The Grace Experiment, Part 2

This is my weekly half-hearted attempt to set aside the snarkitude & list 5 things for which I'm grateful, with the happy yet unintended consequence of annoying blog friends like The Coconut Diaries.

1. Receiving a completely rad surprise present from a good friend. If I told you this gift had to do with my teenage vampire issues, you would probably stop reading and immediately delete me from your Google Reader, so this had absolutely nothing to do with that. Um.

2. Stumbling upon my excuse to post weekly HRH Pug photos, in blatantly derivative manner of those famous bloggers who regularly pull this sort of Hallmark move:

You're witnessing a daily ritual here at Pretty HQ, in which the HRH Pug embarks on an exhaustive search for the ideal rawhide hiding spot. Please note the somber, stress-filled expression in his buggy eyes. This is a deeply serious business.

3. Spending the weekend with the Anonymous Husband - given his lawyerly line o' work, I don't take this for granted - who voluntarily accompanied me on an emergency Anthro* shopping expedition and only whined once.
*The dress of impossible cuteness? So cute. So mine.

4. American holidays primarily dedicated to overeating and only tangentially related to football, particularly those followed by special episodes of "The Office" (wish you were here to watch, Shabby Princess!)

5. Kerbey Lane queso, and my new hometown in which this delectable foodstuff can be located.

Fantasy Vacation Shopping a la Anthropologie

Now that I've gone and blathered on about my study abroad adventures (or lack thereof) and other things international, I have the travel on the brain. I'm not complaining - much - having been lucky enough to enjoy a Mexican getaway just recently. I'm also, you know, sorta grateful for being employed at the moment. However, some Fridays a girl just wants to get gone, as in, seriously gone.

So when I happened upon Anthropologie's happy little January '09 catalog, as my Twitter lovelies know, my AmEx and my passport commenced their traditional two-step of anticipatory glee. To better allow you & me to jettison off to that imaginary happy, beachy place, or perhaps for those of you who are honeymooning or off to vacation paradise soon, I bring you my summery favorites without regard to expense or reality and stuff:

Clockwise from the top left:

Waiting-For-Poems Sheath: love the robin's egg blue contrasted with the coral bow-belt.
Dazzling Light Shift: perfect for summertime dinner on the patio, yes?
Pivka Necklace: I prefer to minimize the beachy vacation jewelry, but this is so simple &
ideal with a casual shift.
The Artist's Tote: too lovely for the beach, but just right for a nice dinner out afterwards.
Crocus Bud Peep Toes: Rare is the vacation day when I can be talked out of my flips, but these
would be ideal for an afternoon of window shopping.
Zois Bellflower Bag: also lurrvely for a summery night exploring a new town.

Happy travels, imaginary or otherwise, to you this weekend . . .