Happy Monday…er, Tuesday? Dude, I loveloveLOVE me a good long weekend – don’t you? It totally throws everything off in my head for a hot sec, but in the *best* sense, since the weekend was longer and the week is shorter and everything in between seems to fly by! Bless up. Popping in today to share a fun beach-y shoot that never made it to the blog but was oh so fun to make happen this summer – and since we’re wrapping up the weekend with LDW, it felt fitting to throw in one last beach bash before PSLs make it into every photo. 😉 My dress is unfortunately sold out, but I’ll link similar options for ya down below!

In other news, ICYMI on my Instastories, J + I spent our Labor Day Weekend in CANADA, EH! We road tripped up to Niagara Falls in Ontario as an early 2nd wedding anniversary slash babymoon trip together. Let me tell ya – I used to be sooooo not a road trip gal. So to get me into a car for 7+ hours is a decently big feat. BUT. My thoughts have since changed. Sharing more on that + a few things I’ve been loveloveloving as of late in today’s post – a short n’ sweet check-in of the more personal kind, since sometimes I just wanna grab a cuppa and pull up a chair with you guys as if we’re in Starbucks catching up over cappucinos. Ya feel? 🙂

5 Things I’m Loveloveloving Lately…

ROAD TRIPPING – Y’all, I’ve been turnt. I said it before and I’ll say it again – I was so not a road trip girl. I would’ve much rathered pack my bags, drive to the airport, and go through security before hopping in one vehicle for X hours straight. Even if timing ended up being equal-ish in the grand scheme of things, I just felt better having it be so compartmentalized in my head versus one shot through. BUT. After a grand, relatively easy road trip to Canada this weekend, MY THOUGHTS HAVE CHANGED. I realize that a.) we saved so much money. B.) We got to blast music. And I got to be DJ. C.) I got to still sleep whenever. (God bless Jamie driving). D.) Snack pit stops WHENEVER WHEREVER. E.) We then had my car in Canada, so if/when we wanted/needed to drive somewhere, WE COULD. F.) No security or bag limits or anything. G.) Forced quality time with your SO. If that ain’t worth it, folks, then I dunno what is. 😉
“TO ALL THE BOYS I’VE LOVED BEFORE” – We watched the Netflix movie along with the rest of everyone and their mom last week, and holy cuteness. The premise: A high school girl (stereotypically classified in the relatively “uncool,” never-been-kissed kinda club) has written 5 letters to past “loves” – boys she majorly crushed on in the past. Ranging from her camp crush from way back when, to her older sister’s now-boyfriend. Her younger sister, in an effort to spice up her life, decides to steal the letters one day and…send them. To all the boys her sister had loved before. So the plot is all about what happens when these “love letters”
are sent, and how the main character’s life is changed accordingly. I wasn’t sure if it would feel like a Disney movie given the high school timeline, but it’s a totally adorable rom com worth the near-two-hour watch. Apparently Netflix is releasing a whoppin’ 52 new titles of their own shows + movies in SEPTEMBER ALONE, so brace yo’selves – some TV time is in store.
– I recently pulled a TREAT YO’SELF to a new pair o’ Nikes justbecause. 🙂 I got mine , but they keep selling out so fast now I can’t keep track of ’em quick enough for ya! But keep checking back since they’re def still there. Especially since we’ve had so much running around going on as of late, AND since I’m preggers and ain’t nobody got time for high heels right about now, I figured a good pair of pink kicks would have a rightful place on my shoe shelf.
SKINCARE – You guys might’ve picked up on it lately – I’ve been on a skincare FIX. I can’t even really pinpoint it to pregnancy, since it’s not like I did anything too crazy and/or intentional justbecause I’m pregnant – but timing worked out that way, I guess. 😉 BUT. I did a huuuuuuge post recently on both my morning + nighttime skincare routines, since they’ve been pretty darn consistent for quite awhile now. I’m usually more of a makeup girl and always used it as a bit of a crutch if/when my skin was not so hot, as a way to a.) have fun and b.) cover up acne, redness, etc. BUT. Since paying more attention to the actual skin first + foremost, I’ve definitely just noticed a difference in the long run on my skin’s overall health, which in turn means I’m more confident since I have no need/desire to rely on makeup to do anything, really! It’s purely for funsies now, as I think it totally should be (cos it IS fun!). Besides my new routines + ingredient integrations, I’m also just hyper aware of drinking more water + giving myself some days off of makeup entirely, and getting to know my own skin better. Which might sound weird, but I swear it’s a thing! I’m just trying to pay closer attention to what happens when, to see what triggers what and how what I do/eat/wear might impact what happens the next day/week/month on my face. Current favorite products include , this , + pretty much (my discount code is COMINGUPROSES, if ya want 20% off + free shipping!).
REARRANGING FOR BABY G – Also with pregnancy comes changing our space for two to make it more space for three friendly. 🙂 One of the biggest FAQs we’ve been getting is “So where’s the nursery gonna be???” Great Q, my friends. For the time being, we’re actually not doing a complete room transformation for a dedicated nursery. Key phrase = for the time being. 😉 We’re #blessed with a huuuuuuge master bedroom, so for at least the first few months, we plan on having her crib at the farthest end of our room. No, we’re not co-sleeping – just having her crib in the same physical space to start. I know everyone and their mom has opinions on what’s best/isn’t best for baby, so I feel the need to preface all of this justbecause we’re doing what’s best for US – and that’s totally A-OK if that isn’t what’s best for YOU and your bub. 🙂 SO. All that to say, that since we’re making some space modifications to accommodate the new addition, we’ve had some redecorating to do! At first I was reaaaaaally nervous about how this would work out (or wouldn’t), since it’s not like it’s THAT much extra space – I had a vision in my head and was just hoping it would work well in alignment with that. After quite a bit of shifting, WE MADE IT WORK, YO. So far so good. I’ll give y’all a little tour update on Instastories soon (make sure you’re following along @ericaligenza!), but we’re v pleased so far with how it’s working practically + functionally. There were a few key pieces that needed integration and/or re-location: the crib, her dresser/changing table, a chair for nursing, and then my makeup vanity and big OOTD mirror needed new homes. We ended up shifting a lot in my office to make it all fit, but I actually think I like the layout of things now better than before – especially since it’s like she’s a perfect fit into our family + home (because she is already, duh). 🙂