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A Weekend Well-Spent

Sasha and I headed to Austin at the crack of dawn on Saturday, after spending Friday with one of my best friends, Kirby, who flew in town from Oklahoma City for her baby shower (she’s due exactly 4 weeks after me!). We had plans to meet my childhood best-friend – Alisdair, (we met before we were one years old in Scotland), who came to live with us in Texas for his senior year of high school, then ended up going to The University of Texas at Austin with me and married an Austinite! They moved back to Scotland last year, much to my dismay, and I only get to see him once a year, so I was anxious to hug him and Erica. We stayed with another best friend, Sophee, at her gorgeous house (where we spent my bachelorette weekend!). She recently got engaged to Johnny (who took many of these wedding preview pics) – they are the sweetest, most attractive couple ever (see pictures of them at our rehearsal here). I am over-the-moon excited to be one of her bridesmaids next March. Her invitation was perfect (see picture below!).

In the late afternoon, we went to one of my good friend’s wedding – Eric and I have been close since fourth grade! Him and Alisdair also became best friends during our senior year, so we’re one big happy family. Stephanie, his bride, looked radiant. I love weddings! The reception was held at Thurman’s Mansion, just south of Austin. The venue couldn’t have been prettier, neither could the weather.

We had a big family breakfast at Kerbey Lane on Sunday morning, then headed back to Houston. I had a bit of a scare in the car, as I suddenly felt nauseous and then fainted while Sasha was driving. I am a big fainter (errh, fainted at the altar), and have passed out during every pre-natal appointment that involved needles, but this was the first unprovoked fainting, which is a bit concerning. I have my 36 week appointment today and plan on checking with my doctor. Fingers crossed!

I hope you had a good weekend! Happy Cinco de Mayo and first year wedding anniversary to my sister and Carl (pictures here and here).

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the back view of thurman mansion in austin // sasha and kenneth getting rather competitive with bean bag toss (‘cornhole’)

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sophee’s amazing bridesmaid invitation – obsessed and so excited // mother-son dances always make me cry

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shameless selfie with my new ray-bans (after mine got stolen) and haircut (long overdue) // most amazing photo album from ryan ray

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32 days from my due date (feeling ever-so-swollen) // dad and sasha being competitive per usual

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post-breakfast at kerbey lane with dad // wedding selfie in the hot-hot texas sun (think 90+ degrees already)

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outside kerbey lane with my childhood bestfriend/brother and his wife (vising from scotland) // belle is petrified of our stroller… so we’re practicing

Celebrating Derby Day

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Ever so slightly obsessed with these Kentucky Derby invitations by Lauren Chism – are they not perfect? As is the styling for the photos!

We had dinner with Sasha’s best friends on Saturday, and one of the couples is heading to the Derby this weekend. I have always wanted to go! I would be all over those hats. The Derby makes me think of Classy Girls Wear Pearls, which is funny given that her most recent post is about packing for this big event!

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Rifle Paper Co. City Prints

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I love, love, love Rifle Paper Co. and am anxiously awaiting the debut of their wallpaper line with Hygge & West – I cannot wait to see what prints they sell! I have about 8 Rifle Paper Co. prints throughout the house – one in Isla’s nursery (the Paris print above). I dream of having a house filled with their travel prints – the collection above touches on all the places I’ve been, and I’d quite like to add Rio de Janeiro, Moscow, and Rome to the list of places I’ve seen soon. I would also love to see Anna paint ones for Buenos Aires, Edinburgh, Athens, and Cape Town – cities with pretty iconic sites. Have you been to many of these places? Which are on your bucket list? Can you tell I’m feeling lots of wanderlust today?

Featured image via

A Very Hoppy Easter

It is rare that Serbian Easter and Protestant Easter fall on the same day, since the former follow the Julian calendar versus the more common Gregorian calendar. Last year, Serbian Easter fell on the same day as my older sister’s wedding, so we weren’t able to go to Galveston to celebrate; however, this year we got to spend time with both families on the same day, which was so fun (and utterly exhausting).

The weather was absolutely amazing – super sunny, as evidenced by my very red shoulders today! We went to Sasha’s family’s church in Galveston (see pictures of a previous visit here), then headed to his mom’s beach house nearby for lunch and an Easter egg hunt with the kids. I love the excitement over finding eggs, and cannot wait to add Isla and Ana (Mila and Lazo’s sister who will be born one month after Isla) to the festivities. Around 3pm, we headed to Katy to celebrate with my family, where we found Easter baskets of our own. You can never be too old! We ate dinner, then headed home at 8pm after a long and exciting day. I love Easter so much, as it is the day to remember that Christ is risen and alive in us today (which reminds me of this song).

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34 week bump! So excited to only have 44 days left!

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Priya Launches Zama Collection

Priya_ZamaThere are few people in life I’m more inspired by than my good (not to mention, ridiculously gorgeous) friend, Joy Kennedy. Three years ago, she launched Priya, an accessories line that is committed to fair trade luxury and employing groups of underprivileged artisans. Since 2011, Priya has worked with groups of human trafficking victims, special needs artisans and impoverished women in Nicaragua. Sold yet? Yes, the company is amazing. The best part is that the products are absolutely flawless. I love the purses so much from the original collection, but two weeks ago, Joy launched the Zama Collection, the first contemporary jewelry collection handmade by artisans in Jaipur, India. It’s unbelievable to see these pieces after sifting through the product sketches at Zoe’s Kitchen over lunch a year ago.

Joy graciously gifted me one of my favorite pieces for my birthday last month – the Square Ring in Blue. I literally get compliments from people every single time I wear it. I’m obsessed! The pieces are crafted with the highest quality materials. You’ll love them as soon as you put them on. I’ve compiled a collage of my favorite Zama pieces above. Shop the collection (top left to bottom right):

Palm Necklace | Twin Ring Red | Zama Cuff Large | Swirl Ring Blue | Swirl Necklace Blue | Royal Square Studs Green | Studded Cuff | Pear Ring Blue | Square Ring Purple | Pear Drop Earrings Red

Also, you should watch the mesmerizing Zama Collection video here. See my previous Priya giveaway post here.

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Um, see what I mean by gorgeous?