Friday's Simply Smitten - Blush & Blooms

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“Sometimes, having faith in the future is remembering what God has done in the past”

-anon

Happy Friday! Call me a patron of the arts the way I have been spending all my time at the theatre. It was another beautiful week of music and dance, and it made me tear up a little how much it brought me joy. With the weight of the world, and my own personal struggles and stress, it felt nice to escape in a world of melodies and movement.

Last weekend I went to see the Broadway musical Sunset Blvd starring Nicole Scherzinger. I was blown away!! The entire production was incredible; creative in its storytelling. The use of lights, the camera on stage, going out into the street to perform, and the simplicity of the costumes, all of it was superb. And Nicole’s voice? A gift from the heavens. I knew she could sing (hello Pussycat Dolls!) but this was on another level. When she sang “As If We Never Said Goodbye”, I had goosebumps all over my body and tears in my eyes it was moving. But besides her obvious talent, I was very impressed by her acting skills. The way she talked in a sing-song voice, her comedic timing, as well as acting as a mad woman…. high praises all around. Besides Nicole, I thoroughly enjoyed Tom Francis and the rest of the cast. Immense talent!

From Broadway to Lincoln Center, I witness a lot of awe-inspiring talent this past week. Tuesday evening I went to the Met Opera House to see the American Ballet Theatre perform Giselle. My all- time favorite ballet! The entirety of Act II is breathtakingly beautiful. I once again got teary-eyed over seeing something so moving. Especially the beloved, and personally favored, repertoire “Dance of the Wilis”. When the corps de ballet temps glissé (chug) across the stage in arabesque, I could kick down a door it gets me so excited. Anyway, this was my first time seeing Principal Dancer Skylar Bryant perform and she was lovely. Principal Dancer Herman Cornejo performance of Albrecht was as spectacular as he always is.

The rest of my week wasn’t as beautiful, but very sweaty. I tried to both enjoy and stay out of the heatwave. It was nice to be outside, under the sun. It was not nice to sweat the moment I stepped out. The only other exciting thing that happened to me this past week was that someone gifted me a new plant– lace aloe!! I am very excited about becoming a plant mom. Now I have 3 succulents to tend to.

What I am watching: Season 2 of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders documentary on Netflix has been just as wonderful as the previous. I am loving all the new girls and rooting for some of the old favorites to make it. I am not finished with the season, but I have passed the point of knowing who made the team. I find it so impressive what these women do and go through to be a DCC. The commitment, the physical and emotional challenges, and the strive for perfection is a lot and they all do it flawlessly. I am generally pretty good at picking up choreography, but I know I would have trouble learning 37 tags plus “Thunderstruck” in such a short period of time. And so happy to hear (this was on the news so not a spoiler) that they FINALLY raised their pay by 400%!!! They deserve it!!

It was a great week for us historical fiction fans. First a new season of The Buccaneers on AppleTV. As they are only releasing one episode per week, I have only seen the first and enjoyed it. So happy to see Leighton Meester join the cast!!

The other historical fiction show I love is The Gilded Age on HBO. It’s a little like Downton Abbey where you get both the wealthy folks of the house, but also storylines of the servants. I can’t wait to see more of Marion and Larry’s love story unfold. Also to watch more of Bertha take over NYC society.

What I bought: Went on a little shopping spree. First I bought these linen Mary Jane’s. I have been eyeing them for a while and finally clicked purchase. I was debating between getting one with color and/or print or getting a simple, classic canvas color to wear with more outfits. I ended up getting the canvas and yellow combo to have both the simplicity and the color all-in-one. They are very comfortable to wear and will be easy to pack.

Next I bought these gold slingback sandals. I realized I do not have any “fancy” sandals to wear with my summer outfits. All my sandals are casual. If I am going out in the summer I usually wear heels, and well, I want to have another option to wear. Something both casual and elevated. I am planning on wearing them on the 4th with my outfit. I bought this white smocked midi dress to wear for the holiday. I love the embroidery patchwork of the skirt.

On The Blog

Sunday Shopping

White Dresses For The Summer

LTK Spotlight: The best necklaces for the summer

ShopMy Spotlight: This embroidered shirtdress

Top Seller: This gingham dress for the 4th

Bonus Link: 4th of July outfits and decor

This weekend I do not have anything currently planned. I am hoping the weather stays nice so I can get out and about. I will be preparing for my trip home to Ohio to celebrate the 4th and my birthday with family and friends. Other then that it will be my usual of reading, working out, and frolicking around.

Have a wonderful weekend xo

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