i have a really long torso.

i really want a one piece bathing suit for the summer. not that i don't like rocking a two piece, but sometimes after i eat copious amounts of ice cream i feel the need to cover up a bit more. and lucky for me, there are tons of cute non-matronly suits out there right now. the problem is that i have an abnormally long torso. meaning that a lot of one-pieces are too short for me and give me really cute wedgies. and that isn't exactly the look i'm going for this season. i was expressing these sentiments to my girl monika, when she promptly reminded me that they make one-piece swimsuits specifically for girls like me with long torsos. perfect! naturally, i've been scouring the internet ever since looking for some long torso one-pieces. here are some of my options:

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which one is your favorite?

hell run.

yesterday some girlfriends and i participated in the hell run. it was 3.15 miles of muddy fun.  i have never participated in an event like this and it was wild. basically you run a little bit, and then have to wade through a pool of mud, climb a mud hill, and then run some more. oh, and you have to jump over fire and climb huge walls and crawl under barbed wire. it was great. i feel like i have so much street cred now.
by the time it was over i was ready to trash that disgustingly muddy tutu and slather neosporin all over my scraped up knees. seriously, we were so gross...i had to bathe with dish soap to get all of the crusted mud out of my hair. so attractive.
would you ever do a mud run? i highly recommend it.

awkward & awesome

soooo, dunno if you know sydney over at the day book blog, but she is rad. she has awesome style and if you haven't been to her blog yet, i would make sure you have ample time to do so because you will be sucked in by her amazing outfits and her down-to-earth vibe (& her freaking adorable baby). 
she hosts awkward & awesome thursday which i think is brilliant. mostly because my life is a pretty equal balance of 1/2 awkward and 1/2 awesome. okay, its probably more parts awkward, but i'm pretending its 1/2 and 1/2. go check her out, and let me know about your awkward & awesomeness. 

  jacket: american eagle {similar}, scarf: gap, tank: target {similar}, maxi skirt: target {here, this color not available online}, sandals: sam edelman {here} , purse: marc by marc jacobs {here}

awkward

- having to call my apartment maintanace to have them unclog my bathroom sink. this isn't exaclty awkward but the fact that he said 'there's enough hair in here to make a wig!' does.
- the fact that i cannot stop watching one tree hill on netflix. sorry, modern family...i'll catch up on you after i've finished 10 years worth of teenage drama.

- my keurig deciding to only produce half a cup of coffee this morning. this is more what the heck?! than awkward, but go ahead and imagine me unplugging, refilling, jostling, and generally acting like a fool trying to get the coffee maker to make a whole freaking cup of coffee. that's all i ask, keurig! one cup a day. is that too difficult?!

- christina aguilara on the voice. that's all.

 awesome

- that my nicu friends and i are participating in the hell run this weekend. in tutus.
- central market ravioli. i am obsessed with it.
-  my new fringe swimsuit by koral swim that my friend ashley gave me for my birthday (thanks, ash!)
- going to the grand opening of the newest, biggest heb plus after work tomorrow morning. because being excited about a new grocery store is normal.

viva fiesta

tonight was my first trip downtown since fiesta kicked off this year. for those of you not from around here, in san antonio we celebrate fiesta, which is essentially a two week long city-wide party. it is a big deal. for real...there is a school holiday and everything. originally it started to commemorate those who fought at the battle of the alamo. now it is an excuse to party, break cascarones, and watch parades downtown.

this evening we watched the river parade, and in true fiesta style there was plenty of beer, quesadillas and confetti everywhere. considering the abundance of mexican treats, the fact that i got my face painted, and that i leave a trail of confetti everywhere i go, it was a successful fiesta evening. 

dress: h&m, necklace: h&m, shoes: jessica simpson

i may or may not have made a little kid get in line behind me.

fiesta snacks: dos xx and a popsicle.

bunelos

cascarones.

confetti egg smash

diy neon jeweled necklace

is it just me, or are you super into adding pops of neon color to your outfit? i'm not afraid of rocking a neon top, however most of my clothing consists of basics that i like to jazz up with accessories or shoes. if throwing on an entire piece of neon clothing doesn't sound appealing to you then try adding a teensy bit of bright color at a time. one of my favorite ways of incorporating that punch of color is through jewelry. a great necklace or pair of earrings can really enhance an outfit.

