Friday Favorites // Lots of Lovin' + Here's to the Weekend!

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1 // I would be totally and completely ungrateful if I didn't say the biggest, gushiest and heart-juiciest thank you to the best favorites this week...YOU GUYS! My friends! Thank you for loving me even when I'm down. Thank you for the encouraging texts and messages and comments. My heart is full! I have that "my heart is going to burst out of my chest and melt into a puddle of love juice on the floor" feeling. God gives us friends because of moments like these. Just know, you are never alone. I know that. I get reminded of that every day. There is someone there who may not be going through EXACTLY what you're going through, but they are willing to feel for you and feel with you. Isn't that something? Feeling with something. That's empathy, right there. So thank you, friends. I love you. I really do. Thank you for feeling with me. 

2 // One of my freshman roommates, Meghan, is getting married and the other day she asked for some planning advice from me and my two other roommates. I got all the wedding feels. Here are 12 unforgettable wedding moments. 

3 // Speaking of Cup of Jo, have you seen the new website design? Can I please write for this website? That would make my life. 

4 // And one more from this beautiful corner of the internet, a West Village Apartment Tour that will make you swoon and wish you had all the dollars to have an apartment so beautiful. 

5 // The prettiest iPhone 6/6+ cases. I'll take the sparklerose one, please! No but really, can't you see those gems looking great on a block of gold?  

6 // Because of recent events, my fashion studying has gone through a little desert-y moment. I wasn't able to talk about the Met Gala red carpet or the rest of NYFW (it's all right though, because it happens every single year). But I just wanted to give a shout out to my girl, Anna. Though poppies were an odd choice, her dress was a work of art and I dig stuff like that. Also, Fan Bingbing. That. is. all. 

7 // The summer shoe. 

8 // More wedding inspo: for the donut lovers!  (Sorry, Karlee) 

9 // Can we "taco" bout this? Please? 

10 // I call this "Throw it on and go" #1. 

11 // "Throw it on and go" #2. 

12 // A slim twist to an old classic. 

13 // Ok and I hate to shamelessly plug, but hey, why not? Check out my tumblr!  You can find me there drooling over food, fashion and nerdy things. Ya dig? 

Have the happiest weekend friends and, dare I say it, stay gold. 

Monday Musing // Birkenstock-up or Birken-stop?

You can probably tell that I took way too long trying to come up with that title. I think it's clever. And you should too. Just think it's clever, okay?

So the #SundaySurvey results came in and it seems like people are all about the Birkenstocks. So let's just get on to talking about these iconic German sandals made for trendy college girls, trendy college girls' moms, your flower child aunt, and the inner flower child in you.

As always, pinspiration to make you want to get a pair even more.

So Birkenstocks. The two most popular styles are the Arizona and the Gizeh, but Birkenstock offers a wide variety of styles in a variety of colors so if the styles you see on this post don't suit you, have no fear and click here to see the plethora of styles waiting for you.

First up, Arizona. The big sister of Birkenstocks. The ugly big sister that everyone loves with her eclectic and quirky style and her tendency to wear socks with sandals. The Arizona is my preferred look and they are my summer splurge this year. Back story: when I was first going to California to meet Tyler's parents, I wanted to get a pair of Birks to wear to the beach and to Disneyland and to basically everywhere, but my mom promptly said "No way, those are ugly, your lesbian aunt would wear those." So the birkenstocks stayed in the box and I proceeded to pin every pair of Birkenstocks on pinterest in the most stylish outfits until on my birthday my mom surprised with the most perfect pair in a Born box. I screamed and shed a tear or two. Well then of course, me being never satisfied and really dumb, I begged Tyler for another pair, but that's a different story. MOVING ON... Here are the Birkenstocks that you should be wearing.

There's a lot. #sorrynotsorry

1 // The Black Amalfi Leather Arizona with a Soft Footbed is the most expensive of the Birkenstock sandal. I hear these are like walking on a heavenly cloud. Not a terrestrial one, a heavenly one.  

