2012 SAG awards

another award show down, many more to go! i don't know about you, but i absolutely love watching the red carpet as the actors start to arrive.. i get all giddy inside and immediately start putting together my best & worst list. so here is my 2012 SAG round up!

shailene woodly: most age appropriate award

i love her. still a disney star, she often shows up hollywood veterans in the fashion department. always fun, always fresh, always age appropriate. 

lea michele: most predictable award

of course she went with the much too sexy look. thats what lea does best, i guess.  

angelina jolie: obvious color choice award

aside from the golden globes when she looked stunning in white & red, angelina seems to never stray to far from her favorite color, black. she does look quite beautiful though.  

kristen wiig: worst accessory award

i think without that awful choker (choker? really?) this look would have been killer.  

berenice bejo: best accessory award

i love the pop of color her amethyst pendant brings to her subtle dress choice, especially with that gorgeous hair color. 

jennifer carpenter: best length award

with all the long, flowing gowns, its refreshing to see something different yet equally stunning. nice job on the length, jennifer.

busy phillips: most inappropriate award 

a boho dress and a braid in your hair for an award show? when a girl gets the opportunity to dress up, dress up!  

george clooney & stacy keibler: best looking couple award

dang they look great! gorgeous george & stunning stacy did it again. 

amber heard: most va-va-voom award

i don't think i have ever seen her look bad, actually, i don't think she can. with the right amount of skin showing through those cut outs, she looks dang sexy and appropriate at the same time. 

emma stone: best dressed and most consistent award

oh how i love her! she never fails to bring her own fashion sense and charm when dressing up. even though she is wearing all black, she makes it feel fresh and totally emma.  

rose byrne: most daring & it worked award

rose byrne took quite a risk wearing a pantsuit to an award show. lucky, she not only pulls it off, but looks fabulous doing it! some may not like this look, but with that hair and the fit of her pantsuit, she was by far, one of my favorites of the night. 

valentine's day gift guide {etsy finds!}

since valentines day is right around the corner, i decided to put together a fun little gift guide for him & for her... just so no one forgets to pick something up for that special someone :) happy shopping everyone! 

for him:

vintage shooting target $6
leather wallet $25
wooden arrow brooch $18
mustache tea cup $18 
nintendo controller iphone dock $31
natural organic wool socks $39
messenger bag: french bulldog $25
iphone & ipad dock $198

for her:

espresso 'husband & wife' tea cups $24
organic turkish pillow $88
'lets be adventurers' notebook $7.50
southwester wool throw rug $55
vintage brass kangaroo $28
turkish bath towel $28 
'always together' print $25
cedar spring air terrarium $25

life through a cell phone lens

being adopted.

legacy of an adopted child:
once there were two woman, who never knew each other.
one you do not remember, the other you call mother.


two different lives, shaped to make yours one.
one became your guiding star, the other became your sun.


the first gave you life and the other taught you to live it.
the first gave you a need for love and the second was there to give it.


one gave you a nationality, the other gave you a name.
one gave you the seed of talent, the other gave you an aim.


one gave you emotions, the other calmed your fears.
one saw your first sweet smile, the other dried your tears. 


one gave you up, it was all she could do.
the other prayed for a child, and god led her straight to you.


and now you ask me through your tears, 
the age old question through the years-


heredity or environment, which are you the product of?
neither, my darling, neither. just two different kinds of love. 

this poem was given to me by my mom, who received it from my birth mother when i was just a newborn. i was having a hard time coming up with the right words to start this entry so, after going through my adoption folder and finding this beautiful poem, i knew these words were the perfect fit.

after many hours spent doing research, my mom sat me down with collin & jude and told us the news- that she had finally found my birth mother. sitting in my parents kitchen and hearing those long awaited words, will be a memory i will never forget. in an instant, i went from knowing nothing about her to just about everything. as you can imagine it was very surreal, the feeling is beyond description. i've always wondered where i would be in life when i received this news, and now i know that having collin and jude by my side was how it was meant to be.

