study here: cathedral coffee

A few weeks ago, Ted and I checked out some coffee places we've never tried before.  We ventured all the way to North Portland to check out Cathedral Coffee and fell in love with the open, yet cozy space.  PLUS the pastries were to die for (or at least to drive far for).  If only it was closer!  Hopefully we'll make it over there soon to get in some intense study time.  Can't wait to try more new places!

brunch, blooms, and baby dogs

Something beautiful happened this past weekend. The weather was gorgeous (for the most part), shedding sunshine on blooming flowers. Two of my favorite people visited me from home, making me feel happy and full. I got to explore Portland with my friends and go to brunch with them and my Portland ladies.  And to top it all off, I got to pet so many cute dogs, including a miniature schnauzer who was so so happy and excited and uncontrollable on her walk through my neighborhood that she made me miss Izzy and her similar ways. Good food, good friends, and overwhelmingly cute dogs?  I LITERALLY could not ask for more in a weekend (except perhaps getting to see my family and own dog).  I'm a lucky lady.

in which my friends and i are cute near water

I found these cute barrettes via ban.do and they are A+ friendship accessories.  Who said you have to leave friendship accessories behind when you leave grade school?  NOT ME.  Being true friends, both Erin and Rylee brought theirs along and on our last day together, we all wore them and Ted snapped some obnoxiously cute photos of us wearing them.  No shame.

Girl gang + duck 

Let's reflect on our time in Portland eating food, petting dogs, and loving each other. 

Portland, you ain't so bad either.

eat here: pok pok

The wait is long, but the tablecloths are cute.  Oh, and the food is delicious.  Pok Pok is definitely on the pricier side (for such a casual place) but it's still worth it.  The hilariously happy drunk couple from out of town next to us sealed the deal.  The wings lived up to the hype, and I guess I can understand why they needed to open an entire bar down a block (Whisky Soda Lounge) to hold those waiting for a table, because BOY WAS THAT PORK BELLY AND SHOULDER CURRY GOOOOOOD.  It was a lovely way to spend our Valentine's Day evening after a lovely morning in and a rehearsal for our Once Upon a Weekend debut. See above picture for me in my usual pose--stuffing my face with food.  At least I look fancy.

study date

For my birthday weekend (yes, I get a whole week, dontcha worry about it), I asked Ted to accompany me on a small tour of the best coffee shops in Portland since my busy week ahead demanded that I do a hefty amount of work.  We only hit three, but they were quite lovely. My favorite drink was the Tanglewood chai at Either/Or, and my favorite dog was at Extracto, but my favorite all around was Cathedral, which had the perfect study vibe, tasty pastries, and a pretty meadow outside for artsy iphone photos (Thanks, Ted).  For our day-long coffee date, I chose my comfiest, cutest dress and paired it with my ripped tights, oxfords, and my newest favorite,  my jean jacket.  I excitedly added my new tri-colored stacked rings with my perfectly matching bunting necklace.  Yay!

Strange to think that study dates will be a thing of the past soon (at least for me--Ted is going to be prepping for law school soon--eek).  They will become planning and dreaming dates, where I scribble ideas for my dream business.  I guess I can live with that.

Dress/Asos, Jean Jacket/Here We Go Again (my work!), Brooch/Vintage, Tights/Unknown, Oxfords/Buffalo Exchange, Necklace/Madewell, Stacked Rings/Kate Spade, Circle Ring/Edina Kiss