1 colorfully athletic

similar shirt, similar skirt, similar belt, similar watch, similar shoes

so i'm kind of really in love with this skirt. i've always been a fan of bright colors {i didn't have any black in my wardrobe until i was in my twenties - now i have a lot - but still a lot of brights} & orange has always had a special place in my heart. it's loud but cheerful, ostentatious but fun - it's like that music that you can't help but sing to & even though others might roll their eyes at you, deep down you know that they wish they could sing too . . . orange always sings out loud.

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0 overambitious dinners make for great leftover lunches

so this dinner was sooooo delicious! the only reason i had to stop eating was because my stomach simply wouldn't allow anymore food. so when i got to eat it all over again for lunch i was ecstatic! i was super happy too that when i felt ready for a snack i could munch on some roasted acorn squash & sweet potato soup with dark rum whipped cream. ivan took enough to have lunch for two days. so yeah there was a lot leftover - in fact i still have enough for lunching & snacking tomorrow. when i made the soup i had to make it in two giant pots to fit it all in - i guess i was so excited to make it that i skimmed over the "serves 6-8" & 9 cups of chicken broth. the good news is that i don't think i'll get sick of the soup before it runs out - because that has happened before {freshman year of college the first time i made a vegetable soup - i was used to cooking for a dozen eaters people - a dozen! i won't mention how long that soup lasted} well, happy weekend people! have a good one!

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0 happy anniversary мече!

today is our third anniversary & ivan surprised me with a gift! an anne taintor flask! he's so good to me. we'll officially celebrate this weekend, but it was an awfully nice surprise when he pulled out this little bag with his boyish grin & said "happy anniversary! i wanted to get you something because you make me so happy!" how i love that man!

p.s. the flask says "old enough to know better . . .  too young to give a rat's ass"

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0 i'm so incredibly excited to make this!

since i haven't eaten real food in a while . . . what seems like an eternity. as i mentioned before ivan's been torturing me but no longer! i have been searching pinterest for a few hours trying to come up with the most delectable vegetarian  {still not allowed anything to difficult to digest} meal i can come up with & voilá this ↓ is what i've decided upon. i will be documenting the momentous occasion. i can practically taste it already! {i think i'm going to add some avocado to the quinoa salad} see you thursday!

                                                                    credits                                                                                                                       credits

credits

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1 my absolute favorite time of the year is upon us

similar dress, similar scarf, similar watch, similar shoes

autumn is officially here & you can feel it in the air! i'm so excited i can hardly breathe! the crisp air, the comfy sweaters, the pumpkin flavored everything, the boots, the adorable coats & scarfs, halloween parties, thanksgiving, the falling colored leaves . . . so many things. i know you're all as excited as i am, how can you not be?! i mean it's autumntime! doesn't that just fill you with joy? i hope it does.

so i hope your weekend has gone well, mine has been consumed with work & school {as per usual} & i'm excited for fall break {only 2 weeks away!} hopefully i'll get a chance to catch up on some reading {does vogue count?} my diet {doing the master cleanse remember?} has been full of a lot of these ↓ along with maple syrup & cayenne pepper {with the occasional blueberry tea}. boy am i excited to eat real food again! ivan keeps torturing me by making wonderous dishes - i know as soon as i can eat again he's going to say he's tired of cooking but that's not going to stop me from requesting his stuffed peppers! i will have them!  

oh one more thing! our third anniversary is this week! i can't believe it's been three years - it seems like just yesterday & forever at the same time. we haven't decided quite yet where we'll be celebrating but you'd better believe it will involve divine food & wine! oh yes & dessert!

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0 the wheels on the bus

so a lot of my day {well, not too much but still a bit} is spent on the lovely 3 bus. it's a very interesting group of people about a half/half mix of students, some faculty & very interesting elderly people heading to the va. i am daily entertained by its occupants some of my favorite people include:

• the woman dressed in leopard print velour sweats, dark tan nylons & black pumps, the man discussing his urine test results very loudly on the phone
• the 50 year white man dressed like a young black gangbanger {do-rag & all} 
• the 40 year old librarianish woman reading an erotic novel  
• the bespectacled 20something year old girl coming back from the zoo clinging a very large stuffed hippo
• the older veteran extolling the virtues of marijuana & going on about his rich uncle {literally people, his rich uncle}

these people always put a smile on my face & it's awfully entertaining. though i get frustrated by its sometimes incomprehensible evening scheduling {ask any of my classmates how often i've complained - more than i should really}, i love riding my bus & getting my fill of people watching.