her name is jen and she has a beautiful family. a husband, one son and two girls. (yup, i have three half siblings!) they have a lovely home in alpine, utah. yup you read that right, alpine! for those who don't know, collins parents live in alpine. we are up there about twice a week dropping jude off at their house, which is about a two minute drive from jen's! small world, isn't it?

its been about three weeks since we found everything out and since then, i have met jen and her family. meeting jen, seeing her for the first time is a memory that will never leave me. i've never been more anxious, nervous and excited all at the same time. talking to her, hearing her side of everything, hearing about my late birth father, it answered so many questions i've had. this whole experience has a very special place in my heart.

i cant express how grateful i am for this whole experience to be going so well. i'm very aware that not every adoption story gets a happy ending, so for mine to have one, is a huge blessing. i've seen the experience my sister has had with meeting her family, and it was just as wonderful. my mom always tells us, its just more people brought into our lives to love us. mom and dad, i want to thank you for all you have done, for the hours spend searching for jen. for the selfless love you have shown throughout my life. for bringing more people into our family to love.

home videos

grovin slowly

grove with that special someone you love today.

happy thursday!

golden globes: best & worst

i kinda have a thing for dolled up hair & pretty dresses.. so i'm thrilled award season is finally here! the first major award show of the year was the golden globes (i love you ricky gervais!)
here is my list for who i thought looked the absolute best.. and the worst.

worst:
{total coincidence that they all have 'michelle' in their names!}

sarah michelle geller

like kelly osbourne said on fashion police, this is an editorial dress, not a red carpet dress. 

lea michele

 this dress isn't on my 'worst' list because its a bad dress, the dress its self is absolutely gorgeous.. if it were on someone like halle berry. not lea michelle. she isn't 'sexy' enough to pull this off in my opinion. 

 michelle williams 

i just think she could do better then this. its an OK look for a different event, but not for the golden globes. i adore michelle williams and i'm so happy she won (!) but i think she could have knocked something out of the park if she really wanted too. 

best:

 emma stone

only emma could pull off something like this. super fashionable yet edgy at the same time. and that plum color?? gorgeous!! 

 reese witherspoon

recently married looks good on reese witherspoon! she was glowing wearing this red gown. i haven't seen her look this sensational in a long time. 

 kate beckinsale

perfection. 

charlize theron 

she worked it from head to toe! from the head band, to the perfect gown, all the way to the shoes that fit.. she did everything right.  

who were your best & worst of the night?

5 things

{gifted: tazo tea}

thanks aisha! 

{teavana tea set}

 {jude's new booties}

{nordstrom cafe animal crackers}

{cucharitas- spicy mexican candy}

our 'january' walk

january? i don't even know what that means anymore. i was under the impression that january was supposed to be freezing. you know... winter coats, snow boots, ear muffs, sled rides & snow ball fights?? 

all i know is the more time i get to spend outside with our very active 15 month old, the better. (our house is starting to feel smaller every single day) so january, if you never decide to come, ill be just fine with that. just go ahead and keep pretending your may.   

spinach smoothie

after reading michelle's post about getting on a health kick & my recent eating right goals, i wanted to give the spinach smoothie a try. so for the last few days, i have been making one every morning. (jude has even started sharing mine with me) every time i make it, i do it a little different. still using the basic ingredients, i just switch a couple of things in or out.

smoothie #1
3/4 cup pineapple juice
1 cup ice
1/2 of a banana
1/2 of a peach
1/2 of a mango
a decent size handful of spinach
1 large kale leaf

 

 

smoothie #2
3/4 cup pineapple juice (with a few pineapple chunks tossed in)
1/4 cup greek yogurt
1 cup of ice
1/2 of a banana
1 whole nectarine
a few cranberries thrown in
a generous handful of spinach
1 large kale leaf

 

 

both smoothies were absolutely delicious! i know the thought of a spinach smoothie may seem weird, but i promise you, it doesn't taste it. you hardly even notice how healthy it is for you! 

if you plan on making them at home, keep in mind that there is no right way to do it (unless you are following a certain diet plan) if your like me, and just want a healthy start to every morning, experiment with whatever you've got in your fridge. 

happy smoothie making! 

office space

 

 

how lovely are these office spaces?? 

one day lani, one day.