Life's a Beach

One of my all time favorite things to do is sit on a beach with good company and good tunes, enjoy a few twisted teas (best beach drink ever) and soak up some rays. I don't know what it is, but there's something about the beach that makes me feel at ease. It's my happy place. I was fortunate to have ample amounts of beach time this summer and am still hoping to sneak in a few more solid "happy" days before the crisp air of fall creeps around the corner! But what's a beach day without some music?! I happen to think my beach playlist is perfection and I wanted to share a few of my favorites:

1. Some Nights - Fun
2. Darkside of the Moon - Van Morrison
3. Sunday Best - Augustana
4. Like a Rolling Stone - Bob Dylan
5. Blue Sky - Allman Brothers
6. Waiting in Vain - Bob Marley (or anything Bob Marley really)
7. Paradise - Coldplay
8. One Day - Matisyahu
9. Omaha, Time and Time Again, Mr. Jones (basically, the entire August and Everything album) - Counting Crows
10. #41 - Dave Matthews Band
11. Alcohol - Brad Paisley
12. Put Your Records On - Corinne Bailey Rae
13. Am I the Only One - Dierks Bentley
14. One by One - Laza Morgan feat. Mavado
15. Listen to the Music - Doobie Brothers
16. Layla - Eric Clapton
17. Home - Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros
18. Touch of Grey - Grateful Dead
19. Barefoot Blue Jean Night - Jake Owen
20. American Honey - Lady Antebellum
21. Stubborn Love - The Lumineers
22. Heart Like Mine - Miranda Lambert
23. Bring Me Along - Pepper
24. Knee Deep - Zac Brown Band
25. Save a Horse Ride a Cowboy - Big & Rich
26. The Man Who Can't Be Moved - The Script 
27. Drink In My Hand - Eric Church
28. Shoot Down the Stars - Gym Class Heroes
29. Wonderful World - James Morrison
30. Dirt Road Anthem - Jason Aldean
31. Free - Graffiti 6
32. Somethin' Bout a Truck - Kip Moore
33. Drunk On You - Luke Bryan
34. Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard - Paul Simon
35. Red Solo Cup - Toby Keith 
36. Shake It Out - Florence + The Machine
37. Home - Phillip Phillips
38. Angel Eyes - Love & Theft
39. Why Ya Wanna - Jana Kramer
40. Wagon Wheel - Old Crow Medicine Show

I highly recommend you add a few of these to your itunes, sync up your ipod and treat yourself to a nice beach day before summer sadly ends! YOU deserve it. ;)

Dim The Lights, And Here We Go...

And the winner is.... Phillip Phillips!!!!

I don't mean to toot my own horn here, but I called this day one.  A blue eyed southern boy who can seriously jam out on the guitar.. mmm mmm mmm. This is when I fell in love....

fast forward to 1:36
Thriller acoustic - yes please! 

For those of you that don't follow American Idol, you MUST check this guy out. He is extremely talented and ridiculously good looking. Here are some of my favorite Phillip Phillips performances:

He sang this as his "song he wished he'd written"
Damien Rice's Volcano

Phillip's version of Usher's Nice and Slow

Show's over. I'm sold.

Dave Matthews Band's The Stone

CCR's Have You Ever Seen The Rain

One of my all time favorite songs
Stand By Me originally by Ben E. King

The Four Seasons' Beggin

And his final performance....

  

His new single "Home"

How can you not adore him??? I'm telling you, he is a serious talent. I cannot wait for the "idol circus" to be over so he can start to make his own music. I think this guy has a lot more in store for us!

Disclaimer:  I realize I am a happily married woman.  And I also realize this adorable piece of "man" is 6 years my junior.  But a girl can crush, right??? ;)  #Cougar #I'llfallinlovewithanyonewhocanplaytheguitar

Get It Right, Get It Right, Get It Tight...

