Phew - what a week! I spent the first part of the week in Portland, Maine on a little getaway with the hubby. Even though it was rainy and cold, we had such an incredible time. Needless to say, we ate ALL THE FOOD. (Thanks to everyone on Instagram who gave us recs!) I can’t wait to share more about Portland on the blog soon!

Last week, I mentioned that I had purchased this gorgeous weekender bag from Cuyana - as a follow up - it was so great to travel with! It passed through TSA without a hitch and fit into the overhead departments like a glove (which I was a little worried about since it is a bit larger!) Can’t wait to take it on more adventures this summer.

I’ve been really trying to do fun new things with my hair since the big chop. While I’ve almost exclusively done messy waves for the past year, I’ve been loving the side-braid lately! Check out my tutorial here.

I was welcomed home with a fun package form Tuckernuck that included this insanely gorgeous dress, this necklace (that I’m wearing as we speak), this sweet clutch and these insanely perfect-for-summer shoes.

Did you catch this week’s post at Burnside Farms? I wore a dress as a shirt. Then yesterday I posted about two of my new favorite facial products from Blue Mercury. I know I’ve been slacking on the outfit posts, friends. I’ll have more for you next week - and they’ll be worth the wait.

YOU GUYSSS! The Dolce K and Candy K lip kits arrived in the mail yesterday! Tune into Snapchat this weekend to get my first impression and stay tuned for a full video review!!

Have you heard of Breather? It’s basically like an hourly Airbnb for office space and they’re coming to DC! That mid-day nap you desperately need? Covered. Need a beautiful indoor space to shoot a product? They’ve got it. Can’t wait to share more about them and give you a peek into their spaces! They’re already in New York and a few other big cities, but they launch in DC next Thursday!

After work yesterday, my boss took us out for happy hour at the new Barley Mac in Rosslyn. I’m OBSESSED. Their cocktails were phenomenal. I got one of their margaritas and it was actually everything) and so were the truffle potato skins. If you’re in the Arlington area, you’ll definitely want to check this spot out!

After Barley Mac, I attended a fun dinner honoring twelve moms who were nominated for the FAMILY Magazine Mom of the Year contest at the Hendry House. She’s sacrificed so much of herself to make our lives the very best as a single mom - and with her recent triumph over her battle with breast cancer, this was so so so well-deserved. And a very special thank you to Colleen and Britni who helped put the event together! ;)

This weekend is going to be crazy and wonderful. My Papou arrived in town with my aunt yesterday and my sister is flying in from Tennessee tomorrow!! We’ll be hosting Mother’s Day brunch at our place so TBD on whether I make it out alive. ;)

That’s all for this week - tune in Monday for an all-new outfit post!

I had something else planned for today…an outfit post (which I’m sharing a sneak peek of below!) But after yoga class last night, I wanted to try something new - a reflection of this past week and a look ahead to next. So grab your coffee, tea, acai bowl or green smoothie and let’s chat!

This past weekend, we went to Burnside Farms and picked flowers in their tulip field. I felt like I was in France. Definitely make your way there if you have a chance this weekend (and if tickets aren’t already sold out!) Here's a little sneak peek of my shoot!

The work week started off on a super positive note with me sharing about my April feature in Northern Virginia Magazine! I dish on all my favorite spots in the area including my favorite jewelry spot, where to get a cute date night outfit and my favorite places to grab some grub.

Some of you may know this, but my full time job is in commercial real estate. One of my mom’s students asked me if it was hard managing a full time job and the blog - hear what I had to say here.

My insane work week got a bit better when I received my ULTA order in the mail! I ordered this travel-friendly bronzer that I’m obsessed with, a new lip pencil that Claire Ashley used on my Northern Virginia Magazine makeover (and it’s only $3.50!) and this makeup setting spray that Claire also recommended!

I spotted an insanely gorgeous pair of Gucci-like sandals for Spring from Tuckernuck. And if you know me, you know blush is basically a neutral in my closet.

I made the most epic green smoothie of all time the other night. It had 5 frozen strawberries, a banana, two handfuls of spinach, chia seeds, almond milk and peanut butter. It gave me just the boost I needed before my weekly yoga class.

Speaking of yoga, I really found myself in a good place when I attended this week. One skill I’ve learned over the past few years is to listen to my body. If it’s telling me to go to sleep, I’m hopping into bed right away…even if it’s 9:30. This week, I had to decide between a fun blogger event and my yoga class. I listened to my body and attended the yoga class and I’m so glad I did. I’d been feeling a bit unbalanced physically and emotionally this week, and this class was JUST what my body (and soul) needed. During the meditation portion of yoga, the instructor gave us some words of wisdom that spoke to me - maybe they’ll speak to you too: “Sometimes not getting what we want is the best gift we can get.”

I’m getting excited about our weekend trip to Portland, Maine! And this week I finally retired my Vera Bradley overnight bag I’ve had since high school and gave myself a much-needed upgrade. I snagged this Cuyana weekender bag at their pop-up and I can’t wait to put it to good use this weekend!

Lastly, I was able to snag a few Kylie lip kits yesterday during the restock!! I picked Dolce K and Candy K - have you tried either?! I’m so excited to see if they’re worth the hype!

That’s all for this week - be sure to tune into Snapchat and Instagram (username: @juliengarman) to follow along during my trip to New England!