ask and ye shall receive

target.

they're from target.

the earrings.

i got all "oooh i love jewelry!"

on the morn of sarah's wedding when everyone started going through 

their bags trying on different pieces.

and by "everyone," i mean, "every other woman in the hair salon also preparing for a wedding."

maybe my love for them was merely infatuation, i'm not sure.

ANYWAY.

girls love pretty things, duh, and these earrings 

FROM TARGET 

are no exception.

Notable Moments in Outfit History: Sarah + Peter's Wedding

so here was a very cool surprise in the midst of sarah and peter's wedding weekend.

her mom paid for me to get my hair and make-up done.

very. cool.

they also let me share their hotel room, meaning i had the unbelievable good fortune to be accompanying the bride, her mother, her sister, and essentially, her flower girl, EVERYWHERE for the weekend.

i LOVE being helpful, and i LOVE being so closely helpful on my friend's big day.

the make-up/hair thing worked itself out like this:

the bridal party was at the hair salon.

i was running errands (and also, perhaps, looking like a hot mess.)

plates, forks, girls, wine! everywhere!

hairspray, EVERYWHERE.

and everyone looked gorgeous.

and then, surprise! "Allyson, would you like your hair and make-up done?"

GUYS.

i am a freaking performer.

i LOVE hair and make-up.

so yes! absolutely! sure!

and bam, i looked pretty alright for the rest of the day. :)

i told the make-up woman, "rosy cheeks, retro eyes."

i told the hair woman, "lots of volume, loose and tousled."

and then i delighted. <3

thank you, cheryl!

 

also. guys. let's take a closer look at these shoes:

sam edelman's. maybe five inches, possibly just four.

i don't go for five inch heels, that is ridiculous.

light-weight.

good to wear for about three hours, tops.

and then you bettah have ballet flats or you are going to kill yourself.

srsly.

sarah + peter

i went to a wedding this weekend.

a BIG affair.

lot of hours

lots of $$$

lots to do

and lots, and lots, and LOTS

of love.

sarah, the bride,

was almost nerve-free about it.

"it just doesn't feel like a wedding," she said to me the night before as we drove to the hotel room from the rehearsal dinner. "Months ago, it felt more real than it does now."

but then.

the day-of.

(she was all a-jitters.)

i was driving to the hair salon,

and her mouth was running eight thousand miles a minute. :)

her ipod was shuffling through every love song known to man

and we were discussing just how much orange juice she should drink for timing purposes (before practically making bathroom time impossible in the dress.) :)

the boys were adorable.

i saw them occasionally, when i made sure they were all dressed correctly, or talked to vendors, or hunted down the priest, or spun the photographer in the right direction, or helped the florist with her arrangements, or kept track of the bell girls and programs and guest book and baskets of favors. :)

i saw sarah, occasionally, as i zipped dresses, procured lint brushes, clasped necklaces, hung clothing, unlocked and prepared rooms, made sure the groom didn't see his lady, escorted grandparents, and hooted and hollered from the back of the church, slowly, and happily thrusting my arms into the air with rock hands while sarah and peter said their "i dos."

they did!

and they do!

and then we all partied like it was 2011 for the next six hours.

a victory indeed, if i ever do say so.

my two albums of the event

(thank you, iphones!)

are available publicly

here and here.

(in fact, i finally put my camera and iphone away so that i could focus on being more of a guest and less of a documenting nuisance.) :)

did i mention that i went to a bachelorette party?

well i did.

and it was everything that you would expect it to be.

and in that case, i mean

there were no tigers,

shotgun weddings, strippers,

found babies, stolen cop cars,

illegal gambling, vegas hotels,

lost bridal party, or emotional phone calls home.

that DG up above is Sarah, the bride.

(she'd kill me if she ever saw this on my blog, but she won't, i know, that's why i went ahead and posted my super cool wedding present idea for her here.)

in fact, it was quite tame, i'd suppose.

dinner.

a club.

a lot of woo-hooing and a lost debit card (totally mine,)

and then passing out from three hours of dancing on the floor of a conversion van while everyone else ate penis shaped cookies around 1:30 am.

that was kind of fun. :)



if your name is Sarah Barner, do not read this post

Dear Sarah Barner,

First of all, stop reading this post. What are you doing here? Did you not just read the title?

I just figured out what I'm making for your wedding, and if you continue to read this, you're going to spoil the surprise.

So, stop.

Seriously, cut it out.

What do you mean, "why did you post it online if you didn't want me to read it?"

Seriously? Because it's awesome, that's why.

Obvs.

So, here it is, and it rocks:

A map.

Ta da!

A map!

I'm getting you a map. and happy, little map flags (i'll seriously make my own if i can't freaking find adorable map flags for you.) and a really great marker. and i'm going to mount it on foam board and frame it. and when beautiful, wonderful, amazing things happen in the future of your life, the future of your life with your soon-to-be husband, you can map them. First Home. There's a map flag for that. First child. There's a map flag for that. Heck, even your Honeymoon! Map it. 

Sarah, my love, my friend, my dear, your life is a history waiting to happen. 

I love you.

Allyson 

idea heavily borrowed from oh happy day

thank you for consistently being brilliant



ghosts of bdays past

 2009

21st bday

2010

22nd bday, in Hawaii

here's to a very happy 2011!