another happy new year

The one great thing about a blog is that it serves as permanent documentation. The one bad thing is that it doesn't actually hold you to the things you once wrote. Like last years resolutions for example.....not so much!

But 2012 is a new year AND it is going to be fabulous! I am not one of those people who is perpetually optimistic, SO when I say that 2012 is going to be my best year yet, well.....I believe it with every fiber of my being! I am truly giddy with excitement for this coming year!

Last year I set some very specific resolutions so this year I am taking a new approach.....one might call it a rather vague approach, but hey.....I like to think it is more obtainable. Plus this time next year I am sure to say that I fulfilled my resolutions!

2012 Resolution List:

- spend more time with family

- read more

- watch less TV (darn reality shows)

- continue with my AMAZING bible study (love you girls)

- travel more (multiple vacations already planned) - Dallas, Vegas, London, Germany, Prague.....I'm well on my way with this one!

- find one NEW hobby.....I'm thinking it might be knitting but we'll see!

So from here in Hawaii to wherever the holiday season has you......I cheers to you my friends and loved ones. Here's to an incredible year of love, laughs, adventures and new memories ahead of us!

merry christmas to all

First of all, Merry Christmas everyone!!!! I hope you all have a lovely day filled with laughs, love, food, friends, and family.....and that above all you remember JESUS IS THE REASON FOR THE SEASON. Therefore, Happy Birthday Jesus!

I don't want to make y'all feel bad and rub in the fact that I'm basking in the sun in Hawaii, so instead I thought I would quickly upload a few of my favorite images that I've gathered throughout the holiday season!

fur frenzy.....

Clearly I have a lot of loves in life. However, none reign truer than my love for FUR (except my love for my Lilly but I think that's obvious)! Not that I need an excuse to wear fur, but I am incredibly thankful for Rachel Zoe and that she made it socially acceptable to wear fur in Southern California.

If you ask my co-workers they will tell you that I wear fur (not disclosing if it's real or fake) three times a week.....I however cannot will not confirm or deny this! Fur is charming, elegant, and makes any outfit look like a million bucks. Plus there is no greater feeling than sitting at my desk wrapped in fur and feeling all cozy. I'm fairly certain that my favorite days of the week are when I'm doused in it.....I mean hello Rachel Zoe.....I can be like you too!

tickled by tights

My sister and I share a lot in life......our looks, chipotle obsession, and most recently our love for tights! I've always considered myself to be a fashion forward gal - not really caring what anyone thinks as long as I feel like I'm rockin' it well. Therefore, I have been wearing tights for years and now that they are a seasonal trend my sister has decided to join me! She and I are totally crushing on these favs from the one and only Anthropologie!!!

Cabled Tights

Spotted Zigzag Tights

Spotted Diamond Tights

Dusted Tights

advent

I was sent quite possibly the best blog post by my best friend Debbee this morning. This post about advent pretty much wraps up everything that I feel but never knew how to say (or perhaps I wasn't brave enough to). I loved it so much that I wanted to share it with y'all - When advent gets personal.....ENJOY!
"It's just little stories like this one that remind me--my God is for me. My God waits with me. I don't "wait for" God. He is mine already. He knows it hurts a little bit for a human heart to yearn, suffer, strain for something. He knows that. So for a cure, He steps in while we wait. To hang out with me and remind me my God is the God who provides. That He is at my right hand."

dazzling dresses

Each year Antropologie puts out some of the best holiday dresses. This year is no exception and needless to say I am far from disappointed. Although I cannot justify purchasing each of my top 5 favs, I still feel it incredibly necessary that I share them with you!

1. The WINNER - Brocade Paisley Dress - The perfect holiday dress! It is so June Cleaver meets Mad Men! Love!

2. The RUNNER UP - Polished Platinum Dress - This dress is perfection and would look amazing on everyone. Don't you think it would make a cute holiday wedding bridesmaid dress?

3. Chardonnay Sheen Dress - Trust me, this dress is much more yummy in person. I know a lot of people don't share my adoration for mustard shades but for me the name CHARDONNAY says it all!

4. Veiled Adler Dress - This crochet/lace look is so elegant! Dress it up with some gold Kate Spade heels or pair it with a pair of Tory flats. Either way.....it's wonderful!

5. Dulcie Dress - Pair this with a pair of black tights and you have a simple but classic holiday look!

cookie butter

I'm getting ready to run off to a meeting, but I couldn't leave without first posting about my latest obsession.....and yes, if you haven't already realized I have a lot of obsessions. But hey, a girl can dream about having it all!