So, I am certainly not a runner. In fact, until a couple of months ago, I am ashamed to admit, I hadn't worked out on a regular basis since high school soccer. But unfortunately my 30's are creeping up on me and my metabolism is creeping down. I needed some serious motivation so I signed myself up for the Redhook Brewery 5k to force me to start getting my derriere in shape. To most, a 5k sounds like cake. But let me remind you, I have probably run a max. of 8 min straight since 2002. This was going to be a challenge, but with my lack of enthusiasm towards exercising, I needed to go to extreme measures. I enlisted the help of some good tunes, and went from running zero to 3.1 miles in about a week and a half. I definitely surprised myself! It's amazing what a little dedication can do. The race is this Sunday, and I have not tested my endurance outside yet (nothing like leaving things until the last minute!), but I am hoping with a playlist like this, I can hit shuffle, get in the zone, and achieve my goal - cross the finish line under 30 minutes. ;)


1.) Sean Paul - She Doesn't Mind
2.) Kim English - Everyday (Hex Hector & Mac Quayle Remix)
3.) Flo Rida - Wild Ones
4.) Shakira - Rabiosa
5.) Heavy D & The Boyz - Now That We Found Love
6.) Katy Perry - Firework
7.) Don Omar - Danza Kuduro
8.) Bob Sinclair - Rock This Party (Everybody Dance Now)
9.) Bubba Sparxx - Ms. New Booty
10.) LMFAO - Sexy and I Know It
11.) Missy Elliott - One Minute Man
12.) Pitbull feat. Marc Anthony - Rain Over Me
13.) Don Omar - Dale Don Dale
14.) Avicii - Levels
15.) Shakira - Loca
16.) Barry White - Can't Get Enough of Your Love Babe
17.) Rupee - Tempted To Touch
18.) Crystal Walters - 100% Pure Love
19.) Limoncello - Bon Bon (We No Speak Americano)
20.) Pitbull - Shake Senora
21.) Rihanna - Talk That Talk
22.) Laza Morgan feat. Mavado - One by One
23.) Alesso & Sebastian Ingrosso - Calling
24.) 50 Cent - Disco Inferno
25.) Enur - Calabria 2008
26.) Pitbull - Hey Baby
27.) Kat DeLuna - Whine Up
28.) David Guetta feat. Akon - Sexy Bitch
29.) Rihanna - Drunk On Love
30.) Nadine Sutherland & Terror Fabulous - Action


What are your FAVORITE workout songs???  I am always looking for a new one to add to the mix!

Just Another Mani Monday...

One of my favorite simple pleasures is a fresh mani! Not only do I adore the two women that do my nails (Sidenote: If you're ever looking for a GREAT nail salon in the Portsmouth area, I highly recommend Sarah and Vicky at Strictly Nails!), but I feel like a fresh coat of color on my fingertips can actually add the finishing touch to any outfit.  Here are my top 5 shades for the (hopefully) sunny days to come:

1.) Mint Candy Apple
Mmm, doesn't it just sounds delicious?!

2.) Barbuda Banana
I've actually never done the yellow-nail thing, but its def on my to-do list soon!

3.)  Mesmerize
This color just reminds me of the beautiful buildings of Santorini.... a destination that is on my bucket list for sure! I guess this polish will have to do for now.... siggghhhh

4.)  Haute as Hello
Refer to my Crazy for Coral post here. Enough said.





5.) Lilacism
Lilac word association: pretty. spring. fragrant. calm.
I'll take any of the above, please! 

Check out all the other glorious shades of Essie here. What are your favorites???

Crazy for Coral

I have always gravitated towards color when I pick out my outfits, so I am thrilled that one of the hottest trends this season is just that. Pastels, neons... you name it. One of my faves for spring is coral. It gives any outfit the perfect amount of pop and I am having to restrain myself from buying every coral piece I see. Here are a few of my top picks:





Love the design and draping of this coral dress.

Perfect for a summer wedding!




My all time favorite color combo- coral and aqua.
These would spice up the simplest outfit.





Effortless.





J Brand coral jeans




Obsessed with these hand-made helloberry bracelets I found on etsy!




I have to say I'm a little over the leopard trend,
but the belt accent adds the perfect touch to this coral skirt.

Are you all coraled out yet??? Hope not, because I'm willing to bet you'll be seeing a lot more of this hue as the weather gets nicer. And I'm not complaining.