i have been seeing awesome neon jewelry statement pieces everywhere i turn. some pieces are super affordable, but sometimes they look cheap, or i feel as if they will fall apart after one wear. other times i find the perfect necklace, but its $300. no thanks. here are some of the things i have been coveting as of late:

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and because these babies are $300, $174 and $360, respectively, i decided to make my own. and it was super easy.  lucky for you, i'm gonna show you how i did it:

supplies: nailpolish in any color of your choice, rhinestone necklace

 i chose a bright blue and green polish to make mine. i picked up the necklace for around $10 at forever 21. a prom-like rhinestone necklace isn't really my style....even if i was going to prom, but i liked the scalloped edge and the collar detail.

the colors you use to paint your jewelry is up to you. all you do is paint a bit of the polish on each stone, being careful not to glob on a ton of paint. if doing the whole necklace seems too tedious for you, try a pair of earrings, a bracelet or even a brooch.

finished product.

really high quality iphone photo.

i had on a white tank when i photographed the necklace, but you could honestly pair it with just about anything. i think it would look great with a crisp, conservative suit, or with an lbd. the possibilities are endless!

would you make your own neon jewels? be sure to send me a photo of yours if you do!

where did i go?

hey guys! today is really exciting as it is my very first guest blog post! i am over at chic on a shoestring decorating for the day while kate takes a little bloggy vacay. if you want to see how i made this diy chevron canvas then head over to her blog and check it out.

 thanks so much to kate for hosting me on her site...i am so excited to get such a fun opportunity. i have discovered so many talented bloggers while she's been on vacation. its a win-win for all of us!

if you have wandered over here from chic on a shoestring decorating, then welcome! take a look around...lets be friends :) don't forget to send me a link to your page!

cheers, 

leslie

san diego lovin'.

let us just discuss how much i loved visiting san diego. it was grand. i got to see my bestie (who i was seriously needing a good dose of), her boyfriend, and their dog of course! the fact that i love these people probably contributes to how much i ended up loving san diego, but in all actuality its the bomb (dot) com.

on friday we spent the day touring temecula's wine country, (click here if you haven't already heard about those adventures) and while it was a rather rainy, chilly day, it was worth the trip. we posted up by a fire and tasted wine until we could no longer read the wine selection list. okay....maybe that's a slight exaggeration. if you're ever in the area it was a fun day trip that i'm so glad we went on, and i completely recommend it to anybody wanting to tour wine country.

saturday was my actual birthday (i have to say actual because honestly, i celebrate all month long :)) and we spent the morning at the zoo. i had been there before when i was a kid, but the man had never seen it. it was just as cool as i remember. my favorite part being the polar bears, of course!! she was obviously celebrating my birthday as well and giving us an underwater show:

mallarie was off on sunday, so she took us on a jeep tour all around pacific beach, la jolla, torrey pines and other places i have since forgotten the name of. i can't imagine being unhappy in a place where there are gorgeous beaches everywhere you go.

here's a little sampling of our vacay....we plan on visiting often, so if you know of fun things to do for our next trip, hit me up!

cocktails & peanuts on the plane

birthday coffee at cafe 222

birthday waffle at cafe 222

acai bowls. so good.

hangin' with the seals in la jolla

out with mallarie!

indecisive breakfast.

I'm sitting at snooze, a wonderfully fun breakfast place here in San Diego. My indecisiveness has kicked in and the man has let me order a breakfast sandwich as well as a pancake. And he probably knows that I plan on sampling his breakfast tacos as well. So a huge thanks to him for letting me order a plethora of breakfast, and thanks to our server for not judging my fat kid moment.

Ps. I highly recommend you try this restaurant if you're in or around San Diego :)

temecula, california

today was a glorious day filled with friends, wine, and rain. but that is okay, because when you're drinking good wine and hanging out with even better company, it doesn't seem as bad that the sun isn't shining. here is a sampling from my day in temecula.