Anyways......I have two words for you folks - COOKIE BUTTER! This amazing little gem can be purchased at the one and only TJs.....T -Joes.....Traders.....whatever you call it.....Trader Joes. I'm fairly certain that this jar of deliciousness is a limited time holiday item only. Therefore, you should do what I did and go buy as many jars as your pantry can hold.

What is cookie butter you ask? Well, think of peanut butter but instead of crushed peanuts it uses crushed gingerbread cookies and holiday biscuits.....YUM. Everyone who I've turned on to this amazingness is also obsessed. I even brought a jar in to my weekly status meeting yesterday along with a handful of spoons. Needless to say, I had one happy team!

So what are you waiting for......get your bum down to Traders and begin indulging in the holiday treat of the season!

unspeakable joy

For as long as I can remember JOY has been one of my favorite words. I love it by definition but even more by emotional feeling. True joy comes from above and is the biggest gift we could ever receive. It is one of those words that people tend not to use year round but more so associate it with the holidays. Why is that?!?!

Like most people, I sometimes go through periods in my life where I am completely lacking joy. It is at these times that I am drained and exhausted....be it work-wise, socially, or life's unpredicability. However, right now (and for the past few months) I have been overflowing with pure joy. Sure....I can pinpoint it on a few things, but I'd rather people look at me and wonder, "why is she so happy and how can I be like that." I think as Christians we want people to notice a difference in us in order to think that we may have a positive influence on others.

Because of my love for JOY....Joy to the World is without a doubt my favorite Christmas Song. I mean could you think of anything more true in life than the lyrics to this song. Chris Tomlin does my favorite rendition of JOY TO THE WORLD!
Side note....how presh is this home! I am dying to apply this joyous treatment to my home one day! Bah-nan-ahs!

peerless coffee addiction

For those of you who don't know, I have a SERIOUS coffee addiction. Each night I go to bed excited to wake up in the morning just so I can have my coffee (it's so sad)!

So now that we've established my personal problem I feel it's only fair to share the most amazing coffee in the world with y'all. You see, I used to be a bux girl (that is Starbucks for those of you who aren't up with the young folk lingo). While I loved my lattes I wasn't crazy about the calories or bank account damage. About a year ago I gave up the bux all together and believe it or not it was a pretty easy switch. At this point I transitioned into picking up the most delicious cup of black coffee from Hershey's Market (the adorable high end market on Balboa Island). It was walking distance and only $1.....my bank account could definitely handle that!

This delicious coffee that I speak of is called Peerless Coffee & Tea and is based out of San Francisco (go figure I would find coffee from my homeland). Since I drink my coffee black (again the sign of a true addict) I am all about the flavored options. Eggnog, Butter Pecan, Caramel Nut Fudge, Chocolate Macadamia Nut, Coconut Creme, Maple Creme Brulee, Vanilla Nut Creme.......I DIE (Rachel Zoe reference for you non fur lovers)!!!!!

Unfortunately, this coffee is hard to come by (especially the flavors) in local markets. Therefore, I order mine online regularly now and could not be happier. Do yourself a favor and check out their site and the yummy goodness of delicious coffee they have to offer!

Now I will get back to my cup of coffee......oh and my work! Happy Friday friends!!!!!!!!!

wacky welkers

I somehow forgot to mention the brilliant photoshoot we (the Welkers) had with the one and only Brynn Dimick! Brynn and I met a few years back through my cousin whom she went to high school with. Since then I'm fairly certain that we became quick friends through stalking each other blogs.....she has the cutest little girls ever!

So at 8am the morning after Thanksgiving we headed to Corona del Mar beach to meet up with Brynn. It could not have been more beautiful.....quite possibly the perfect day for a photo session! Simple disclaimer before you get a sneak peek at some of the photos. My dad was NOT a fan of the purple - he referred to us as the Purple People Eaters. I for one thought the purple was genius (but I am of course the one who coordinated the colors)!

Check out more of Brynn's talented work here!

back to blogging

Well friends, it has been quite a while since I've given this blog of mine some love and attention. I appreciate all of your sweet comments about missing my blog and asking me to come back to it. After what has been a CRAZY couple of months here at work I've decided that life just isn't the same without this little outlet of mine! Plus it's only fair that y'all have something to read of mine since I'm pretty sure I blog stalk each of you!

While I would love to catch you up on the last couple of months I'm afraid that would take way too long! Instead, here is a list of my recent wanderings, ramblings, and obsessions....most of which I will probably end up blogging more about later:

~ October ended with a lovely weekend at home in Northern California for Halloween. I got to spend time with close high school friends and attend Andrea's baby shower!

