust me, I was just as disappointed as you were. Forgive me?

To make it up to you, this week’s Mid-week Mumbles features some great stuff I’m sure you’ll love.

[Insert happy dance here.]

Between fall additions to my wardrobe, Halloween costumes, new tech gadgets, pushy salespeople, my new and improved at-home “desk space,” the feeling of relief and more, I had a tough time narrowing down what to chat about this week. So in no particular order, here are this week’s five!

New iPod Nano

I’m an Apple gal (as evidenced both here and here). And now, I am the proud owner of this adorable new iPod Nano in GREEN! Cute, huh?! I love “just-because” presents. Thanks boyfriend.

Halloween 2010

Clearly no post the week after Halloween would be complete without mention of costumes. This year, boyfriend and I were tourists. Zink oxide, maps, fanny packs, visors, Hawaiian shirts… the works. It was a hit! What did you dress up as this year?

I love me some shopping.

Let’s face it—I love to shop. That being said, sometimes I have a hard time dealing with salespeople. I recently visited a shoe store in the hopes of finding some comfortable black flats for an upcoming work event, as I knew I would be on my feet for days. So did I need her to bring out brown three-inch heeled boots? Or did I want to try studded purple suede flats instead? Umm no thanks, lady.

JUST BRING ME THE BLACK FLATS. K thanks, bye.

Turkey day

Now that Halloween has passed, it’s time to look forward to turkey, stuffing and pecan pie. Who’s with me?! Thanksgiving is going to be here before we know it and I make these every year. No Thanksgiving is complete without buttery goodness courtesy of Paula Deen, right? My tummy is already rumbling!

Hooray for new blogger friends!

Last week, I began e-mailing back and forth with this gal and let me tell you, she’s hilarious and super duper swell. And if you aren’t following her on Twitter, you should be. I’m hoping to collaborate with this feisty little lady on a possible (I repeat–maybe, not set in stone yet… again, possible) blog redesign in the near future and will keep you posted. Yay for new blogger friends!

What are you mumbling about this week?

- L

Happy Wednesday, friends! Whether you’re having a busy week, a stressful week, an okay week, a sad week, a blah week or just, a week, the good news is–you’ve made it halfway.

So cheer up buttercup because today’s Mid-week Mumbles are sure to make you smile!

Coffee talk.

I love coffee. I fell in love with a new kind of coffee and I just have to share this with you! I must admit, I’ve never stepped foot in a Dunkin’ Donuts shop but I am now the proud owner of their original blend coffee, courtesy of the grocery store. I’m hooked. It’s delicious. If you’re a coffee drinker, GO BUY SOME.

Ahhhh.

Sunshine. I don’t know what the weather’s been like in your neck of the woods, but the past week or so has been absolutely gorgeous around here. Cool breezes in the morning, sunshine all day long, beautiful sunsets… I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I love fall. Don’t you?

YUM.

Ham and broccoli quiche. While pondering what to make for dinner on Sunday evening, I took a gander at what I had to eat in the fridge–a chunk of ham, an onion and some frozen broccoli. So I put on my thinking cap and voila! Ham and broccoli quiche. Let me tell you… best idea ever! All it takes is a Pillsbury pie crust, 4 eggs, some milk, salt/pepper/ground mustard, ham, broccoli, onion and some Swiss cheese. I definitely amazed myself with this one… YUM.

Look up at the stars.

Good friends are like stars. One of my dearest friends (who shall be called M) celebrated her birthday last week. But because M lives in the Midwest and I’m down here in the South, we don’t get the chance to see each other very often. One of our mutual friends (who shall be named A) took M out to dinner to celebrate her birthday. Prior to their dinner date, A and I had a little chat in which I decided to surprise M with some wine,  dessert or something of the sort while M and A were out to dinner. So I called the restaurant and organized the details over the phone. Several hours later, I received texts and pictures from A of the dessert sent from me to M. It was a lovely way to share in the birthday celebration even with hundreds of miles between us.

“Good friends are like stars. You don’t always see them, but you know they’re always there.”

Georgia on my mind.

Peaches. Ladies and gents, I’m heading back to Georgia next week! Although I’ll be there on business, I’m looking forward to seeing great friends and enjoying everything the city has to offer. Peaches, anyone?

Congrats on getting through the week! It’s FRIDAY!

Honestly, I’m pretty surprised I made it to Friday without pulling all of my hair out. Check out what this week has included:

- Houston heatwave (slash thunderstorms).
- Work overload. <– understatement
- European vacation preparation.
- Reality TV deprivation.
- Enormous lack of sleep.
- Never-ending to-do lists.
- Zero time for workouts.
- Bills.

Sounds pretty unbearable, right?

I did, however, manage to sneak in some fun this week and meet this lovely lady for some tasty wine and snacks. And let me tell you, boy did I need a drink. We went here and truth be told, this place never disappoints. If you live in Houston, GO THERE. Oh, but avoid the ketchup at all costs–they make it in-house and even the waiter told us to steer clear of it. To put it gently, it’s nothing like Heinz. Otherwise, BIG thumbs up on the menu and wine. Delish.

Can you believe it’s almost AUGUST? How are we already in the eighth month of the year?

Hey 2010, SLOW DOWN.

And since I love, love, LOVE the summertime–and this weekend’s going to be 100+ degrees (no, I’m NOT kidding)–I plan on enjoying every last bit of summer outside (with occasional dips in the pool and trips for snow cones) while it lasts.

So what’s on this weekend’s agenda?

- Margaritas + fajitas.
- Loui + dog park.
- Loui + grooming.
- Sun + pool + friends.
- Haircut.
- Dinner and movie date with good gal pal.
- Friend’s engagement brunch.
- Shopping for European vacation.
- Finish current book: Eat, Pray, Love.
- Anything else my little heart desires.

Oh, and I’m seeing Dinner for Schmucks on my gal-pal date because it looks HILARIOUS.

What do you have planned for the weekend?

Whatever you do, I hope it’s FABULOUS. Cheers!

- L

So today I went to Tiny Boxwoods. Not sure how I’d never been there before considering it is less than 5 minutes from my office, less than 5 from my apartment and the yummiest place ever. Have you been there before? It’s almost like you aren’t in Houston, but really, you are! What a great treasure. (Not to mention I had a salad with delicious steak on it. HEAVEN.) So glad my friend Jamie took me there. It’s soon to become my new obsession.

In the meantime, I’m working on the next issue of the magazine as the entire team scrambles to get it finished in time. We always pull it off with a bang though! And I truly have no doubt that this issue will be just the same.

Besides my amazingly tasty lunch and deadlines, Saturday is quickly approaching, which means NeoCon in Chicago is just around the corner and I am oh so excited. I can’t wait to see all the new industry products out there and make some new friends and colleagues. And of course the other plus to Chicago is that I get to see all of my best friends from college who I haven’t seen in a year! And they get to meet my special someone too! Excited for a great trip.

So much to do before Saturday…

As my dad always says–ttfn!

- L