2 // Granola, anyone? 

3 // Keep 'em clean!  

4 // Ahh...memories. My first pair. 

5 // Seeing this color a lot lately. 

6 // May or may not have bought these. AGH! 

7 // Ok, because we all know that every girl has the red saltwater sandal. Why not a red birkenstock? 

8 // For fair haired ladies and brunettes with bomb tans. 

9 // Metallic J.Crew goodness. 

10 // If only I had enough outfits to wear you with. I can't even handle these. 

And if you prefer the Gizeh, I personally am partial to this brilliant red, a metallic brown, and a classic oiled leather black or brown. 

Now Birkenstock Pinspiration! My favorite part. 

11 // Hey, we can't all look like Free People models off-duty, but we can always try. 

12 // The picture that broke me to buy the soft oiled Arizona's in black. 

13 // Let's get lazy. Classy lazy of course. 

14 // Mary-Kate brought them back. 

15 // Très chic. Isn't that what they say? 

16 // Pretty self- explanatory. 

17 // I think you get the norm core picture. 

Stay tuned for next weeks post on Vans and then for the week after that Vans fine rival: Converse.

+ h a p p y // m u s i n g 

& 

+ s t a y // g o l d 

p.s. The price of your birkenstocks will depend on the footbed (soft footbed is always more expensive)  and the material of the straps. Check the details of the ones you are in the market for. I tried to share a variety of material styles on this post. I hope it helps. As always, trusting the Birkenstock website is the way to go.

p.p.s I forgot to mention you can find Birkenstocks for a great price at Nordstrom Rack, on Ebay, and at Modern Shoe on Provo Center Street. 

Monday Musing // A Muse About Shoes : New Balance Edition

Yes, what a trivial thing to be musing about. Shoes. But the truth is I just can't get them outta my mind. So lately, I have done these two Instagram posts called #SundaySurvey (I know I'm super original and really stick to my posting routines. I'm the greatest.) And I featured New Balance shoes on the first one and Birkenstocks on the second. So I thought I would do a muse about those ugly shoes that everyone wore 20 years ago, but for some awesome reason they are totally rad again and all over Pinterest.

(Next week I'm going ALL out on the Birks. Just you wait and see.)

Yes so here is a little muse about the sneaker that I need in my closet now. Notice the word need. Okay, before you all yell at me...want. I just want them. Is that a crime? No, no not all.

New Balance sneakers. Oh heavens. My brother-in-law Greg wears New Balance sneakers that he has probably had for 20 years, and he's totally awesome, and when I first met him he was wearing them, and I really wished they were in my size and that I could wear them all the time. Here's the dealio, New Balance sneaks are ONLY cool if you don't wear them athletically. So don't do it. Don't try to wear them to the gym. Don't try to wear them running. Wear them with your ripped jeans, non-ripped jeans and your dress and you skinnies and you t-shirt dress and your fancy sweat pants and your cute jean shorts with that perfect white blouse. Don't wear them with your nike running capris or that Lulu Lemon top. If you do, I'll still love you but in my mind I'll tsk at you.

Pst...I will allow you to wear them with oversized tees and sweatshirts though. That's totally acceptable. Heck, wear them however you want. You just won't see me wearing them with athletic clothes. I don't even think the word athletic and my closet go together. Whoops.

Here are my New Balance picks + some Pinspiration, naturally.

1 // #420 is a really go-to popular style. You can go vibrant like these or you could go with more neutral colors. Either way you are throwing it back, and you're good as gold. I think these will be the ones I get eventually. 

2 // Love. Love. Love. #620 is another classic. It's so hard to decide though. These are definitely that neutral sneak with that powerful pop. When I did the survey, a lot of people chose this pair. And I see where they are coming from. They would go with more things and that is totally great. The wear to price ratio is fantastic with these ones. 

3 // Do you see what I'm talking about. NB's (am I allowed to abbreviate the name??) look totally bomb with a Peter Pilotto inspired dress. Hot dang. Get in my closet. This blue pair is sold out everywhere. Thanks, Jules. 