~ November started with Meredith and Michael's wedding in Nashville! It was stunning, and seeing all my college girlfriends was such a treat! There is truly no replacement in the world for amazing friends! Shortly following my return I became cupcake CRAZED and spent every Sunday afternoon creating a new cupcake creation for my office to enjoy. Needless to say, we all agree I should quit my day job and start baking for a living (haha like that will ever happen)! And then there was Thanksgiving......I hosted Thanksgiving this year which was a blast! Despite my OCD personality picking up after everyone I had a great time. It was amazing having my entire family together for such a special holiday. We truly have everything in the world to be thankful for!

~ December brought me to DALLAS (one of my favorite places in the world) for a dear friend's wedding. Erica was my bible study leader throughout college and holds a VERY special place in my heart. Plus I will never turn down a trip to Dallas! That city holds the key to my heart, my alma matter, and Nikki (one of my best friend friends)!

I now intend to buckle down and get organized so I can finish the year with a bang. This of course includes BLOGGING, finalizing my decorations (more to come on that), wrapping up holiday shopping, making it through numerous holiday parties, and most importantly....cooking delicious cozy food! Since we are spending Christmas in Hawaii this year I should probably capitalize on fireplace nights now since I'm fairly certain Maui has only sunshine in store for us!

And finally.....for all you locals.....don't forget about the boat parade which starts next Wednesday, 12/14! That my friends concludes this back to blogging post, but I promise that moving forward will be less rambling and more interesting. For now I leave you with this.....

and this....

and this....

Marine&Lilly

Writing on this blog again brings on a similar feeling to being a stranger in my own house. It feels cold, empty, abandoned, and very unforgiving. While I intend to keep this blog live (for a future date when I have more time to sit down and write)…….I have actually started a new blog in the meantime. This new blog of mine has taken on more of a mood board feeling. It’s a place for me to post pictures (only pictures) of things that inspire, motivate, and intrigue me!

On Marine&Lilly you will find everything from beautiful décor, breath-taking views, fabulous apparel, stunning models, gorgeous hair, silly quotes, outfit ideas, and things that in general make me smile. Everything on here is a culmination of who I am and where I would focus all my time and energy…..that is, if I didn’t have to be a contributing member of society who works a gazillion hours a week!

I have already preloaded this blog with TONS of images to keep you entertained as I continue to post more each hour! So….sit back….relax…..and enjoy a look into what makes me tick!

terrible....horrible....no good.....

......very bad blogger! I just wanted to take a moment to apologize to all of you for my lack of presence lately. I appreciate all your sweet comments about how much you enjoy my blog and would love to see a new post - although I'm sure this post isn't quite what you had in mind!

I really hope to make more time for blogging in the next couple of weeks. Although things are about to pick up big time at work (FDA label update) I find that I blog more when I am crazy busy. Perhaps because this blog gives me a create outlet in times of chaos!

Anyways, I miss you all and hope that you are having both a wonderful National Day of Prayer and Cinqo de Mayo! And Brynn, if you are reading this - I think you should get your hands on an adorable bright bug like this one. I saw this picture and immediately thought of you and your incredible photography!

closet makeover

Right now I have a total itch to organize my closet. Being the OCD person that I am, I just absolutely love organizing just about anything. As a random side note, Real Simple this month is all about spring cleaning and I can hardly wait to begin!

Anyways, back to my closet. for the most part my closet is very orderly. However, I would really like to take some time to uniform all my hangers and perfect the overall neatness of the space. Therefore, this weekend I am buying the Real Simple Slimline Hangers and going to work. I am hoping that these hangers will provide a little extra space since right now I can barely squeeze any additional hangers in my closet. Plus, this should give me a chance to get rid of even more clothes which I am in desperate need of doing!

Stay tuned for before and after pictures, but in the meantime check out these super simple sleek closets!

green grass press

So....as many of you know, I love sending snail mail! To me there is nothing better than getting a letter in the mail from a friend or loved one!

A few years back I made a New Year's Resolution to send a letter a week to a friend or family member. This was an incredible goal and carried on for about 2 years. While I had a little bit of a slow period I am now back in action with my letters.

As part of this I am always on the hunt for cute cards and stationary. I found this adorable shop on Etsy called Green Grass Press and immediately ordered a bunch of cards. Below are some of my favorites which I now own and which some of you may find in your mailbox soon!

P.S. - my pushpins still have not arrived and it's making me a little antsy! stay tuned for an update on their arrival!