ginger's adventure at the dog beach

On Sunday Matthew and I took Ginger to the dog beach for the first time. We were so excited to see if she could swim..she does have webbed paws after all. We went to Leo Carillo in Malibu because we heard they had a dog beach, but unfortunately it was "on leash" only, which was too bad because we were dying to see Ginger run into the water and play with the other dogs. Still, she got a taste {literally} for sand and salt water. We're hoping to take her to an "off leash" dog beach next time!

Ginger dug around in the sand trying to figure out what it was. It's so different from the cement and grass she's used to. Oh, such a silly puppy. Ginger is the sweetest, even if she is making it hard for us to find an apartment!

xox

look book: sweet vanilla

One thing you should know about me..I am not a hat person! In high school I tried to make the baseball hat look as effortlessly cute as it did on the other girls {then there was the Trucker Hat failure..but that was a failure for everyone wasn't it?} and in college I tried to pull off the fedora. No luck! They really just looked weird on me. My friends all agree that I cannot pull off the hat- and then I end of giving them the ones I bought in earnest. This hat, on the other hand, gives me some hope. It's bigger and wider and it doesn't look as awkward on my head. {I'm convinced I must have a weird shaped head for those other hats}. This hat is perfect for summer and lounging in the sun. It's dermatologist approved! 

blouse and belt thrifted, skirt c/o Chloe Loves Charlie, shoes Jessica Simpson, purse Forever 21, hat and necklace J. Crew, sunglasses 80s Purple

Wondering what the cupcake is doing there? Well, I didn't realize it at the time but perhaps this cupcake from earlier in the day inspired my outfit. White on top, pink on bottom. hmm that's about right! Also, I'm feeling like a sweet tooth monster today. Need.cupcakes&cookies&cakes.now! 

Hope you all have a sweet day!

xox

giveaway: $50 Credit to Boy Meets Girl

See that super cute t-shirt I'm wearing? It's by Boy Meets Girl, a fun clothing company that specializes in casual and laid back attire. This t-shirt has become of favorite of mine for working out since it's so comfortable! It definitely beats the plain white tee. The bag is also perfect for holding my water bottle and a small towel. I love the silhouette design in their logo..how fun would that be on a wedding invite?

To Enter:

1). Must be a follower of M Loves M

2). Visit Boy Meets Girl

For extra entries
3). Blog/tweet for extra entries!
4). Become a Facebook fan of M Loves M or follow me on Bloglovin'

5). "Like" Boy Meets Girl on Facebook or follow them on Twitter {tweet tweet!}

I'll be picking the winner next Tuesday July 5th! Good luck!

xox 

Thank you all for the sweet words of encouragement yesterday. It was comforting 

to learn that I'm not alone in feeling this way. Today has been much better and I 

thank all of you for that! Someone said it's like the feeling you get after Christmas, 

when you realize it's almost January and the holidays are all over. So true! But it's 

summer and the sun is shining, so I'm going to focus on that! xox

how to: snap out of a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day

This past weekend was wonderful. It truly felt like summer and I feel like I did so much to enjoy every minute of it. Matthew and I went to the dog beach with Ginger, soaked in some sun, roasted marshmallows on the grill, watched some of our favorite shows and just relaxed. Yet, sometimes these weekends that can seem so perfect can leave you feeling down in the dumps. I don't know how to explain it, and I'm not sure if any of you understand, but last night going to bed I was so sad. I was sad thinking that the weekend was over, that Matthew was going to work and that I was back on my job search, sad that it's already the end of June and the wedding and Italy seem so far away now. A disappointment with the weekend being over turned into so much more and before I knew it I was just a mess. I was in this dejected funk and thankfully Matthew insisted we stay up, watch some of the BBC version of Emma {I love it!} and drink some sleepy time tea. It made me feel a little better and before I knew it I fell asleep. Yet, today I felt like this dark cloud was still over me. I couldn't shake it all morning and afternoon, and I still haven't. This happens every once in a while where I can't help but focus on all these negative things. In case any of you have ever felt this way and know what I mean, I thought I'd share some of my best tips to snap out of terrible, horrible, no good, very bad mood:

1. Take a walk and get some fresh air. Sometimes seeing the sun shining can kick that cloud out of there.
2. Look at your schedule and make lunch/dinner dates with friends. Friends help!
3. Make a list of all the things you are thankful for. Sometimes in this state of mind I can forget. 
3. Do something for you whether it's getting a massage, a manicure or a hair cut. Do something that will give you some extra confidence and make you smile. (I'm getting my hair cut tomorrow..it's been 6 months, can you believe it?)
4. Make a list of things you want to get accomplished each day. I've been so overwhelmed with apartment searching and job hunting that spending more than a couple hours on one or the other can make me lose all energy for other things I need and want to do.  This is kind of silly but I'm trying to put my days in a class format-- Apartment Period, Cleaning Period, Blogging Period, and Job Period. I try to break up the tedious things with something fun, like blogging or emailing a friend. 
5. Listen to upbeat music and hopefully it will make you want to dance :)
6. If it doesn't make you dance, do something active. It's so hot now that working out doesn't sound very appealing but yoga in a cooled studio sounds a little better. Or go on an early morning walk or hike!
7. Do something good. I donated a bag of clothes to the Goodwill for my last week's little resolution. It helped me get outside of myself and remember that there are other people in need. It helped give me some much needed perspective. 
7. Play with an animal. When I was sad last night I picked up Ginger and almost immediately started to smile! Why are dogs so amazing?

If any of your have some suggestions for getting out of a bad/sad mood, I'd love to hear! 

Regular scheduled programming tomorrow, I promise :)

xox

photo

mother dough

Matthew and I have been dying to go to this new pizza place in LA called Mother Dough. We heard about it before the wedding but we were so busy we weren't able to make a date of it. As soon as we got back from Italy we went here for one of our first meals out. It's traditional Napoli style pizza and it reminded up so much of the pizza we had in Positano, maybe even better! We were dying over the delicious burrata salad with this slightly spicy vinaigrette and the classic margherita pie. For dessert we got this heavenly chocolate mousse with lavender sea salt caramel sauce. deeelish! If you're in LA you must must go.

We loved it so much we went back the next week with my parents. Can't wait to go back again!
 {I seriously crave that salad on a daily basis}

Have a lovely first weekend of summer! 

After a couple days off the apartment search Matthew and I are starting it up again, 

hopefully with more success than before!

What are your plans? 

xox

look book: blue on blue

For a lazy afternoon, nothing sounds better than wearing a lose fitting top and some comfy jeans. I normally hate wearing blue tops because I think it looks terrible with blue jeans but I think the length of this top made me a little more comfortable with it. 

shirt, jeans, and belt J. Crew, necklace Forever 21, purse c/o Frock Candy, shoes Michael Kors via ebay

Luckily I wasn't wearing a pair of my J. Crew ballet flats, otherwise this would have been a little took J. Crew-d out. 

Wait, is that even possible? Probably not :)

Matthew is coming home tonight and I am soo excited! It's been a long two days. I'm making these delicious fish tacos and some rice and beans. Nothing says "Welcome back to Southern California" than some mexican food! haha

xox

honeymoon adventures in positano

Matthew and I spent the last three days of our honeymoon in Positano, which is right on the Amalfi Coast. It was the perfect end to our trip because we got to relax a little bit and enjoy delicious seafood and the most stunning views. I loved laying out at the hotel's sun deck, which overlooked the water. There was also an infinity pool that looked like it blended right into the Mediterranean. So cool!

have you ever seen a lemon this big?!

fell in love with a pair of very Italian Fendi heels...if only..

Matthew and I were so lucky to go to Italy for our honeymoon. I loved that we got to experience the city, the country and the sea! It's hard to believe that we were there a month ago. It's already feeling so far away and I know Matthew is dying to figure out some way for us to move there permanently. haha we'll see about that! I'll always cherish and remember the time we spent in Italy and hope that one day we can go back and do it all over again! If any of you are considering an Italian honeymoon I'd recommend it 100%! Oh and I'm planning on writing a separate post with information about hotels, restaurants and sights for those of you who've emailed me.

xox

my sunglasses are from 80s Purple. I wore them the whole trip and I loved them!