4 // Hold it. I think I want this pair the most. 

5 // We all know if Sydney wears them, we ALL gotta wear them.  

6 // Okay, so we can't all be slinky like this hot mama, but we can have the shoes, and that's enough for me. Is that demeaning, disrespectful? I'm a feminist, yo. 

7 // Do as the Man Repellers do. Repel those men. 

Want to read more about New Balance sneakers (and other sneakers gems)  on my fave website right now? Click, HERE, here, and here. 

All in all, I'm just saying that these are beating out vans on the throw them on and go grocery shopping shoe. Too bad Nordstrom Rack's mens' shoe section hogs them all.

Stay tuned for the illustrious Birkenstocks next week.

+ h a p p y // m o n d a y 

& 

+ s t a y // g o l d 

Wishlist Wednesday // Late Night Wishes

1 // This dress from The Gap is at the top of my wishlist. Literally. Really though, I would wear it WAY too much. 

2 // Listen, if you want a pair of "birkenstock-esque" shoes, these are the ones for you. They are only $20, people. $20! Hold the phone. 

3 // Because I love florals. Florals are at the top of my patterns list along with stripes and fruits. Plus, these would look good with everything.

4 // It ain't wishlist wednesday without a pair of Birkenstocks. The real ones. The real gold ones. Fitting, right? 

5 // So simple and sweet for summer. Too bad the store was picked clean of them when I went today. It would have been $10!  

6 // Uh. Yes. 

7 // I just really want these. Like really want. And I don't need them. But I want them. Tyler knows that I want them. Hey, Tyler are you reading this?  

8 // Also want.  

9 // And because this is an overpriced piece of summer perfection. 

+ h a p p y // w i s h i n g 

& 

+ s t a y // g o l d 

Wishlist Wednesday // Let's Get Some Shoes

1 // Like Birkenstocks are so good right now. Everyone thinks they are old and reserved for lesbians, which is totally cool and there ain't no shame in wearing them. Plus, have you put your feet in a pair of these beauties? They are the darndest most comfortable things in the universe.

2 // Off-white converse are for me. I know the white ones are super in right now, but these just automatically look old-school and radical.

3 // A bright pop of color. Perfect for sunny days, green grass, and piña coladas. And a sundress.

4 // Slip on Vans are great shoes for the spring and summer time. They are cool and chic and ultra comfortable. Comfort is key people, but you can't forget style, and you're not with these.

5 // My land...I need a pair of new balance sneakers.

+ h a p p y // w i s h l i s t 

& 

+ s t a y // g o l d 

Wishlist Wednesday // Springy Picks

As much as I love wearing sweaters and sweatshirts and black jeans and boots...

Spring is coming. It's practically here. Now just watch it snow tomorrow.

Rain is okay. Snow in the mountains, I'm down, but anything else and I'm sad. Sad, sad, sad.

But these wishlist picks aren't sad. They are as springy as spring can be. Happy wishing!

1 // This is ultimately the prettiest thing I have ever seen. 

2 // Ahhh. The mint color. It's so pretty. You could wear this with anything.  

3 // Gray, of course. 

4 // Okay it's a sweater. But it's like a baseball tee sweater. And it's supposed to be really light-weight. I mean come on. You could wear this with shorts or a skirt and just be happy all the time. No sweaty pits, really. 

5 // Another long-sleeve. I know. But the pattern. So lovely. It screams spring!

6 // From the Men's section. A sweatshirt. But it's camo. These would be rad with cut-off shorts. Or rolled up BF jeans. I love. 

7 // Wear the prettiest white shirt with this. 

8 // *BREATH OF FRESH AIR* 

8 // Pair it with wedges and call it a date. 

9 // Comfortable shoes for that long leg look. 

10 // The details. Simply lovely. 

11 // Need some of these. Classic.  

12 // A blush shoe screams spring!

What's on your wish list?

Stay gold.