the fog is lifting

can you believe how long it's been since I've updated my blog? is it even a blog anymore? is anybody out there?

anyway, I have moved out of my fabulous apartment, which probably explains my absence for the most part. no more little adventures to report, or macarons eaten, or taking myself on dates to my favorite little spots around town.

it's not an ideal situation, but I'm surviving. I couldn't do it alone, and I'm very fortunate to be dating someone so fantastically perfect for me that it makes me wonder what I did to deserve his attention.

for now, I am here to say... I'm here. I hope to be able to enjoy writing more in the near future. I can feel extraordinary things happening.

simplified datebook from laura!

a couple weeks ago I entered Laura's Simplified Datebook Giveaway... and I won! when I came home late last night, there was a package sitting on my porch!!!!!

you know she wrapped it in pink paper ;)

♥

she even threw in a couple of extras. because she is amazing. how amazing is she?! this is not rhetorical. I actually want you all to tell me how amazing you think she is :)

and the datebook looks amazing. I go back to work for some training before the school year starts, so I will truly be able to report on how amazing it is after I begin using it!

Laura's blog is wonderful. a mix of photos, product shares/reviews, some birchblogging, and posts about daily life. not to mention her adorable pup, Riley! what's not to love? you should all go check it out!!

life lately

I know I have been cruddy at updating. a lot has been going on. I would say that I will be better about it, but I honestly don't know if I will! so for now, here is a short life update:

I have been exploring the city a lot,

and eating macarons. so, so many macarons,

occasionally some "real" food,

and consequently doing yoga several times a week,

and of course, doing my nails and getting away on the weekends,

and going on lots of dates. with myself,

oh and maybe with Brett Dennen as well,

we're an item now, it's no big deal.

I have been a bit of a social media freak lately. instagram has always been a favorite, so feel free to check it out if you haven't already! my username is sofia_maria.

I can't promise that I will post more often, but I can promise that I will try. I hope my few readers enjoy my efforts on this extremely photo-heavy post! ♥

color club giveaway WINNER

and the winner of the Color Club Wanderlust mini-polish giveaway is...

congratulations Aimee! please check your email, so I can mail you your adorable little polish!

thank you to everyone who entered, and to everyone who reads my blog. this was a big success! I think I will certainly have to plan more giveaways in the future ♥

I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!

{closed} color club wanderlust mini polish giveaway!

I came home to a very pleasant surprise today - my Birchbox order came! so exciting!

for those of you who indulge in Birchbox as I do, you know that they sent each subscriber a mini polish from their Wanderlust collection in June. super exciting. I LOVE getting nail polish in my Birchbox. I have received a few really incredible colors. I loved my color so much (and I was so jealous of everyone who got all the other colors) I had to order them. the only problem is...I already received one of the 4 colors in my Birchbox, so...

TIME FOR A GIVEAWAY!

one lucky winner will receive this cute little "fiery coral" color called Reign in Spain from Color Club's Wanderlust Collection. this is my first giveaway ever, ever, ever. can you believe it??

all you have to do to be entered to win is:

• leave a comment telling me your favorite polish color, nail product, or tool. remember to include your email so I can let you know that you've won!

for extra entries:
*make sure you leave a separate comment for each entry!*

• follow me on bloglovin' or GFC
• follow my photo blog on bloglovin' or GFC
• follow me on instagram (@sofia_maria)
• pin this giveaway on Pinterest
• tweet about this giveaway containing my username (@sofiamaria) and a link back to this entry
• sign up for Birchbox using my referral link - it's super fun!

you have until Friday July 26th to enter, and I will choose a winner at random! good luck!

the winner is Aimee! congrats, and thanks to everyone who entered!

I don't give a fig

about a year ago, I won a wonderful book from a blog called Veggie Kids. then, everything we owned went into storage for 8 months. then, I began unpacking, found this lovely book, and promptly whipped up one of its recipes.

the book is Ripe by Cheryl Sternman Rule. the recipe is Fig and Wheat Berry Salad with Blue Cheese. except I hadn't the slightest idea where to get wheat berries, so I toasted up some pine nuts and threw those in. it was to die for.

if you ever have a moment to take a peek at this book, do it. it's organized by color, and it's just too cool. here's the Vine version for your viewing pleasure:

will I ever laugh again?

I guess there are going to be some pretty big changes in my life. we found the best apartment. we moved in 2 weeks ago, and now we're moving out. for the first time in 7 years I am in my own. I'm feeling... a lot of things. my heart is broken and I'm trying to learn how to breathe again.

i ♥ IG

I have been loving instagram more and more since getting an iPhone 5 just before Christmas (thanks mom & dad!), and being able to play with a bunch of new apps.

some of my faves are AfterLight, VSCO, XnView Fx, and of course the new photo app from the lovely ladies over at A Beautiful Mess.

I also love, love love Chantelle's (aka fatmumslim) photo prompts. they are so inspiring and fun! not only do they encourage me to take photos every day, but they challenge me to interpret the prompt in a number of different ways, and maybe gain some new perspectives. AND to my absolute surprise, Chantelle has featured two of my photos on her instagram account in the past couple weeks. how amazing is that? twice I logged into instagram to find way more notifications than I'm used to (which is anything more than 5, ha!) to find that she had shared my photos. I'm being super nerdy about it, but I was just so excited! what an amazing lady!

if you have instagram, you should totes leave your username in a comment and I will check out your feed. or check mine out! my username is sofia_maria. happy gramming!