Friday's Simply Smitten - Blush & Blooms

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“You are not behind.

You’ve had more time to make sure your future is everything you wanted.”

-Momentary Happiness

Happy Friday! And happy Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) to all that celebrate! A few of my new favorites from the vault are When Emma Falls in Love and Timeless. Both are so good!! Which ones are your favorite?

I am back in New York after a wonderful week in Ohio with my family. I loved spending time with my family and also getting to see some friends. I took this past week off from writing blog posts but still did a little work here and there. I recently joined Instagram’s new Twitter version called Threads and am loving it! What makes it great right now is that there are no ads, everyone is excited, and it feels like we are all in one big AIM group chat.

Last weekend was the kick off the the 4th of July celebrations, starting with an open house at my old high school. The high school that I attended was demolished a few years ago and they rebuilt a new building. The new building is much bigger, more up-to-date and pristine, and complements modern technology. Every year around the 4th of July there is an open house for past alums and for the community to walk the halls. It’s bitter sweet to be in the new building. The building needed an upgrade, but to know I will never walk the halls of my high school again is sad. At least they still display all of the old memorabilia which is always fun to look at.

Sunday night I went out to dinner with all of my cousins plus my brother-in-law and my cousin’s wife. We haven’t been together just us “kids” in a long time. It was so much fun! We had the best time laughing, sharing stories, and catching up on each others lives. I feel very fortunate that not only do we all get along, but we are all so close. I have a small family and only have 3 cousins. My mom’s oldest sister is married to my dad’s brother. That is how my parents met. So as you can probably tell, we are a small close-knit family. Anyway, we went to Press Pub in Grandview. It was my first time being there and I thought the food was good!

To really kick off the holiday festivities I went to my friend’s block party for Red, White, and BOOM. For those of you who do not live in Ohio, downtown Columbus host a massive fireworks display on July 3rd called Red, White, and BOOM. They have been doing this since the early 80s. Anyway, my friend’s block party was a great time and I loved seeing old friends. The folks who graduated a year above me had their 20th high school reunion that weekend and a lot of my friends from that grade were attending the block party. It was so nice to see my friends and to catch up with others who I haven’t seen in years. It was a much needed fun night!

Starting off the 4th we went to the town parade. This year’s theme was Traditions. A lot of the neighborhood floats had creative ideas on the towns tradition. My sister’s float was a dedication to Jack Nicklaus- the pro golfer. He is from Upper Arlington, my hometown, and went to my high school. That is why he is called The Golden Bear. That is our mascot. Anyway, it was so cute to see my nieces dressed up as caddies. The float was well-done and they won the best float award! I love our town’s parade. It is one of the best in Columbus. It’s fun to see all of the high school reunion floats, the UA band, the Ohio State alumni band, the high school sports teams (especially the cheerleaders), fun floats, and more. To end the parade the Civic Association pulls a large blown up golden bear on wheels and they will spin the bear throughout the parade route. It’s a crowd pleaser.

For the rest of the 4th I stayed home to help my parents prepare for their cookout. Usually I would go party hopping, but didn’t feel like it this year. The family cookout was fun as we were celebrating my sister’s 40th birthday– even though her birthday was this past March. My mom and aunts decided to celebrate each cousin’s 40th birthday as a family during the 4th because that is when we are all home. It was fun to be with my family and to play with my nieces.

The rest of my week was spent babysitting my nieces and hanging out with my parents. My dad and I went to the Swim and Racquet Club to play pickleball for the first time. I made my dad buy a pickleball paddle so we can play when I am home. We followed the rules of the game but didn’t keep score. We just wanted to hit the ball back and forth like we do when we play tennis together. I will say we were both surprised by the physicality of the game. Not that we thought it was a walk in the park, but didn’t realize how much of a workout it would be. We were also surprised by the lack of bounce of the pickleball. It almost feels as if you spend the entire came crouched down because the ball loses it’s momentum and bounce. We had a lot of fun playing and I think we did pretty well for our first time.

What I am watching: Wimbledon is back and I have been glued to the tv watching a few of my favorites play. Rooting for Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe to go far. On the women’s side I am rooting for Iga Swiatek, who is currently number 1.

What I bought: I bought 2 new books to read; Same Time Next Summer and Pineapple Street. I am still in the beginning of Same Time Next Summer and am enjoying it so far. Next I bought this ribbed tank top with scrunchie-straps— under $100. I bought it in white for something easy to throw on with skirts and shorts. It’s going to be a great top to wear while it is 90 degrees and I want to look cute.

On The Blog

Sunday Shopping

LTK Spotlight: Green Floral Dress

Top Seller: One Shoulder Maxi Dress

This weekend I am going to take it easy after a fun-filled week. Tonight I am going to see the American Ballet Theatre performance of Giselle. I am pretty excited as it is my favorite ballet and Isabella Boylston (my favorite principle dancer) is playing Giselle!! The rest of the weekend will be all about leisure. I will probably go for a little walk or go shopping. Although my face has healed, I am still trying to stay out of the sun until my next dermatology appointment.

Have a wonderful weekend xo

1. Enjoyed this profile on Jessica Simpson

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3. How cute is this two-piece bikini

4. Eyeing this classic rattan top handle bag

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6. AJLT ep. 4 fashion recap

7. Every single Barbie doll reference from Margot Robbie’s press tour looks

8. 10 romance books releasing this July

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Weekend Sales