i dare you to guess how old this person is . . . i'll give you a hint he's not in his 20's

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0 a namesake

credits

i'm kind of really in love with this ↓ song {& this band}. not only is it called "ashley" {i've always wanted a beautiful song with my name as its title - don't ask why} but it's beautiful & puts an uncontrollable smile on my face. i'm not sure why but i imagine myself walking through brisk autumn air with colored maple leaves falling around me holding ivan's hand in mine & a pumpkin spice latte in the other {oh how i love all things pumpkin}. maybe it's the coming of autumn that's gotten me all nostalgic {it seems to have that effect on me} maybe it's the song - either way it's a beautiful feeling.



p.s. listen to the song live here - i couldn't put it on my blog, damn you vevo!

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0 paint it black

similar shirt, similar slacks, shoes, similar earrings, watch, similar bracelet

this is me rockin' the mullet {& the door apparently}. aw the joys of trying to go from mia farrow to mila kunis. i wish i had rocked my french class as hard {instead of not going & frantically trying to get my program/precedent presentation done instead} - when will i learn? at this rate it looks like 50 years from now. maybe i'll have mastered getting things done when i'm 80 . . . when i die. because that seems pretty definite & hard to put off, although i'll be damned if i don't try. so i guess even with death i'll procrastinate . . . even if it's just a little.

remember me?

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2 as country as i get

ivan kept eyeing me suspiciously & telling me that i looked too western in this outfit. i'll give him that, i've never been a fan of western style - music, clothing, lifestyle, etc. - it's just never been my thing. but i couldn't resist a little denim on denim & then pairing it up with some of my favorite bright red accessories! in the end i kind of loved it! don't tell ivan!

in a completely unrelated note, i've started "the master cleanse," mostly for health reasons. i was {& still am} a little embarrassed by it - though i'm not really sure why. i'm slightly terrified of doing it at school & having people know {like i'm secretly dexter or something}. besides that weird paranoia it's been pretty great so far {starting day 3 today} & we'll see if it helps at all in the ways that i want it to. if anything else it does show me that i have more self-discipline than i thought i had - something i could use more of as i always seem to be putting off homework! 

speaking of which, that's what i'll be doing all day today - lots & lots of homework! i have a presentation monday & i am sooooo not prepared for it! that's what i have all day today for though, right? who needs a week of class when you have all day sunday? you know how i had promised myself i wouldn't procrastinate this school year? i'm only a month in & i'm procrastinating. oh well, better get to it! i hope you all are having a lovely sunday & enjoying your last day of the weekend!

similar earrings, similar shawl, shirt, similar jeans, similar purse, similar shoes

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0 coconut shrimp soup

this is a great quick soup when you're looking for something a little exotic. feel free to experiment with different vegetables {carrots, etc.}. enjoy!

ingredients:
1 tbs. vegetable oil
1 tbs. grated, peeled fresh ginger root
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. crushed red pepper
2 bell peppers {alternate colors}
1 can coconut milk {13.5 ounces}
3 cups water + 2 tbs. for cornstarch
1/2 tbs. cornstarch
2 ounces rice noodles
1 1/2 lbs. shrimp, peeled, deveined & tails removed {i used precooked}
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
coarse salt
4 green onions, thinly sliced

directions:
heat the oil in a large {3-quart} pot over medium-low heat. add the ginger, garlic & crushed red pepper; cook, stirring until fragrant, about 1 minute. add the bell peppers, coconut milk & 3 cups water. in a small bowl mix cornstarch & 2 tbs. water until smooth; add to the pot. bring to boil

break the noodles in half, add to pot along with shrimp & stir until opaque, about 1 minute. remove the pot from heat & stir in the lime juice; season with salt. ladle into serving bowls & garnish with the green onions. serve immediately!

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0 seattle {2}

the second day was really great, we got to wander around & enjoy the  atmosphere. i loved the seattle public library by rem koolhaas as well as the chapel of st. ignatius by steven holl! the interior spaces were amazing & i could have spent all day in those two buildings. however there was much more to see! i went to post avenue & saw the wall covered in bubblegum {although sadly i forgot my batter charger so by that point my camera had died} & of course the public market - i even got to see some fish throwing & the first starbucks. i hope you all have a wonderful weekend! i'm hoping to get a lot of homework done - oh the joys of school.

being rebellious

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